Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Don’t Even Think About Taking My Sleep Time

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"AR-WOOOOOOO..."

Yu Bao let out a sound like he was charging up a super move.

As his whine pitched higher and higher, the surrounding dust slowly began to rise, swirling in a barely perceptible motion.

One of the key features of Sandstorm was manipulating sand and gravel to swirl into a tornado.

It looked a bit like he was holding in a fart, but there were signs he was actually about to succeed in mastering the skill!

Su Zhi’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but clench his fists.

’Yu Bao! You can do it! The best way to eliminate fear is to face it! Let’s go!!’

"PFFFT—"

Yu Bao looked utterly relieved.

Su Zhi: "..."

’So he really was just holding in a fart.’

Beside them, Emperor Shao practically choked with laughter.

The sand that had been floating in the air gradually settled back to the ground. With a PLOP, Yu Bao collapsed onto the floor, unable to get back up.

Sustaining a skill consumes a lot of energy, especially for a young Pet Beast who doesn’t have much to begin with.

He was really, truly, completely drained.

"Tsk, this is harder than I thought."

Su Zhi mused, propping his chin on his hand. "What’s the reason...?"

"Well, it’s a High Level Extraordinary Skill with a high barrier to entry. You can’t expect to master it in one night."

Shao Ya yawned, speaking with mock gravity.

"You have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time."

"That’s true," Su Zhi nodded.

The evening’s training added another 0.01 Points for Yu Bao. Combined with the afternoon’s progress, he had gained a total of 0.05.

Now, Yu Bao’s Power and Agility were both 1.07, while his Intelligence and Perception were 1.09. He was blossoming on all fronts.

His Constitution was the weakest, but it was still 1.02.

His Real-time Energy Value had risen to 272 accordingly.

Practicing Sandstorm required Perception, so Su Zhi naturally prioritized allocating Points to it.

Adding Points to Intelligence was secondary, as it affected overall skill learning efficiency.

His Power and Agility were sufficient for now, so there was no need to worry about them in the short term.

As for Constitution... Su Zhi wasn’t considering it for the time being.

According to the system, Constitution likely represented a Pet Beast’s physical fortitude—things like the ability to take a hit, endurance, and adaptability.

Yu Bao’s current playstyle was clearly centered around positioning and mobility.

And Sandstorm, the skill he was currently training, was an Output Skill.

As long as you kill the opponent first, you don’t have to worry about getting hit.

"School’s about to end. Let’s get ready to pack up."

"Alright. Time to go, Xiaoyue."

"Brother Shu, wait up!"

Liu Yuhang came running over, waving his hand...

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"And that’s basically the gist of it."

On the way home from school, Liu Yuhang explained the origin of the Brown Relics to Su Zhi.

"So Old Zhou would rather die than surrender, huh."

A slight smile touched Su Zhi’s lips as he put the resource away. He had thought Old Ban would try to earnestly persuade him one more time.

But that didn’t happen, which was basically a tacit admission that Su Zhi was being left to his own devices.

Coincidentally, the Brown Relics were a resource nurtured in desert regions, which might even help with comprehending Sandstorm.

This move from Old Ban was an unexpected blessing.

Chatting all the way, the three of them arrived at a skewer shop at the entrance of Wudu New Village.

All sorts of small foods were skewered on bamboo sticks, simmering in a large pot. The owner hawked his wares while passersby stopped to eat, creating a lively scene.

It was especially lethal to the high school "animals" who were exhausted after a long day.

Su Zhi stroked Yu Bao’s head. "Since we’re here, what do you want to eat?"

Yu Bao, with the tip of his little tongue hanging out, stared eagerly at the "luxury item"—the three-yuan lamb skewers.

After a moment, he patted a fifty-cent crab stick skewer with his paw.

"Woof." (This one.)

Su Zhi grabbed two crab stick skewers and gave one to Yu Bao.

Yu Bao munched on the crab stick, NOM NOM NOM, wondering why it smelled like lamb.

He looked up to see Shao Ya holding four lamb skewers. She gave one to Liu Yuhang, one to Su Zhi, and one to Yu Bao.

"Go on, eat up. Everyone worked hard today. It’s my treat!"

"Emperor Shao is so generous."

"Thanks, Class President!"

"Woof woof!"

Yu Bao quickly scarfed down his crab stick and started happily munching on the lamb skewer.

Xue Li was a duck and couldn’t eat lamb, but Shao Ya had also bought her some small fish balls. They were so tasty that Xue Li couldn’t stop wiggling her little feet.

