"Are you fucking looking for death?"
Xu Chang's eyes were full of fury, fists clenched, looking like he was about to throw a punch.
But faced with Chen Shu's sturdy physique, all he could do was glare.
Then something occurred to him. "You're a Beast Tamer, right? If you've got the guts, fight me at the Beast Taming Arena!"
Options appeared before Chen Shu's eyes.
[Option 1: Avoid battle, choose to leave. Completion Reward: Small amount of Beast Taming Power]
[Option 2: Say: "You want to fight? Then let's fight! Wang Qinghan, get him!" Completion Reward: Two bottles of Basic Cell Potion]
[Option 3: Severely injure the opponent's contract spirit. Completion Reward: Slime's all attributes +5%]
"You asked for it, so don't blame me!"
Chen Shu nodded and accepted without hesitation.
Even if the third reward had been trash, he still would have chosen it.
Fighting humans directly always came with concerns—he couldn't cause injury, or the other party would call the cops and cause trouble.
After all, he had no powerful backing. The other party wouldn't be afraid of him.
But dealing with contract spirits was different. As long as they didn't die, the owner had to shoulder all the injuries themselves.
"Chen Shu, let's just forget about it. Kids say things without thinking."
Wang Qinghan spoke up. Though she had a cold disposition, she was gentle in temperament.
Chen Shu shook his head and said seriously: "Kids' words are knives too."
The group left Chengnan Elementary and headed to a nearby Beast Taming Arena facility. For just a small venue fee, they could use one of the battle platforms.
"Let me see what makes you think you can act so arrogant!"
Xu Chang's expression turned cold as he summoned his contract spirit.
A purple tiger, a full three meters tall, appeared on the platform. Its eyes gleamed with purple light, radiating overwhelming presence.
"An A-rank Thunder Tiger?"
Chen Shu's eyes narrowed. No wonder this guy dared to act so cocky.
Not only was it an A-rank contract spirit, but its aura had reached Level 7.
Even in the Special Training Class, Xu Chang's ranking was extremely high—on par with the likes of Xu Xiaoyu.
Not many peers in all of Nanjiang City could beat Xu Chang. Unfortunately for him, Chen Shu happened to be one of them.
"Still want to fight?"
Xu Chang smirked. The Thunder Tiger turned to look at Chen Shu too, radiating ferocious bloodlust.
"Let me give you some advice." Chen Shu grinned. "Register at the Central Hospital's beast department as soon as possible—the emergency room, I mean!"
Xu Chang paused, then sneered back: "You should register yourself!"
Chen Shu nodded gently. "Hope you can still be this tough later."
BOOM!
The Slime appeared on the battle platform. Its size looked comparable to the Thunder Tiger, but its presence was considerably weaker.
"An F-rank Slime?"
Xu Chang let out a cold laugh. As only a Level 7 Beast Tamer, he couldn't clearly sense the Beast Taming Power inside Chen Shu.
Chen Shu spoke up: "Today, you WILL end up at Central Hospital—not even Jesus could save you. I said so!"
"Oh really?"
Purple light suddenly appeared on the Thunder Tiger's four limbs as lightning gathered continuously.
Compared to other attributes, lightning had superior killing power.
"Die!"
The Thunder Tiger roared and lunged at the Slime, ready to tear it to shreds!
Watching the ferocious tiger charge, the Slime yawned. Its body instantly began to expand.
In a flash, a terrifying fifteen-meter form appeared.
The Thunder Tiger that had just been so imposing now looked like a trembling little kitty.
"What the hell?!"
Xu Chang's eyes went wide, his heart leaping into his throat.
The Slime before him was absolutely overwhelming in presence.
As if sensing its master's anger, the Slime's eyes widened and it launched a Charge.
Xu Chang shouted in panic: "Dodge it!"
But it was too late. Facing this mountain of flesh, the Thunder Tiger's mind went completely blank.
BOOM!
The Thunder Tiger was sent flying instantly, blood spraying from its mouth. Worthy of being an A-rank contract spirit—it even vomited more blood than the rest...
By competition rules, the Thunder Tiger had already lost.
But the Slime had no intention of letting it go. The massive blob leaped into the air.
"Holy shit!"
Xu Chang's body trembled. If something this huge sat down, wouldn't the Thunder Tiger be critically injured on the spot?
He prepared to recall his contract spirit and concede.
But Chen Shu saw through his plan and immediately said coldly: "If you dare recall it, you're next under my ass!"
Xu Chang froze, swallowing hard. If something this massive sits on me, won't I be crushed into pixels?!
He knew the other party wouldn't actually dare—that would be tantamount to murder. But in this moment, Xu Chang didn't dare gamble.
Besides, Chen Shu's tone was vicious, like a criminal with nothing to lose.
BOOM!
