After investigating Shi Yu's background, the National Heritage Strategic Investigation and Support Bureau, also known as Bureau Eleven, adopted a hands-off policy towards this new recruit.
Although Shi Yu's talent was good and his background was clean, he was still very inexperienced.
Even Lu Qingyi, the youngest member of Bureau Eleven, held a doctoral degree from Gudu University, one of the nine prestigious institutions, which gave a clear indication of Shi Yu's standing within the organization.
Investigating the historical truth of Bingyuan City on his own could also be seen as a process to hone Shi Yu's skills.
Through this process, they could observe the specific manifestations of his talent for listening to the sounds of history.
Currently, Lu Qingyi was the most concerned about Shi Yu's growth within Bureau Eleven. After all, she had already informed the group of leaders that Shi Yu was her discovery, her find. Once Shi Yu became an official member, he would have to serve as her assistant first, and no one could snatch him away.
"I hope you can pass the professional assessment in six months."
Lu Qingyi silently wished as she left Shi Yu's house again.
As someone with a certain level of vision, she naturally did not want Shi Yu to wait for the next professional assessment.
That was the standard for ordinary apprentice beast masters like Chen Kai in Pingcheng.
Now, by providing a huge amount of startup funds and helping Shi Yu secure a learning opportunity at Zhushi Martial Hall, her goal was to ensure that Shi Yu could catch the next professional assessment.
Becoming a professional beast master meant truly entering the world of beast masters. A slow start would lead to a slow progression, and every step in a beast master's growth should be a race against time.
"Ah..."
At that moment, in the courtyard, Shi Yu sighed as he watched Lu Qingyi's departing figure.
The rich woman was gone again, and now they could only rely on their own efforts.
Shi Yu took out his black Bureau Eleven ID card, looked at his handsome profile, and sighed.
Bureau Eleven was roughly equivalent to the ultimate force and trump card of Donghuang Ancient Country in dealing with various relics, holding a very high status.
In his previous life, archaeology might not have been much, but here, many relics were associated with various guardian totems and mythological creatures, containing a great deal of secrets.
One could say that deciphering relics was the most crucial path for beast masters to enter the mythological realm.
As the most elite group in the archaeological field, it was not surprising that Bureau Eleven had legendary beast masters as bodyguards.
"Ah."
Shi Yu sighed again. Although he had unfortunately entered the archaeological field once more, he had joined such a high-level organization in just a few months. Truly, he was Shi Yu.
Indeed, in a different world, he was still so outstanding.
"Can this thing allow me to enter most relics?"
"Can I apply for a bodyguard from the Beast Master Association when exploring relics?"
Shi Yu suddenly felt that this ID card was a bit of a hot potato. It was convenient, but it was like a Pandora's box. Using it would definitely mean he was courting disaster.
"Let's put it away for now."
After putting away the ID card, it was already noon, and Shi Yu had to prepare food for Shi Shi and the others.
"Roar"
During this process, Shi Shi roared to the sky in the courtyard, startling the Qingmian Worm.
"Scared me to death, damn it." Shi Yu was also startled.
However, due to his mental connection with Shi Shi, he roughly understood what was going on.
Shi Shi's growth level had increased again, reaching Awakening Level 6!
It was July 25, 177, and he had contracted Shi Shi on July 4, 177. In just over 20 days, Shi Shi had advanced three levels...
This speed would definitely make many beast masters weep.
Under normal circumstances, even with Shi Shi's voracious appetite and substantial training, this growth rate was still unscientific.
The main reason for its rapid growth was related to the skill manual's teaching.
The improvement in skill proficiency would drive the growth of the beast, which was the reason for Shi Shi's rapid growth.
In other words... the physical and mental energy Shi Yu expended was all converted into the nutrients needed for the beasts' growth through the teaching process.
"You're almost one meter tall, right?"
Shi Yu walked out with an iron basin and looked at Shi Shi, who was waving enthusiastically, estimating.
"Hmm?" The little Iron Eater nodded in confusion.
The current size of the little Iron Eater was much larger than when it was brought back from the Iron Bamboo Breeding Base, but that was normal, as it was currently in its fastest growth stage.
"Congratulations, let's eat first." Shi Yu smiled.
He quickly prepared food for Shi Shi and the Qingmian Worm, then took out his phone to check the status of the two beasts.
【Name】: Iron Eater
【Growth Level】: Awakening Level 6
【Name】: Qingmian Worm
【Growth Level】: Awakening Level 4
One was Level 6, the other was Level 4, but they could not be considered as normal beasts of the same level, as their skill proficiency far exceeded that of their peers.
If he registered for the field practical assessment organized by the Beast Master Association, Shi Yu was curious what kind of assessment results he could achieve with these two little guys.
...
That afternoon, Shi Yu went to the Pingcheng Beast Master Association again, this time openly.
