Chapter 520 - 308: Time to Slack Off

But whether Fengyun’s growth would have other repercussions remained to be seen.

"One more thing. Has that little troublemaker been caught?" As he spoke, a shadow fell over the man’s perpetually warm expression.

The secretary answered timidly, "Not yet, Mr. Chairman..."

The man’s grip on his wine glass tightened. His tone remained warm, yet it clearly betrayed a hint of suppressed anger. "How long has it been? What the hell is the executive department even doing?"

"We’ve failed in our duties! My sincerest apologies!"

The secretary bowed low. "But Mr. Chairman, that Siren Elf’s Real-time Energy Value has already surpassed Three-star, and it’s exceptionally good at disguise! Forget the retired Alliance Members we hired, even an active Alliance Member would have a hard time catching it. It would take a Vice Alliance Leader to be a sure thing... And I’m not talking about a Dark Alliance Vice Alliance, of course."

"Then find a way to work with the Common Defense Alliance. If a Vice Alliance Leader can guarantee results, then hire one. If that’s still not enough, then hire the Alliance Leader. Capturing rogue Exotic Beasts is their duty anyway. I doubt they’ll refuse."

The man said calmly, downing the red wine in his glass.

"In short, I don’t want to see that damned jellyfish showing up again and making a mess of my business."

"Yes, sir! I’ll make the arrangements immediately. I will absolutely get this handled for you!"

Bowing repeatedly, the secretary backed out of the room.

·

While undercurrents were surging in the shadows, the atmosphere under the spotlights remained as heated as ever.

When Liu Yuhang stepped down from the stage, the students from Huai City First Middle School, who had been waiting by the edge of the arena, swarmed him in a massive group hug.

"Our Academic Rep is incredible!"

"A perfect finish! That was brilliant!"

"Brother Yuhang, you’re truly worthy of being my close friend, walking the same path as me as we chase after Su Zhi!"

"So who are you actually complimenting here...?"

Everyone chattered over each other as they tossed Liu Yuhang into the air and caught him. Their spirits weren’t the least bit dampened by being soaked from the shockwave’s spray, and their hearty laughter was incredibly heartwarming.

Finally, the team gathered in a circle for a group pep talk.

"Everyone did great today! We’ve still got a total of three rounds tomorrow and the day after, so hang in there!"

Zhou Shengfa gave them a thumbs-up. "Be careful in tomorrow’s match. If our total score already guarantees we’ll advance, don’t be afraid to concede if you run into a difficult opponent. Also, there’s a half-day break after the group stage, so get some good rest and get back into top form before the knockout stage begins! The first round of the knockouts is often all about your condition!"

"We got it!!!"

’You all learned that from Su Zhi, didn’t you...’ Seeing Su Zhi whistling loudly, Zhou Shengfa’s lips twitched, but then broke into a gratified smile.

"You’ve learned well! Everyone head back to the stands for now. I’m treating you all to barbecue for lunch!"

The teacher and students left, talking and laughing. On their way, they ran into the team from Shanda University Affiliated School, who were heading down.

Today’s draw was unusual; the team from Shanyou had to fight two rounds back-to-back. Other provinces had drawn similar schedules in the past.

It wasn’t a huge deal, though, since every province had at least two teams competing.

Lei Ji gave Su Zhi a long, meaningful look, then quickly averted his gaze, as if making eye contact was somehow difficult.

Zhou Shengfa waved and grinned. "So? Was Teacher Lei satisfied with my students’ performance today?"

Lei Ji neither nodded nor shook his head.

Even though he had his gripes with Zhou Shengfa, he had to admit, in all honesty, that Huai City First Middle School’s performance had been flawless.

In the end, he simply pushed up his glasses, the gesture seeming to say, ’It was so-so.’

Zhou Shengfa’s smile grew even wider. "Oh, by the way, want to join us for barbecue? We can get a table together!"

"No, thank you."

Lei Ji shook his head and led the team from Shanda University Affiliated School past Zhou Shengfa.

"Well, good luck to you guys!" Zhou Shengfa shouted, waving at their retreating backs. His brow was smooth and his tone was relaxed, a stark contrast to their first meeting.

Seeing his teacher act like this, Su Zhi couldn’t suppress the hint of a smile in his own eyes.

He knew he hadn’t been wrong.

·

CRACKLE!

Sparks flew on the stage. With unstoppable momentum, Jin Lin smashed through its opponent’s defenses, instantly knocking the Turbulent Duck to the ground.

In the first match, Chen Xinghao secured a swift victory in under a minute, his attack as sudden as a thunderclap!

"Excellent!" From the coach’s area, Lei Ji stood and gave a thumbs-up in approval.

Cuddled in Liu Yuhang’s arms, Xue Li blinked fearfully.

’Even though that Turbulent Duck was admittedly a bit weak, if it were me up there facing Jin Lin, the odds would still be stacked against me. Jin Lin is the kind of opponent that only the absolute strongest Pet Beast of the Same Tier could even hope to fight.’

"Shanda University Affiliated School is as strong as ever..." Su Zhi mused, looking at his phone displaying Jin Lin’s Energy Value: a perfect 4999.

’Jin Lin’s true power level is definitely higher than this. It’s possibly even close to Yu Bao or Wu Bao’s current level. It’s just being limited by Chen Xinghao’s Beast Taming Space, so it can only display the strength of a Two-star at most.’

’And Chen Xinghao’s Beast Taming Space has been at Tier Three for a long time. For a Beast Tamer with his talent, Tier Four can’t be far off.’

’When they fight again then, Yu Bao might not actually be able to beat Jin Lin.’

"Woof," Yu Bao whined, as if to say that would never happen, because by then he’d have long since reached Three-star.

"Alright, alright, you’re the most competitive one here..." Su Zhi ruffled Yu Bao’s head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

’For the past two days, he hadn’t really sent Yu Bao out to fight. He was mainly using the matches against weaker opponents as a chance to give Shan Bao and Wu Bao some training.’

’After learning Gold Vein Overload, Shan Bao’s fighting style had changed, and it needed real-world battle experience to perfect it.’

’And although Wu Bao had made a name for itself at the Fengyun Arena and fought in plenty of matches, they had all been against pushovers. It actually needed to get reacquainted with the feeling of facing a truly strong adversary.’

Yu Bao, however, didn’t seem to mind.

’A true champion holds down the fort, just like me! These little squabbles are for my little brother and sister to handle.’