“Special contestant?”
Everyone was surprised; this was a rare occurrence, happening perhaps once in decades.
Just then, a fire dragon soared into the sky from the far end of the crowd, carrying a tall, short-haired girl.
“Fang Si from the Imperial Dragon Guard of Modu! She originally passed the preliminary rounds but missed the qualifiers due to undertaking a special mission!”
Chen Qinghai smiled and said, “If anyone has any objections, you can check the relevant approval documents on the official website of the National Beast Taming Competition!”
“Sister Fang Si?”
Chen Shu’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected the special contestant to be her!
The expressions of the crowd varied, but there was no dissent, only envy.
They all knew the difficulty of special missions; completing one was a testament to one’s strength.
“Alright, the specific competition rules will be announced tomorrow. You are all dismissed!”
The preliminary rounds concluded. The remaining contestants either left the island on their own or waited to depart with the main group after the competition.
However, most chose to stay on the island, as the opportunity to spectate live was extremely rare.
The crowd dispersed, their gazes lingering on Fang Si, sizing up the legendary special contestant.
Even the national audience remembered Fang Si. Her entry into the championship as a special contestant rivaled Chen Shu’s popularity.
A piece of news then exploded online!
According to an anonymous netizen, the two were both from Nanjiang City and were as close as siblings.
Most importantly, they were both once notorious figures at Nanjiang Second High School…
Fang Si paid no attention to the crowd’s stares and headed straight for the four people below.
“Chen Pi!”
She raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Did you expect me to be the special contestant?”
“A little surprised.”
Chen Shu replied honestly, shaking his head.
If he hadn’t seen her today, he wouldn’t have even remembered Fang Si…
Fang Si raised an eyebrow, “You’re not surprised I didn’t even show up for the preliminaries?”
“Uh… Surprised! Extremely surprised!”
Fang Si glared at him. “Don’t try to fool me. You really just forgot about me, didn’t you?”
Chen Shu chuckled sheepishly. “I was just too busy!”
“Busy with what?”
“Busy setting up stalls…”
“???”
Half an hour later,
On the beach on the southern coast of Saint Imperial Island,
Five people sat around a bonfire, smiles of reunion on their faces.
Chen Shu asked curiously, “Sister Fang Si, what kind of special mission were you on?”
“A dragon secret realm.”
Fang Si didn’t hide anything, her face still showing a hint of lingering fear.
Clearly, the crisis in the secret realm had exceeded her expectations.
Fortunately, her strength was considerable, and with a bit of luck, she became the biggest winner in the realm.
Then, she recounted her experiences in the secret realm…
The other four listened with great interest. Even Chen Shu, who wasn’t very familiar with secret realms, found it incredibly novel.
“Sister, you shouldn’t do such dangerous things anymore!”
Chen Shu’s eyes showed concern. “If you absolutely can’t refuse, let me do it!”
“??”
Fang Si’s eyes held a hint of confusion. Was this really what the Nanjiang Ruffian would say?
“I’d rather face danger myself than have you suffer even the slightest harm!”
“Get lost! Stop talking!”
Fang Si shivered, finding it unbearable.
A Liang and the other two also had strange expressions; they had never heard Chen Shu speak like this before.
“This is truly from my heart!”
Chen Shu said earnestly, then rubbed his hands and asked,
“Can I share some of the rewards from that secret realm…”
“……”
Fang Si and the other four’s mouths twitched. A ruffian was indeed a ruffian!
He’d risk his life for money, let alone speak a few mushy words…
“I’d love to share, but the problem is…”
Fang Si paused, then said, “Do you guys have any Dragon-type contract spirits?”
For a moment, the four fell silent, seemingly not having any…
“I should be able to use it, right?”
Chen Shu persisted, “My three contract spirits actually have dragon bloodlines. Maybe they’re close relatives…”
“Hold on! Stop!”
Fang Si’s eyes widened. “It’s barely believable coming from those three, but how can your contract spirits be related to dragons?”
A Liang and the other two also looked at him strangely. You’re being ridiculously absurd.
Chen Shu scratched his head. “Slime, Husky, Fat Rabbit, are they really not related to dragons?”
He tried to imagine it, and it seemed like they were indeed too far removed…
“Chen Pi, tell me, did you gain anything in the preliminary rounds?”
“Yes, I discovered that grilled skewers were the best business, followed by luosifen (river snails noodles)…”
“Wait a minute!”
Fang Si’s expression was incredibly strange. She felt like she was out of touch with the times.
“I’m asking about your gains in the preliminary rounds, what are you talking about here?”
Chen Shu said innocently, “I am talking about the preliminary rounds…”
“Sister Fang Si, we were mostly busy setting up stalls during the preliminaries…”
A Liang explained, his eyes shining, even with a hint of pride.
After a while, Fang Si finally understood.
“Were all those stalls set up by the three of you?”
The four nodded in unison, giving Chen Shu’s business acumen a thumbs-up.
Just then, Chen Shu’s phone rang.
He picked it up and his expression suddenly changed.
“Hello, Teacher Liu…”
“Where are you, kid? Causing trouble again?”
“Uh… I’m with Sister Fang Si. Can I have some extra free time…”
“With Fang Si? That’s acceptable.”
Liu Feng hung up. Fang Si, as an Imperial Dragon Guard, could at least keep Chen Shu in check.
Fang Si wore a knowing smile. It seemed Chen Shu was under surveillance from all sides…
The five chatted about everything, exchanging their experiences, and were all filled with confidence for the upcoming championship…
……
The next day, at noon,
Chen Shu was fast asleep when a knocking sound echoed from outside his door!
“Chen Shu, the rewards have been posted on the official website!”
Chen Shu, who had been listless, sat up like a carp the moment he heard this… and then rolled off the bed.
“Damn it, wait for me!”
A moment later, Chen Shu opened his door and looked at the other three.
“Come quickly, let’s see the rewards!” Da Feng Xiao Shuo Wang
A Liang looked excited, holding a small smart computer in his hand.
As he spoke, he projected the screen into the air, displaying the top five rewards for the National Beast Taming Competition.