"Look, the junior doesn't have much to say about it!"
The fat senior, Wang Le, was also a poor soul who had mistakenly entered the archaeology department.
After choosing this major, he realized he didn't like it at all.
Beast masters in other majors only needed to train their pet beasts, but they had to learn all sorts of archaeological knowledge and how to use various instruments, which was incredibly troublesome.
He never thought that after entering university, he would still face the threat of failing courses... He had thought that entering university would be like heaven, but it turned out to be the beginning of his suffering.
"There seems to be a battle arena on our way here," Wang Le said.
Big cities were indeed big cities; even in the suburbs, battle arenas were everywhere.
"Chirp chirp chirp."
At this moment, Shi Shi, who was already looking forward to it, climbed onto Shi Yu's shoulder and looked at Senior Wang Le.
"Then let's have a match."
Seeing the cute little Iron Eater eager to fight, the other seniors and senior sisters also laughed and egged them on, wanting to see what was so extraordinary about an Iron Eater that had awakened ancient bloodline.
Beside them, Lin Xiuzhu remained silent.
Forget it, since Shi Yu has already agreed, you might as well enjoy yourselves.
Since Shi Yu could conquer the Pingcheng ruins, his strength should be considerable... He won't lose too badly.
Senior Sister Panda clearly didn't know how difficult the later stages of the Pingcheng ruins were; otherwise, she wouldn't be worried about Shi Yu...
...
At this point, everyone had finished eating, and it was time to relax after the meal.
With a goal in mind, they started to head towards the battle arena.
"Wang Le, I think you should let the junior have a chance during the battle and not use your beast master talent," Zheng Yingjie said.
The most significant difference between high-level and low-level beast masters, besides the gap in pet beast cultivation, was the development of beast master talents.
A high-level beast master with a well-developed enhancement talent could easily increase the combat power of an awakened pet beast several times over.
Wang Le, the fat senior, had clearly been a professional beast master for some time. His development and application of beast master talents were definitely not something a newcomer like Shi Yu could match.
"No problem, no problem," Shi Yu said. "Just a normal battle, my Iron Eater is quite strong."
"Senior, if you underestimate us, you might end up losing."
Shi Yu didn't want to take advantage. First, he believed that Shi Shi wouldn't lose to a pet beast of the same level, and second, he thought it was unnecessary, as this wasn't an important battle. Even if he lost, it would be a good way to broaden his horizons and gain experience.
Lose?
Hearing Shi Yu's words, Wang Le chuckled.
How could that happen? Fighting a newcomer, he would retire on the spot if he lost.
The other seniors and senior sisters also laughed, thinking Shi Yu clearly didn't understand the gap between high-level and low-level beast masters.
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Wang Le said.
Soon, the nine of them arrived at a nearby battle arena, which was surprisingly crowded.
However, most of the people there were high school students, as it was already the holiday season. Many apprentice beast masters liked to gather at battle arenas to pass the time and train themselves.
Renting the arena went smoothly, and the arena management even sent a referee, although Wang Le and the others thought it was unnecessary, it was a required procedure.
"Are these high-achieving students from the Ancient Capital University? Why are they here for a battle?" The referee was puzzled. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he could even beat the students from the Ancient Capital University, so being a referee here was quite stressful.
"Don't worry, brother. We'll keep an eye on things. We just need to borrow the arena," said Xiao Zheng, the leader of the Seven Heroes of Archaeology.
All nine of them, except Shi Yu, were professional beast masters, and they weren't just ordinary junior professionals. A battle between awakened pet beasts was just a small affair for them.
"Thanks," the referee said with an awkward smile.
After renting the arena, Wang Le and Shi Yu, the main participants, moved to opposite sides of the arena, while the others watched from the sidelines, even preparing to record the battle, as it would be valuable material for their assignments.
The referee stood in the center, looked at Wang Le and Shi Yu, cleared his throat, and said, "The rules are 1v1 single combat."
"Now, please send out your pet beasts simultaneously and start the battle on my command!"
As the referee spoke, Shi Shi, who had been on Shi Yu's shoulder, eagerly jumped down. Since she hadn't been in the beast space, there was no need for a summoning process.
Walking onto the arena, Shi Shi was excited, finally getting a chance to move around...
"Colossal Rock Rhino!"
On Shi Yu's side, things were simple, but on Wang Le's side, a summoning was necessary.
"Roar!!!"
With a howling wind, countless light points instantly connected to form a massive summoning array resembling a star map in front of Wang Le.
From within the array, a thunderous roar echoed, attracting the attention of passersby.
"White summoning array, intermediate beast master!" The passersby were immediately surprised and attracted by the situation.
Professional beast masters were divided into junior, intermediate, and senior levels. Just as apprentice beast masters had transparent summoning arrays, professional beast masters had arrays of different colors: gray, white, and green.
So, when the passersby saw the color and texture of Wang Le's summoning array, they immediately determined that his beast space was at least level three, and he might even be an intermediate professional beast master!
Colossal Rock Rhino!
