In the main monitoring room, five professional Beast Masters were enjoying the air conditioning as they commented on the real-time score updates.
They were not directly responsible for security, and the rescue of the examinees was generally handled by the security company personnel.
"It seems he hunted down five Long-spined Wild Boars. Good job, looks like we have a very energetic Beast Master and pet beast combo here."
After a brief evaluation, they shifted the topic, not overly concerned about this change. After all, only a few hours had passed, and the exam was far from over...
...
Undoubtedly, all professional Beast Masters have Extraordinary-level pet beasts, but even those security personnel who haven't passed the professional exam might not lack Extraordinary-level combat power.
A Beast Master's Beast Space reaching Level 2, with the crystal wall changing from colorless to gray, and the pet beast reaching the Extraordinary level, is the basic requirement for participating in the professional exam.
Professional Beast Masters, however, are the elite chosen from those who meet these conditions, requiring excellence in theoretical knowledge, wilderness survival, and practical combat skills.
Therefore, those who have the qualifications to participate in the professional exam but haven't passed it are not necessarily as weak as most apprentices. The title of "Quasi-Professional Beast Master" suits them better.
For example, Yan Qi, one of the security personnel, is a Quasi-Professional Beast Master. His level and his pet beast's level are sufficient, but he failed the professional exam, unable to outperform others, which is why he didn't get the certificate.
Yan Qi is a native of Pingcheng, with an initial pet beast, the Iron Eater. He studied at the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall, the Iron Eater's main base, and thus has a good understanding of Iron Eaters.
From the moment he saw Shi Yu's Iron Eater through the monitor, he realized that Shi Yu and Shi Shi were not ordinary.
Having spent so long at the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall, he had never seen an Iron Eater that mastered Hardening at the Proficient level during its infancy, which was quite extraordinary.
His own Iron Eater, which had reached the Extraordinary level after five or six years of cultivation, had only recently reached the Proficient level in Hardening.
In short, Shi Yu was definitely not simple. Out of curiosity, during his break, he used his private phone to call the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall and found the hall master, Lin Hongnian, who was teaching there.
"Master Lin, do you remember me? I'm Xiao Qi, the one nicknamed Xiao Xiong."
The voice on the other end replied, "The Xiao Xiong Yan Qi who failed the professional exam twice and now works at a security company?"
That hurt.
Yan Qi smiled bitterly, "I'm sorry, I've let our Bamboo Stone Martial Hall down..."
"Master Lin, I'm currently responsible for security at the Tianmang Mountain Training Base, and I've met a very interesting Beast Master."
"His Iron Eater is only about two years old but has already mastered Hardening at the Proficient level. That's quite extraordinary. Is he one of our new junior disciples?"
"I don't really have any impression, nor have I heard about it. So, I'm calling to ask you. By the way, his name is Shi Yu."
At the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall.
In a house with mountains and water, a middle-aged man with a serious expression fell silent for a moment.
An Iron Eater about two years old, with Proficient-level Hardening?
Is Yan Qi sure he's not joking? How is that possible?
All the Iron Eaters in the entire Ice Plain City come from the Iron Bamboo Breeding Base. If there was an Iron Eater with such talent, he would have known.
"What's his name?"
"Shi Yu, his name is Shi Yu."
Shi Yu!
"Is it him?" Lin Hongnian recalled a few days ago when Dr. Lu from the Ancient Capital University visited the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall.
The other party seemed to have asked him to help cultivate a distant relative... and that relative was named Shi Yu?
Because Shi Yu's initial pet beast was an Iron Eater, they found him.
Moreover, they offered a high-level resource obtained from a ruin as compensation.
Regarding Shi Yu, Lin Hongnian also investigated the pet beast acquisition records at the Iron Bamboo Breeding Base. The result was... Shi Yu's records were quite ordinary. He bought his pet beast on loan, and he was a native of Pingcheng. Lin Hongnian had no idea how Shi Yu had any connection with Lu Qingyi, who was considered a prodigy nationwide.
However, he couldn't refuse Dr. Lu's favor, especially since the other party offered a sufficiently valuable reward.
"This Shi Yu, the Iron Eater he acquired is only a little over one year old, and he hasn't had it for more than a month, right?"
"Proficient-level Hardening?" Lin Hongnian noticed a blind spot and his expression turned serious.
"Did Dr. Lu help him with special cultivation methods?"
Otherwise, Lin Hongnian couldn't think of how a novice Beast Master could cultivate an Iron Eater's racial skill to the Proficient level in such a short time...
Perhaps Lu Qingyi gave Shi Yu some rare cultivation resources.
"Master Lin, Master Lin..." Yan Qi spoke again when he noticed the silence on the other end.
"Yan Qi, you said Shi Yu is training at Tianmang Mountain, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay, I understand."
"Understood? So, is he one of our Bamboo Stone Martial Hall's apprentices?"
