C3 I Have Always Walked Towards the Peak Why Should I Hide My Strength?!

Shen Lang let out a quiet chuckle as he turned his focus to the final Level SSS talent on his list.

**Blessing: Beastmaster-Exclusive, Level SSS Talent**

A passive ability, Blessing allows the Beastmaster to unleash class-exclusive skills with zero mana cost, no cooldowns, and a staggering +500% effectiveness.

No question—this was another game-changing power.

For a Beastmaster, true strength lay not in personal might, but in the beasts they commanded. While the Beastmaster themselves wasn’t a frontline powerhouse, their companions became devastating threats with the right support—attack boosts, mana regeneration, rapid healing, and more.

In short, the Beastmaster was the lifeline of their beasts, the one who kept them fighting at their peak.

That’s what made Blessing so formidable. In future battles, Shen Lang could layer buffs on his beasts without restraint—no mana drain, no waiting for cooldowns, and every effect magnified fivefold.

Eager to see the possibilities, Shen Lang scanned his skill panel. Four skills were available: one basic, and three exclusive to the Beastmaster class.

**Inspect: Basic General Skill**

A universal ability for all Classes, Inspect reveals a target’s level—so long as the target isn’t more than ten levels higher than the user.

These general skills were standard issue, meant to help adventurers gauge threats at a glance.

Unfortunately, Inspect didn’t benefit from Blessing. If it did, Shen Lang could have analyzed foes up to fifty levels above him.

**Contract Technique: Beastmaster-Exclusive Foundational Skill**

With this skill, a Beastmaster can forge a master-servant pact with a beast. The chance of success depends on the level gap between Beastmaster and beast—the greater the gap, the lower the odds.

“The bigger the difference, the harder it gets. But with Bloodline Insight and Bloodline Reversion, I don’t need to chase high-level beasts—just those with powerful bloodlines,” Shen Lang mused.

“And with Blessing, Contract Technique’s success rate is multiplied five times over!”

Turning his attention to the last two Beastmaster skills, Shen Lang read on.

**Summoning Magic: Beastmaster-Exclusive Basic Skill**

This ability lets the Beastmaster summon a familiar from the Beast Taming Space, or instantly recall a beast from the battlefield to their side, using only basic mana.

The logic was straightforward: thanks to his Blessing, Shen Lang could ignore the usual mana cost entirely.

**Healing Technique**—a core skill for any Beastmaster. With it, a Beastmaster could restore both their own and their familiar’s mana and vitality. The higher the Class level, the greater the healing effect, though it ordinarily consumed a portion of basic mana.

For most, this was a routine ability—nothing special. But Shen Lang’s eyes gleamed with excitement. Under the passive power of Blessing, he faced no mana cost and no cooldowns. He could cast Healing Technique on his familiars endlessly, amplifying the recovery of mana and vitality fivefold. His beasts could remain at their peak, fighting on without ever taking lasting wounds.

Of course, this only worked as long as his familiars weren’t obliterated in a single blow—no amount of healing could save them from instant defeat.

But Shen Lang had no intention of contracting ordinary creatures. The beasts he sought would possess extraordinary bloodlines, reverting to their most ancient, powerful forms. Divine beasts would be his baseline. In the entire Class Community, there were likely few—if any—who could fell a reversion Divine beast in a single strike.

Besides, Shen Lang wasn’t reckless enough to provoke such dangerous rivals for no reason.

He shifted his focus to general skills—abilities available to all before choosing a Class, skills that could be leveled up through experience to enhance combat prowess. After three years of relentless training, Shen Lang’s swordsmanship had reached Level 7, and his martial arts stood at Level 10—already stronger than many lower-ranked Class holders. Still, for a true Class holder, general skills were just a bonus; for a Beastmaster, they were almost irrelevant.

After all, if a Beastmaster had to charge into battle personally, what was the point of having beasts? That would defeat the purpose entirely.

His four-dimensional attributes were also above average, the result of years of hard work and discipline.

Shen Lang reviewed his status panel several times, analyzing every detail. Confidence surged within him—he was certain of his path as a Beastmaster.

“If I can’t succeed with this,” he joked to himself, “I might as well smash my head on a block of tofu.”

Yet before he could rise to greatness, one obstacle remained: money. Contracting a beast didn’t come cheap.

