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[1] "Reporting you for feeding": MOBA gaming slang. "Feeding" means repeatedly dying to enemies, giving them gold and experience advantages. Players report "feeders" for ruining games. Xu Xingxing is threatening to report Chen Shu for intentionally throwing if he tries to fight two Black Iron-rank Ice Apes with his Level 8 Slime.
The three left the tent and packed everything into their backpacks.
Chen Shu recalled his Slime at the same time. To summon it again, he'd need to wait a while.
"Chen Pi, where are we heading next?"
The three waited inside the cave. The Slime was their only combat power—they had to make sure it could be summoned at any moment.
If they kept it out constantly, the Mutant Thunder Bird wouldn't be able to handle the weight anyway.
"Next? Straight to the depths of the canyon! There's definitely good stuff down there!"
Chen Shu spoke up. With someone protecting them, he was ready to push deeper into Frost Canyon.
"If we can find even one Common-rank Variant fierce beast, wouldn't that be an instant first place?"
Most Variant fierce beasts were Black Iron rank. Only species with truly inferior bloodlines would produce Common-rank Variants.
After a while, Chen Shu stood up, signaling that he could now summon the Slime at any time.
The three mounted the Mutant Thunder Bird and headed toward the canyon depths.
"Hm? They really are bold!"
Shen Wushuang had been following behind the trio the whole time. With an S-rank Ice Phoenix, keeping up with the Mutant Thunder Bird was child's play.
Soon, the three descended past the five-hundred-meter mark—beyond the boundary he'd set.
Shen Wushuang didn't intervene. He just followed from a distance.
With his strength, even if they encountered a Lord-level fierce beast, he could still extract all three of them safely.
"Why do I feel like the temperature just plummeted?"
Xu Xingxing shivered and pulled another sweater from his backpack.
Chen Shu nodded slightly. He could see thin layers of ice forming on the surrounding cliff walls.
If they continued descending, the ice would only get thicker. That's how Frost Canyon got its name.
Below five hundred meters was the real Frost Canyon.
"Stay sharp!"
Chen Shu's gaze turned cautious, dropping the joking around.
The three maintained a low flight. Xu Xingxing was also fully focused—if danger appeared, the Mutant Thunder Bird would use its skill to escape instantly.
"Eight fierce beasts ahead! Around Level 8!"
"Beast swarm to the left! Unknown numbers!"
"Two fierce beasts, front-left! Black Iron rank!"
Xie Sunan's Winged Caterpillar kept releasing its detection field, tracking every fierce beast trace in the area.
The trio's coordination was seamless. Even though they were just trainee Beast Tamers, they could still navigate Frost Canyon with ease.
Chen Shu spoke up: "Let's check out the Black Iron beasts. Fly higher!"
Black Iron-rank fierce beasts had a good chance of guarding medicinal herbs.
The Mutant Thunder Bird banked left.
Sure enough, moments later they spotted two Ice Apes pacing back and forth.
Between them grew three blue spirit flowers.
"Huh? Ice Leaf Flowers?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. These were exactly what one of their accepted missions required.
Options appeared before his eyes.
---
[Option 1]: Pretend not to see. Sneak away quietly.
Completion Reward: Medium Beast Taming Power[Option 2]: Use cunning. Steal the Ice Leaf Flowers!
Completion Reward: Explosion Potion[Option 3]: Use pure strength. Kill both Ice Apes.
Completion Reward: Slime all attributes +5%---
Chen Shu frowned. The third option was clearly the biggest upgrade.
He asked: "Old Xie, Xiao Xing—you think my Slime could kill those two Ice Apes?"
The two froze, equally stunned.
Xie Sunan patted him on the shoulder, wearing a funeral expression...
Xu Xingxing said seriously: "I'm reporting you!"
Chen Shu was baffled. "Reporting me? For what?"
"For feeding!"
"..."
Chen Shu's lip twitched. "So neither of you believe in me?"
Xie Sunan raised an eyebrow. "You want to use facts to prove we're right?"
"No need for proof. Actually... I don't believe in myself either!"
Chen Shu called out: "Xiao Xing, get ready to steal the goods!"
With that, the Golden Slime dropped from the sky, landing not far from the two Ice Apes.
Initially, both Ice Apes wore looks of contempt. They didn't pay the Slime any attention.
But in an instant, the Slime's body swelled dramatically, transforming into a massive behemoth.
Its strength was only Level 8, but its size could already dwarf Black Iron-rank fierce beasts.
Can't actually win, but we've got swagger for days!
"Little Yellow, give me a roar! Scare them!"
Chen Shu planned to use the Slime to distract the Ice Apes while the Mutant Thunder Bird stole the flowers.
Fierce beasts had intelligence at most on par with Young Master Tang—not exactly competitive material.
The Slime's two big eyes widened as it tried its best to look ferocious.
Then it let out a terrifying roar: "Goo-gii! Goo-gii!"
"..."
The two Ice Apes were utterly confused. They didn't sense any threat from this thing, but something this huge couldn't be allowed in their territory.
ROAR!
The two Ice Apes bellowed and charged forward.
Snore... snore...
The Slime instantly activated Sleep Kill and entered sleep mode.
Once it decided to sleep, nothing could stop it!
"Now!"
Thunder light flashed in the Mutant Thunder Bird's eyes, while blue radiance appeared on its wings.
With both skills active, the Thunder Bird's speed skyrocketed.
"You were hiding your strength back in September?!"
Chen Shu remembered that during its fight with the Wind Runner Beast, the Thunder Bird hadn't shown this skill.
Xu Xingxing replied: "Got it customized after the competition!"
"...My bad for asking."
The Mutant Thunder Bird's speed exploded. It became a streak of blue light.
Neither Ice Ape could react before all three Ice Leaf Flowers were snatched away.
ROAR!
Their expressions turned absolutely furious. Ice instantly coated their bodies.
Despite activating their talent skill "Frost Armor," it was completely useless.
The Mutant Thunder Bird's speed was terrifying—nowhere near what they could catch.
"Get close to the Slime—I need to recall it!"
The Thunder Bird banked and came directly above the Slime.
Once the distance was close enough, Chen Shu recalled it to his Beast Space.
Despite being attacked by both Ice Apes, the sleeping Slime could hold out for a short time!
The three rode the Thunder Bird away, leaving behind two furiously roaring Ice Apes.
Before departing, the Thunder Bird sassily spat at them, then wiggled its butt...
Chen Shu now suspected the Thunder Bird's brattiness was innate—nothing to do with Xu Xingxing.