Just as planned, the second group of customers were ready when he returned with the third group of pets. After sensing four individualsâthree men and a woman-standing outside, Su Ping unlocked the door and told them to come in.
He expected the customers to question the reliability of his training, which indeed happened. He wasnât going to waste his breath explaining though. Letting them see their pets for themselves would be enough.
After being released from Su Pingâs temporary contract, the pets dashed into their ownersâ arms like bunnies set free. Even one that wasnât so friendly before was nudging its master as if its life depended on it.
One of the customers, a young man wearing riches from head to toe, gave Su Ping an angry look. âWhat did you exactly do to my pet? You have some explaining to do, sir.â
This man was at the ninth place on the academyâs power ranking list. Seeing him questioning Su Ping, the other three followed suit by staring at him. Without speaking, Su Ping remotely ordered the young manâs pet to use the newly learned skillâEarthly Prison.
This pet was a supportive, plant-type Phantom Sika with a seventh-rank potential, and was usually good at using illusions and healing. While it was still enjoying the reunion with its master, Su Pingâs will invaded its mind and rekindled its worst nightmare, causing it to unleash Earthly Prison right away. It didnât know why it listened to a strangerâs order, and it didnât care.
The floor and walls of the shop started quaking, before a large number of thick vines came shooting out of random spots and filled up the room like spider webs, trapping everyone in a narrow space.
The customers watched the amazing and dangerous display with great surprise. The vines could easily squeeze them to death if they grew any further.
Lu Pengfei, as the master of the deer, knew better than anyone what his pet was capable of. Earthly Prison was a very useful and large-scale crowd control skill, while his deer was mainly a âhealerâ pet. There was no way it could use Earthly Prison unless...
âMister Su? Did you teach my pet that skill?â
âWhy would it be otherwise?â
Lu Pengfei trembled in excitement upon hearing that answer. Within a day, his pet deer had mastered a middle-rank skill used for effectively trapping enemies.
This guy is a master trainer, if not the best one Iâve ever heard of!
They all realized that the rumors about this shop were true. As long as they paid, their pets could become as strong as Su Yanyingâs Lightning Rat.
The woman with a pointy jaw asked next, âI can see his deer has grown. But what about our pets?â
Su Ping ordered two of the remaining three pets to show off their new skills, who obeyed him immediately.
Those skills were all common middle-rank ones, though the result was more than good since the pets had only gone through one training session. Su Ping looked at the last customer whose pet had yet to do anything. âYour Ice Gecko learned the âTidal Waveâ skill, so I canât show inside the store. Try it somewhere else and come back if you have any questions.â
The Ice Gecko was of the lower third-rank. Tidal Wave did not help it reach the same level as Su Yanyingâs Lightning Rat, but it was quite enough as an improvement.
No one doubted Su Pingâs words. There was no reason to.
âCan you keep training my pet, sir?â asked Lu Pengfei, as he gave Su Ping a yearning look.
âOnly once per day. You can come again tomorrow.â
âSure, sure!â Lu Pengfei scratched his head when he remembered his oppressive stance toward Su Ping moments before. âPlease forgive my previous attitude. I really shouldnât have done that.â
âHmph.â
Lu Pengfei was visibly stressed out because he thought Su Ping had not forgiven him.
Oh fu*k. I should have stayed quiet back there and let another one ask the question! Me and my big ego!
The truth was, Su Ping didnât mind Lu Pengfeiâs rudeness at all. It was just that, saying âhmphâ with his nose was quicker and easier than saying âitâs okay.â âHeh heh... Sir, please accept this 50,000 coins. Consider it my apology,â Lu Pengfei said as he handed some more cash to Su Ping. It was the only solution he could think of.
Su Ping took the money without much of a thought. Extra money was always welcome.
The other three people copied Lu Pengfeiâs move since they didnât want to fall behind and lose their chances of hiring Su Pingâs services again.
âMister Su, take this as a token of gratitude...â
âMe too!â âAnd this!â
An extra 30,000 deposited.
Su Ping on the other hand, did wish that the customers used the money to buy his service instead, since getting paid this way didnât help him get more energy points.
These studentsâ finances seemed to be tight. He didnât want to see them go broke too soon.
âJust this once. If you want to spend more money, do it for your pets.â âOf course, sir!â The customers had just realized that what they paid Su Ping in extra meant nothing to a master trainer who could easily earn millions from big clients. Su Ping was already doing them a big favor by offering a cheap service.
âMister Su, can I buy that special training for my pet?â asked Lu Pengfei. âLike the same one you gave the Lightning Rat. How much is it, a million?â
Su Ping silently asked the system whether he could accept the order. He could offer the Celestial Pig a special training because of a new mission issued by the system.
âSpecialized training is only available to a level 3 pet shop. Please reach that level first.â
Su Ping wasnât too disappointed by the answer. Without a âfree ticketâ to high-level cultivation planes and free deaths, it was already difficult to raise the Celestial Pigâs level to be a match for the Lightning Rat. He probably was unable to handle another special training order anyway.
