Astral Pet Store (WN)

Chapter 124 Ares Academy

The taxi drove out of the lower city and entered the downtown area where most commercial resources and rich people gathered.

It was rare for Su Ping to come to this place where everything looked clean and tidy. He couldn’t help but look at all the random passersby, all of whom seemed to be millionaires with tender and smooth skin who never partook in physical labor. Though he was sure that being a millionaire meant nothing there. Instead, it was an entry-level requirement for being called a downtown citizen.

Then he thought about his home with a grim mood. It couldn’t be denied that people were born different, while most of them would stay at the same level for the rest of their lives.

He didn’t care though. As someone who knew how death felt like, that superficial stuff meant little to him.

A moment later, the driver parked the vehicle at the entrance of a quiet community district. It was one of the most costly housing areas because the design helped the residents enjoy peaceful lifestyles, even though some of the busiest streets were around.

The taxi fare was 1,802 Yuan, which was… pretty crazy by normal standards. Though it couldn’t be helped since the drive involved going through several expensive highway toll checkpoints before entering the city center.

Su Ping checked the name of the community before going inside, but he was stopped by several guards.

“What do you want?” a middle-aged security man asked him while tilting his head slightly away, as if Su Ping carried some kind of unpleasant smell. The guards recognized him as a “scum” the moment he stepped off the car.

Su Ping didn’t look filthy as far as his looks were concerned. Though it was written at the core of “rich citizens” that they should discriminate against lower civilians.

Su Ping wasn’t pleased to receive such treatment though he wasn’t going to waste his time arguing. He simply told the guards that someone had invited him.

While doubting his words, the guards verified his claim and phoned his customer, who immediately told them to let Su Ping inside, much to their confusion. As they believed, only the richest people or their families could live there.

After hanging up, Xu Kuang immediately went to the entrance of the building to wait for his tutor. He would have gone to the gate to greet Su Ping himself if not for the size of this district.

Excited, he saw the guards coming, and was astounded to see who was being escorted.

That can’t be my tutor, can it? Maybe that’s his assistant or something.

That would be so disappointing. But it couldn’t be helped. Many titled tutors tended to get busy all of a sudden and asked their helpers to do their jobs.

“Here we are,” a guard politely showed Su Ping the way. “Mister Xu, this is the gentleman who asked to see you.”

Xu Kuang forced up a smile and sent the guards away, before addressing Su Ping as politely as he could. “Are you his student

or…?”

“I am ‘Longjiang Cool Dude’.” Su Ping smiled back and bowed slightly.

Xu Kuang was too shocked to speak for a moment.

“You’re—that-wait, what? Longjiang Cool Dude, sir?”

“Yeah. Xu Kuang, is it? I read your info and how you use a bunch of Undead-type Astral Pets. It just so happens that I’m kind of an expert about these creatures, so here I am.”

Xu Kuang’s cheeks turned red with rage. “Is this some kind of a joke?? Teach me? You? How the fu*k did you get past registration? Oh I know, you weren’t screened yet! Well, I’ll report you right now!”

Su Ping knew that his young look would get him into some kind of trouble, but not to such an extent.

“You can’t say for sure until we try, can you? You’re free to report me if my lesson doesn’t work out.”

“Try? Try what?? Do you know who I am? I’m a top-class student from the Ares Academy. Who the heck are you? Huh?!”

Just like his name, Xu Kuang was always an overconfident elite who always considered himself to be better than his peers(1). He still respected those who were worthy of his recognition, such as champions of the Elite League. As for other people, he didn’t give a sh*t about them, let alone Su Ping, who looked more common than a commoner.

This bastard wants to teach me?? I wonder if he can last five seconds in a fight! And… and I called him “sir”! I used cute emotes! Arrrgh I’m gonna kill—

Su Ping interrupted Xu Kuang’s thoughts. “Careful with you words, my friend.”

“Well, you can do nothing about it!” Xu Kuang took out his phone. “I’ll spare you the beating, loser! I will simply report this matter to the site-“

Boom!

His phone exploded, sending several fragments of the screen flying toward his face.

Before Xu Kuang could recover from the shock, he felt his body being lifted off the ground; it was a powerful force that grabbed him by the collar.

The seemingly useless young man in front of him just lifted him up with one hand.

Xu Kuang wanted to resist, but as soon as he saw the merciless killing intent shown in Su Ping’s eyes, he felt his entire body freeze due to fear.

He never felt so close to death before. Something told him that this man would kill him without a second thought.

No matter how he tried, he couldn’t pry the vice grip at his neck by an inch. He wanted to summon his pets, but his body felt too cold to do so.

“Are top-class students from the best academy of this city all like you?” Su Ping questioned in a cold voice.

Xu Kuang’s entire face grew red again due to both rage and suffocation.

When Su Ping let him go, Xu Kuang managed to stumble back to balance without falling. He shook some cold sweat off his arm and looked at Su Ping again, only to be reminded of the terrifying experience from a few years back, when he encountered an Undead-type Astral Pet for the first time.

It was as if he were looking at another Undead. An awfully strong one.

“Come. I don’t have much time to waste. If the lesson fails, you can report me all you want. But if you file a false report, I’ll beat you to a pulp.”

Su Ping meant those words, and Xu Kuang knew it.

Xu Kuang suddenly remembered that a teacher at least needed a certificate to get registered at the website, which meant Su Ping was indeed a teacher. Yet he still felt bad that this “titled battle pet warrior” looked younger than himself. What was worse, he was the one spending money, and he almost got pummeled.

He considered and decided to play it safe for the moment. Maybe he couldn’t fight this “Longjiang Cool Dude” directly, but he could always ask for help later.

“Fine… Come with me.” Xu Kuang rubbed his sore throat and led the way.

Su Ping was a bit embarrassed because the beginning of their private lesson almost looked like a robbery. Not his fault, though.

A moment later, they arrived at a well-supplied and well-equipped stadium facility at the center of the district. This was another privilege people could enjoy in this expensive commune.

There were two young men and a woman chatting while resting on a bench; they greeted Xu Kuang as they saw him arrive.

Xu Kuang saw his schoolmates and answered back. “Working out again?”

One of the students said, “Of course. The league will begin soon. Who doesn’t want to give it a try?” [1] Kuang “SI”, arrogant