"Shoot!"

Liu Yuhang’s eyes went wide.

"I live in Jingyuan District! How did you guys drag me all the way to Wudu New Village?"

"Heh."

"Relax, Su Zhi’s place is pretty big~"

"Gotta go, gotta go! See you tomorrow!"

Liu Yuhang picked up Xue Li and hurried off to catch the bus.

After finishing their skewers, the two pairs of Tamers and pets slowly walked back.

Xiaoyue’s eyes were slightly narrowed, his pace unhurried, like a scholar from olden times.

Yu Bao followed behind, Bling Bling, like a puppy learning to walk.

The evening breeze drifted by, and the starlight seemed to flow as slowly as a river, creating a particularly comfortable atmosphere.

"Hey, if we keep walking, we’ll end up at my place," Shao Ya reminded him.

"Ah."

Su Zhi blinked, a little dazed.

He had been so preoccupied with thoughts of skills and stat allocation that he hadn’t even realized they had walked to the wrong apartment building.

Yu Bao, on the other hand, was wagging his tail expectantly.

’Going to Xiaoyue’s house would be great; I could play with big brother Xiaoyue.’

"By the way, are you planning to participate in the city-wide tournament at the end of the month?" Shao Ya asked, pillowing her head on her hands.

"Depends on the situation?" Su Zhi replied, his tone questioning.

"After all, whether I can go isn’t really up to me..."

"If you want to go, you can definitely do it. You and Yu Bao have always been capable."

Shao Ya’s ponytail swayed as she stomped her foot, activating the sound-controlled light in the stairwell.

"Bye, see you tomorrow!"

"Oh, bye."

Su Zhi stood downstairs for a moment, waiting until all the sound-controlled lights had turned off before leading Yu Bao toward another apartment building.

Huai First Middle School let out at ten, so by the time Su Zhi got home, it was already ten-thirty.

His parents were already asleep. He used his key to open the door, tiptoed back to his bedroom, and turned on only his desk lamp.

Su Zhi gave the Brown Relics from Old Ban to Yu Bao.

This was a long-term resource; its effects were continuous as long as it was kept nearby, and it was particularly suitable for a Yu Dian Dog to absorb.

The Brown Relics would be of considerable use until the Yu Dian Dog evolved.

Yu Bao had been thinking about doing some extra training, but the moment he touched the Brown Relics, he was like a cat with catnip, flopping onto the ground with a THUD and starting to play.

Su Zhi chuckled softly and let the little guy play by himself.

’Although training earns him Points, there’s no need to be constantly on edge. Yu Bao worked hard in the afternoon, so I can consider this a night off for him.’

Su Zhi closed his eyes and began to meditate.

’Yu Bao is playing, and I’m grinding. The gap between me and my Pet Beast is shrinking again...’

Perhaps because it was late and quiet, this Meditation session went exceptionally smoothly and lasted longer than any before.

When he opened his eyes again, the soft, eye-friendly light of his lamp shone quietly in the bedroom.

Yu Bao had already fallen asleep, all four paws in the air. One paw was still pressed against the Brown Relics, and his face was a picture of peace.

His little mouth was half-open, SNORING softly.

Su Zhi quietly maneuvered around the little guy, walked over to the large tatami bed, and pulled a summer quilt over himself.

Su Zhi, who usually turned off his phone as soon as he got into bed, did something unprecedented and looked at it.

However, he didn’t check on his skills. Instead, he went to the official Huai City website to look up the regulations for the city tournament.

There was a new message in the class group chat. Shao Ya had forwarded a notice from the student council: in two weeks, they would be welcoming exchange students from No. 2 Middle School, and everyone was encouraged to sign up for the friendly competition...

Su Zhi didn’t read the details. He just stared at her Huajing Cat profile picture for a couple of seconds before setting his phone to ’Do Not Disturb’ and turning it off.

’Those jerks in the student council, always taking up people’s time after school. I’m not going to indulge them.’

Su Zhi turned off the light and went to sleep.

Yu Bao’s paws twitched slightly.

Sensing that Su Zhi was in bed, Yu Bao picked up the Brown Relics in his mouth and quietly scooted over to his Beast Tamer’s side.

The Little Yu Dian Dog settled down with his back against his Beast Tamer and closed his eyes in contentment.

Su Zhi gently rested his hand on Yu Bao.

The night passed peacefully.

The phone’s notification light blinked in the darkness.

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