Qin Jiuyue gave Su Ba a brief glance and nodded slightly.
"I'll confirm it with the recruiter."
"Much appreciated," Su Ba replied, giving her a respectful nod.
He assumed she would be contacting Recruiter Xia Hang to verify his identity.
As she turned to do so—
Whoosh!
A white blur darted into Su Ba's chest.
"Uh…?"
Su Ba looked down.
Sure enough—it was Wangwang.
The little white pup wagged its tail enthusiastically, big black eyes gleaming with affection. It tilted its head and stuck out its tongue as if seeking praise.
Only then did Su Ba recall—if it hadn't been for Wangwang earlier knocking over that brutish guard, he'd have been forced into a tough fight.
Knowing what the pup wanted, Su Ba chuckled.
'Didn't you just eat a while ago? Already digested it all?'
Without hesitation, Su Ba reached into his robes—but in truth, he accessed his storage space, pulling out a pinch of dog food.
"Here. Enjoy, you little rascal."
The moment Wangwang saw the food, its eyes lit up. It immediately wiggled over and devoured every last morsel in Su Ba's palm like a whirlwind.
"Tastes good, huh?"
Su Ba grinned at the pup's delighted expression.
"Woof! Woof~!"
Wangwang barked happily, then nuzzled closer, its little head rubbing affectionately against Su Ba's chin—and finally, it stuck out its tongue and licked his lips.
"..."
Su Ba froze.
What the hell?!
His first kiss in this world…
Stolen by a dog?!
And worse—it was a female dog?!
"Su Ba, right? Recruiter Xia Hang just confirmed everything with me—ah, wait…"
Qin Jiuyue's soft voice rang out, only to falter in surprise.
Su Ba frowned slightly.
Something felt… off.
He glanced down again—and his eyes widened.
Wangwang's entire body had begun to glow with radiant white light!
The light grew so intense that Su Ba had to squint.
Only after several breaths did the glow begin to fade.
Wangwang's body had visibly grown in size, and a subtle but unmistakable aura of pressure emanated from it.
"My god… It advanced to Tier Four?!"
Qin Jiuyue's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. She raised a delicate hand to cover her lips, completely stunned.
She remembered clearly—
Wangwang had just reached late Tier Three not long ago.
And now, in less than a day… it had broken through to Tier Four?
That kind of advancement speed was absurd!
Su Ba's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Could it be… dog food?
Just under 10 grams of that special feed had allowed a Tier Three beast to break through to Tier Four?
That was insane.
And he still had 3,000 grams of it in storage.
His heart began to pound with excitement.
No wonder it was labeled Heavenly Dog Food of the Ancient Immortal Clan—even if it couldn't be recycled into enhancement points, it could still be used to rapidly nurture multiple Tier Four or even Post-Heaven spirit beasts!
And Post-Heaven beasts…
That was the level of strength that could stand as the pinnacle of a nation!
If he had such beasts as guardians, it would ensure his personal safety until he had time to grow strong himself.
"Su Ba, what did you just feed Wangwang?"
Qin Jiuyue walked over, her beautiful eyes shining with curiosity and a warm smile on her face.
"Can I take a look?"
Clearly, she had seen something just now and wanted to know more.
"Sorry. Not for now."
Su Ba's response was polite—but firm.
It was far too precious.
If this woman decided to keep it after seeing it, he wouldn't be able to take it back.
And besides—he still needed to study it more thoroughly.
He wasn't going to let even a single grain go to waste.
Qin Jiuyue's smile stiffened slightly.
She hadn't expected to be rejected so bluntly.
With her beauty, her identity, and her status—this was a first.
Somewhere deep inside, a strange ripple stirred in her heart.
"Thank you, Miss Jiuyue, for helping me contact Recruiter Xia Hang," Su Ba said, cupping his hands respectfully.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head inside. I believe the advancement assessment is about to begin."
He handed Wangwang back to her and turned to leave, hands clasped behind his back.
But the moment he stepped forward—
Whoosh!
Qin Jiuyue suddenly appeared in front of him.
Su Ba narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.
Was she offended by the rejection?
Was she about to strike him down?
No… she didn't seem like the type to hold grudges over something so petty.
Before he could think further, Qin Jiuyue gave him a faint, composed smile.
Her voice was calm—but carried a subtle teasing undertone.
"Dear Su Ba, I wish you the best of luck…
in failing your assessment."
"..."
Su Ba blinked.
So she did take it a little personally.
Still calm, he gave her a faint smile in return.
"Dear Miss Jiuyue…
You're bound to be disappointed."
With that, Su Ba turned and strode confidently into Yunmeng Martial Institute.