Chapter 246: Exchange Student

Shui Lu Yana isn't even one year old?

Qiao Sang's mind went a little blank.

Wasn't it already seven years old, practically at the age where you'd hang its portrait on the wall? How could it suddenly revert to a cub?

Qiao Sang wore an expression of stunned bewilderment: "But Shui Lu Yana told me it was already seven years old, how could that be?"

It wasn't that she didn't trust the vice principal's judgment, but who would know its own age better than the pet beast itself? There was no way Shui Lu Yana was so bored it would claim to be older than it was. It wasn't like Little Treasure Ghost.

Before Liu Yao could answer, Shui Lu Yana was already unhappy.

"Lu Lu Lu!"

"Lu Lu Lu!"

Shui Lu Yana first stared at Qiao Sang in a daze, then immediately began arguing its case.

It had never said it was already seven years old!

Never!

Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment: "Didn't you last time hold up seven claws and gesture?"

"Lu Lu Lu!"

"Lu Lu Lu!"

Shui Lu Yana angrily held out seven short toes and called out twice.

It meant seven months!

Seven months!

Qiao Sang: "!!!"

Qiao Sang stood frozen for a long time, unable to speak. She very much wanted to blurt out a certain plant.

But she was in the vice principal's office, so she held back.

So last time, what Shui Lu Yana had gestured was seven months, not seven years!

What a ridiculous mix-up!

Seven months and seven years were worlds apart, alright!

One was still a bud, the other practically wilted.

As a breeder with excellent observation skills, hearing Qiao Sang's words, seeing her current dumbfounded expression, and Shui Lu Yana's look, what was there that Liu Yao couldn't figure out?

He laughed and said, "So you didn't even know your pet beast's real age before."

Qiao Sang came back to her senses, scratched her head, and said sheepishly, "I only contracted Shui Lu Yana yesterday. When we communicated before, I couldn't understand what it was saying, so I could only guess."

"Lu Lu Lu!"

Shui Lu Yana tsundere-ly turned its head away, indicating it was very unhappy right now.

At such a wonderful age, it had guessed her to be so old!

"I was wrong. I'll have Ya Bao take you flying in the sky later." Qiao Sang decisively sold out Ya Bao.

"Lu Lu Lu."

Shui Lu Yana's tail unconsciously wagged, then it tsundere-ly turned its head back.

Liu Yao glanced at Qiao Sang in surprise and said, "I think you have real potential as a breeder."

"Maybe." Qiao Sang shamelessly accepted the compliment.

Liu Yao petted Shui Lu Yana for a while longer, his face full of reluctance, and said, "Put it away for now."

"Okay."

Qiao Sang nodded without asking, simply waved her right hand, and Shui Lu Yana disappeared on the spot.

Liu Yao sat back down in his chair, a little envious, and said, "I've lived so long and barely ever seen an endangered pet beast, let alone contracted one. Nowadays, almost all endangered pet beasts are protected by the Alliance. The last time I saw one was for a research project, and I had to go through several procedures just to see it. I never expected you'd have the fortune to contract one."

Who said otherwise? Qiao Sang also felt she had the luck of a dog.

In her previous life, pandas as national treasures still numbered over 1,800, but Shui Lu Yana was even rarer than pandas, fewer than 100. If more people besides her had known, there would have been no share for her to contract.

Fortunately, the only person who knew Shui Lu Yana's whereabouts wasn't as strong as her.

But to be honest, she also had to thank that person. If he hadn't chased so relentlessly, Shui Lu Yana probably wouldn't have come from the Ancient Mist Region to the Yuhua Region.

Let alone run into her.

"I also think my luck is pretty good." Qiao Sang nodded, indicating deep agreement.

Liu Yao glanced at her: "But speaking of which, you probably still don't know how Shui Lu Yana evolves."

"I've looked it up online." Qiao Sang said, "Shui Lu Yana has to experience heartbreak first, and during the heartbreak, it must be in a rainy environment, using the emotional power generated within to trigger evolution."

Liu Yao said, surprised, "I didn't expect you to know. I thought you couldn't find this information online."