As for the pet beast Wang Le summoned, it was also very powerful.
It was brown, like a giant rhinoceros standing on two legs, over two meters tall. Its body, limbs, and massive tail were all strong and powerful, and its fierce expression, combined with its rock-like body, made it look very formidable.
ăNameă: Colossal Rock Rhino
ăAttributeă: Earth
ăRace Levelă: Intermediate Commander
ăRace Skillsă: Flying Rock (Low), Rockify (Low), Earth Sink (Mid), Rock Burst (Mid), Mountain Collapse (High)
When the Colossal Rock Rhino appeared, the apprentice beast masters watching were amazed.
An extremely powerful pet beast of the intermediate commander race!
This beast master must be very wealthy!
"Junior, my Colossal Rock Rhino is currently at level 10 awakened," Wang Le said from behind the Colossal Rock Rhino.
"My Iron Eater is also almost at level 10 awakened."
On Shi Yu's side, Shi Shi had already stood on the arena, but because she was still in her small form, the passersby didn't notice her at first.
Only after a closer look did they realize there was indeed a small Iron Eater facing the Colossal Rock Rhino.
"How can that Iron Eater be so small... Is it a baby?"
Iron Eater, a medium extraordinary race... Its race was a full level below the Colossal Rock Rhino.
At this point, although the passersby noticed Wang Le's high level, it seemed that both sides were just practicing with new pet beasts, and the pet beasts they sent out were not yet at the extraordinary level.
Moreover, the state of the Iron Eater was quite strange, as it was so small, forming a stark contrast with the colossal Colossal Rock Rhino.
This led many passing apprentice beast masters to be confused about what was happening in this battle.
Not just them, even the referee of the battle arena was unsure what these people were up to.
However, the referee soon gave the start command!
"Junior, you go first!" Wang Le said politely.
"Then, Senior, we'll give it our all," Shi Yu said without hesitation.
The Colossal Rock Rhino, a medium commander race, likely had at least one high-level skill. With Wang Le, an intermediate beast master, directing it, its strength was definitely formidable. They couldn't afford to be careless.
ăShi Shi, Double Size, full combat power!ă
Shi Yu immediately commanded.
At this moment, the passersby, the other seniors and senior sisters, including Wang Le and the Colossal Rock Rhino, were still smiling and looking at the small Iron Eater, completely unaware of the severity of the situation.
However, the next second...
"Roar!!!"
With a battle cry, Shi Shi's body began to grow, expand, and expand. The surrounding ripples intensified, and in the blink of an eye, she had transformed into a giant beast nearly ten meters tall!
A towering Iron Eater, with deep eyes, looked at the Colossal Rock Rhino. Her long black and white fur moved without wind, and her entire body seemed to contain explosive power.
This sudden change left the archaeology seniors and senior sisters stunned.
"Swallow."
On the other side, the Colossal Rock Rhino, feeling the shadow, swallowed hard.
The other passersby were also stunned, unsure of what had just happened.
What's going on? It grew... bigger?
"Don't be so brutal," Wang Le was also taken aback!
What the hell! How did it get so big!
Shi Yu's Iron Eater's Double Size skill was known to him, but the skill was quite complex.
It was a combination of the Shrink and Enlarge skills, with two development paths.
One path focused on shrinking to restore energy, and the other focused on enlarging to boost combat power.
Different development paths required different amounts of energy.
Shi Yu's Iron Eater hadn't reached the extraordinary level, and Wang Le had assumed they had prioritized the shrinking form for daily training.
As for the enlarging form, the energy required for training was too much for an awakened pet beast, so most apprentice beast masters would choose to develop it later.
After all, it was a high-level skill, and it wasn't easy to have both.
However, to his surprise, Shi Yu had developed both the shrinking and enlarging forms to a very high level.
This was unscientific. Double Size was a high-level skill, and Wang Le's face fell, knowing that even his Colossal Rock Rhino hadn't developed high-level skills yet.
Could Shi Yu's Iron Eater use it well?
"Shi Shi, Harden!"
Shi Yu continued to command, and the next moment, the giant Shi Shi slapped the Colossal Rock Rhino with her palm.
"Rockify, Rock Burst!"
Wang Le was startled and immediately gave his command.
On the arena, the Colossal Rock Rhino's body was instantly covered in rock-like material, and it swung its rock-covered palm to resist Shi Shi's giant palm.
Rockify was similar to Harden but was an earth-type skill. This Colossal Rock Rhino had clearly developed this skill to a proficient level!
As for Rock Burst...
ăRock Burstă: Mid-level skill, creates explosive rocks that deal massive damage with their explosive power!
Wang Le chose the combination of Rockify and Rock Burst to counter the combination of Enlarge and Harden!
Bang!!!
However, the power of the two was incomparable. The moment Shi Shi's giant palm met the Colossal Rock Rhino's Rock Burst, a violent explosion occurred, and with a cloud of smoke, the Colossal Rock Rhino was sent flying several meters by Shi Shi's slap!
The power was not on the same level!
