The Slime flew directly above the Inferno Raging Tiger.
Its butt gave a little wiggle, then plummeted at breakneck speed -- fast enough to produce a whistling rush of wind.
Xia Yan clenched both fists. He wasn't about to surrender that easily.
His pride wouldn't allow it!
In that split second, the gravely wounded Inferno Raging Tiger looked up at the yellow butt descending from the sky.
ROAR!
Its twin pupils blazed as though they contained actual fire, skill energy flaring to life.
A scorching ring of fire erupted outward in an instant -- but instead of spreading horizontally, it surged straight upward.
"Hm?"
Chen Shu frowned. The Slime's Violent Sitting Kill was about to reach its endpoint.
If it didn't sit now, all of its attack skills would enter cooldown.
The Inferno Raging Tiger was gravely wounded, sure, but that didn't mean it was out of tricks. It was still an S-rank contract spirit, after all.
Against any other contract spirit, the Slime could tank through the cooldown window on defense alone.
But the S-rank Inferno Raging Tiger hit way too hard. Tanking wasn't going to cut it.
"Gotta sit -- NOW!"
Chen Shu's eyes sharpened. He commanded the sleeping Slime into a terminal dive.
BOOM!
The fire ring and the Slime collided. The ring shattered on impact.
But the Slime had also taken fire damage -- a visible ring of char now blackened its yellow body.
Fortunately, it was still in Sleep Kill mode, which meant no amount of searing agony could wake it up.
Xia Yan's expression shifted to shock. He hadn't expected the bastard to actually commit to the drop.
He tried to recall his Tiger, but his reaction came half a beat too late.
BOOM!
The entire Spirit Fighting Arena seemed to tremble.
"RAAAGH!!"
The Inferno Raging Tiger's eyes bulged. Its body was crushed flat, bones producing a sickening crack-crack-crack, clearly snapping.
It was only a Level 9 contract spirit. It had endured too much... far too much.
"You--?!"
Xia Yan clenched both fists, fury blazing in his eyes.
His S-rank Inferno Raging Tiger had actually lost?!
"You're too weak. Be a good boy and surrender!"
Chen Shu's lips curled into a grin. "I wanna see what it looks like when a genius admits defeat!"
His words turned Xia Yan's face alternately green and white.
The more the other side taunted, the less he wanted to surrender. All he could do was stand there in stony silence.
"In my eyes, your strength is utterly worthless!"
Chen Shu said with a laugh. "Having the Inferno Raging Tiger follow you is like putting a gold rim on a chamber pot -- what a waste!"
Xia Yan stared daggers at Chen Shu. The guy had just called him a chamber pot...
"Xia Yan! Surrender NOW! Your contract spirit is going to die!"
Special Training Class teacher Yu Ming left the viewing box and bellowed from outside.
Xia Yan snapped back to reality.
While he'd been standing there brooding in silence, the Slime had been grinding the Inferno Raging Tiger into the platform with inhuman brutality.
At this rate, its bones were probably powder -- ready to steep as tea.
The Inferno Raging Tiger's eyes brimmed with bitter resentment.
You're the one maintaining your goddamn pride. Why am I the one suffering for it?
Real easy to stand on principle when you're not the one getting sat on...
Xia Yan hurriedly recalled it.
His contract spirit's obedience had plummeted. It would probably take ages to rebuild their bond.
Xia Yan shot Chen Shu one last venomous glare, fury raging behind his eyes.
Then he silently left the platform without another word. No threats. No bravado.
He'd possessed an S-rank contract spirit for years and had never once tasted defeat. Now that it had finally happened, his heart simply couldn't accept it.
"BANDIT INVINCIBLE! BANDIT INVINCIBLE!"
Countless spectators leapt to their feet, chanting, eyes alight with excitement. Chen Shu had won them over completely.
Pulling this off with an F-rank Slime -- that was probably unprecedented in history.
"Life is truly lonely as snow!"
Chen Shu shook his head, recalled the Golden Slime, and returned to the viewing box.
Lucky Emperor, Grinder King, whale -- none of that mattered in front of him.[1]
"Not bad!"
Shen Wushuang offered a brief assessment. If he'd been the one fighting, he might not have matched Chen Shu's battle sense.
In raw power, the Slime and the Inferno Raging Tiger were roughly comparable. The decisive gap had been in combat technique.
Xia Yan was too green. Years of steamrolling weaker opponents meant that the moment he faced someone on equal footing, he crumbled.
After that, the remaining students took their turns in the arena.
The Special Training Class was winning far more than it lost now. Everyone's combat instincts had undergone a qualitative leap.
Evening arrived.
"Alright, everyone!"
Shen Wushuang addressed the group. "Due to Chinese New Year falling early this year, we'll be heading back ahead of schedule. You're all getting winter break!"
The announcement drew a collective cheer.
Daxing City's streets were already filling up with New Year's decorations. Of course they were itching to go home.
"You can start packing tonight. We leave Daxing in two days!"
Chen Shu frowned. "Then how am I supposed to get first place?!"
The System's option required him to claim the number-one ranking for January.
"Relax. Two days is plenty. Two or three more fights should do it."
With Chen Shu's current undefeated record, first place was practically a lock.
