Beast taming, starting from zero point
Chapter 773 - 685: Besides Oneself... (Two in One)

Chapter 773: Chapter 685: Besides Oneself... (Two in One)

The next day, Qiao Sang woke up, quickly freshened up, and headed to the kitchen, only to see the vice-principal already busy at work.

"Just another five minutes, it will be ready soon," said Liu Yao as he prepared the Energy Pills for Yaobao and the others.

Qiao Sang walked over and asked,

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"No need," Liu Yao continued his bustling work, not looking up. "I just adjusted the Energy Pill formula a few days ago based on the current physical condition of Yanqilu and the others. I made some new ones, you won’t know which batch belongs to whom."

Having an A-Level Breeder around sure feels good... Qiao Sang thought to herself, when suddenly she heard some noise from the side.

She turned her head and saw Xiao Xunbao rifling through the fridge, seeking snacks.

"Don’t move," Qiao Sang said.

"Xun Xun?" Xiao Xunbao turned its head, looking slightly bewildered.

"We’re going to have breakfast soon, don’t snack now," Qiao Sang told it.

"Xun Xun..."

Xiao Xunbao glanced at the items inside the fridge, then back at Qiao Sang, before pointing towards the direction of the living room.

Following Xiao Xunbao’s direction, Qiao Sang saw another one watching the computer screen. It seemed to be absorbed in some tear-jerker of a movie, occasionally wiping away tears with a tissue it held in its paw.

Qiao Sang was silent for two seconds before asking,

"Did it ask you to get the snacks?"

"Xun Xun."

The Xiao Xunbao in front of her nodded.

Qiao Sang thought of something, sensed with the Beast Taming Codex, and after another silence, asked, "Are you a stand-in?"

"Xun Xun."

The "Xiao Xunbao" nodded.

So stand-ins can also be used like this... Qiao Sang looked at the real Xiao Xunbao wiping away tears with a complex expression, withdrew her gaze, and said,

"Don’t get the snacks for it. Just say that we’ll be having breakfast shortly."

"Xun Xun."

The "Xiao Xunbao" nodded, closed the fridge, and floated back to its true self.

Qiao Sang watched the direction of the stand-in.

It went over, spoke a word to Xiao Xunbao, which nodded, then immediately took out a tissue for the stand-in. Soon after, the two Ghost Ring Kings were watching the computer screen, teary-eyed, wiping their tears together.

Qiao Sang: "..."

At the dining table, Qiao Sang was enjoying the breakfast prepared by the vice-principal, but her mind wasn’t on the food.

"What are you thinking about?" Liu Yao asked.

Qiao Sang lowered her voice and asked, "Vice-principal, do you think a stand-in could develop its own consciousness if it reached the Mystique Level?"

Last night, while reading through the Beast Taming Codex, she noticed that Xiao Xunbao’s stand-in had already reached Mystique Level, even though it had not peaked yet.

Liu Yao instantly understood what Qiao Sang was worried about.

He glanced at the Ghost Ring King gobbling down its food and said, "When a stand-in reaches Mystique Level, it’s impossible for it to develop consciousness on its own. It just means it can stay in the outside world a bit longer, understand the thoughts and feelings of the original, and feel whatever the original feels."

"A stand-in at Mystique Level can act independently. Your Ghost Ring King must have trained its stand-in to Mystique Level, and since it felt lonely playing on the computer by itself, it created a stand-in to keep it company."

At this point, he paused and continued earnestly,

"However, it’s best for Pet Beasts to use computers sparingly, especially since your Ghost Ring King is still young and in its Golden Stage of growth."

Actually, Liu Yao had wanted to say this for a while now. Every time he came back, or went to the bathroom late at night, he would see the Ghost Ring King and its stand-in playing on the computer.

This was definitely not a good habit.

But Qiao Sang’s beasts had already trained to this level; it wasn’t his place to intervene and preach.

This time though, he finally found an opportunity.

Qiao Sang showed a hint of a smile, "Don’t worry, Xiao Xunbao’s use of the stand-in is basically training. Its proficiency in stand-in wasn’t originally this high; it’s been improving by playing with its stand-in on the computer lately."

Hearing this, Liu Yao pondered.

Indeed, reflecting on it, the Ghost Ring King’s stand-in has been noticeably more agile than before. If someone was not familiar with them, they definitely couldn’t tell it apart from the original... Perhaps as long as the stand-in is deployed, whatever it does could increase the proficiency of that skill? Liu Yao suddenly fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xunbao kept eating its Energy Pills quietly, as if it hadn’t heard their conversation.

"Xun~ Burrp~"

At the same time, in a spare room elsewhere, a Ghost Ring King, without eating anything, was playing on the computer while letting out satisfied burps.

...

After breakfast, Qiao Sang headed back to her room, reclined on the bed, pulled out her phone, and opened a certain second-hand platform.