This was normal, as the Colossal Rock Rhino, though strong, was far from the strength and body of a dominant race like the Ice Dragon. Shi Shi could even fight an Ice Dragon of the same level, let alone a commander race pet beast.
"Damn, is Wang Le going to lose?"
Seeing the Colossal Rock Rhino being slapped away by the Iron Eater in one move, Zheng Yingjie and the others widened their eyes.
How did the Iron Eater develop the Double Size skill to such a high level?
Could this be the talent of an ancient bloodline Iron Eater?
"Probably not..."
The crowd continued to watch. The Colossal Rock Rhino's defense was indeed powerful, and it managed to get back up. Under Wang Le's nervous command, it gathered numerous flying rocks and launched several rock projectiles at the giant Shi Shi!
With Shi Shi's size, even with enhanced vision, it was impossible to dodge.
However, there was no need to dodge. The advantage of Perfect Harden was immediately evident, as the hardening material flowed rapidly over Shi Shi's giant body. Wherever the flying rocks hit, that part of her body instantly hardened, providing perfect resistance.
Bang, bang, bang. The flying rocks shattered upon contact with Shi Shi's body, leaving her unharmed.
Using enhanced vision, Shi Shi judged the points of impact and, with minimal energy consumption, defended against the attacks. At the same time, under Shi Yu's command, she launched the next attack.
"Thunder Palm!" Shi Yu ordered.
As he spoke, the hardening material on Shi Shi's giant palm flowed and stacked, creating a dazzling combination of black material and blue-white lightning.
"Perfect Harden, what the hell???"
At this moment, Wang Le was completely stunned, unable to understand how an Iron Eater could have such a high-level skill.
Not just him, Lin Xiuzhu in the audience was also bewildered.
Only she knew how old Shi Shi was... one year old, and already a Perfect Race Skill?
What a joke!
What had Shi Yu and the others experienced in the month she was away from Pingcheng?
Moreover, the most terrifying thing was that Shi Shi had completed a combination skill centered around Perfect Harden, which made Wang Le subconsciously use his beast master talent.
If he didn't use it, he would be in trouble!
Even at this moment, Wang Le wanted the Colossal Rock Rhino to use a high-level skill, but the reality was that high-level skills usually awakened late, and the energy of an awakened pet beast was insufficient to support the training of high-level skills. Therefore, they hadn't even started practicing the Mountain Collapse skill!
"Damn it." Wang Le gritted his teeth and used the maximum earth-type enhancement talent to strengthen the Colossal Rock Rhino.
Earth elements surged around him, forming a brown glow that connected him to the Colossal Rock Rhino.
Boom!
With a shocking vibration, the Colossal Rock Rhino's aura soared, and the surrounding sand and rocks swirled.
The next moment, a Rockify skill that rivaled or even surpassed Perfect Harden covered the Colossal Rock Rhino's entire body. With a roar, it continued to use Rock Burst against the enemy.
However, facing Shi Shi, who was now capable of tearing apart a dragon of the same level, even with Wang Le's beast master talent, the Colossal Rock Rhino seemed unable to withstand the powerful attack.
"Roar!!!"
Struggling, the Colossal Rock Rhino roared. Despite its excellent resistance to lightning, the moment it made contact with Shi Shi, it was instantly flattened. The ground beneath it cracked instantly, and with a massive explosion, dazzling lightning covered the Colossal Rock Rhino's entire body, charring it black!
Thud.
The next second, the Colossal Rock Rhino, paralyzed, fell onto the cracked arena, losing its ability to fight!
The battle was over!
No one expected that a battle between a medium extraordinary race Iron Eater and a medium commander race Colossal Rock Rhino would end in such a one-sided victory.
Shi Yu looked innocent, having warned them not to underestimate the Iron Eater and to take it seriously from the start.
As the Colossal Rock Rhino fell, Wang Le was left in a daze.
The other archaeology students also had their expressions change dramatically.
The passersby and the referee were shocked. This is an Iron Eater?
What was that battle about? Why couldn't they understand the skill combinations?
Just now, Wang Le seemed to use his beast master talent, yet he was still hammered by the Iron Eater?
Damn.
The crowd looked at the small Iron Eater, who had shrunk back to her original size and chirped contentedly, with a look of confusion.
The archaeology seniors and senior sisters were speechless. Was this an Iron Eater that had awakened an ancient bloodline?
It was too strong.
Was it too late to contract and train an Iron Eater now?
If it could also awaken an ancient bloodline, that would be a huge gain!
This doesn't seem like an extraordinary race pet beast; it's as good as a dominant race pet beast!
"Wang Le seems to be in a daze."
"I knew he would lose. Losing to an apprentice beast master, he'll probably have to pay us a lot of hush money. He must be regretting it now, wishing he hadn't challenged us..."
"Senior Lin, do you have any more Iron Eaters for sale?"
Senior Sister Panda watched in silence, listening in silence. This outcome was different from what she had initially expected...
Although she didn't know what had happened, she felt that the price of their Iron Eater might go up.