Ultimately, Chen Shu was left with only ten million Hua Xia coins, just enough to barely cover the upkeep of his contract spirits.
"Alright, that should be enough!"
Xie Sunan nodded, leaving with satisfaction.
"Holding a bowl of steamed buns, not a drop of oil in the dish..."
Chen Shu gazed blankly at the ceiling, singing sadly.
To obtain the King's Beast Taming Pearl and core materials, he had exhausted all his wealth.
"Sigh..."
He sighed, but felt no imbalance.
Without Old Xie's help, he truly wouldn't have been able to find the lord fierce beast, nor draw the route analysis map to pinpoint the King's location.
"Chen Pi, what's wrong?"
A Liang and the other two returned to the dormitory, looking at Chen Shu with some confusion.
"Nothing."
Chen Shu shook his head and said no more.
"I saw Old Xie leaving just now, smiling so broadly. What's going on?"
"..."
Chen Shu was speechless. Of course, he'd be excited after robbing me!
"Oh right, Teacher Liu asked me to give this to you, and also to remind you to return it."
As he spoke, A Liang produced a vial of potion, the skill evolution potion from the lab, specifically for the space rabbit.
"Thank you."
Chen Shu nodded and took the potion.
"Right, how did you manage it? You actually managed to get something in advance from Teacher Liu!"
Liu Feng had always discouraged advances. To get something, you had to pay the price; that was his rule!
Chen Shu turned to them and asked, "Have you heard of 'ashes loans'?"
"???"
The three of them were utterly bewildered. "Wh-what loan?"
"It means I'll have to repay double, or he'll scatter my ashes. Hence, 'ashes loan'!"
"..."
The corners of the three's eyes twitched. Such an absurd practice?!
At the same time, they couldn't help but admire Chen Shu. You're really brave enough to borrow like that!
"Everything is for the sake of winning the beast taming competition..."
Chen Shu sighed, picked up the Beast Taming Pearl, King materials, and skill evolution potion from the table, and returned to his room.
The potion cost two hundred school credits. Including the qualification for dialogue, it would only be five hundred school credits.
He would only need to repay one thousand school credits then, which was truly not much for him.
"It's really burning money!"
Holding over two billion in resources, he felt the weight of it.
When one's strength reaches a certain level, every small step forward requires a significant price.
Chen Shu closed his door, summoned Er Ha and the space rabbit.
"Both of you, give it your all!"
He handed the King materials and skill evolution potion to the two contract spirits, while he himself swallowed the Beast Taming Pearl of the Ice Snow Tiger King.
...
In the western beast taming family, the Ji family.
"Grandpa, you're finally back! Something big has happened!"
Ji Feng looked excited, gazing at the robust old man before him.
Ever since he returned from the northern border, he had been deeply troubled, to the point where he couldn't even eat.
"Xiao Feng, don't be so flustered!"
The Ji family patriarch's expression turned solemn. "Speak slowly!"
Ji Feng organized his thoughts and said:
"If I said a Silver-ranked Beast Tamer of one star killed a Silver-ranked King, would you believe me?"
"??"
Upon hearing this, the Ji family elder chuckled and stared at Ji Feng strangely.
"Grandpa, I'm telling the truth!"
"You kid, have you lost your mind?"
Even a Gold-ranked Beast Tamer couldn't do that. How could a Silver-ranked one-star do it?
"No, it's true! It was the Tiger King from the Northern 'Ice Snow Island'!"
"Get out of here. In a one-on-one fight, unless it's a King-tier beast attacking!"
The Ji family elder said, "Are you implying a King-tier beast disguised itself as a Silver-ranked one?"
"..."
After a final debate, Ji Feng was successfully... taken away by the family's psychologist.
"This child, did he go crazy after one trip?"
The Ji family patriarch smiled. Although his grandson had astonishing talent, he always seemed a bit abnormal...
Just then, his phone rang.
"Hello? Old Jiang, what do you need me for?"
"Brother Ji, my grandson seems to have a problem. He came back saying someone killed a Silver-ranked King. Isn't that ridiculous?"
"Your grandson said that too?!"
The Ji family patriarch was stunned, sensing something was amiss.
"Why did you say 'too'?"
The two of them stiffened simultaneously. They then contacted other forces on the northern border.
Soon, the matter gradually spread, and various forces were shocked.
"My goodness, this is so annoying!"
Qin Tian of Hua Xia Academy rubbed his forehead. His private phone had been ringing off the hook.
They were all calling to ask about Chen Shu.
A Silver-ranked Beast Tamer killing a Silver-ranked King was indeed a defiance of heaven.
He immediately refused to comment, wanting to gloss over it.
Having a legendary contract spirit deal with a Silver-ranked King would make people doubt the intelligence of Hua Xia Academy's number one genius...
But so many people were inquiring. Qin Tian, in his haste, had to reveal the 'truth'.
Upon learning the 'truth', everyone was relieved. No wonder he could slay a King, it turned out he relied on his legendary contract spirit.
Many top geniuses also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was external help, otherwise, their dao hearts would have collapsed...
...
The next morning,
Chen Shu stretched comfortably, feeling an inexhaustible supply of strength within him.
"Finally digested the Beast Taming Pearl!"
He sat up, a hint of regret in his eyes. A single King Pearl didn't allow him to break through to Silver-ranked two stars.
Scientifically speaking, one King Pearl should have been enough for him to break through.
But unfortunately, the Ice Snow Tiger King he hunted was simply too weak.
Although he hadn't broken through, it had greatly increased his beast taming power.
Most importantly, his physical strength had been further enhanced, and his cold resistance had significantly improved.
"Roar roar roar!"
"Whoosh~"
At this moment, the two contract spirits stared intently at him with incredibly affectionate eyes.
Now they knew that only by following the 'thug' could they continuously become stronger.
"You've finished digesting too?"
Chen Shu patted the heads of the two contract spirits and opened their status panels. As expected, there were changes.
Er Ha had learned 'True Damage Ice Thorn', which pleasantly surprised him.
The three skills of the Ice Snow Tiger King each had their own advantages and disadvantages.
However, the most suitable for Er Ha was undoubtedly the first damaging skill.
The second was a defensive skill, of little use. The third required him to stand still, making it somewhat redundant.
As for the space rabbit, its innate skill had also undergone its third evolution, gaining an additional effect:
[Talent Weapon: 1. When striking an enemy, there is a high chance of causing momentary stun! 2. When striking an enemy, there is a small chance of causing forced shattering! 3. When using the innate weapon, the user's attack speed increases by 100%.]