"Ru Tong, are you sure this is the place? It's so remote!" Zhang Tiantian said, holding Feng Ru Tong's hand.
"Yes, I just happened to pass by last time and saw a very powerful orange cat, so I stayed for a while," Feng Ru Tong said with a smile.
"So you're breeding here? This is so careless. What if the Snow Woman Beast fed you some banned drugs or something?" Zhang Tiantian said uneasily.
"I wasn't reassured at first either, but you saw the Snow Woman Beast's strength. This isn't something banned drugs could achieve. There must be a master here!" Feng Ruotong and Zhang Tiantian walked to the end of the street and pointed at the Ruan Ruan Pet House.
So the two girls walked in hand in hand.
Zhou Ran was still eating noodles when he saw the two female customers. He immediately wiped his mouth and greeted them with a smile.
"Oh, you're the owner of that Snow Woman Beast? What else do you need today? We have everything here!" Zhou Ran laughed.
"Mr. Zhou, I want to ask if this Snow Woman Beast is really bred by you. I didn't see any training grounds." Zhang Tiantian spoke up first.
As soon as she entered the store, she felt something was off. This didn't look like a breeding store at all. Not only was the store so small, but she didn't see any breeding or training facilities either. That was too strange. Most importantly, the items on the shelves were way too expensive. Even the inner city wouldn't dare to sell them at such high prices. What gave him the right?
"Hmm..."
"Of course it's bred by our store, but the breeding methods are our store's trade secret. I can't disclose that."
Zhou Ran furrowed his brows. This involved the system's secrets, and he absolutely couldn't reveal them.
"Hmph, why won't you say? I can tell you're using some unscrupulous, evil methods..." Zhang Tiantian shouted, but was quickly stopped by Feng Ruotong.
"The boss isn't that kind of person. I believe him." Feng Ruotong pulled on Zhang Tiantian's sleeve and whispered.
"I'm sorry, boss, my friend has a bit of a temper. We just wanted to understand a little more." Feng Ruotong apologised with a embarrassed expression.
Zhou Ran now understood why the two had come. They were probably here to verify that the Snow Woman Beast, after being cultivated on the advanced cultivation platform, had achieved extraordinary results.
"If you two don't trust our store, feel free to leave. We won't see you off." Zhou Ran sat back down and continued eating his instant noodles.
Feng Ruotong looked at Zhang Tian Tian awkwardly. She hadn't expected Zhou Ran to issue an eviction notice so directly, so she hurriedly nodded and apologised, "Boss, I'm really sorry. I just came today to ask you to help me cultivate it again!"
Zhou Ran heard this and laughed, 'Business is coming in, so why eat instant noodles?'
'If it's a cultivation request, then everything is negotiable. The cultivation fee remains 50,000 per day!' Zhou Ran smiled.
Zhang Tiantian, who was beside him, heard the cultivation fee of 50,000 per day and was immediately startled. 'Your items are already so expensive, but a cultivation fee of 50,000 per day? Isn't this a rip-off?'
'Ruo Tong, this is too unreliable. I think your Snow Woman Beast is just a natural talent who happened to have an epiphany. He's just taking advantage of the situation. Let's leave quickly.' Zhang Tiantian grabbed Feng Ruotong's hand and prepared to leave.
'No way. I know my own Snow Woman Beast's capabilities. It's impossible for it to become like this in just one day.' Feng Ruotong said firmly.
After saying that, she transferred 50,000 yuan to Zhou Ran and added an extra 5,000 yuan as a thank-you fee.
"Are you crazy? 50,000 yuan is more than enough to train it for a month at a high-end training shop in the inner city..." Zhang Tiantian hurriedly grabbed Feng Ruotong's hand to stop her, but it was too late.
Zhou Ran couldn't stop smiling. He hadn't expected Feng Ruotong to be so generous. He said, 'Excellent, excellent. Handing your Snow Woman Beast over to our shop was the right choice. We won't let you down.'
'Will the boss be able to cultivate it to the same level as last time?' Feng Ruotong suddenly asked.
'Well... maybe the results won't be as good as last time, but it will definitely learn a skill or advance one rank.' " Zhou Ran laughed, after all, last time it was a high-level training platform, but this time it was only a basic one.
'Look, look, he can't even guarantee it. This is a scam!' Zhang Tiantian was furious.
Feng Ruotong's eyes flickered with hesitation, but she still nodded. After all, the Snow Woman Beast had brought her so many surprises.
'By the way, do you have any food for the Snow Woman Beast? I want to buy some.' Feng Ruotong asked.
"Of course we do. Wait a moment." Zhou Ran turned and ran to the shelf to search.
"Look, this is Ice Heart Frost Flower. It costs 700 yuan. After consumption, it can significantly enhance the ice power of ice-type beasts and also has a chance to master skills." Zhou Ran took out a plant with three white flowers on it.