âNot now,â he rejected.
âOh... Can you do it later then?â âThatâs a yes.â
Lu Pengfei almost jumped in delight. He happened to need some time to gather a million and decide which pet to focus on.
Four people stepped out of Su Pingâs shop while thanking him non-stop.
Su Ping called the next group of customers and decided to sit down and wait for them this time. He had spent 72 hours inside cultivation planes. Even speaking was a taxing thing to do right then.
Once again, he had to stop the customers from badgering him with questions by ordering their pets to display their skills. A while after, the terrified pets nudged their masters with fervor, hoping that theyâd never be sent to that dreadful place again.
Su Ping saw two more customers enter the store. He was slumped on his counter and was feeling too lazy to move, though he still sat up when he recognized who was coming.
It was the Vice Principal, Dong Mingsong, and Luo Guxue. Those two seemed to have come together.
Luo Guxue was there to help with his business, after he saved her life the other day. As for the Vice Principal, the old man probably had some kind of business to discuss.
âThis is your shop, huh?â Luo Guxue looked around; she wasnât expecting such a small place. She believed Su Ping was more than capable of renting a bigger place. Maybe he never intended to be serious about his job? she thought. She had been wondering if the ferocious Lightning Rat and Little Skeleton had both emerged from this shop. But on second thought, the place would have been packed with waiting customers if that were the case. However, it looked almost abandoned.
Dong Mingsong was thinking along the same lines but without showing it. He only checked the shelves briefly before speaking to Su Ping with a kind smile. âWhat a cushy little place you have, Mister Su! It has everything you need for a master trainer, without being too showy. I mean, look at this chair and how it is placed along the wall. Such... masterful taste.â
Su Ping felt too embarrassed to listen to such drivel, so he quickly stopped Dong Mingsong from keeping that up. âIs there anything you need?â
Luo Guxue spoke, âMister Vice Principal invited me to come, saying that we might have the honor of meeting a master trainer.â
She looked excited when speaking, which was reasonable, because a âmaster trainerâ was generally more respected than titled battle pet warriors in this world.
âPerhaps,â said Su Ping.
Su Ping had once heard about how master trainers from the Federation worked. He knew he could reach that level, if not better. There was no point denying his skills.
Both Luo Guxue and Dong Mingsong looked thrilled upon hearing his words. âCan-can we ask this master to train our pets?â
As an advanced battle pet warrior herself, Luo Guxue knew she should admire or even fear a master trainer. She would act as carefully as possible.
Behind her, Dong Mingsong showed a surprised look but quickly hid it.
After their meeting at the academy, Dong Mingsong summoned all available hands to investigate Su Ping and learn everything they could find, down to the last detail. They had learned which hospital he had been born in, which nurse handled him and even the color of her underwear, just to make sure they left nothing to chance.
However, Dong Mingsong knew something was off after reading the files he collected. Unlike his original assumption, Su Ping was not from a rich and famous clan. On the contrary, Su Ping came from an average family and was not born with astral abilities. No one knew when Su Pingâs astral power was awakened, because he only showed it until recently.
Apart from admiring Su Pingâs great talent, Dong Mingsong also grew a little fearful of what Su Ping could achieve at this rate. A common genius was nothing to be afraid of because they still needed time and proper study to fully display their capabilities. But Su Ping was different. He hid his potential from everyone during his entire teenage years.
Only the gods knew how many more amazing things he had in stock.
Since Su Ping was not born rich, Dong Mingsong was inclined to consider another theory: a fateful encounter. Su Ping might have received the gift of a master trainer who somehow decided to bestow everything upon him, probably because of a powerful enemyâs pursuit and not having much longer to live. At least this was how TV dramas usually played out.
Su Pingâs response just told Dong Mingsong that there was indeed a hidden master somewhere in the vicinity. He was more than eager to meet such a master right then.
âTraining your pets is not a problem,â said Su Ping, âHowever, the shop has a full schedule today. Iâm afraid you have to come tomorrow.â
âFull schedule?â Luo Guxue quickly realized that a master trainer should have rules after all. âAll right, thatâs what Iâll do.â
Dong Mingsong also stepped up. âMister Su, the main reason Iâm here is that I want you to teach a lesson at the academy at your earliest convenience.â
By this, he meant to tell Su Ping that his visit was unrelated to the shopâs affairs.
Su Ping trusted him. Though he still had questions about the reminder. âOur agreement said one lesson per week, right? Do I have to hurry?â.
Dong Mingsong easily saw that Su Ping was complaining. âI didnât mean to go against the agreement, Mister Su. Itâs just that, the Elite Pet Warrior League is starting soon, and the students will have their winter vacation in half a month. We have several talented students such as Su Yanying and Ye Hao, who can try their luck in the league and get a good score. The remaining two weeks represent the last chance we have to assist them. Apart from you, the other four advanced teachers will present two lessons each week. Of course, weâll compensate you for the extra work.â