Chapter 87: Chapter 73: Decision (Part 2)
After hearing Zhou Chubin’s explanation, Li Qian had a general grasp of the situation. He gave a slight nod, no longer dwelling on the matter. Of course, he didn’t give a direct answer. "I see... I understand the situation now. I’ll consider it seriously, and I will give you an answer within two days."
Now that he understood the reasons, there was no point in keeping them waiting, as it would only leave a bad impression. Therefore, Li Qian planned to wait until all three Beast Taming Universities had presented their offers, compare them, and then choose the best one.
"Then I’ll be waiting for your good news." Upon hearing this, Zhou Chubin smiled and stood up. He shook Li Qian’s hand, his face brimming with confidence.
Although Li Qian hadn’t committed, Zhou Chubin had great confidence in the offer from Jiangnan Beast Taming University.
As he saw it, neither Shazhou Beast Taming University nor Mizhou Beast Taming University could do more than offer similar terms.
If the offers were comparable, Zhou Chubin felt that Li Qian would surely give preference to Jiangnan Beast Taming University.
After all, Li Qian was a native of Jiangnan Province, and Jiangnan Beast Taming University was the closest to his home in Lingshui City.
This proximity was a natural advantage that the other two Beast Taming Universities simply couldn’t match.
After his talk with Zhou Chubin, Li Qian wasted no time and met directly with Xue Huaiyu. The order of the meetings was exactly the same as the first time.
Since this wasn’t their first meeting, they skipped the pleasantries after sitting down and got straight to the point. Xue Huaiyu immediately sweetened the deal. "...In addition to our previous promises, if you enroll at Shazhou Beast Taming University, our school will also provide you with a private cultivation laboratory. It will be ready for you in your freshman year."
Xue Huaiyu had her suspicions. During their first conversation, the offer from Shazhou Beast Taming University had likely been the best of the three, something she had gleaned from Li Qian’s attitude toward her.
However, that was no longer guaranteed now that Jiangnan Beast Taming University and Mizhou Beast Taming University had upped their offers. Therefore, Shazhou Beast Taming University had to sweeten its own deal—and do so more generously than the other two schools.
She continued without pausing, "Furthermore, all Pet Beasts at the university below the Dominator Level will be freely available to you. You can form contracts with or study them as you please. Finally, any cultivation materials for which Shazhou Beast Taming University holds the intellectual property rights will also be freely available for you to access at any time."
After a brief pause, she added, "As for materials where other teachers hold the intellectual property rights, we will actively negotiate on your behalf to secure access for you."
Hearing this, Li Qian felt a stir within him. The terms Xue Huaiyu offered were so good they seemed unbelievable, even exceeding his own boldest expectations.
An offer like this would be more than enough to entice a long-established Cultivation Master, let alone a high school graduate like Li Qian.
What Li Qian didn’t know was that Shazhou Beast Taming University was, in fact, recruiting him with an offer befitting a top-tier Cultivation Master.
In their eyes, although Li Qian was just a high school student, he had successfully discovered the evolutionary paths for the Koi Carp to the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon, and then to the Frostfire Salamander. Considering him a Cultivation Master made perfect sense.
Even if the generosity of their offer seemed excessive now, it wasn’t so unreasonable when factoring in Li Qian’s age and terrifying Potential.
Glancing at Xue Huaiyu’s expectant expression after she laid out her terms, Li Qian couldn’t help but remark with a sigh, "Shazhou Beast Taming University is certainly bold!"
Hearing this, the anticipation on Xue Huaiyu’s face immediately turned to joy. She spoke with a pointed tone, "Li Qian, you’re a once-in-a-generation cultivation genius. You fully deserve this kind of treatment. To offer any less, in my opinion, would be a sign of insincerity."
Li Qian gave a noncommittal smile, ignoring the jab at the other two universities. He replied directly, "Mm, I can certainly feel the sincerity from Shazhou Beast Taming University, and I will consider your offer very carefully. By the way, there’s something else I’d like to ask you, Teacher Xue."
Although Li Qian hadn’t given a direct commitment, his preference was already becoming clear, especially with his follow-up question.
For this very reason, Xue Huaiyu immediately and eagerly asked, "What is it?"
Li Qian didn’t hesitate, voicing a request he had already thought through. It wasn’t an excessive demand, just a bit odd. "If I choose to join Shazhou Beast Taming University, I was wondering if the university could arrange for someone to ensure my personal safety from now until I enroll."
"Eh?" Xue Huaiyu was taken aback by Li Qian’s additional request. She clearly hadn’t anticipated he would ask for something like this. After a moment to recover, she replied immediately, "Well... I don’t quite understand why, but I can tell you right now that it’s absolutely not a problem."
Li Qian shook his head and added, "I don’t think you completely understand what I mean, Teacher Xue. The person I’m requesting must be quite powerful—someone capable of handling emergencies."
"For that, I may need to consult with some of the university’s leadership." Hearing this, Xue Huaiyu’s brow furrowed slightly. After a moment of deliberation, she gave her reply.