"Three flowers for 700 yuan? Goodness gracious." Zhang Tiantian was completely blown away.
"Actually, it's 700 yuan per flower. We don't sell them individually. Three flowers for 2,100 yuan." Zhou Ran smiled at Zhang Tiantian.
"2,100 yuan..." Feng Ruotong was also startled. She was just buying some provisions, but why was it so expensive? Although her family was well-off, she couldn't afford to spend that much.
'Sir... are you sure these three flowers can enhance the power of ice and have a chance to master skills?' Feng Ruotong asked cautiously.
'I swear it's true. If it doesn't work, just come back for a refund.' Zhou Ran declared confidently.
"Alright…" Feng Ruotong gritted her teeth and transferred another 2,100 yuan to Zhou Ran.
She then swiped her right hand, summoning the Snow Woman Beast.
The Snow Woman Beast immediately assumed a battle stance upon appearing, but relaxed the moment it saw Zhou Ran. This was paradise!
Seeing the Snow Woman Beast's incredibly happy expression, Feng Ruotong was even more surprised. It was so attached to this place; she had indeed chosen the right place.
Meanwhile, Zhang Tiantian looked at Feng Ruotong and Zhou Ran as if they were monsters, especially Zhou Ran...
"Let's go; we have a match this afternoon." Zhang Tiantian really didn't want to stay any longer and dragged Feng Ruotong away.
Watching the two leave, Zhou Ran happily counted the money—a total of 57,100 yuan.
"Convert points..."
"A total of 52 points. The remainder will not be converted for now," the system said.
"Wait, something's wrong. There's still 5,000 yuan left," Zhou Ran said, completely confused.
"Customer gratitude fees cannot be converted. Keep them for yourself," The system replied indifferently.
"..."
Zhou Ran was speechless. This was definitely a Monopoly system, and a particularly stingy one at that.
After tidying up the desk, Zhou Ran carried the Snow Woman Beast into the breeding room.
The Snow Woman Beast was very obedient and didn't need Zhou Ran to tell her what to do. She immediately ran into a blue breeding table and lay down comfortably.
'You... are enjoying this, aren't you!' Zhou Ran mocked, then used 10 points to activate the breeding platform.
There were still 62 points left, but it was still too little. He had to tighten his belt every day—when would he ever become wealthy?
Plus, he couldn't even go to the Super Dimension now. For a moment, Zhou Ran had no idea how to make money.
'Mom, I'm back!' Zhou Ran parked his electric scooter and shouted.
'You're a bit late today. Looks like business is good at the store!' Wang Qian came out carrying a plate of hot food.
'Yeah, it's okay!' Zhou Ran smiled.
'By the way, Mom, do you believe I'll suddenly figure it out and become a beast tamer?' Zhou Ran asked while eating.
Wang Qian paused for a moment. She knew why her son was asking this—he desperately wanted to become a beast tamer, but fate had played a cruel joke on him.
"Ah, Ran'er, the doctor has already thoroughly examined your body. There's no hope for you…" Wang Qian said sadly, her eyes brimming with tears.
Zhou Ran didn't expect his casual question to elicit such a strong reaction from his mother. He almost blurted out about the system, but managed to hold back.
After all, from years of reading novels, he knew that once such things were discovered, they usually ended badly.
He immediately dismissed the thought and buried himself in his food.
After dinner, Zhou Ran took a hot shower and returned to his room.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he focused his mind and began practising the Divine Mind Technique.
From the Divine Mind Technique, he had learned that when a person's spiritual energy was severely depleted and weakened, the chances of fusing with starlight energy were very high. Therefore, even though Zhou Ran was extremely tired, he decided to begin his practice.
He saw the pale blue starlight energy and golden spiritual energy swirling around his body. Zhou Ran furrowed his brows; this was the same as this morning—they kept swirling and couldn't merge.
No way, I don't believe it! There's no way I can't merge them!
Once, twice, three times...
"You can choose to fuse them in the dantian. First, use the starlight energy to create a small vortex and draw in the spiritual energy." The system couldn't bear to watch anymore and prompted him.
Zhou Ran was startled and felt an epiphany.
Right! Creating a vortex to draw it in should work!
What a simple method! How did I not think of it...
"Who needs your reminder? I would have figured it out anyway. Mind your own business!" Zhou Ran was grateful, but still stubborn.
The system remained silent, ignoring Zhou Ran.
Zhou Ran dispersed the starlight energy outside his body while simultaneously activating the starlight energy within his acupoints, continuously gathering it into his dantian. A faint blue vortex began to form.
He immediately began to guide the spiritual energy into his dantian. Sure enough, with just a slight pull, the spiritual energy flowed endlessly, slowly flying toward the dantian and being absorbed into the blue vortex.
Gradually, the light blue vortex turned into a blue-gold colour, simultaneously spreading to all the acupoints throughout his body.