Qiao Sang smiled and said, "Lucky coincidence, I happened to meet an online friend who knows about Shui Lu Yana."

"Since you know Shui Lu Yana's evolution conditions, you should also be clear how demanding they are. If Shui Lu Yana didn't have such a hard time falling for other pet beasts, its numbers wouldn't be so low." Liu Yao sighed.

Qiao Sang laughed foolishly twice: "Hehe, my Shui Lu Yana already has someone it likes."

Liu Yao was dumbfounded: "Are you sure?"

"Sure." Qiao Sang nodded.

"That's good then," Liu Yao murmured.

He was genuinely a little sour. A Shui Lu Yana confirmed to be able to evolve and one that could only be treasured without evolving were completely different matters.

Liu Yao steadied himself and said, "Since Shui Lu Yana has someone it likes, that makes things easier. Besides keeping a rain-summoning pet beast by your side, what you need to do now is make Shui Lu Yana as heartbroken as possible on the day it experiences heartbreak."

Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment: "Why?"

She could understand keeping a rain-summoning pet beast nearby, but why did the heartbreak need to be as painful as possible?

Liu Yao explained, "Shui Lu Yana mainly evolves by relying on emotional fluctuations within. Shui Lu Yana generally don't have a strong competitive spirit, but after evolving, there will be obvious differences."

"Researchers have studied that the more miserable the heartbreak a Shui Lu Yana experiences, the stronger its energy value and other aspects will be after evolving compared to a Shui Lu Yana that experiences ordinary heartbreak."

"In other words, the stronger the emotional fluctuation during a breakup, the stronger Shui Lu Ya Na will become after evolving."

That's just too tragic. Qiao Sang couldn't bear it and said, "Since Shui Lu Ya Na evolves through inner emotional fluctuation, what about being madly in love? Wouldn't that work?"

Liu Yao shook his head: "Someone once proposed this idea and even researched it, but found it doesn't work."

Too tragic. Qiao Sang sighed inwardly again, then suddenly thought of something, hesitated for two seconds, and tentatively asked:

"Suppose Shui Lu Ya Na doesn't rely on emotional power, but uses energy materials like Water Stone to evolve. Would it be weaker after evolving than one that evolved through emotional power?"

Liu Yao thought for a moment and said: "First, your hypothesis doesn't exist. Second, if it really could evolve through energy materials, then the evolved Bing Lu Qi Ya would most likely be weaker than one evolved through emotional power."

"There's a saying online: the wise don't enter the river of love, the heartless are sure to reach the shore. Applied to Shui Lu Ya Na, it means the heartless are sure to grow stronger."

"Shui Lu Ya Na only develops the desire to grow stronger after going through a breakup. Like I said, there will be obvious differences after it evolves."

Looks like she can't rely on points, only on Ya Bao. Qiao Sang nodded and said: "I understand."

After chatting for a while, Liu Yao wrote down the energy pill formula for Shui Lu Ya Na and handed it over.

Qiao Sang took it, said goodbye, and had just turned around to leave.

At that moment, Liu Yao suddenly called out: "Wait."

Qiao Sang stopped, turned, and looked at the vice principal.

Liu Yao let out a heavy sigh.

To be honest, he was a bit regretful about calling out to Qiao Sang, but when he thought of her talent and her pet beasts, he felt he couldn't bury her just because of his own selfish reasons.

Liu Yao was silent for a long time, then said: "If within the next month, your Treasure Hunting Ghost or Shui Lu Ya Na can evolve into an intermediate pet beast, then you should go participate in the National Campus Beast-Taming League for the Gao San division."

Qiao Sang was stunned: "Didn't you just last time tell me not to participate in the Gao San division competition?"

They say women are fickle, but men don't seem much better.

Liu Yao straightened his back slightly and said solemnly: "If your Beast-Taming Tome didn't have a third page, I would absolutely not tell you to participate. But it's different now. The current you might have a chance to get an exchange student quota."

"Exchange student?" Qiao Sang was stunned at the words.

Liu Yao looked at Qiao Sang and said, word by word: "To be precise, an interstellar exchange student."

Qiao Sang: "!!!"

(End of chapter)