"That was just a normal Tail Wag."
"What wasn't normal… was her timing."
"With every charge from the Thunder Calf, its speed was reduced by Fear Face. But each time they brushed past each other, she also used Tail Wag."
"Even though repeated casts suffer diminishing returns, landing it six times in a short span was enough to lower the Thunder Calf's defense to a very low level—low enough for a single strike to finish it."
The two girls turned around.
A flash of surprise crossed MiuMiu's face, quickly replaced by an awkward smile—like a child caught playing by their parents.
"Dr. Kevin, what brings you to a match of this level?" the short-haired girl asked curiously.
The woman before them had shoulder-length hair and wore a spotless white lab coat. Tall and upright, nearly 1.7 meters, she stood out easily in the crowd. Her face was bare of makeup, yet carried an almost unreal refinement—as if only the greatest artists in the world could hope to capture even a fraction of her presence.
Unfortunately, her expression was utterly calm—like a frozen lake without ripples, or a masterpiece sculpture devoid of emotion.
Dr. Kevin didn't answer. She glanced at her watch and instead said:
"MiuMiu, I must remind you again—one hour of rest at noon every day is necessary for you. I reminded you of this just last Friday."
"Ahem…" MiuMiu coughed lightly, her gaze drifting. "Unexpected situation! Totally unexpected. I'll definitely rest on time tomorrow~"
"You'd better."
Shaking her head, Dr. Kevin turned her attention back to the battlefield.
"The Thunder Calf's owner pursued rapid early-stage training too aggressively. Although he used potions to replenish lost aether, he failed to notice the accumulation of hidden injuries."
"And the calf, not wanting to worry its owner, deliberately concealed it—pretending everything was normal."
"That became the flaw."
"To notice that in a single glance, devise a strategy, and execute it perfectly… requires not only exceptional perception, but also absolute trust in one's spirit beast—and the beast's trust in its master."
"If nothing unexpected happens, he'll definitely have a spot in the exchange tournament a month and a half from now."
With that, Dr. Kevin stepped away, heading toward the other side of the stands.
"That's exactly what amazes me," MiuMiu said, turning her gaze toward Lin Guang and W as they left the field. A glimmer flickered in her golden eyes.
"Because… he only formed his contract three days ago."
After confirming this with friends, she realized that the Crying Scarecrow from the training room the day before hadn't been brutally vented on—
It was most likely just their first training session after forming the contract, where they hadn't yet mastered control of their strength.
"..."
Dr. Kevin suddenly stopped.
For the briefest moment, the expression on her ice-like face seemed to shift—just slightly.
That afternoon.
Class One of Year One gathered once again at the battle arena.
The instructor arrived fifteen minutes late.
He was a burly man with a buzz cut, dressed in a clean black-and-white combat outfit, looking to be in his early thirties.
"Let me introduce myself—Yu Haidong. I belong to the Great Xia Army, Fenghai Province, 11th Army Group. Three-star Spirit Tamer. White-tier talent. My main spirit beast is also white, ordinary grade. Starting today, I'll be your combat instructor."
The moment he finished speaking, he noticed subtle changes in the students' expressions.
Double white?
Out of roughly forty students in the class, twenty had green-grade or higher spirit beasts. And even white-tier talent didn't prevent someone from contracting a green-grade beast.
Someone like Yu Haidong—decent among ordinary people—didn't stand out among these "one-in-a-hundred" or "one-in-a-thousand" students.
But he simply smiled, unfazed by their faint disdain, and continued:
"You're all so-called 'elites.' I assume I don't need to explain why spirit beast combat classes only start in the second semester?"
He emphasized the word elites, as if hinting at something.
This question didn't stump them—this was basic knowledge. Even Wang Dawei could answer it.
Non-humanoid spirit beasts typically have juvenile and mature stages, similar to humans and animals. There's no clear dividing line—growth is gradual and visible.
The stronger the beast and the closer it is to maturity, the harder it is to contract and the more soul capacity it occupies. Contracting early allows both tamer and beast to grow together.
At the same time, raising a beast from infancy allows for optimal nurturing and higher potential. That's why 99% of spirit tamers choose juvenile beasts as their first contract.
And since excessive training during the juvenile stage can hinder growth, schools only begin teaching combat in the second semester.
"Before we start training…" Yu Haidong rubbed his chin. "Why don't you pick a 'strongest' student to act as the class leader for combat lessons?"
The moment he said that, he noticed every student's gaze shift toward a boy standing at the front.
He raised an eyebrow.
Then came the responses—nearly identical:
"Lin Guang?"
"Lin Guang."
"Depends on the situation, but probably Lin Guang."
"Isn't it obviously Lin Guang? Even if we include all of Year One, it wouldn't change."
Of course, there were a few more cautious voices:
"He's only had his contract for three days—there's still a chance he could slip up. Give it another three days, then he'll truly be the strongest in Year One."
Three days?
Yu Haidong froze for a moment before processing it.
This experimental school was among the best in Zhen sheng City, and Class One was the elite class—already a group of carefully selected talents. Though in his eyes, they still needed refinement.
But true elites should have pride. It's rare for them to genuinely acknowledge someone of the same age and class—
Unless that person had surpassed them in every aspect to the point where catching up felt impossible.
Having taught for years, this was the first time Yu Haidong had seen a consensus form so quickly.
It made him curious about that boy.
After listening to their chatter for a while, he roughly pieced together what had happened at noon.
This Lin Guang had defeated the most experienced spirit tamer in the class—with a beast he had only just contracted.
And that opponent was a wealthy second-generation student who specialized in skill training.
It made Yu Haidong wonder—was Lin Guang from some powerful family?
But there didn't seem to be any major clan with the surname Lin in Zhen sheng City. And those families rarely sent their children to public schools anyway.
With that in mind, he pulled out his phone and opened the file Ouyang Wei had sent him earlier.
When he reached Lin Guang's profile, his brows lifted slightly.
Blue-tier elite-grade spirit beast.
Blue-tier talent.
My parents died ten years ago. Ordinary civilian background. Hardworking. Equal Contract Method at the level of mastery.
Contract time—
Three days ago?!
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