Astral Pet Store

As he stared at the cocoon, Su Ping could not wait to see the change. The Little Skeleton had been absorbing the blood crystal for a long time and the progress had been slow. Finally, this day, the transformation would be complete. Su Ping anticipated that the Little Skeleton’s combat strength would see another marked rise. It was even likely that the Little Skeleton’s combat strength could be comparable to the Void State of the legendary rank!

“The Little Skeleton’s bloodline is awakening and the bloodline is of a high rank. I suppose the process will go on for a while. I suggest you store the cocoon in your contract space in case anyone could disturb the Little Skeleton,” Joann reminded Su Ping.

Su Ping nodded.

That was the first time he had encountered anything like this. There was no harm in taking Joanna’s suggestion.

The swirl appeared and sucked the Little Skeleton in. The blood-red cocoon was floating in that space quietly.

Afterward, Joanna told the curious onlookers to get back to their businesses.

Su Ping went back to his cultivation. After he was done, he checked on the Dark Dragon Hound, the Inferno Dragon, and the customers’ pets.

With Joanna’s help, the customers’ pets’ training had been going perfectly well. After all, those pets had never been through training where they would have to face death directly. The pressure from the repeated deaths had tapped the pets’ full potential. All the pets had been progressing by leaps and bounds and had been thoroughly remolded.

Soon, it was time to leave the Demigod Burial.

Su Ping saw that the blood-red cocoon remained the same inside the contract space. A week had passed and the awakening had not reached its end yet. Rather, the color of the cocoon had become increasingly bright.

Su Ping was not in a hurry. Joanna told him that the longer the process was, the better the result would be. Su Ping was even more eager to see what would become of the Little Skeleton.

Joanna left some orders for her subordinates before he went back to the store with Su Ping.

The light inside the store was dim. Daybreak had just arrived.

It was still early. Su Ping saw that it was barely six in the morning. He placed the Dark Dragon Hound and the Inferno Dragon in the nursing pens and later went to clean up and shave. He checked all the customers’ pets to make sure he hadn’t missed one. Then he left the store and headed home.

He saw a long line outside as soon as he opened the door.

The day had just broken and at least a hundred people or so had arrived.

The customers in the line were stunned. It was rare for Su Ping to open the door this early!

While the customers were still processing that pleasant surprise, Su Ping turned around and closed the door.

“I’m gonna go for some breakfast and then grab the greeter. The store will be open for business at 7:30,” Su Ping said to the customers.

The customers were rendered speechless. They watched as Su Ping turned around and left.

Su Ping was not used to speaking to the customers without Tang Ruyan being present. He had to ask the customers to wait. He supposed they had become used to this waiting since he usually opened the door later, well into nine in the morning.

While he was going back home, Su Ping noticed that there was someone quite powerful moving about in the buildings across the street.

He was familiar with those people.

Su Ping realized that they were the family heads as well as some of the other titled battle pet warriors.

...Have all of them moved in here?

It would have never occurred to him that he would have those guys as neighbors one day.

He remembered the conversation between those family heads with Xie Jinshui the day prior. He didn’t know what to say; they had acted too quickly. They had reached a solution in less than a day. It seemed that each family currently owned a building close to his store. He wondered if they used coercion in the transaction. Su Ping thought he would have to ask Xie Jinshui about it.

Those who previously lived across the street were his old neighbors. They would greet each other when they met on the street. Su Ping would have to get involved if coercion had been used, because everything had started because of him.

“Mr. Su.”

A man walked out from the building that had once been a noodle shop. It was Qin Duhuang. “Good morning,” he said.

Qin Duhuang held a birdcage in his hand. He was going for a walk in a quiet place with a bird.

“Morning,” Su Ping replied.

“Mr. Su, your store is so popular. So many people are waiting even before it opens.” Mu Behai walked out from a building that had once been a tailor store. He was being accompanied by a Mu Family elder. They had felt Su Ping’s presence and immediately walked out to pretend having met Su Ping by chance.

“Ha, it is all thanks to you,” Su Ping replied politely.

The family heads of the Liu and the Ye families came out as well and greeted Su Ping with a smile. No one wanted to be left out.

Su Ping exchanged some small talk with them and later hurried away. He saw Tang Ruyan and Zhong Lingtong eating breakfast as soon as he got home.

“Why did you get up so early?”

Tang Ruyan was surprised by Su Ping. There was still some congee by the corner of her mouth when she raised her head.

“Sir.” Zhong Lingtong stood up in a hurry and greeted Su Ping formally.