Chen Shu breathed a sigh of relief, and the group filed out of the Spirit Fighting Arena's viewing box.
Since New Year's was right around the corner, Ouyang Bao had already gone home.
This left Chen Shu's trio quite disappointed. There went their meal ticket...
"Chen Pi, any plans for the holiday?"
The three of them settled into a roadside food stall and ordered every specialty dish on the menu.
"It's only ten days. Plans for what?!"
Chen Shu shook his head. He'd already taken a two-month autumn break. Winter break didn't hold much appeal.
"My family'll probably make me train in seclusion."
Xu Xingxing said. With a rare vacation coming up, his family would definitely pile on the resources.
Once winter break ended, the college entrance exam wasn't far off. Next semester was nothing but crunch time.
Chen Shu turned to the other one. "What about you, Old Xie?"
"Me? Take missions, buy resources. Not like you two -- one's got a rich family, the other's a bandit. Neither of you is short on cash."
"What do you mean, 'not short'?"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. "Are you stupid? Nobody with money goes around being a bandit!"
The three of them were mid-conversation when a discordant voice suddenly cut in.
"Uncle, that's him!"
They turned around. Two figures were walking straight toward them.
"Xia Yan?"
Chen Shu narrowed his eyes, then his lips curved into a smile. "Oh? Went crying to Daddy, did we?"
Beside Xia Yan stood a hulking bald man with a menacing scowl, glowering at all three of them.
Chen Shu felt a prickle of danger. The man was definitely a Black Iron-rank Beast Tamer.
"You're the one who bullied my nephew?"
Wu Li spoke, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes.
"Bullied? My good sir, when did I ever bully him?"
Chen Shu replied with the same casual composure as ever:
"So I beat him at the Spirit Fighting Arena. Fine, I apologize. Next time I see Young Master Xia, I'll kowtow and forfeit on the spot. Sound good?"
Chen Shu's dripping sarcasm could ignite a person's temper in an instant.
Fury flashed in Xia Yan's eyes. "I'm not talking about the arena. I'm talking about what you did to me THAT NIGHT!"
"'That night'? Could you be a little more specific? Otherwise people are going to think I'm some kind of pervert!"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Could you at least describe it properly, you dumbass?
"Xiao Yan, what exactly did he do to you that night?"
Wu Li's forehead was streaked with black lines too. Even he felt his nephew's phrasing was... problematic.
The atmosphere instantly turned combustible...
"Watch out!"
Xia Yan was about to explain when his pupils suddenly contracted.
A plate of braised lobster came sailing through the air, right at them.
Wu Li's fist lashed out almost on reflex. His enhanced body punched the lobster clean apart.
SPLAT!
Hot oil exploded everywhere, drenching both uncle and nephew in greasy, scalding chaos.
Xia Yan yelped and hopped around, scorched by the oil.
"You little shit!"
Wu Li's expression darkened with rage. He hadn't expected the kid to be this underhanded -- launching a sneak attack the moment he'd looked away.
The three of them scattered in perfect coordination, each bolting in a different direction, all firing off the same message to Shen Wushuang:
"Teacher Shen, someone's trying to kill us! HELP!"
Wu Li flicked the oil off himself and locked onto Chen Shu's retreating back.
He pushed off with both feet, his massive frame shooting forward like an arrow from a bow.
Chen Shu was built sturdy, but he hadn't undergone physical enhancement. Wu Li caught up in seconds.
"Think you can run?"
Wu Li clamped a hand down on Chen Shu's shoulder, forcing him to stop.
But in that instant, the space ahead of him cracked open, and a pair of enormously round, utterly adorable eyes stared out at him.
"What the fuck is THAT?!"
Wu Li's expression twisted in shock. He released his grip instantly.
Chen Shu seized the moment to break free, but he didn't run again. Instead, he started calculating his next move.
Running was pointless -- there was no outpacing the man. He'd have to stall using other methods.
"A Semi-Manifest Summon?!"
Wu Li raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the kid to know a technique like that.
"Too bad it won't save you!"
Wu Li's expression turned frigid, and he moved to grab Chen Shu again.
Chen Shu didn't dare fully summon his contract spirit. If he did, this would escalate from a police matter to a Spirit Suppression Bureau matter in a heartbeat.
Besides, Wu Li could summon his own spirit for "self-defense" just as easily.
"Today, you get to experience the urea bag for yourself!"
Xia Yan came rushing over. Seeing Chen Shu cornered, the desire for revenge burned bright in his eyes.
"Was all this really necessary?"
Chen Shu shook his head. There weren't many pedestrians around, and absolutely none of them were stepping in to help.
Don't tell me the Nanjiang Bandit is actually going to capsize?
His mind raced, searching for a way out.
Then his gaze froze. He spotted something behind Wu Li.
Down the street, a girl in a windbreaker was walking toward them, the evening breeze tousling her short hair. She looked sharp. Confident.
Beside her strode a tall young man -- iron wok in his left hand, spatula in his right.
Both of them burst out laughing the instant they saw the scene, not having expected to arrive to the sight of Chen Shu getting cornered.
Chen Shu wore a pained expression, but inside, the tension drained away.
Half a year apart, and the three of them hadn't changed one bit.