The old servant asked with a smile, his eyes narrowed to mere slits.
"Miss, is it over so soon?"
The short-haired girl nodded and retorted, "Fu Bo, didn't you say the Dark Rankings are full of masters? Why are the opponents I encountered so weak?"
The old servant smiled and said, "Most of the combatants on the Dark Rankings are indeed strong, but it's inevitable that some enter just to satisfy their curiosity. Perhaps you just happened to run into them."
The short-haired girl frowned, seemingly unconvinced by the old servant's words.
Sensing something amiss in the girl's expression, the old servant continued, "Heh heh, Miss, weren't you quite unsatisfied with this trip? It's alright, we can have another match another day."
The short-haired girl waved her hand, "Fu Bo, I remember you mentioning before that to enter the Dark Rankings, one must be at least a high-level Beast Tamer, otherwise, it could lead to the collapse of the mental core, right?"
The old servant nodded.
"That's correct. To enter the Dark Rankings, one must inject their mental power into it. Although everything that happens within is illusory, it is extremely draining on mental power afterward. It's like a pot of water; the purpose of boiling water is to heat it, but if you forget to turn off the stove after the water has completely evaporated, the kettle itself will be ruined."
"But the opponent I faced today was merely an intermediate Beast Tamer!"
The old servant was taken aback, clearly disbelieving. He was a regular patron of the Dark Rankings and had never heard of intermediate Beast Tamers being eligible to enter. In the past, there had been news about many fledgling youths who, lacking sufficient strength, forced themselves to enter the Dark Rankings. When their families found them, they were already bleeding from all seven orifices, lying dead before the combat machine.
The old servant asked in a deep voice,
"An intermediate Beast Tamer? How can you be sure?"
The girl pondered for a moment and recounted what she had seen.
The old servant's brows furrowed as he listened, muttering in amazement.
"This is truly strange. Has the Dark Rankings lowered its entry requirements?" After a moment of thought, the old servant dismissed the idea. "No, the Dark Rankings doesn't need these people who are just making up the numbers."
The old servant looked at the girl.
"Was that person's Sword Guard really only level 32? Could you have misheard?"
The girl shook her head, "It shouldn't be. The combat power it displayed doesn't lie. But..." The girl hesitated to speak.
"But what?"
"Fu Bo, have you ever seen a lightning-attribute Sword Guard? When I fought him, his Sword Guard, which was only level 32, managed to dodge an attack from my 'Armored Shield Hound'!"
Fu Bo pondered seriously, saying in a low voice, "I have seen them, but that would no longer be a Sword Guard, but its evolved form, a Sword Demon. Based on what you've described, for an intermediate Beast Tamer to cultivate a lightning-attribute Sword Guard, it's probably not very practical."
"Unless he used a lightning-attribute Guardian Stone."
"That's what I thought too." The short-haired girl picked up a bottle of water and took a few sips. "I hope I have a chance to meet him again in the future."
"You will." The old servant said with a smile, "After winning this match, how many points do you have now, Miss? What's your ranking?"
The short-haired girl let out a sigh and casually replied, "Only 5 points. As for the ranking, it's negligible."
After speaking, the short-haired girl looked at the old servant and asked with interest, "Fu Bo, what's your ranking?"
The old servant stroked his smooth chin and said proudly,
"One hundred and twenty-eight!"
The girl's expression turned to surprise, asking with disbelief, "With your strength, you're only ranked outside the top one hundred?"
The old servant burst into laughter, "Do you think this ranking is very low?"
"In my opinion, this is already an extremely rare achievement."
The old servant sighed.
"If you have time another day, enter the Dark Rankings and observe some top experts' battles. I'm sure you'll benefit greatly."
The short-haired girl nodded seriously.
"Alright, let's get out of here quickly. Isn't your grandfather arriving home soon?"
The short-haired girl looked as if she had been struck by lightning and began to pack her things in a flurry.
"Ah! Didn't you say Grandpa wasn't coming back until next week?"
The old servant shook his head helplessly.
"Alas, you unfilial granddaughter, your grandfather has been away for almost half a year. How can you not look forward to his return at all?"
The short-haired girl pouted, her previous heroic demeanor completely gone.
A few days had passed since the last time he was thrashed in the Dark Rankings. The previous failure had brought Lu Fei a great awakening, making him deeply aware of his current shortcomings.
Therefore, he had become even more diligent in these past few days, even waking up earlier than the Iron-headed Kid.
This was a terrifying thing. One had to know what a monster the Iron-headed Kid was, a creature that seemed to require no sleep, constantly swinging a sword. Its arms didn't tire, but Lu Fei's eyes were starting to feel strained from watching.
Lu Fei's early rising actually had a purpose: to avoid the Drunken Man's waking hours. After the battle that day, the Drunken Man had told Lu Fei to constantly improve his mental power, as this would allow him to last longer in battles. The best way to improve mental power was through continuous combat or training with contracted beasts.
In an attempt to accelerate his progress, Lu Fei decided to summon the Iron-headed Kid and the Dizzy Snake to train together, taking a risk!
He had heard that it was extremely draining on mental power for a Beast Tamer to control two contracted beasts simultaneously in battle. If they accidentally exceeded their limit, they might end up like Fifth River, completely losing their sanity.
In the early morning, before dawn, Lu Fei tiptoed his way outside.
He arrived at an open space near a peak. This place was surrounded on three sides, with only one path accessible, resembling a sky-high rift – a natural training ground.
Lu Fei simultaneously summoned the Iron-headed Kid and the Dizzy Snake.
The training method was also very simple: the Iron-headed Kid would launch attacks mindlessly, while the Dizzy Snake would focus solely on defense. When the Dizzy Snake was exhausted from being struck, a move like 'Divine Heal' would instantly restore it to full health.
Towards the end, the Dizzy Snake simply lay on the ground, refusing to get up. Lu Fei was somewhat helpless, as this guy was just so lazy.
He had no choice but to set his sights on Brother Chicken. Initially, Brother Chicken was a thousand times unwilling, but Lu Fei's persistent coaxing and his promise to buy it a better pair of sunglasses than the Dizzy Snake's finally won it over.
Brother Chicken felt quite apprehensive about sparring with its own disciple. What if it was revealed that it was just a paper tiger, and how could it maintain its dignity as a master thereafter?
Therefore, Brother Chicken came up with a plan: it transformed itself into the appearance of a 'Iron Guard Turtle King', allowing it to lie there motionlessly.
Brother Chicken declared with great spirit.
"Hahaha, disciple, attack me with all you've got! Today, your master will show you what true defense is!"
Upon hearing this, the Iron-headed Kid's fighting spirit surged instantly. It was determined to perform well in front of its master!