Li Qingru had become aware of the relationship between Zhong Lingtong and Su Ping. She told the girl to sit down and make herself at home. Su Ping agreed. “You don’t have to be so uptight around me. A kowtow is enough,” he said.

Zhong Lingtong didn’t know what to say.

Li Qingru rolled her eyes at him. “What has gotten into you so early in the morning? Tong, don’t listen to his nonsense. Su Ping, go and brush your teeth and sit down for breakfast. Tang and Tong bought breakfast for us. You must remember to treat them well in the store. Don’t be all affected and don’t bully them.”

Su Ping blinked. When was I like that?

“I brushed my teeth in the store.” He sat down and dug in. “I wonder how your sister is doing in the Valiant Academy,” Li Qingru muttered all of a sudden. She had been missing Su Lingyue at the breakfast table.

Su Ping also noticed that he had much more food to eat without his young sister. No one would fight for food with him. It was so... uncomfortable.

Su Ping shook his head. “Mom, don’t worry. I know a guy there. No one is going to bully her while she’s there. Maybe when she gets back you’ll see an obese girl.”

Li Qingru rolled her eyes at him again. “Don’t speak like that.’

Su Ping chuckled. He thought of dad. “Anyway, mom, didn’t you say you were going to call dad and tell him to come back? Why hasn’t he?”

Li Qingru was also worried. “Your dad wrote me a letter, saying that he has come ashore and was on his way back home. I think it’s just because the journey is a long one.”

Su Ping frowned. He thought of the underground trains that were under frequent attacks outside the base city. He wished that the father he had never seen would enjoy a safe ride home.

Su Ping finished his breakfast quickly and called Xie Jinshui.

He asked about the stores sold to Qin Duhuang and the other family heads. He was told that the original owners were given money that was hundreds of times more than what they originally had invested. “Sir, are the wild beasts still active outside the base city recently?” Su Ping changed the subject.

Xie Jinshui was surprised that Su Ping would ask about that. He sounded worried, “Yes, quite active. I have sent out some titled battle pet warriors to clean up the beasts. We have gotten rid of many.”

Su Ping was happy to hear that. “Is the underground train from the Jinghai Base City to the Longjiang Base City still working?

His dad had been working at sea and the Jianghai Base City was by the ocean. His dad would have to take that train if he was coming home.

“Jinghai Base City?” Xie Jinshui was baffled. “Yes, it has been operating well. It was the other lines that were under attack and their operation was suspended for a couple of days. What is it? Do you know someone living in the Jianghai Base City?”

Su Ping was relieved. “Good. Sorry to bother you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Xie Jinshui decided that he had to ask someone to check that line.

He hung up and was ready to go back to the store when the phone buzzed.

The call was from Qin Shuhai.

“Mr. Su, I can finally reach you.” Qin Shuhai sounded quite glad that the call went through. Su Ping didn’t know why Qin Shuhai would call him. “What is the matter?”.

“Mr. Su, indeed, great wits have short memories. I recently talked to you about the Supremacy League. If you want to participate, you can come over now. The preliminary competition has begun. You can start in the formal competition directly since you’re a titled battle pet warrior. I called but failed to reach you... Our family head told me you were away and I could only call people inside the Longjiang Base City,” Qin Shuhai explained quickly.

The Supremacy League? Su Ping remembered that Qin Shuhai said the champion could get a Talent Stone.

The Talent Stone was something like the Enlightening Guide. But Su Ping wondered if the Talent Stone could be as effective. “I was at the Holy Light Base City,” Su Ping said, “Where is the Supremacy League held?” “Holy Light Base City?” That explained it. But Qin Shuhai wondered why Su Ping had gone there. The Holy Light Base City was for trainers.

Had Su Ping gone there to train his pets to be ready for the Supremacy League?

Qin Shuhai knew it was not his place to pry into Su Ping’s privacy. He answered Su Ping’s question, “It’s at the Aurora Base City, a tier-one base city.”

“Okay, I’ll go. Thanks,” Su Ping said. The call ended. Su Ping was interested in the Talent Stone. After all, he couldn’t get an Enlightening Guide from the system’s store every time. He would have to spend energy points and be lucky.

“Let’s go now that your tummy is full,” Si Ping said to Tang Ruyan and Zhong Lingtong.

The two both heard Su Ping’s conversation. “Are you going to the Supremacy League?”

“Yes, to collect an award,” Su Ping said.

Tang Ruyan was at a loss for words. Su Ping made it sound like he would win the championship for sure.