How Did the Reborn Empress Become My Bootlicker? - Chapter 26:

Chapter 26: Our Baby Must Be Raised… With the Strictest Standards!

“High-tier 1st stage, S-rank rating?”

Shangguan Meng leaned in, eyes fixed on the figure on the screen. After watching for a while, she nodded approvingly, “Not bad, not bad. Almost caught up to how I was when I first awakened. The only question now is… does Lan City’s Fierce Beast Park even have a 1st stage limit-level beast?”

For both warriors and fierce beasts, each stage was divided into lower, mid, upper, and limit tiers.

The first three were standard progression stages that all cultivators passed through during training.

But limit-tier—

Only a rare few geniuses ever reached that step.

As a result, among fierce beasts, limit-tier specimens were extremely rare.

And when they did exist, they were usually pre-evolved ‘beast king’ candidates—beasts with immense potential that hadn’t fully matured yet.

“Lan City is just a small place. It definitely won’t have any 1st stage limit beasts. But still…”

As Shangguan Ru spoke, she pointed at the frozen frame on the screen. The shock in her eyes was impossible to hide.

“When he killed the mid-tier beast earlier, he used Nine Slaughtering Spear, executing three consecutive strikes—that was [Mastered] level.”

“And now, in killing the high-tier beast, he used Nine Slaughtering Spear again, but this time struck five times in a row! [Proficient] level!”

“But it’s only been five hours since I gave him the skill imprint for Nine Slaughtering Spear…”

Shangguan Meng watched the replay with interest, “Nine Slaughtering Spear, huh…”

“Though it’s only an A-grade technique, he’s already using it impressively.”

“But—”

“He’s still in the Awakening Stage, unable to channel Source Energy into the technique. So right now, it’s just an ‘empty shell’ version. He’s relying purely on his physical strength to kill those beasts…”

Shangguan Ru added softly in his defense, “That’s already really strong…”

Shangguan Meng smiled gently, “Yes, it is. But he clearly still has room to grow.”

“There are three months left. At his current pace, he should reach the 1st stage by then. When that happens, we’ll see what he can do with Nine Slaughtering Spear powered by Source Energy.”

“If he can reach [Advanced], or better yet, [Subtle], then he’ll finally qualify to go head-to-head with Murong Bai.”

Shangguan Ru said helplessly, “Sis, you’re so strict. Taking an A-grade technique to [Subtle] in just three months—even top students at Longxia Academy might not manage that.”

Shangguan Meng giggled charmingly, “Hey, hey, hey~”

“We’re playing a nurturing-style game now~”

“Shouldn’t we treat our baby with the strictest standards?”

“B-Baby?” Shangguan Ru facepalmed. “Sis, where did you even learn a term like that?”

“Not telling you~”

Shangguan Meng hummed a cheerful tune as she hopped back onto the sofa. Kicking off her shoes, revealing soft white ankle socks and delicate pale ankles, she flopped down and popped a lemon candy into her mouth while opening her favorite manga.

Shangguan Ru: …

…

At the same time.
Lan City Airport.

A private jet slowly touched down.

On the side of the fuselage was a distinct emblem: a black inverted triangle, and in its center, a single open eye.

This was the [Eye of the Unknown], the family crest of the Murong clan in the Imperial Capital.

As the cabin door opened and the stairs descended, two figures stepped out one after the other.

The young man in front wore a black jacket, ripped jeans, and had a handsome face adorned with lip rings, earrings, and a nose stud.

His cocky and arrogant vibe matched his appearance perfectly.

Murong Xiao.

Third-ranked among the younger generation of the Murong family, he had graduated from Longxia Academy with mid-tier 6th stage strength. He was powerful and widely known in the capital’s circles as “Third Young Master Murong.”

Murong Xiao descended the stairs, glanced around listlessly, then raised his brow, “So this is it…”

“A small place. Probably going to be boring.”

Behind him followed Murong Bai—the one sent by the family to take the Nanjing Administrative Region’s martial exam spot and gain entry to the Starworld Program.

Murong Bai had a pale, sickly face and thin red lips that contrasted starkly, giving him a strangely unsettling aura.

Upon hearing Murong Xiao’s complaint, he smiled faintly, “With Shangguan Ru here, how could you possibly be bored?”

Murong Xiao smirked, “That’s true.”

Then, shooting a sideways glance at his younger brother, he teased with a sly expression, “Dad said you could pick your own school after arriving. Let me guess—you’re going to find one full of pretty girls again?”

Murong Bai licked his lips lightly, “This place doesn’t have many strong warriors, but it produces a lot of beautiful girls. Since the family asked me to come borrow a spot for the exam, it’d be a shame not to have some fun too.”

