Chapter 255 - 195: SO TOUGH
This roguish instructor kicked things off with a merciless tongue-lashing, plunging the room into a dead silence.
It had to be said, his method was effective. Not another peep was heard from the ranks.
Whether they truly submitted or not, Ke Yan couldn’t care less. It was just as he’d said: shape up or ship out.
Recalling the recent series of events in the Ancient Jing Forest, Su Zhi vaguely understood the reason for Ke Yan’s attitude.
On one hand, it was undoubtedly tied to the man’s natural disposition. On the other hand... ’Perhaps this isn’t just militarized training for a team competition. He’s already treating us as future warriors.’
It was just as Shao Yun had said—we are Beast Tamers who possess powerful Pet Beasts, and we are also the Great Wall, the first to face any invasion.
"Alright, if there are no objections, then let’s get straight to business."
As Ke Yan finished speaking, a purple Beast Taming Light Array immediately lit up beside him. An immense Pet Beast emerged from the Light Array and stood by his side—
[Pet Beast: Iron Fist (Copper Armor War Elephant)
Attribute: Gold, Fighting Element
Race: Low Level Commander Race
Real-time Energy Value: 13,298]
Including its tusks, this Copper Armor War Elephant was over twenty meters long and nearly ten meters tall. Its massive body was like a small mountain, looking enormous even within the vast, open space of the Battle Hall.
The jaws of many students dropped, forming an ’O’ shape. It was the first time any of them had seen such a massive Pet Beast.
"This is my Pet Beast, Iron Fist. Its race is the Copper Armor War Elephant, and it excels at storming fortifications, holding defensive positions, and large-scale clearing operations. Cultivating your Pet Beast is without a doubt a Beast Tamer’s most crucial task. Only by playing to your Pet Beast’s strengths and compensating for its weaknesses can you remain undefeated in battle.
"First up, you’re all going to bring out your Pet Beasts and introduce yourselves in front of everyone. Don’t even think about hiding your strength. That little bit of power you have isn’t worth hiding. If you have the energy for schemes like that, you’d be better off thinking about how to get stronger. That’s how you *really* hide your strength."
Ke Yan crooked a finger at a tall boy at the very front of the crowd. "Chen Xinghao, you’re up. Set an example!"
"Yes, sir!"
The boy took a step forward, and a light green Beast Taming Light Array ignited at his side. Under the shocked and envious gazes of the other students, a Thunder Qilin Beast emerged from the Light Array—
"I am Chen Xinghao, from Shanda University Affiliated School. This is my Pet Beast, Jin Lin, a Thunder Qilin Beast. It excels at all forms of combat. I look forward to receiving your guidance."
Chen Xinghao’s voice was confident, laced with a hint of contempt. Combined with the powerful Pet Beast at his side, he exuded an oppressive, unbeatable aura, even without uttering a single threat.
Among his peers, he had certainly earned the right to be this arrogant.
"Good, not bad!"
Ke Yan gave a thumbs-up, then glared at the others. "You all do the same! And speak up! If any of you boys’ voices are quieter than the girls’, I’ll personally turn you into one. Alright, next!"
Chen Xinghao walked back into the ranks, his contemptuous gaze toward Su Zhi completely unconcealed.
’Not long ago, they had met in the summer camp finals. Su Zhi’s Yu Dian Farm Dog had certainly been a novel sight, but that was all it was.’
’That kind of Skill System fundamentally clashed with the natural tendencies of a Yu Dian Dog. It might shine for a moment, but it had no long-term potential.’
’Unless Su Zhi could somehow change his Pet Beast’s innate tendencies, there was no way he could possibly defeat him now.’
’A mutt from a small city should just accept its reality and stay a mutt.’
’Why overreach and try to grab attention with some unorthodox gimmick? Why covet things that don’t belong to you?’
The introductions continued, one after another, but Ke Yan’s expression remained dissatisfied.
It wasn’t that the students were terrible—after all, anyone who made it to the Shanyou Province training camp couldn’t be considered bad. It was just that compared to the truly elite talents, they all seemed a bit too conventional.
However, being conventional was a cardinal sin, just like being weak was a cardinal sin.
By the end of the round, aside from a few who had awakened a Tier Three Beast Taming Space or possessed an Evolutionary Type Pet Beast, none had left much of an impression on Ke Yan. The rest had merely gone through the motions.
As the introductions dragged on, Ke Yan grew impatient, waving students on after hearing only a sentence or two:
"Next, next!"
"I said, speak louder! What’s the matter, you all forget to eat today?"
’Of course we haven’t eaten! We were just about to when you called us over...’ The students were furious but dared not say a word.
It wasn’t until a certain young man took the stage that Ke Yan finally opened his half-lidded eyes, his fists clenching—
’That’s right. This was the guy.’
’Fought over by everyone from the Flying Shadow Alliance to the Divine Strategy Alliance, like the most popular girl in a brothel.’
’In the Land of Flash Gold’s Secret Realm, he had practically single-handedly thrashed the Cui Feng Alliance’s raiding party, even subjecting them to the ultimate humiliation of crawling between his legs.’
’He hadn’t interacted much with Su Zhi during the summer camp, but he’d heard stories about him almost every single day...’
When Su Zhi took the stage, a light green Light Array ignited, leaving many in the ranks dumbfounded.
He didn’t have Chen Xinghao’s oppressive aura, nor did he look like a top student at first glance. Aside from being handsome, he seemed to have nothing going for him.
’Who would have thought he was also a powerhouse who had awakened a Tier Three Space!’
It was only when they saw his Pet Beasts that some of them finally realized. ’Holy crap, that’s Su Zhi! That guy was crazy famous during the Flying Shadow Alliance summer camp!’
"Hello everyone, I’m Su Zhi from Huai City First Middle School. This is my first Pet Beast, Yu Bao, a Yu Dian Dog. He specializes in Control Field, non-contact combat, and mobile warfare.
"This is my second Pet Beast, Shan Bao, a Flash Gold Sparrow. He specializes in defensive warfare and counter-attacks."
"WOOF." Yu Bao adjusted his shades, looking impossibly cool.