Lin Hongnian said, "Not yet, but he might be in the future. Since his Iron Eater's Hardening has reached the Proficient level and he's already at Tianmang Mountain, and you're there too, guide him to the Magnetic Mountain area. Let him focus on training there, which will lay a foundation for learning the martial hall's skills."
"Huh?" Yan Qi was still processing this.
Damn, what's going on? He's not even a disciple yet, and he's getting the martial hall's secret techniques? He felt a bit jealous...
...
In the safe zone.
Shi Yu finished eating the instant noodles and two sausages, barely satisfying his hunger.
He planned to rest for a while and then head to the Magnetic Mountain area to play with the Electric Slimes.
As for the five Long-spined Wild Boars, he no longer needed to drag them around; he could leave them here.
"Shi Yu."
While meditating and resting in a corner of the shed, the security personnel who registered his points earlier came over.
"What's up?"
Shi Yu opened his eyes and turned to look at him.
Yan Qi chuckled, "Nothing, just introducing myself. I'm Yan Qi."
"Do you plan to continue hunting this afternoon?"
Shi Yu nodded.
"I suggest you go to the Magnetic Mountain area. There's a type of electrical ore there, a Level 1 energy iron ore, which is part of the Iron Eater's diet."
"Electrical iron ore?" Shi Yu recalled that it was indeed recommended in the Iron Eater's cultivation manual, but it wasn't highly prioritized.
Compared to iron bamboo, it didn't have much effect on the Hardening skill or the Iron Eater's growth, just enough to keep it from being hungry.
"Follow me."
Yan Qi called out to Shi Yu, intending to go to a relatively open area to talk.
"What does he want?" Shi Yu was a bit surprised but decided to follow and see what the security personnel was up to.
"I'm actually an apprentice at the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall, and my initial pet beast is also an Iron Eater. By the way, do you know the two major secrets of the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall?"
After leaving the shed, Yan Qi spoke.
"I remember, one is called Thunder Palm, and the other is called Cannon Fist, right?" Shi Yu recalled.
So, this guy is an apprentice at the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall... no wonder he's so interested in me and my Iron Eater.
Iron Eaters trained at the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall are known for their ability to control fire and lightning, with the ultimate skills being Thunder Palm and Cannon Fist. Shi Yu, of course, knew this, as he would eventually have to study at the martial hall.
"Yes, Thunder Palm and Cannon Fist. With special cultivation methods, there's a chance for Iron Eaters to awaken the ability to control fire and lightning."
"For example, to control lightning, one of the basics is for the Iron Eater to consume some electrical metal ores, like electrical ore."
"Why are you telling me this?"
To master skills outside their racial abilities, pet beasts need targeted cultivation, and food is a crucial part of this. Shi Yu was aware of this.
However, just consuming electrical ore wouldn't be enough; otherwise, it wouldn't be a secret technique of the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall.
Even if it's not as complicated as the evolution of a Green Silk Worm into a Goddess of Light Butterfly, it certainly wouldn't be as simple as just one type of food.
"I heard from Master Lin at the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall that you might come to study at the martial hall, so I'm just giving you a heads-up."
"The minimum requirement for consuming electrical ore is for the Iron Eater's Hardening to reach the Proficient level. Your Iron Eater's Hardening is already at the Proficient level, so absorbing the nutrients from electrical ore shouldn't be a problem."
"If you plan to study at the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall in the future, the Magnetic Mountain area at Tianmang Mountain is the most suitable training environment for you. There are many electrical ores and lightning-type creatures there."
"Consuming electrical ore and constantly being attacked by lightning is actually the basic training for mastering the Thunder Palm skill. You can start getting familiar with it now."
ăSkillă: Thunder Palm
ăSkill Levelă: Intermediate
ăDescriptionă: A lightning-type skill that gathers high-intensity current in the palm, making it as sharp as a blade with strong penetration and a paralyzing effect.
Yan Qi smiled, but he sighed inwardly because his own Iron Eater, despite reaching the Extraordinary level, had yet to master Thunder Palm, only able to generate a negligible current in its palm, far from forming a skill.
If he could master Thunder Palm, he would have passed the professional exam long ago.
Just the Thunder Palm is powerful enough; if combined with Hardening... the power would be something Yan Qi could only dream of.
"Is that so, thank you."
Shi Yu didn't expect to be recognized by an apprentice from the Bamboo Stone Martial Hall before even visiting the hall.
Is this the first lesson from Hall Master Lin?
He originally planned to go to the Magnetic Mountain area to replicate the Doubling skill, but now it seems there are other compelling reasons to go.
When it comes to eating... Shi Yu thought the electrical ore in the Magnetic Mountain area wouldn't be worth points. If Shi Shi's training and combat intensity were too high over the next three days, they might all end up in Shi Shi's stomach.