"You think I can just let that slide? You can insult me, Chen Shu, all day long--but insulting our school? Disrespecting our Principal? I, Chen Shu, will fight him to the bitter end!"
Chen Shu stood tall with righteous indignation, his eyes still blazing with fury.
"..."
Shen Wushuang nudged Chen Shu and whispered, "That's a bit much..."
SLAP!
The Principal slammed his palm on the desk. "It's not a bit much at all! A student that arrogant absolutely deserves to be taught a lesson!"
"..."
Watching the two of them seething in unison, Shen Wushuang suddenly felt like an outsider.
Seizing the moment, Chen Shu pressed forward. "Principal, I'm officially requesting permission to take the field personally and steamroll Nanjiang First High!"
"Oh, give me a break!"
The Principal's fury deflated instantly. "Nanjiang First High is strong. Lin Ziyan is only one of their top five."
"Principal, it might be worth a shot."
Shen Wushuang spoke up earnestly from the side.
The Principal raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Shen, you really think he can win?"
Nanjiang First High had dominated the title of best school in the city for years.
Shen Wushuang nodded. Chen Shu was unreliable, sure--but so far, he didn't seem to have lost.
Chen Shu rose to his feet and said with calm composure, "Principal, as long as the money's right, I could crush even an S-rank Contract Spirit."
"..."
The Principal blinked. "What money?"
"A hired fighter's gotta get paid, right?" Chen Shu said. "How much did Fang Si charge back in the day?"
The corner of the Principal's mouth twitched, and he fell silent.
He'd always known Fang Si and the other two had hung around together. So you siblings really are cut from the same cloth, huh?
He sighed. "Fang Si asked for one million..."
"If you can actually win, the school will give you one million!"
Chen Shu nodded. "In that case, I'll take two million."
The Principal's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected such an outrageous demand. "You think you're worth more than S-rank Fang Si?"
"No, no, Principal--times have changed. Inflation! Cost of living's skyrocketed, so naturally a hired fighter's fee has to double."
Chen Shu continued without missing a beat. "The school's already on a downward slide. I'm guessing the Principal is planning a comeback this year. If I can flatten Nanjiang First High, that makes me the vanguard--the one who sounds the battle horn. Not only does it boost morale, it puts our school on the map citywide!"
"A deal this good, and you're saying two million isn't worth it? It's an absolute steal!"
Shen Wushuang and the Principal stared at Chen Shu as he rattled off his sales pitch, and the exact same thought crossed both their minds simultaneously:
This kid is going places.
"As long as you can beat Lin Ziyan first, I'll give you two million!"
The Principal fixed Chen Shu with a long, hard look before finally speaking.
Though the kid's Contract Spirit was only F-rank, his sheer confidence alone was enough to put countless others to shame.
Besides, Nanjiang Second High was already struggling. Even if he lost, the damage was negligible.
"Lin Ziyan's already lost," Chen Shu said. "I beat the crap out of him twice."
"..."
The corner of the Principal's mouth twitched. "I meant as a Beast Tamer. An official match."
If every student fought like you, people would think Nanjiang Second High was a bandit hideout...
"Alright then! Let's start with Lin Ziyan!"
Chen Shu stood up and strode out of the Principal's office with purpose.
Shen Wushuang and the Principal exchanged a glance, then hurried after him.
---
Outside the Beast Taming Arena.
"Wake up!"
Chen Shu quickly roused the unconscious Lin Ziyan.
Lin Ziyan's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was Chen Shu's face.
Almost instinctively, his body flinched. He scrambled backward several meters on his hands, his face twisted with terror as he screamed:
"What do you want?!"
Watching Lin Ziyan's visceral reaction, the Principal's mouth twitched. What exactly did you do to this kid?
Chen Shu flashed a wide grin and said warmly, "Don't be scared. I, Chen Shu, am always reasonable. Like the old saying goes--when friends come from afar..."
"'Though distant, they shall be destroyed'--is that it?"[1]
Lin Ziyan's eyes were full of wariness. He immediately summoned his Shadow Beast.
