"Low key, low key!"
Chen Shu waved his hand, feeling exceptionally proud.
Little Huang's enormous size was perfect for concealing the Heavenly Fire Meteorite in its mouth, allowing for an element of surprise.
This was also why he hadn't had Er Ha stay in Little Huang's mouth.
"Ouyang Bao, transfer the three thousand academic credits to me later."
Chen Shu chuckled, his eyes gleaming.
According to the school's club funding, each semester provided ten thousand academic credits. It sounded like a massive sum, but only large clubs, with at least several hundred members, could secure this funding. Divided among members, each would receive only a few dozen credits.
However, as the sole person in charge of the club, Chen Shu was in a different position. He would receive three thousand academic credits each semester, a truly substantial amount.
"Master, no problem."
Ouyang Bao nodded, confident he could develop the club.
"Everyone, spread the word and try to recruit more members."
With that, Chen Shu turned and left the Beast Taming Hall, leaving behind a dashing figure.
...
Student Building, Dormitory 333.
"Chen Pi, you're actually reading?"
A Liang, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, looked somewhat astonished.
"Don't be so surprised!"
Chen Shu scoffed, holding a book with a white cover.
He then turned and entered his room.
A Liang sighed and muttered to himself, "A ruthless bandit is not scary, but a ruthless bandit with culture is..."
"Space Barrier: Create a 5x5 meter barrier that lasts for one second with high defense!"
Chen Shu paused, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
Although the skill only lasted for one second, its defense was considerable, at least capable of withstanding the skills of contracted spirits of the same level.
He directly used the skill book on the Space Rabbit. Due to the talent "Space Benefactor," the learned skill still had no level.
However, the skill's effect immediately changed, expanding from the original 5x5 meters to 20x20 meters, with the duration remaining one second.
This was the advantage of "Space Benefactor": new skills learned were directly enhanced without being restricted by skill levels.
However, it was unfortunate that space-related skills were too rare.
"Now that you're this powerful, winning the national championship shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Chen Shu stroked his chin, his eyes filled with excitement.
"Right, I need to get my hands on the Silver-grade recipe first!"
He called Zhang Dali, planning to conquer his mentor with his personal charm to obtain the recipe for free.
"What? He's on a business trip?"
Chen Shu expressed some doubt, asking, "Isn't he deliberately avoiding me?"
"He's truly on a business trip. Apparently, the Du family is no more, and he's gone to celebrate with old friends."
"..."
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. It seemed he would have to wait for a while.
"I'll just prepare medicine then."
He took out the Silver-grade medicinal herbs from his bag and began to concoct potions.
...
Days passed quickly, and it was soon November.
The weather in the capital had turned cold, but the beast tamers were filled with excitement.
Registration for the National Beast Taming Competition had begun!
As China's premier event, both participants and spectators were eagerly anticipating it.
Each competition saw the emergence of countless geniuses, some from prestigious schools, others from influential families, and some ordinary beast tamers.
Simultaneously, various rare contracted spirits, powerful skills, and unique combat methods would be significant highlights of the competition.
"A Liang, Old Wang, let's register!"
Chen Shu left his room and saw that the two had already finished packing, ready to depart at any moment.
"Who are you guys teaming up with?"
The Black Iron grade was a team competition. Originally, Liu Feng had intended for Chen Shu to lead the two in the competition, but now the plan had changed. Chen Shu had directly advanced to the Silver grade, causing the team to lose its leader.
"Him!"
A Liang pointed to the restroom, where a person was just opening the door.
"Xiao Xing?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow as a clean-faced young man emerged.
"Chen Pi, long time no see."
Xiao Xing smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll lead the team to victory!"
"Hold on a minute!"
A Liang interjected, "I'm the captain, aren't I!"
"Can you three manage?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow, noting that not even one of them was Black Iron Three-star.
"Don't worry, we'll get through the preliminary rounds!"
A Liang said with confidence, "The official matches are in the latter half of next year. By then, the academy will provide us with resources, and we should be able to reach Black Iron Three-star."
"So long? Won't the finals be at the end of next year?"
Chen Shu furrowed his brow, not expecting the competition to span such a long period, a full year.
"The nation's top event, it's bound to be a major undertaking!"
A Liang's eyes gleamed greedily.
"Moreover, the rewards are incredibly generous: rare skills, true treasures, monarch flesh and blood, and even core materials from monarchs."
"Holy cow! That good?"
Chen Shu's expression was shaken, his heart instantly stirred. Whenever money was involved, he became wide awake.
"I'll cheat if I have to, but I'll win the championship!"
He had made up his mind. Surely, no one would forgo rewards for the sake of pride.
Suddenly, Chen Shu's eyes darted as a thought occurred to him.
"You guys, if I become a Gold-grade beast tamer before the finals, can I still participate?"
"???"
The expressions of the three were peculiar; they were completely flustered.
"You want one year to go from Silver One-star to Gold grade?"
"Is there a problem?"
The three exchanged glances. Were they going crazy, or was Chen Shu?
"Come on, it's not that simple. You'll struggle to even overcome the bottleneck from Silver to Gold."
A Liang shook his head and said, "With your cultivation speed, why even participate in the competition? Just go into seclusion for two years, become a legend, and then reappear."
The gap between Silver and Gold grade was too vast. Even with Chen Shu's abnormal speed, it was impossible to reach.
In one year, let alone becoming Gold, even reaching Silver Two-star would be difficult.
"Let's go register. Listening to your nonsense is giving me a headache."
"..."
Chen Shu drove, speeding along and arriving at a massive building near the academy.
The building was grand and majestic, also one of the iconic landmarks of the capital.
It was the headquarters of the Beast Tamer Association!
Today, the headquarters was swarming with people, mostly young individuals here to register.
"No wonder Old Qin didn't let me blow it up. He was afraid I'd run into danger..."
Chen Shu looked at the Beast Tamer Headquarters ahead, realizing there might be a King-grade beast tamer stationed there.
"Damn, how long will we have to squeeze through this?"
A Liang, caught in the crowd, felt a sense of helplessness.
Chen Shu also scratched his head. Would he have to resort to his urea bags?
As he pondered, a startled shout echoed.
"Hustle... Hustle Brother?!"
A young man exclaimed, his eyes filled with admiration and a hint of fear.
As his voice carried, people nearby turned to look.
Chen Shu nodded, surprised by his own fame.
Just as he was about to speak, the person next to him stepped back, spontaneously creating a path for him.
More and more people were alerted, their eyes filled with trepidation, and they also chose to yield.
The number of contestants in the Silver grade was not large; most people present were Black Iron-grade beast tamers.
Furthermore, this was in the capital, where Chen Shu had won the annual championship of the Dou Ling Arena.
The name "Hustle" had instilled fear in every Black Iron-grade beast tamer in the capital.
The group smoothly entered the building.
"Chen Pi, you're amazing!"
Xu Xingxing turned to look, surprised by how easy it was.
"Thank you all!"
Chen Shu smiled kindly and said loudly,
"Everyone, don't be afraid of me! There have been rumors recently that I, the South Jiang Hustle, have committed many evil deeds and bully the weak!"
Everyone's gaze shifted towards him, their eyes filled with curiosity.
"Today, I will clarify this on the spot!"
Chen Shu cleared his throat and said, "Actually, those... are not rumors!"