28: I want to be a salted fish

Teacher Zhang stood at the top of the Giant Spirit Tree, despite his burly and muscular physique.

However, he seemed like a bird perched on a tree, swaying lightly up and down with the undulations of the Giant Spirit Tree crown, showing a graceful and agile posture.

He stood on the treetop and loudly declared, "The actual combat power of contracted beasts, besides combat power points, also depends on their physical strength, speed, and evasion!"

"Otherwise! Even if the contracted beast has powerful skills, if its speed can't match the opponent, it won't be able to hit the enemy and will be useless!"

"Evasion is crucial. No matter how strong the strength is, if you can't dodge, you will be defeated instantly!"

"In my class, I won't only look at the final exam scores; I will also examine each of your practical test performances! Those who make the greatest progress and those who can complete the tests every time... if you want to participate in the wilderness area practical training a month later, you have to show me your efforts from now on!"

The man extended two clearly jointed fingers with some scars, pointed at his eyes, and sternly said, "From now on! These eyes—will be watching you all the time in class!"

Standing tall and looking down at the numerous students below, he continued, "Now! The first row students from all seven classes, step forward! Summon your contracted beasts! The second row, get ready!"

"Command your contracted beasts to run with all their might to the white line at my feet, even if it's just passing through qualifies!"

The man's sharp gaze scanned the first row, and he declared, "So now, training begins!"

Rustling sounds echoed!

With the command of the burly man, the students in the first row, all 28 of them, looked at each other and immediately summoned their contracted beasts.

These contracted beasts varied in size, some as large as two to three meters, while others were as small as a sparrow.

Song Yu stood at the back of the crowd, tilting her head, and quietly took out two preserved plums from her pocket, stuffing them into her mouth.

She savored the sour and sweet taste of the candy melting on her tongue, licking it, and cast an envious glance at the contracted beasts of the 5th-class female students in the front row.

The other side's contracted beast was a Golden Winged Bird covered in light golden and emerald green feathers.

Although this contracted beast had a low bloodline level, its advantage was quite obvious in this test.

The tiny Golden Winged Bird cub was not even the size of an adult woman's fist, even with its wings slightly longer when spread out.

But compared to the Steel Tooth Black Bear beside it, which was two meters tall... the likelihood of the Golden Winged Bird getting hit had decreased by more than a hundred times!

Moreover, avian beasts were naturally fast.

There were quite a few students looking at the girl with admiration from Song Yu's perspective.

The girl was also quite proud.

From Song Yu's angle, she could even see the girl's mouth curling upwards at a 90-degree angle.

After more than a month of nurturing, most of the contracted beasts had undergone significant changes.

They were sharper than when they first contracted, faster, and taller.

However, facing these 3rd Tier Advanced Giant Spirit Trees, which had been contracted not long ago, they still seemed like a group of inexperienced rookies.

Just as Teacher Zhang gave the order, the first row of 28 contracted beasts, following the instructions of their contractors, instantly sprinted forward at the fastest speed!

Among them, the Golden Winged Bird, despite its small size, was the fastest!

The small Golden Winged Bird almost turned into a golden shadow!

But the branches of the Giant Spirit Tree swung, and the red, green, and yellow leaves instantly turned into flying knives.

Swish! Swish! Swish! They rushed toward this group of contracted beasts!

"Boom!"

The green leaves, seemingly as thin as paper, flew with tremendous force and smashed directly into the front of the Golden Winged Bird! A direct hit to the face!

"Snap!"

The feathery little body of the Golden Winged Bird instantly fell from the sky like a kite with a broken string, snapping and falling to the ground. The whole bird fainted!

"Little Jin!"

The girl in the team exclaimed, her face turning pale!

It was now a situation where 28 contracted beasts were acting simultaneously, and the other contracted beasts around, which were avoiding the leaf knives, didn't necessarily move in a straight line! What if they stepped on the Golden Winged Bird?

The girl was almost frightened out of her wits. Disregarding safety, she was about to rush into the field!

However, class teachers who had been guarding around her without her noticing were already standing in front of the girl, and Zhou Tao, with a serious face, cleverly reached out and blocked the girl's attempt to rush forward.

"Calm down!"

Zhou Tao shouted loudly, sternly saying, "This is the Beast Taming practical class! Do you think it's child's play? When the Golden Winged Bird advanced just now, you didn't command it. You let it act alone. Now regretting it might be a little too late, right?!"

"Why are you called a contractor? Why is it called a contracted beast? Do you think the words 'contract' are just for show? This is to ensure perfect communication between people and beasts, to establish an important bond between them! It's also to enable you to command the beasts in battle!"

"Beast Taming class, Beast Taming class! Do you think those two words are just decorations?!"

Being scolded loudly by Zhou Tao, the girl stood still, her eyes turning red. The rest of the students around were also stunned, some frowned in thought, some stood dumbfounded, and a few quick-thinking students in the first row immediately began loudly commanding their contracted beasts.

"Xiao Pi, evade to the left, use flame attack!"

"Lele, flip to the right to avoid the red tree leaves in front!"

Standing outside the field as contractors, they could clearly see the trajectory of the Giant Spirit Tree's leaf attacks.

Some clever ones, after scanning the entire field, even discovered the rhythm of the Giant Spirit Tree's attacks and the quantity of leaves!

With the guidance of the contractors, many contracted beasts began to perform beyond their previous level!

Song Yu stood at the back, watching everything happening in front of her.

Surprised by Zhou Tao's reaction, she also realized that this practical class was not just for training the contracted beasts' evasion ability, speed, and more. It was also to train the contractor's command skills, to make the contractor and the contracted beast form a successful combination, fully understanding the importance of teamwork!