The Slime landed squarely on the Thunder Tiger. Its massive body ground back and forth, the faint sound of cracking bones audible.
When facing Special Training Class members, Chen Shu had held back—after all, Shen Wushuang had been watching.
But now there was no need for restraint.
Time crawled by.
Cold sweat appeared on Xu Chang's forehead. His heart ached terribly, but he didn't dare recall the Thunder Tiger. He could only watch as the Slime crushed it.
Chen Shu's expression remained gentle as he walked over to Xu Chang.
"What... what are you doing?!" Xu Chang couldn't help but step back.
SLAP!
Chen Shu struck again, slapping Xu Chang's little brother across the face.
"Throwing your weight around just because you've got your big brother backing you?"
Chen Shu smiled warmly, looking positively radiant.
But it made both brothers' blood run cold. This guy was nothing like a student!
"I'm doing this to help you two. What if you keep acting this arrogant and run into someone truly ruthless someday?"
The two brothers simultaneously swallowed, a single thought running through their minds:
Is there anyone MORE ruthless than you?!
Seeing that enough time had passed, Chen Shu recalled his Slime.
All that remained on the ground was the Thunder Tiger, limp as a dead dog, a bloody mess.
Chen Shu grinned. "I, Chen Shu, always keep my word. I said you'd end up in the hospital, and to the hospital you'll go!"
He glanced at the Thunder Tiger. "You can recall it now."
Only then did Xu Chang dare to recall his dying Thunder Tiger.
"Remember this—from now on, Wang Qingxue calls the shots in your class. Got it?!"
Chen Shu smiled warmly and patted the boy on the head.
"Mm... mm..."
Xu Chang's brother nodded woodenly. After a moment, he spoke up: "Are you... Chen Shu? I've heard my teacher mention you..."
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. "What did the teacher say?"
"Don't provoke you..."
"What else?"
"Don't provoke Fang Si..."
SLAP!
Chen Shu slapped him again. "And you still didn't listen to your teacher!!"
The boy clutched his face, looking utterly aggrieved, not daring to say another word.
"From now on, Wang Qingxue is my little sister. Understand?"
Both brothers nodded in unison.
Only then did Chen Shu and the others leave the arena.
Xu Chang's Thunder Tiger was severely injured. If it recovered naturally, it would take at least half a year. Missing half a year during senior year would basically ruin his future.
Unless they used the hospital's special medicine—but that was expensive. An ordinary family really couldn't afford it.
It would come down to whether their family wanted to save money, or save Xu Chang's future.
Wang Qinghan spoke up: "Chen Shu, th... thank you..."
Because she was in her senior year, she didn't have time to look after her sister, which meant Wang Qingxue had suffered a lot.
Sharp words could wound even adults, let alone a ten-year-old child.
Sometimes a single sentence could cast a shadow over someone's entire life.
Now that Chen Shu had stepped in, at least Wang Qingxue wouldn't be bullied anymore.
"It's nothing. Fang Si asked me to look after you."
Chen Shu waved dismissively.
Seeing it was getting late, Chen Shu took the three of them out for dinner.
---
Two days passed in a flash. Chen Shu didn't wander around anymore, staying home the whole time.
He studied materials about Frost Canyon. The content mainly consisted of... which fierce beast meat was best for BBQ.
Day three.
Chen Shu shouldered his large military backpack and headed toward Nanjiang Second High.
His father, Chen Ping, wore a complicated expression. "Be careful out there!"
As parents, they both hoped their child would become a Beast Tamer and also feared it.
Though the path was glorious, it meant facing all kinds of danger.
Chen Shu nodded and set off for Nanjiang Second High.
Early in the morning, the Special Training Class gathered at the Beast Taming Arena.
Besides students, quite a few parents had come to see them off.
Though they'd prepared themselves for their children venturing into an Alternate Dimension, when the moment actually arrived, they couldn't help feeling anxious.
Many parents crowded around Shen Wushuang. "Teacher Shen, please make sure to look after the children!"
Shen Wushuang nodded. "Don't worry. The Spirit Suppression Army will send personnel for protection."
Schools were government educational institutions, after all. The Spirit Suppression Army would naturally send people to protect students. This happened every year.
A bus arrived at the Beast Taming Arena entrance.
Students boarded one by one, beginning their journey to Frost Canyon.
Chen Shu and his two companions sat in the back seats.
"Xiao Xing, it's the middle of summer—do we really need to wear down jackets?"
Xie Sunan's mouth twitched as he looked at Xu Xingxing beside him.
There he sat in a red puffy down jacket, sweat beading on his forehead, looking more and more like a mental patient...
Xu Xingxing replied: "Didn't the teacher say to bring warm clothes?"
Chen Shu sighed and asked with complete seriousness:
"Xiao Xing, when you reincarnated, did you dump all your talent points into family wealth and give zero to intelligence?"[1]