Only then did he relax enough to shout, "If you've got the guts, face me in a proper match!"
"Sure! Your wish is my command! To the arena!"
Chen Shu headed into the Beast Taming Arena first.
The Shadow Beast leapt in a single bound onto the battle stage.
Lin Ziyan's eyes burned with fury. "Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish. Let me see what your Contract Spirit can do."
Chen Shu suddenly called out, "Look--your Principal's here!"
"You think I'm stupid enough to fall for your--"
Lin Ziyan scoffed, completely unfazed.
But in the split second he spoke, a deafening boom erupted.
BOOM!
A Slime over ten meters tall came crashing down from above, radiating overwhelming pressure.
The Shadow Beast's survival instincts kicked in instantly, firing off its life-saving skill.
Black light burst from its body as it flash-stepped to another position, narrowly dodging the Slime's crushing descent.
"What the fuck--you open with a sneak attack?!"
Lin Ziyan's eyes blazed with rage. He hadn't imagined anyone could be this shameless.
He'd told himself he wouldn't fall for the trick, but it had still split his attention at the critical moment.
"Is sneak attacking illegal?"
Chen Shu shrugged, completely unbothered.
The Principal's mouth twitched from the sidelines. "This is our class's top-ranked student?"
Shen Wushuang was equally speechless, but nodded. "He's a Beast Tamer. Winning is all that matters."
"..."
Lin Ziyan stared at the massive Slime, his rage giving way to gravity and caution.
Who the hell gave me that garbage intel?!
He'd researched Nanjiang Second High's prodigies before coming. Chen Shu's Slime naturally had a file.
But the intelligence had only said it was "somewhat large, slow-moving, not a threat."
"'SOMEWHAT LARGE'?!"
Lin Ziyan's brow furrowed hard. He was genuinely worried the thing would just park its ass on his Shadow Beast and squash it to death.
ROAR!
The Shadow Beast let out a howl and unleashed its talent skill, Dark Bind. Tendrils of black light extended outward like chains, locking the Slime in place.
"You're dead!"
Seeing the Slime successfully restrained, Lin Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief.
The Shadow Beast's claws glowed with spectral light as it swiped at the air several times.
Multiple shadow claws materialized and slashed across the Slime's body in an instant.
"Too reckless!" The Principal frowned. He hadn't expected the Slime to make zero effort to dodge. Skill damage was nothing to scoff at.
Shen Wushuang, however, looked entirely unconcerned. Chen Shu wasn't that simple.
Zzz... zzz...
The Slime closed its eyes and dropped straight into sleep mode.
WHAM! WHAM!
The shadow claws tore at the Slime's body. They carried innate armor-piercing properties.
But the Slime's defense was simply too high. In the end, the claws only managed to break the skin, drawing a small amount of blood.
The damage was negligible--practically zero combat impact.
Chen Shu grinned. "Little guy! My turn!"
The Slime's body shifted, and it let out a thunderous snore that sounded like an engine revving.
BOOM!
The Dark Bind shackles snapped like paper. The Slime barreled toward the Shadow Beast in a frenzy.
A mountain-sized yellow sphere rolled forward with unstoppable momentum, the entire battle stage trembling beneath it.
"Dodge!"
In a flash, spectral light erupted from the Shadow Beast's limbs, and its speed skyrocketed.
It tore around the perimeter of the battle stage, using its extreme agility to stay one step ahead of disaster.
Lin Ziyan exhaled in relief. "I don't care how big you are--you'll never outrun my Contract Spirit!"
Chen Shu didn't look the least bit worried.
The Slime's mouth began to inflate, then it activated its combination skill and shifted into Flight Mode.
"Wha--?!"
Lin Ziyan's jaw dropped. He gaped as this absolute unit of a Slime lifted off the ground and took flight.
The Shadow Beast looked equally stunned--then broke into a dead sprint.
But the Slime soared directly overhead, its shadow blanketing the beast below with suffocating pressure.
One fleeing, one pursuing--there was no escape.
---