Chapter 269: Chapter 262: Super Grand Promises (Part 2)

Based on how the teacher across from Lu You was dressed, Gu Ming had a feeling he might also be a recruitment teacher from the Royal Academy.

The Great Zhou Dynasty’s Emperor System had been passed down from ancient times, enduring to this day.

The Imperial College of ancient times, for example, had been upgraded into the Royal Beastmaster Academy in the modern era.

Anyone who could get into a public school was granted free tuition.

Gu Ming had considered applying to the Royal Academy before, as at least the tuition and cultivation fees would be covered by the state.

But seeing the teacher’s attitude, he felt a strange sense of unease.

"You’ve just left the competition when you run into a recruitment teacher from the Great Zhou Royal Beastmaster Academy."

"Teacher Zhou, looking as young and arrogant as ever, extends an invitation to you.

"You are reminded of thirty-two years ago, on the grounds of the college entrance exams. He was patrolling by, took a liking to your Iron Gall Lone Dragon, and extended an invitation to you."

"Back then, you felt incredibly fortunate to be noticed by the Royal Academy and accepted his offer.

"But after the college entrance exams ended, you never received his follow-up. You were dejected for a long time.

"Now, you’re competing at the age of fifty, yet he doesn’t recognize you.

"It was as if his offer all those years ago was just a casual remark he never took to heart. Now you understand. Your thirty-two years of waiting finally have an answer, and you can’t help but feel completely disheartened."

Gu Ming’s expression didn’t change, but inside, he was muttering,

’The Royal Academy invited me before?’ 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

’What Realm did my Iron Gall Lone Dragon reach in the past?’

’Logically, the "Gu Ming" from the other timeline was dragged down by debt.’

’His Pet Beast’s training fell behind, and on top of that, he bombed the college entrance exams. The psychological blow was immense. For a while, he felt too ashamed to face his family, so he left his hometown and worked for years.’

’Judging from the system’s narrative, there’s information I don’t know mixed into this future timeline.’

After Teacher Zhou left, another university teacher quickly came forward, saying with a wide grin,

"Gu Ming, I’m Chi Zhenge, a recruitment teacher from Red Moon University."

"Don’t be taken in by the Royal Academy’s big name. What’s so great about free admission?"

"The cultivation fees for your Pet Beasts aren’t fully covered. Think about it—Pet Beast Evolution requires high-quality materials, doesn’t it?"

"Buying Genetic Potions for High-star Pet Beasts also requires a special access slot."

"With all those Princes and Princesses in front of you, you might not get your turn even by graduation. It’s all just empty promises. Besides free admission, you have to fight for everything. And if you can’t compete, you’ll just end up as someone else’s lapdog."

"Do you want to be a lapdog? I don’t think so. I can tell you’re a person with ambition."

"Come to our Red Moon University. All your tuition, miscellaneous fees, and Pet Beast cultivation fees for all four years will be waived. We’ll also grant you special access to a Six-star Pet Beast Genetic Injection. You’ll get it as soon as the semester starts—we won’t make you wait for decades."

"It can give one of your pets, either Cyan Treasure or Ah Kun, the chance to undergo a genetic mutation Evolution. This will let it break free from the Demon Curse of its Two-star foundation. So, how about it? Are you tempted?"

Teacher Chi Zhenge spoke as if victory were already in his grasp.

For someone like Gu Ming from a middle-class family, the terms he offered were incredibly tempting.

What do ordinary families lack most?

The chance to obtain high-grade resources, of course.

A genetic mutation Evolution, for instance, was an extremely high-end method of Evolution.

The right to buy and sell Genetic Injections for High-star Pet Beasts was essentially controlled by the powerful elites within top universities and their affiliated organizations.

Ordinary online stores would never sell something like this.

Furthermore, anything available for sale online was a resource that had been carefully regulated by the authorities.

If you wanted to raise a Pet Beast to the level of Five Six-stars, you would find your access to certain core evolution resources bottlenecked to some extent.

The hoops you’d have to jump through to obtain them and complete the Evolution were endless.

Without the right connections, achieving such an Evolution was extremely difficult.

Of course, by taking on decades’ worth of debt, you might manage to achieve a Five-star Evolution, but whether that was worth it was another story entirely.

There wasn’t even enough of such a high-end resource to satisfy all the wealthy people, so how could it possibly be sold online?

Gu Ming remained silent, but his eyes flickered upon hearing the words "Genetic Injection."

Based on the information he’d gathered from his intensive online research, the expenses for four years at a Beast Taming University started at a minimum of one hundred million.

And that was just the rumored cost for an average student.

The truly talented individuals spent far more than a hundred million.

Then there was the Genetic Injection Teacher Chi had mentioned.

It was a legendary resource that seemed to exist only in online rumors, something only the rich and powerful could get their hands on. It could genuinely transform a Pet Beast’s potential, allowing a Two-star Pet Beast to possess the evolutionary potential of Five Six-stars.

Honestly, what middle-class family could make it through a Beastmaster University without taking out loans?

Moreover, Gu Ming read between the lines of what Teacher Chi said and picked up on some hidden information.

’Special access is granted as soon as school starts?’

’But the normal wait time is decades?’

’It sounded absurd at first, but on second thought, it actually made sense.’

’With how rampant capitalism is these days, it was entirely possible.’

’First, they dangle a huge promise to get you to sign with their Beast Taming University.’

’Then, it turns out you have to wait in line for the resources they promised.’

’And when you ask how long the wait is? Don’t even bother. The answer is always "a few years." After a few years pass, it’s just another "few years." Wait year after year, and what do you get? Decades.’

’By then, you’ve long since graduated. If you still haven’t gotten it after graduation, it’s probably because you signed one of the university’s "genius clauses." You went to work for a designated Beastmaster corporation, and your connection is still tied to that clause. That’s why your spot in the special access queue wasn’t canceled, and you can just keep on waiting.’

As his deductions reached this point, Gu Ming couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

’So that’s what he meant by "we won’t make you wait for decades."’

He didn’t know if Teacher Chi had revealed this information unintentionally, or if he had deliberately led him to connect the dots.

Students who qualified for the competition weren’t idiots. Anyone hearing that would surely analyze the hidden meaning.