Murong Xiao clicked his tongue, “Little bro, I admire you. I still don’t get what’s so fun about flat little undeveloped girls. If you’re going to have fun, at least pick ones with curves…”

Murong Bai gave a quiet smile, “You wouldn’t understand the beauty of a flower just starting to bloom.”

Murong Xiao suddenly chuckled and leaned in close, whispering by his ear, “Since you like untouched little girls so much—how about going after Shangguan Meng? Then we’d be brothers-in-law. One big happy family!”

Murong Bai’s face instantly turned pale, and he leapt away, gritting his teeth, “Murong Xiao, are you insane?! Don’t you dare drag me into your death wish!”

Murong Xiao laughed shamelessly, “What are you so scared of? Shangguan Meng may be strong, but she’s not a god. It’s not like she can hear us from here.”

Then he lifted his gaze toward the distance, a spark of heat flickering in his eyes.

“Honestly, even if she’s got no curves, if it’s Shangguan Meng, I’d still be down. That woman is something else…”

Murong Bai shivered inside.

Because Murong Xiao wasn’t wrong.

They were strong thanks to their own Talents and the powerful Murong family backing them.

But Shangguan Meng?

She was strong even without her family.

A 7th stage titled Marquis at just 23 years old!

Unprecedented and unmatched. She was destined to become a 9th stage Sovereign.

That kind of woman… he wouldn’t dare to mess with.

As for Murong Xiao—

Hmph. He only dared to talk big when Shangguan Meng wasn’t around.

If she showed up, he wouldn’t even dare to fart.

“Alright, alright, stop looking so spooked.”

Murong Xiao dragged Murong Bai back to his side. “Come on, let’s head to the Lan City Education Bureau first and get your school transfer sorted.”

…

Fierce Beast Park.

After defeating the high-tier 1st stage beast, Su Yuan had wanted to challenge a limit-tier 1st stage beast.

Unfortunately, Lan City’s park didn’t have one, so he had to give up on that.

As for 2nd stage beasts—he didn’t challenge them.

Because between the 1st and 2nd stages, there was a fundamental leap in power.

Su Yuan could cross realms and fight 1st stage beasts thanks to his Ancient God Bloodline—because at the 1st stage, both warriors and beasts hadn’t yet begun true physical tempering, and their control over Source Energy was still very rudimentary.

But at the 2nd stage, fierce beasts would experience a qualitative surge in combat strength.

Moreover—

This actual combat experience revealed something to Su Yuan.

Though he had achieved [Perfect] level in Nine Slaughtering Spear, executing its full form wasn’t easy.

Three consecutive strikes—easy.
Five—also manageable.
But stacking up to the 7th strike brought him close to his body’s limit.

As for the full 9-strike form of Nine Slaughtering Spear—still out of reach for now.

It was like hitting a level cap in a game.

His ‘EXP bar’ was already maxed out.

Once his body broke through again, he’d be able to unleash the full technique without hindrance.

So—

It was time to solidify his foundation!

…

Since he couldn’t fight a limit-tier 1st stage beast, Su Yuan shifted gears to test his max combat capabilities.

He started by fighting two high-tier 1st stage beasts at once—and kept ramping up!

Two beasts… Success! Kill time: 2 minutes. A-rank.
Three beasts… Success! Kill time: 8 minutes. B-rank.
Four beasts… Success! Kill time: 16 minutes. D-rank.

Finally!

Su Yuan, panting heavily, halted his limit test.

Fighting four high-tier 1st stage beasts simultaneously—

This was his limit!

He could barely kill them, earning the lowest D-rank rating.

But Su Yuan was extremely satisfied with the result.

As for Chen He, and the several new safety officers brought in due to the ‘multi-opponent’ challenge…

They were already completely numb!

What the…

Was this guy even human!?

He was still at the Awakening Stage—and yet he could 1v4!

He killed four high-tier 1st stage fierce beasts!

Sure, the rating was D…

But did he kill them or not!?

This kind of terrifying strength had completely shattered their understanding!

…

Other than S-rank, none of the other ratings were publicly broadcast.

So outsiders didn’t know about Su Yuan’s later ‘feat.’

But even so—when Su Yuan walked out of the challenge zone, he was still surrounded by a massive crowd.

“There he is!”

“He’s out!”

The moment they saw him, everyone’s eyes lit up, rushing toward him with enthusiasm:

“Su Yuan, I’m the Vice-Head of Menglei Martial Hall. Here’s my card…”

“Su Yuan, I’m the manager of Haoyu Corporation. This is my card…”

“Su Yuan, I’m from…”