"Teacher Chen, what do we do?" Wang Yichen asked, his eyes filled with respect.
Despite Chen Shu's exploitative demeanor, his combat skills had improved significantly over the past half month, especially in terms of fighting techniques. It wasn't just him; the other students had benefited greatly as well.
Furthermore, the legendary Monarch-level fierce beasts they had killed instilled a nascent sense of invincibility within them. As long as they didn't suffer major setbacks or dramatic changes, this conviction would propel them towards becoming top-tier powerhouses. Compared to beast-taming resources, this belief was far more valuable, serving as a veritable pass to strength.
This also led to a shift in the students' perception of Chen Shu. While he might be a taskmaster, his help had been undeniably substantial.
"Of course, we continue," Chen Shu shrugged. "There are over six hundred dimensional rifts in the country. Are we afraid we won't find any fierce beasts to hunt?"
With that, the group left the area without further delay.
However, much to Chen Shu's surprise, they struggled to find any Silver Monarchs. The current operation was incredibly large-scale, with many reclusive beast tamers emerging from seclusion. Besides their fear and respect for the elder, they also wished to contribute their strength. Regardless of their status, beast tamers had always received support from official channels during their growth and would naturally seek opportunities to repay the favor.
Of course, the more significant reason for the scarcity of Silver Monarchs was Chen Shu's hunting expedition last year, where he single-handedly eliminated nearly half of them. Although old kings fell, new ones would eventually emerge, but this clearly wouldn't happen within a year. This consequently led to a perceived shortage of Silver Monarchs...
"Hunt Iron-tier? Or Gold-tier?" Chen Shu mused, also recognizing the issue. However, Iron-tier beasts offered little in the way of honing their skills, while Gold-tier were too formidable, requiring Chen Shu to take the lead.
"Teacher, we don't necessarily have to hunt Silver Monarchs alone. We can team up with other beast tamers," Wang Yichen interjected. "It's not like these creatures are private property."
"Hmm?" Chen Shu paused slightly, then tapped his forehead. "That makes sense. Then let's go grab... uh... cooperate with others!"
"..."
The others looked at him, their expressions betraying their thoughts. Had his true nature just been revealed?
"Chen Pi, this operation was personally initiated by the elder. If we cause internal strife..." Ah Liang reminded him. "I think the consequences could be quite severe!" He knew firsthand how much the ancestor detested infighting.
"What do you mean by internal strife!" Chen Shu coughed. "This is called cooperation! A win-win situation!" He continued, "Besides, do you really think Monarchs are that easy to kill? I bet the casualty rate among beast tamers right now is substantial."
The current operation seemed to have all Monarchs firmly in their grasp, but the reality was far less optimistic. Even without Dragon Abyss's direct involvement, the combined strength of the other dimensional rifts was not inferior to that of China's beast tamers. After all, the elder couldn't act directly and had to constantly guard Dragon Abyss. Their sole advantage now was holding the initiative. Furthermore, thanks to the "poisonous chicken soup for the soul," they could lure out the Monarch first and then surround it for a kill. Its countless subordinates would take time to arrive, allowing humans to exploit this time difference. If they could exterminate the Monarch in one fell swoop, that would be ideal. Even if not, they could at least inflict significant damage.
...
Soon, Chen Shu and his group arrived at a dangerous-level dimensional rift in the northwest, known as the "Lava Waterfall." As soon as they entered, the Spirit Suppression Army informed them of a piece of news.
"Brother Marauder, the Dragon family patriarch has already entered with his people."
Technically, they didn't need to convey this information. The more, the merrier when hunting Monarchs, as the ultimate goal was to eliminate fierce beasts, not to seize resources. However, Chen Shu was different. The Spirit Suppression Army feared that before the beast tamers could engage the Monarch, this fellow would stir up trouble with other humans first.
"It's fine, we're all together," Chen Shu smiled faintly, pointing to a student. "Long Yu is also from the Long family."
The Spirit Suppression Army confirmed this, recognizing Long Yu. After all, families referred to as "Long" typically belonged to ancient beast-taming clans within the country.
"It's good that he's familiar," Chen Shu said. The group charged into the dimensional rift and began brewing their "poisonous chicken soup for the soul" to lure out the Monarch.
Chen Shu asked, "Long Yu, you know the Dragon family patriarch, right?"
"Yes, he's my maternal uncle," Long Yu replied with a smile, a hint of surprise in his eyes at encountering a relative.
"You have the same surname as your uncle?" Ah Liang explained to Chen Shu, "In beast-taming families, one takes the surname of the Dragon family member they align with..."
"Is that so..." Chen Shu nodded. "Then it's settled. This Silver Monarch is ours!"
"..."
The group shook their heads. Had he just claimed ownership so readily?
As they were searching, the fierce beasts below suddenly became agitated. A Silver Lord roared, leading its pack fearlessly towards the depths of the dimensional rift, completely ignoring Chen Shu and his companions.
"Hmm? Something's happening!" Chen Shu's gaze shifted to the distance, where he saw other beast packs moving in the same direction. Clearly, the Monarch was in trouble!
"Let's go!" Chen Shu's expression changed, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. His Slime, 'Guji,' let out a soft sound and sped towards the depths, flying past countless fierce beasts.
Less than an hour later, the group arrived at the battle site. Before them stood a majestic mountain, and from its summit, numerous streams of lava cascaded down, forming a magnificent waterfall. At the bottom of the waterfall, a fiery behemoth roared, locked in a fierce battle with three beast tamers.
The Dragon family patriarch, a middle-aged man, was cursing as he directed his four contract beasts in combat. He possessed a Gold-tier three-star cultivation, and with the assistance of two other Gold-tier beast tamers, they could only suppress the Monarch. The combined might of the three was astonishing, but the Monarch's vitality was too robust, and the location being its home ground gave it a significant positional advantage, preventing the trio from defeating it. The primary reason for their struggle was their lack of experience in hunting such creatures.
The patriarch frowned, sighing, "This darn thing has some substance..."