C11 Stop Messing Around, You Want to Take the Pet Breeder Exam?

The following morning dawned early at the entrance of the Littlewell City Beast Tamer Association. This edifice stood as one of the grandest in the city, constructed entirely from massive black boulders. Dark green vines, heavy with striking scarlet fruits, clung to the boulder walls. These weren't ordinary vines but plant-type battle pets of at least elite status. Any intruder bold enough to attempt entry into the Association would find themselves ensnared and swiftly dispatched by these formidable plants. Even seasoned elite beast tamers would struggle to break free from their grasp.

The Association's door towered at nearly twenty feet, adorned with intricate statues of formidable battle pets that seemed poised to leap into action. Though the doors had only recently opened, a steady stream of Demon Hunters, weary from their travels, made their way inside.

Among them stood Symas, clad in a black casual outfit, commanding the attention of passing beast tamers with his presence. They cast curious glances his way but remained silent, preoccupied with their own unfinished tasks.

Symas made his way through the crowd to a secluded counter designated for beast tamer examinations. Manning the counter was a young woman in a black beast tamer uniform, her hair cascading over her shoulders, a small black iron badge with the number two pinned to it, denoting her rank as a two-star black iron beast tamer.

"I'm here to take the black iron breeder test!" Symas announced.

"Don't be ridiculous," she retorted. "The pet breeder exam costs 10,000 federal coins. This isn't something to take lightly."

Undeterred, Symas produced his bank card. "I'm serious about this."

"Really?" she asked, skepticism lacing her tone.

"Absolutely," Symas replied confidently. "I've studied extensively on the subject. I believe I can pass the black iron level breeder exam."

Yu Xue, the woman at the counter, couldn't help but shake her head. She had encountered many overconfident individuals, but never one as young as Symas.

In Littlewell, breeders were a rare breed, with most of them being over thirty years of age.

There were even those who only managed to earn their breeder's certificate in their forties or fifties.

This goes to show that obtaining such a certificate is no simple feat.

"It'll do the kid some good to learn a tough lesson."

Yu Xue mused to herself.

After 10,000 federal coins were deducted, a firefly about 20 centimeters in length darted out from a glass bottle on the counter, its abdomen faintly glowing with white light.

This was a black iron level one-star auxiliary battle pet, known as the King Firefly.

Its special skill? The Illumination Technique!

Its abdomen would emit a brilliant white light, akin to a flare.

"Have him escort you to the third-floor examination room. Wait there for a bit; the association is currently coordinating a mentor for your assessment."

"Understood."

Symas nodded in agreement.

He then followed the King Firefly, making his way to the wooden staircase and ascending to the third floor.

Along the corridor walls, one could make out vines as thick as fingers, which fell still and clung to the walls in the presence of the King Firefly's aura.

At that moment, on the ninth floor of the Beast Tamer Association.

The president, Corey, noticed a new mission in the association's internal system: a test for an aspiring Nurturing Master, and the candidate was a mere sixteen-year-old boy.

A teenager attempting to become a Nurturing Master?

"Now that's intriguing. I'm quite curious to see what this young man is capable of."

Corey took on the mission and promptly headed for the elevator, making a beeline for the third floor.

...

Inside the examination room.

Spanning nearly three hundred square meters, the space was segmented into three sections.

The first task was to concoct a black iron level tempering potion!

Crafting this potion required precise manipulation, with each ingredient needing to be added at just the right moment to achieve the desired effect.

The timing of each ingredient's addition had to be meticulously adjusted based on the circumstances.

The second task involved identifying at least ninety out of a hundred black iron level materials within a ten-minute time frame.

The third and most challenging task required the use of the previously identified materials to create a black iron level potion of any type, with the sole objective being successful creation.

The challenge lay in the nature of the second test: the black iron level materials were randomly drawn from the Beast Tamer Association's inventory by a computer system, eliminating any chance of cheating.

Symas had only just arrived when Corey hurried in.

"Mr. Lowe."

Symas was taken aback upon seeing Corey; it hadn't crossed his mind that Corey, the President of the Beast Tamer Association, would be the one to administer his test.

"Symas."

"Yes!"

"Alright, that's good. Are you ready? We can begin the test right now!"

"I am."

Symas nodded in affirmation.

"You seem to have a solid temperament."

Observing Symas' composed demeanor, Corey felt a sense of admiration and heightened expectation. He had already pulled up some background information on Symas using his privileges before arriving.

Symas was a student from Littlewell who had recently aced the summoning ceremony, consistently ranking first in his class in theory. His battle pet was a three-star black iron level Fire Vine.

Additional details about Symas' family history were also noted.

Becoming a pet breeder was no small feat. Despite the abundance of information available online, most of it barely scratched the surface.

Passing the three-part examination with such cursory knowledge was akin to scaling a mountain.

Corey then cleared his mind of any distractions to concentrate on Symas' evaluation.

The first stage.

Symas approached the stone table set up for crafting the black iron level tempering potion. On the sturdy black table lay three sets of ingredients for concocting the potion.

The 10,000 federal coins previously deducted from his account covered the cost of these materials.

The purpose of the tempering potion was self-explanatory.

Intended for black iron level battle pets, the potion could bolster their constitution by 5% to 10% upon first use.

However, this boost was exclusive to the initial consumption; subsequent uses would yield diminishing returns, with no benefits after the tenth dose. A one-star black iron level potion retailed for about 50,000 federal coins, while the combined cost of the necessary three-leaf clover, black iron red fruit, and cold jade liquid amounted to a mere 5,000 federal coins, resulting in a lucrative tenfold markup.

This is where the wealth of a pet breeder becomes truly frightening.

Of course, concocting potions is never a guaranteed success. Some black iron level pet breeders face a failure rate exceeding 50%.

Achieving a 30% error rate is considered quite impressive, and a mere 20% is virtually negligible.

The tempering potion is one of the most in-demand potions on the market.

At that moment,

Inside the Hall of Assessment, Symas glanced over the three sets of ingredients on the black stone table. Satisfied that everything was in order, he ignited the flame beneath the alchemy vessel.

He heated the black glass container until it glowed a dark red, radiating waves of heat.

This vessel was essential for refining the potion.

As the flames roared,

Symas poured in the cold jade liquid, causing a significant drop in temperature.

Within moments,

He deftly lifted the black iron scarlet fruit with his right hand. The fruit, smooth and red, was the size of an apple.

Upon contact with the cold jade liquid, the scarlet fruit dissolved like snow meeting fire, vanishing instantly.

Once the icy and fiery properties balanced out, he added the Three Leaves.

A delicate equilibrium formed among the three elements.

Finally, the mixture transformed into a pale white liquid. Symas carefully transferred it into a tall glass test tube. The concoction was the perfect amount for a single tempering potion vial.

"Finished."

Symas gazed at the pale white potion and exhaled deeply.

The entire refining process demanded intense mental focus, with the swift integration of medicinal powers requiring meticulous attention.

At that moment, Corey, standing nearby, watched Symas with amazement as he completed the tempering potion.

"He actually did it. He crafted the potion."

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