The light blue energy connected to the acupoints throughout his body also slowly turned into a blue-gold colour, though it was very faint.
Two hours later, Zhou Ran concluded his cultivation, and during this process, his Beast Tamer rank had changed, unexpectedly breaking through to the third tier—it was simply unbelievable.
'This Divine Mind Technique has only just entered the threshold and has already advanced to the third rank. Isn't that a bit too powerful? If it were perfected, wouldn't it directly reach the ninth rank?' Zhou Ran said, both exhausted and excited.
Zhou Ran was extremely excited, as this meant he could now use the Dark Star Wolf Dog without restraint. However, his body was drained of spiritual energy, and drowsiness overtook him, causing him to fall asleep quickly.
The next morning.
Zhou Ran woke up early, having rested exceptionally well the previous night and feeling full of energy.
After breakfast, Zhou Ran hurried to the shop. He wanted to see if the Dark Star Wolfhound, which had spent the night in the cultivation chamber, had undergone any changes.
Soon, Zhou Ran arrived at the shop and opened the cultivation chamber. The white light on the Dark Star Wolfhound had already disappeared. Since he could now control it, he had the system revoke the effect.
The Dark Star Wolf Dog soon woke up, and Zhou Ran immediately threw a Pet Appraisal Device at it.
Growth Form Dark Star Wolf Dog
Attributes: Wind-type, Demon-type
Level: Lower Fourth Tier
Skills: Fierce Dog Charge, Piercing Scream, Wind Demon Cloak, Wind Demon Roar, Demon Descent, Hell Roar, Phantom Clone, Demon Confinement
Potential: C
Score: 50
Zhou Ran was surprised. Although this was only a basic cultivation platform and not as effective as the Snow Woman Beast last time, it was still quite good.
It had even mastered a high-tier Demon-type skill, Demon Confinement.
'Hmm, not bad. Good job, Erbao.' Zhou Ran was very happy and patted its dog head.
'By the way, how many points does it take to upgrade this breeding platform?' Zhou Ran suddenly asked.
'1,000 points can upgrade three of them to intermediate breeding platforms at the same time. If the host finds the breeding platforms insufficient in the future, they can purchase more on their own, at 1,000 points each.'
'Upgrade: Advanced cultivation platforms cannot be upgraded or purchased yet; the host must expand their store to do so.' The system prompted.
Zhou Ran's expression darkened. That's way too expensive! Upgrading three for 1,000 points is acceptable, but purchasing them individually is also 1,000 points each—that's 1 million points...
And they're complaining my store is too small... I'm so struggling...
" Erbao, I'm sorry to inconvenience you, but I'll definitely earn enough money to take you places." Zhou Ran said as he stroked the Dark Star Wolf Dog's head.
He then swiped his right hand, sending the Dark Star Wolf Dog into the Beast Space.
Zhou Ran sat at the storefront, quietly waiting for customers to arrive. Although he had flaunted his wealth last time, this street wasn't very busy and was quite remote, so there were still no customers.
The neighbouring beast shop had also closed after the incident, and the owner had vanished without a trace.
After a while, seeing no one coming in, Zhou Ran opened his computer and started watching a movie...
At that moment, a young man wearing headphones and sportswear walked into the shop.
He was sweaty, clearly having just returned from morning exercise.
"Sir, do you have any food for combat-type exotic beasts? Give me a bag." The young man took off his headphones and said.
Zhou Ran immediately stood up, turned around, and searched through the shelves, finally spotting some yellow leaves in a box.
"Here you go. This is Three-Leaf Strength Grass. It increases the strength of combat-type exotic beasts and is very filling. It costs 500 yuan."
"Alright, where do I pay?" The young man fiddled with his headphones and didn't hear clearly.
Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Did you just say 500 yuan?"
"500 yuan," Zhou Ran wasn't particularly surprised, as this price was indeed high for monster food, but he couldn't change the system's pricing.
'That's so expensive! Is this golden leaves?' The young man was startled, looking at the sparse few leaves in the box and shouting.
'This Three-Leaf Strength Grass, when used long-term, can significantly increase the strength of beasts, and there's also a chance to master skills!' Zhou Ran patiently explained.
'Increase strength? Master skills? Can just these few leaves do that?'
'You're pulling my leg!' The young man frowned, glancing at the shelves behind Zhou Ran, and was immediately speechless.
Every item was priced at no less than 300 yuan, and the three golden boxes in the middle were astronomically priced. The young man didn't even look back, bolting out the door and muttering curses all the way.
Zhou Ran shook his head, saying nothing, and continued watching the short film on his computer.
By noon, Zhou Ran hadn't entered the dimension today, so he soon felt hungry. He took out a packet of Wang Shifu Beef Noodles from the drawer, poured boiling water over them, and began eating.
"So delicious, a true earthly delight!" Zhou Ran watched the film while eating the instant noodles, savoring every bite.
...