A moment later, the match began.
Chen Shu didn't hesitate—he had the Slime use Gigantification right from the start.
Not out of caution, of course. He just wanted to burst out of that shirt.
The 666 Potion Company's fashion sense was absolutely criminal. The shirt they'd designed was so ugly that Ugly itself would've opened the door and said "Welcome home."
Staring up at the nearly twenty-meter behemoth, everyone present was stunned!
The gap between the Dark Element Spirit and the Slime was absurd—one sit and the spirit would probably go flying.
"The pressure this thing gives off... no wonder he dared to challenge all six schools."
"I've never seen a Slime this ridiculous."
BOOM!
The Golden Slime didn't hesitate—it launched its Charge skill head-on.
"Smash right through it!"
The Slime barreled forward like a colossal tank, its speed impossibly fast. The power of a Level 7 Charge was on full display.
Forget Apprentice Beast Tamers—even Silver-rank contract spirits might not have a skill at that level.
Li Xuan's expression turned grave, but he didn't panic.
The Dark Element Spirit's body began radiating a deep, eerie glow.
The next moment, the Slime's massive body passed straight through it.
"Hm? A Phasing skill?"
Chen Shu blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected the opponent to have comprehended such a clutch survival skill.
"As expected of Third High's genius—the rare Phasing skill. That's one that never becomes obsolete."
As contract spirits leveled up, their older skills would gradually become obsolete.
Both their effects and damage would fall behind—unless the skill level was high enough to keep pace.
But not everyone had cheats.
"Cool skill. Too bad it's still useless."[1]
Chen Shu shook his head. The Slime screeched to a halt and immediately charged back in the opposite direction.
Its massive body rammed back and forth through the Dark Element Spirit, the entire platform rumbling from the impacts.
The crowd stared blankly at the stage, completely dumbstruck.
"Why does its Charge last this long? Did someone install an oversized gas tank?"
"Beats me..."
Li Xuan's face had gone pale. No matter where the Dark Element Spirit fled, the Slime followed like a shadow—like a giant plaster you couldn't peel off.
The moment Phasing's duration ran out, his defeat was certain.
"Surrender."
The teacher spoke up, having seen the gap between them at a glance.
Li Xuan sighed and recalled his Dark Element Spirit. Leaving the platform meant an automatic forfeit.
Chen Shu's first bout at Third High ended in victory. Everyone had witnessed the Slime's overwhelming strength.
A-rank contract spirits simply couldn't compete.
"What kind of contract spirit is that, exactly?"
The Special Training Class teacher stared at Chen Shu, deep confusion in her eyes.
His spirit's stats and skills were absurd, and on top of that, he was a Level 8 Beast Tamer.
Unless something unexpected happened, nobody in Nanjiang City could beat him.
The others turned to look as well, equally baffled.
"A Golden Slime."
Chen Shu spread his hands, the picture of innocence.
With that, he pulled a loudspeaker from his backpack, set it on the ground, and hit play on a pre-recorded message.
"Next! Next!"
"..."
Everyone's mouths twitched. This guy was begging for a beating.
Chen Shu flashed a grin and locked his gaze on Wang Teng below.
"Brother Wang Teng, you're up!"
"Hmph!"
Wang Teng scoffed coldly. "As I have said—I, Wang Teng, have never known defeat in my entire life!"[2]
"And in this battle, I... forfeit!"
"..."
Everyone stared, jaws hanging open.
Holy crap, he straight-up surrendered. So THAT was the secret to his undefeated record?
The Special Training Class teacher didn't force the issue. When defeat was a foregone conclusion, there was no point in fighting.
"C'mon, somebody step up! At this rate I can't even fill the show's runtime. I'd be embarrassed to cash those sponsor checks!"
Chen Shu shook his head, looking almost disappointed.
If it hadn't been for all the cameras watching, they probably would've thrown him out already.
"Tell you what—how about all of you come at me at once? If you win, I'll hand over forty High-Grade Beast Orbs. If you lose, just give me twenty."
"Kid, you've gone too far!"
Third High's principal stepped forward, feeling the trampling of his very soul.
His face flushed with anger. "At our Third High, everyone's a genius! We have six students with A-rank contract spirits alone, and the remaining fourteen all have B-rank spirits. Our combat strength is formidable beyond measure—"
Chen Shu cut in. "So you're accepting the bet?"
"Absolutely not! You think I'm stupid? I already know what happened to Nanjiang First High."
"..." Chen Shu's mouth twitched. "Then why'd you hype up your students like that..."
The principal said nothing. They were in front of the media—of course he had to talk up his school a little.
Chen Shu waved a hand. "Fine, forget the bet. All of you, come at me! A-rank and B-rank, everyone at once!!"
Third High's Special Training Class didn't have a single Level 8 Beast Tamer.
Only five were Level 7, and both Li Xuan and Wang Teng had already bowed out.
The rest were Level 6—barely a threat.
Another chaotic brawl began.
"Goo-gii!"
The Slime opened with Dragon's Roar, stunning the enemies, then rammed three contract spirits off the platform before they could recover.
The battle erupted!
Chen Shu, wanting to put on a dominant show, focused on commanding the Slime with precision.
In the distance, six contract spirits with elemental skills fired simultaneously.
Fireballs, ice shards, lightning orbs—a barrage of projectiles hurtled toward the Slime's massive body.
Chen Shu had already spotted them coming. With pinpoint prediction, he sent the Slime airborne just in time, narrowly dodging the entire volley.
A flying Slime was even more terrifying.
If it dropped without warning, anyone caught underneath would be crushed to paste.
The crowd scrambled backward, putting as much distance from the arena as possible.
"Keep ramming!"
Whooo... Whooo...
The Slime snored away while soaring through the air, knocking out several contract spirits with each dive and slam.
The battle was a complete blowout. There was no suspense whatsoever.
"I'm done!"
"Same! This is pointless."
"Let him put on his one-man show."
The Special Training Class students recalled their contract spirits one by one, choosing to forfeit outright.
They weren't even on the same level.
My attacks can't break your defense. Your attacks one-shot me. What the hell are we supposed to do?!
Someone sighed. "The gap in strength is just too wide."
If all twenty Special Training Class students had been Level 8 Beast Tamers, they could've won with a combined assault.
But most of them were a full two levels below Chen Shu. The difference was too much to overcome.
"Next! Next!"
The loudspeaker at Chen Shu's feet kept blaring, but the only sound left on the platform was the Slime's snoring.
One morning.
That was all it took for Chen Shu to finish his conquest of Nanjiang Third High.
After that, it was mostly interviews with Nanjiang TV.
Chen Shu said whatever popped into his head without a second thought. They could always edit it in post.
That evening, Chen Shu returned to his dorm at Nanjiang Second High.
"Old Xie, what are the odds at?"
Xie Sunan's face was a mask of shock. "What the hell did you do?! The odds shot up to 5:1 today. That means the vast majority of people think you can steamroll every other school."
Chen Shu shrugged. "Just beat the crap out of Third High."
Videos were definitely circulating online by now. Once people saw his strength, they'd naturally bet on him winning, and the odds would shift accordingly.
"By the way, is the bookie legit? They won't take the money and run?"
"Should be fine. The platform just takes a handling fee. No matter the outcome, they can't lose—why would they run?"
Chen Shu grinned. "Before tonight's deadline—ten million on me to lose! Old Xie, use your name to place it!"
This time, he was going to bleed Nanjiang City's wealthy dry.
This was what you called robbing the rich to feed the poor!