Outside the city walls, savage beasts roamed wild—perfect candidates for a Beastmaster’s contract. But until reaching Level 5, all Classes were considered newbies, forbidden and too weak to venture beyond the gates. Within the city, there were dungeons, but the beasts inside served only as training fodder, never as companions for a true contract.

That left Shen Lang with only one path to his first beast: buying one at the city’s professional trading market. Money, that ever-elusive foe, was something Shen Lang sorely lacked.

Still, he wasn’t without hope. Dean Soong had promised that neither the academy nor the nation would let a rare talent like him fade into obscurity.

Truth be told, the world three centuries on had its merits. Without the current policies, someone of Shen Lang’s humble background would struggle just to survive, let alone study at the renowned Fete Class School. Scholarships abounded, especially for those with potential in the professional ranks.

Of course, the state had no interest in coddling the weak. The less promise you showed, the less support you received.

“With my Beastmaster class and the talents I’ve awakened, I should be able to secure a decent grant,” Shen Lang mused. He didn’t need much—just a million or two in starting funds would be enough to set him on his path.

He’d given serious thought to the risks of exposing his gifts. He understood the old saying: the tallest tree catches the most wind. If he shone too brightly before he was ready, he could attract danger—just as the stories from three hundred years ago warned.

But for someone like Shen Lang, without power or influence, hiding his abilities might not even be possible. With talent like his, any attempt at concealment would likely fail. The sharp-eyed would always find a clue. Better to let his potential be seen; under the watchful gaze of the masses, he might actually be safer.

Besides, I’m destined for the summit—why hide in the shadows?

Still, Shen Lang wasn’t naive enough to reveal everything. He’d keep some cards close to his chest.

As he weighed his next steps, the academy’s class advancement ceremony concluded without a hitch. Dean Soong Yuan finally returned to his office.

“Shen Lang, have you been waiting long?”

Soong Yuan entered the office, closing the door behind him. The deep lines of worry that had once marked his face were gone, replaced by a broad, genuine smile—a stark contrast to the anxious days at the start of the class transitions. Clearly, the recent awakenings had produced more than a few formidable combat and support occupations.

Shen Lang rose politely. “It’s nothing, really. I wasn’t waiting long.”

“Sit, sit. Let’s talk,” Soong Yuan urged, gesturing for Shen Lang to take a seat as he settled into the chair opposite. His smile faded into a look of earnest pride. “Shen Lang, you’ve always been the pride of our academy. This time, you’ve surpassed expectations again by awakening the hidden occupation: Beastmaster. Outstanding! Truly outstanding. Of course, the Beastmaster path isn’t easy, but don’t worry—the academy and the government both have your back. There are special scholarships for hidden occupations.”

Shen Lang nodded, listening quietly. He was well-acquainted with the old scholarship system, but the new rules after the occupation change were less familiar.

Soong Yuan continued, “For awakening a hidden occupation, the government grants a scholarship of one million credits. The academy adds another five hundred thousand. That’s the baseline—one and a half million. Beyond that, there are additional rewards based on your talent level.”

“For C-level talent and below, the reward is one million. B-level gets three million. A-level, five million. S-level talent—ten million credits.”

He paused, a hint of anticipation in his eyes as he looked at Shen Lang. “So, Shen, what level of talent did you awaken?”

Hidden occupations almost always came with exceptional talents—B-level or A-level at the very least. Soong Yuan clearly expected Shen Lang to fall within that range; mentioning the S-level reward was more wishful thinking than anything else.

As for Level SS or Level SSS talents, there was no need to bring them up. The rewards for those were astronomical, but the odds of awakening such a talent were vanishingly small—perhaps only a handful worldwide each year. To mention those numbers would only be rubbing salt in the wound if Shen Lang didn’t qualify.

But as Shen Lang heard that an S-level talent came with a ten million credit reward, his heart soared. That was more than enough to acquire a powerful beast—perhaps even one with a rare bloodline. He wouldn’t need to chase after the highest-level creatures; a strong foundation was all he needed.

Yet, in truth, S-level was hardly the limit for him. His talent was at least Level SSS. What a delightful problem to have.

Suppressing a grin, Shen Lang looked up at Soong Yuan, his expression serious. “Dean, I have to ask—what’s the scholarship amount for a Level SSS talent?”

Regrettably, it seems he doesn’t even have a Level S talent—his lowest is Level SSS. What a pity!

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