Beast Taming: I'm Really Not a Cultivation Master

Chapter 337: Chapter 307: Teacher Lianhua

As Li Qian entered the academic building, which featured a relief carving of a book on its facade, a stream of messages popped up on his phone.

Seeing he still had over ten minutes before class, Li Qian didn’t rush inside. Instead, he took out his phone and started reading.

It was the group chat for Class Five of the first-year Comprehensive Cultivation Department at the Cultivation College. Ding Ganmao had added him to it.

After a quick scan of the group messages, Li Qian saw that a good number of his classmates had chosen to attend the first lecture of the day: *Evolutionary Theory* in the Seeking Knowledge Building.

He recognized three of them: Ami Liya, Wu Mingming, and Wu Mingming’s girlfriend, Yao Yan.

After reading the chat for another moment, Li Qian smiled and strode into the Seeking Knowledge Building.

The class was in Lecture Hall 301 on the third floor of the Seeking Knowledge Building. It didn’t take Li Qian long to get there.

”Li Qian, over here!” The moment he entered the lecture hall, Li Qian did a quick scan. The room was already mostly full. He was about to find an empty seat when a familiar voice called out to him.

Li Qian turned toward the voice and quickly spotted a familiar, lovely figure in the third row, near the center.

It was Ami Liya, one of the three classmates he knew were also taking this course.

Beside Ami Liya sat Yao Yan, who was next to Wu Mingming.

Seeing his three classmates all sitting together, Li Qian didn’t think twice and headed over to sit with them.

But just then, a figure suddenly darted out and, with a swift move, plopped down in the empty seat next to Ami Liya.

Li Qian froze, watching this unfold. ’Who the hell is this guy?’ he thought. ’So much for common courtesy.’

He took a closer look and saw it was a tall, skinny guy with pale skin. He had the distinct air of a pretty boy.

”Excuse me, buddy. I think that’s my seat.” Li Qian walked over, offering what he considered a gentle smile as he tried to reason with him.

’Is this guy blind?’ Li Qian thought. ’Ami Liya clearly saved that spot for me, and he just plonks himself down without a care in the world. Doesn’t he have a clue?’

’Of course, Li Qian could understand why the guy would do it. Who would pass up the chance to sit next to a knockout like Ami Liya?’

”Your seat? Why don’t you call its name and see if it answers?” the pretty boy who had stolen Li Qian’s seat said, looking up with a provocative tone.

Li Qian just chuckled at that. He shifted his gaze to Ami Liya, who was sitting next to the pretty boy. ”Oh? Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

While the pretty boy was still trying to figure out what he meant, Li Qian continued, ”Is this seat mine?”

He was asking Ami Liya, of course. His intention was crystal clear.

Ami Liya smiled and replied, ”It’s not, but you can pick another spot, and we’ll move there together.”

At her words, Li Qian glanced around and spotted several empty seats toward the back.

He didn’t hesitate, heading straight for them. Ami Liya immediately stood up and followed Li Qian to the back row.

The pretty boy could only watch as Ami Liya stood up, followed Li Qian to the back, and sat down beside him. Instantly, his face turned dark and venomous.

Class was about to begin, and the lecture hall was nearly full. Everyone had seen the exchange. They couldn’t help but break into whispers, and some even let out open sneers. The mockery in the air was unmistakable.

Seeing his classmates’ reactions, the pretty boy wished he could dig a hole with his toes and crawl in—a hole big enough for a three-bedroom apartment.

”What a total loser!” Yao Yan, who was good friends with Ami Liya, commented without holding back.

Her voice wasn’t quiet, and nearly everyone nearby heard her clearly. The stares from the surrounding students became even more peculiar.

Mortified and furious, the pretty boy ducked his head, deciding to just play turtle and hide in his shell. Getting up and leaving now would be even more humiliating.

So even though he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, he didn’t dare move an inch. He simply couldn’t afford that level of humiliation.

Thankfully, the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long. A moment later, a middle-aged man walked in, dressed in a black academic gown and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a large bald patch on his head.

”Good morning, students. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lianhua—the ’Lian’ from ’continuous,’ the ’Hua’ from ’magnificent.’ For the remainder of the semester, I will be your instructor for *Evolutionary Theory*,” the scholarly-looking man said, his tone rigid and formal.

His face was completely devoid of expression, giving off the vibe of a very serious and exceptionally strait-laced professor.

Li Qian and Ami Liya beside him composed themselves and began to listen intently. Their full attention was now on the lecture, the small incident from moments ago already forgotten.

In their opinion, the pretty boy was just a buffoon not worth a second thought.

”*Evolutionary Theory* is a foundational course. Think of it like the basic formulas in mathematics, or the rules of grammar in literature.”

Once he started, Professor Lianhua spoke with flowing confidence. ”Mastering this course will be of immense benefit to your future research in cultivation.”

”Even if you don’t plan to specialize in evolutionary research, you will find its principles applicable elsewhere and learn a great deal of useful knowledge.”

”You must understand that in cultivation research—whether you specialize in a single field like evolution, Skills, mutation, potions, or Limit-Breaking, or you pursue a more comprehensive path—you must eventually master a broad base of knowledge. Otherwise, you’ll hit a dead end. Knowledge is an interconnected system. If you only study one facet, you will eventually reach an insurmountable bottleneck.”

He continued, ”Take the field of potions, for instance. It’s one method of cultivating Pet Beasts. But if you don’t understand their evolutionary mechanisms and Skill Traits, your research will be haphazard and produce nothing of value. And even if you stumble upon a result, almost no Beast Master would dare use it.”

”Or consider research into Limit-Breaking. If you don’t understand the specifics of Skills, you won’t achieve much there either. For some Pet Beasts to surpass their Racial Potential Limit, one of the prerequisites is to train a specific Racial Skill to the Breakthrough Level.”

”...”

Listening to Professor Lianhua’s simple and clear opening statements, Li Qian gave an imperceptible nod.

’Not bad,’ he thought. ’This professor teaching my *Evolutionary Theory* course is clearly quite knowledgeable.’

’You can tell a lot from a single detail. Someone without real expertise couldn’t have put it that way.’

With that in mind, Li Qian listened even more intently, completely failing to notice the girl beside him. Ami Liya, on the other hand, would occasionally let her gaze drift, her thoughts seemingly elsewhere.