This time, he came to register for the field practical assessment organized by the Pingcheng District Beast Master Association.
"Unbelievable, there are so many people."
However, upon arriving, Shi Yu immediately felt his scalp tingle.
There were an unbelievable number of people, seemingly all here to register for the field practical assessment.
The appearance of a secret realm relic in Pingcheng was no longer a secret, and what a secret realm relic represented was clear to most beast masters.
It represented opportunities and wealth!!
This time, the Beast Master Association announced that all gains from the secret realm would belong to the individuals, which directly drove the enthusiasm of those from poor backgrounds, like the former Shi Yu.
A chance to change one's fate.
"It seems the association's field practical assessment will weed out a batch of unqualified beast masters and further send the promising ones into the relic for training."
"This way, after some time, Pingcheng will have a new batch of apprentice beast masters qualified to challenge the professional assessment."
In a sense, just the news of the relic's appearance had completely boosted the enthusiasm of the apprentice beast masters in Pingcheng. In the past, field training didn't have so many registrants.
After a while, it was finally Shi Yu's turn. There were three field training locations in Pingcheng, and the specific location would be assigned based on the beast master's situation.
The three locations definitely had varying levels of difficulty, and Shi Yu estimated that with his level, he would not be assigned to the most difficult one.
"Hello, your training assessment location is Tianmang Mountain. The assessment will last for 3 days, starting on July 28th, which is three days from now, and ending on July 30th. Please arrive at the Tianmang Mountain training base by 9:00 AM on July 28th. If you are late, it will be considered a voluntary withdrawal, and the registration fee will not be refunded."
The receptionist smiled sweetly and said, "For specific details, please check in the hall."
"Thank you." Shi Yu turned and left.
The registration fee for one training session was 10,000 yuan, which was not expensive and was considered a bargain.
It was important to note that the Beast Master Association had senior beast masters pre-clear the dangerous factors at each training location, and a professional security team would be responsible for the safety of the trainees throughout the process.
To enrich the training experience, the Beast Master Association would also bring in a large number of exotic beasts not found locally, providing apprentice beast masters with a broader perspective.
Additionally, the rare resources in the training locations were always kept at a high level, and trainees could freely obtain them. After the training, they would share a certain percentage of the resources with the Beast Master Association.
Therefore, as long as the trainee was not too incompetent and had some ability, the registration fee could be recouped, and the more capable ones could even make a profit.
Shi Yu's goal this time was not to make a profit but to avoid a loss.
Subsequently, Shi Yu checked the precautions for this training in the registration hall.
There was nothing particularly noteworthy, just a reminder for trainees to bring some essential items.
After a brief look, Shi Yu returned home.
With three days left before the so-called field practical assessment, Shi Yu planned to spend them normally, without any last-minute intense training, as that could affect his state.
His goal was just to train Shi Shi's practical combat skills, ensuring they did not lag behind his growth level, and to see if he could replicate some rare skills, not to dominate the field.
If he wanted to dominate, he wouldn't have rushed to register. With 10 million yuan, he could develop steadily for half a year and have everything.
...
The three days passed in a blink.
During these three days, Shi Yu and the others indeed spent them normally.
Shi Shi and the Qingmian Worm continued their usual training and diet.
Shi Yu spent his days meditating and playing on his phone.
The only noteworthy thing was that during this period, Shi Yu used the skill manual three more times.
He taught the skill "Silk" twice and "Hardening" once.
This meant that, including the previous time, Shi Shi had been taught "Hardening" twice more after reaching the Proficient level.
The Qingmian Worm, on the other hand, had been taught "Silk" twice more after reaching the Proficient level.
Just these additional two times were not enough to bring their skill proficiency to the Perfect level, and their daily training volume was far from enough to fill the vast experience bar.
After this, Shi Yu was pondering a mathematical problem.
When a beast had no foundation in a skill, ignoring its own training volume, one teaching from the skill manual would bring it to the Beginner level, two teachings to the Proficient level, and four teachings to the Expert level.
So, how many teachings would it take to reach the Perfect level?
Eight or sixteen?
This problem was too difficult to judge... Shi Yu gave up on struggling and decided to wait and see.
That morning, Shi Yu got up very early and, being wealthy, took a taxi.
When he arrived at the street below the Tianmang Mountain training base, he found a large number of beast masters gathered at the entrance, mostly around 20 years old.
"Shi Yu!"
As soon as Shi Yu arrived, he heard someone call his name. He looked around and immediately saw a guy with black circles under his eyes, resembling an Iron Eater.
"You're here too." The top student Chen Kai, who had just finished class, said, "I knew you wouldn't miss this."
Shi Yu: "..."
Wait, what's with those black circles under your eyes? Did you really take the supplements as if they were candy after you got home?