Su Bai originally thought that the third question would be particularly difficult, so he was surprised that it was easier than he expected.
The question required him to identify the attributes and characteristics of the third monster. He would have to guess its possible evolutionary direction, choose one from the possibilities, and then list catalytic materials.
This question could be considered simple and difficult at the same time. It was extremely challenging for a Pet Tamer because there was no record of this monster in any monster books and everything was unknown.
In this world, there were various monsters and spirits, and new ones would also be born from time to time. Even if a hundred years passed, many of them would still go unrecorded.
Some were not found, and others only had their names and general information recorded. The main research done was still useful to humans.
This third question was testing the most fundamental skill of a Pet Tamer: analyze the evolutionary path of an unseen monster and study its catalytic materials.
However, this was generally a topic studied by intermediate trainers and senior trainers. Su Bai did not need to figure out all of the information and just needed to guess a part of it.
This question might be particularly difficult to others, but it was extremely simple to him.
The third caged monster was called Rotten Wood, which had a pungent smell.
Su Bai concentrated on it and discovered its specific information.
This was a 10,000-year monster. Part of a 10,000-year-old tree's body fell to the bottom of a swamp after death, and this very rare monster was born under the nourishment of the soil and water elements' aura.
Although it was rare, it did not have any additional abilities; its only characteristic was a long life. The one in front of him had lived for more than 11,000 years and did not have any evolutionary type. Furthermore, it had not even broken through to the warlord state.
Taking a look at this guy, he wrote down its general information on the computer and then typed 'nil' for evolutionary type.
He quietly waited for the test results.
The people in the backstage monitoring room exploded.
"Oh, my God! Has the kid seen this 10,000-year Rotten Wood monster before? His answer is exactly the same as what we've researched. Amazing!"
"Could it be that he's seen it several times before? That's impossible; although that thing has been around for a long time, it's so rare that few people have seen it."
"We never know. This monster might be rare, but it's not precious. There's still information about it on the Internet."
"Stop talking and let's go talk to him."
A sixty-year-old old man in the monitoring room interrupted them in a very rough voice. He was tall, dressed in black, and without a trace of hair on his shining, bald head.
He was Gao An, the president of the Cannes Trainer Association, who had rushed over. He was also the only senior trainer in Ancheng.
"Are you here for the assessment?"
Su Bai looked at the five people who came in: a bald old man, three big men, and an elderly woman.
"Yes, we're here to check your results," replied the bald, old man.
"Okay."
He nodded and gave way to them.
Gao An first walked up to the Ghost Blade Mantis to examine it and nodded in agreement. "Yes, the evolution is perfect. You even used a bunch of low-level materials for a successful evolution."
The old man touched his bare head and glanced at Purple Jade.
This pet had also been very well bred. With his standards as a senior cultivator, he could not find any faults with it, either.
He nodded secretly.
"Did you think of the catalytic formula for the Ghost Blade Mantis yourself?" He questioned the boy.
"Yes, I thought of it myself." Su Bai nodded. He could not say that he had seen it through his interface.
"What was your thought process then? Can you tell me more about it?" asked the bald, old man.
"My thought process then was influenced by poverty. Almost all catalytic materials are of higher levels than pets, and I can't afford them, so I always want to see if there can be any substitutes.
"The main idea for the breakthrough of the Ghost Blade Mantis was to let its dark attribute dominate and gather a large amount of dark spiritual power to form a ghost blade.
"The demonized grass's characteristic is it tends to gather on sharp objects, so the monster was temporarily demonized and allowed to let its dark spiritual power dominate. The dark-veined golden marrow was for stable searching, while the heaven fruit was for enlightening and sobering effect."
Su Bai spread his hands and explained.
"Wonderful!"
The intermediate trainers could not help exclaiming, admiring how poverty could elicit such deep thinking from the young lad. As expected, he was a genius.
Even Gao An could not help but nod in satisfaction. They usually used high-quality catalytic materials to catalyze the evolution of pets, so Su Bai's idea was very novel.
"Then have you known that 10,000-year Rotten Wood monster before?"
"I like collecting information about strange and rare monsters or pets, so I've done a little research before.
"Can you sell this 10,000-year Rotten Wood monster to me? I like it very much."
Su Bai was being truthful. He was really interested in peculiar monsters and spirits and had a hobby of collecting them.
"Well, since you've passed the assessment with a full score, you'll be able to obtain a junior trainer certificate in a while."
Gao An nodded thoughtfully.
"Thank you."
Su Bai grinned happily. He had come here for a certificate, and not only would this association issue subsidies after he received one, he could also make money from it. At least now, he had a stable source of income.
"By the way, there's one more thing." The bald, old man looked at him. "You're very talented; do you want to be my disciple? You can learn the knowledge of a trainer from me. As long as you study hard, I can guarantee that I'll be able to turn you into a higher-level trainer."
Su Bai pondered for a moment and replied, "Of course, I'm willing, but my ambition is to be a professional Pet Tamer. Although I'm also interested in being a trainer, I only regard it as a second career. I hope that you won't mind."
"It's no problem, but I can only teach you the knowledge of trainers and won't give you additional funding. If you regard trainer as your main profession, I'll provide you with funding."
Gao An waved his hand and slightly raised his chin. Hmph, this lad had his plan, but the solution lay in his hands.
In fact, he could not help it. Most talented young people liked being Pet Tamers more these days, and it was really difficult for trainers to find a good seedling.
Since this boy did not have any money, he felt that he could 'correct' him. Of course, he would not force him but would persuade him with reason, instead.
Su Bai: "…Thank you, master." He bowed and saluted him.
Although the old man had not revealed his identity, he knew that he was the president of the Cannes Trainer Association. Even if he did not obtain his funding, he could still gain a lot of connections through him.
Naturally, he would not reject such an offer.
"Very good. You're called Su Bai, right? Come with me; I'll tell you more.
"As for the 10,000-year Rotten Wood monster, you can have it if you want it. I'll send it to your house in a while."
Gao An nodded satisfactorily, touched his bald head, and walked outside.
Su Bai quickly followed him with Purple Jade.