Watching the eager students around, seeing the excitement in their eyes one by one.

"Uh..."

Subconsciously, Song Yu stepped back, and then stepped back again.

Actually... the teachers had good intentions, and from the current situation, the effect was quite significant.

Song Yu noticed that after the first group completed the run, the command level of the second group instantly improved.

The first group, which only had one person pass, turned into three in the second group, and in the third group, the number of passers reached five!

Seeing this, Zhou Tao and several other teachers smiled approvingly...

But Song Yu felt a dry throat and her eyelids twitching.

While others raised their contracted beasts to increase their level and strength, training with them every day to make them follow commands as soon as possible, Song Yu had never thought of becoming a Beast Tamer. She hadn't even thought about majoring in Beast Taming-related fields in college.

So...

Not to mention commanding Qiuqiu in evasive combat, she didn't even know how to command or what to command.

She didn't even know why other students could accurately judge the direction and speed of the flying leaves.

Song Yu pretended to be at ease: Maybe I should just act dumb.

Backing away more and more, the girl behind Song Yu refused to go along. She glared at Song Yu and said, "Song student, what's wrong with you? Why do you keep moving backward? Can't you see that there are still five people before it's our turn? Don't you want to watch the front-line practical battles? I want to learn from the experience!"

"Sorry, sorry~" Song Yu felt awkward. She had been so lost in thought that she forgot there were still several students behind her in line.

Song Yu deliberately touched her stomach, looking distressed, and said, "I'm sorry, I had something bad for lunch, and my stomach is a bit uncomfortable. How about you go ahead with the test? I'll stay at the end of the line."

Delaying for a while was better than nothing...

Song Yu decided to be the last person in line.

If it weren't for the two school doctors standing nearby with three healing-type contracted beasts, like bodyguards, she would have considered lying down on the ground and avoiding the test.

However...

Beast Taming practical class tests didn't require her to run on the field, and Qiuqiu, wagging its tail and perking up its two big ears, was eager to try. So, she endured it.

"Huh? Stomach discomfort? Do you need to go to the bathroom?" The girl frowned and glanced at Song Yu, pondering.

"Yeah, I want to go to the bathroom... I plan to come back after going to the bathroom." Song Yu smiled and nodded, shyly pointing to the teaching building next to the sports field.

She couldn't pretend to be injured, and she couldn't feign fainting. But it was reasonable to take a bathroom break during class, right?

With Qiuqiu in tow, Song Yu was about to slip away.

However, as soon as she lifted her left foot, her elbow was immediately grabbed by someone.

The girl who had been standing in front of Song Yu turned around, grabbed Song Yu's arm with five tightly clasped fingers, and her eyes gleamed. "Oh, Song Yu wants to go to the bathroom? How about I let you go first? After all, the test won't take more than 5 minutes... Just endure it for a while."

Song Yu: ???

The smile gradually disappeared, and Song Yu's face was full of shock. Could this really happen?

Song Yu opened her mouth to refute. Even if you let me go first, there are still four people in front of me.

But before she could speak, the girl in front continued, "It's okay, you don't have to feel embarrassed... I just told the people in front that everyone is willing to let you go first! This way, after you finish the test, you won't have to delay going to the bathroom."

Song Yu: ...

Smiling, the girl patted her chest as if relieved. "Just right, we also want to see how others command their contracted beasts in evasive sprints. The highest pass in the previous groups was only 11, but there are 28 people in one row for all seven classes, so about 60-70% of people still can't pass."

The girl flicked her fingers and sighed, "I hope that after watching a few more groups, I can pass smoothly..."

Song Yu: ...

Song Yu's expression stiffened, and she was at a loss. Kind-hearted classmates pushed her to the front, and even several students behind her cheered for her, hoping she could see exciting evasive sprints and absorb more experience.

Song Yu: ...

Song Yu began to reflect on herself, whether she had a problem or if the world was just wrong.

Watching the first group of teams about to finish their test.

With a resigned Song Yu, she could only squat down with a forced smile, patting Qiuqiu's smooth and silky long white fur, feeling the extremely good texture.

"Qiuqiu~"

In a low voice, Song Yu reminded the little guy not to be too stubborn. "If you get hit by the leaves, just stop and lie on the grass... I just observed that as long as those contracted beasts lose their combat power after being hit, the Giant Spirit Tree won't attack them again."

Song Yu's expression was mournful. Although she knew that Qiuqiu worked very hard at home, it was still young... In case of an injury, she would be very distressed.

Stroking Qiuqiu, Song Yu sighed. After this class, she was likely to gain a little bald cat.

Even...

My cat is probably going to be bald until next year.

Seeing the sad expression of the contractor, Qiuqiu immediately half stood up, with its two front paws on Song Yu's trouser legs, shaking its ears and earnestly calling out.

"Meow! Meow! Little Yu, don't worry, Qiuqiu will try its best not to get hurt!"

It has psychic abilities, enough to endure the upcoming challenges!

Most importantly, Qiuqiu's contractor is so good, always worrying about Qiuqiu getting hurt. How can Qiuqiu not try its best?!

"The 7th group will start the test in 30 seconds! The 8th group, get ready!"

At this moment, Teacher Zhang stood on a treetop in front, shouting loudly again, capturing everyone's attention.

Song Yu nervously looked up, swallowed her saliva, and Qiuqiu took advantage of the momentum to prepare for the sprint.

The little cat's two ears stood high, and its back stretched like a spring. Its gaze was intense!

With Teacher Zhang's loud shout, Qiuqiu immediately dashed forward like a white whirlwind! And with overwhelming dominance, it surged to the front!

Song Yu was puzzled: "...?"

Okay, something seems a bit off again.

PREV  -  TOC  -  NEXT