Zhou Shuchen was dumbfounded.
He had only meant to mock Su Ping.
After all, how could a contracted pet beast be at that level?
If Su Ping's contracted pet beast really was that strong, why would he have used a rented pet beast to fight him earlier?
That was completely unreasonable.
And completely unscientific.
Yet as Su Ping nodded in agreement and the summoning light faded, the proud Forest Wolf that appeared beside him—
Its size was no different from the previous one at all!
What was even stranger was that this Forest Wolf's fur was noticeably glossier and more vibrant than the others.
What… was this thing?
Was it really a Forest Wolf?
And indeed, among everyone present, the one drawing the most attention was Su Ping. Now that he had finally summoned his own pet beast, it immediately attracted the notice of the other students.
The others aside, the moment Zhang Guowei and the Fire King Corporation youth laid eyes on Xiao Qing, they both let out an unrestrained gasp upon seeing that peculiar fur color.
"A mutated pet beast!"
Their words finally made the rest understand what that strange-looking Forest Wolf actually was.
"A mutated pet beast? I've heard those are really rare. And very valuable."
"Not necessarily. It depends on the direction of the mutation and its growth potential. But generally speaking, they're definitely more valuable than ordinary pet beasts."
"No wonder Su Ping didn't accept Director Zhang's recommendation. A mutated Forest Wolf's value might not be lower than that of a commander-tier pet beast."
The murmurs of astonishment were secondary.
What truly left Zhou Shuchen unable to react was the size of this Forest Wolf.
This mutated Forest Wolf's body size was identical to the previous one.
Didn't that mean—
Before he could think further, the pair of twin Beast Tamers were already urging impatiently:
"Could you move aside a bit?"
Only then did everyone come back to their senses and make way, allowing them to head toward a nearby training battle arena.
The twin brothers were around the same age as the others, but their realms and Beast Taming standards were clearly higher. They were obviously students from one of Linzhou's key foundational academies.
The fact that they required sparring partners in the Ordinary Fifth to Seventh Rank range was proof enough.
Moreover, in a sense, two Beast Tamers jointly commanding pet beasts provided a significant advantage over sparring beasts without Beast Tamer support.
Su Ping did not mind at all. On the contrary, he watched the arena with growing interest.
Little Dot and Xiao Qing—aside from Lao Sha—were the only two Forest Wolves that had completed Heart of Wood cultivation. They were also long-time rivals who often trained against each other.
This time, however, they would be fighting together in cooperation, which genuinely intrigued Su Ping.
What he did not expect was that after the twin brothers stepped onto the field, the pet beasts they summoned would leave even him surprised.
They were not anything else—
They were also a pair of Forest Wolves!
And their size was no different from Su Ping's.
"Go!"
The brothers did not hesitate. The two Forest Wolves charged forward in tandem toward Xiao Qing and Little Dot.
Their speed alone was noteworthy, but what truly captured Su Ping's attention was their coordination.
It was obvious that these two were not simply trying to show off in front of the school belle.
They actually had substance.
The cooperative combat between the two Forest Wolves was so smooth that Su Ping could not take his eyes off it.
Wolves were naturally apex predators when it came to teamwork.
However, under Beast Tamer cultivation, individual strength increased drastically, and once they became pet beasts, this kind of group combat often faded away.
But these two brothers were different.
The two Forest Wolves advanced one ahead, one behind—left and right—cooperating almost perfectly.
Especially considering that the tacit understanding between Xiao Qing and Little Dot was clearly inferior to theirs—
At the very beginning, Xiao Qing even fell into a disadvantage because it could not immediately integrate into the battle.
"Awwooo!"
Little Dot's body expanded. The amplification from Accelerated Growth increased its strength and speed, instantly suppressing the Forest Wolf entangled with it.
However, the other Forest Wolf immediately moved in to support.
This kind of combined assault technique was not a skill in itself, yet in many situations, it was far more practical than the individual skills pet beasts specialized in.
Interesting. Truly interesting.
Su Ping felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
In that instant, a flash of inspiration ran through his mind.
Of course, it was still only a preliminary idea. Turning it into reality would require extensive training.
Even so, Su Ping felt an indescribable joy—like a dry sponge soaking up water—as he watched this crude yet highly coordinated combined technique on the field.
Little Dot, as well as the rented Forest Wolves, had all received instructions from Su Ping to drag out the fights as much as possible. After all, people had paid for this—spending more time sparring eased his conscience.
Unfortunately, Xiao Qing did not have such a good temper.
Although it disliked Little Dot, that was still its rival. Seeing it being bullied like this—
And seeing those crafty Forest Wolves deliberately avoiding direct conflict with it, prioritizing Little Dot instead—
This made Xiao Qing extremely displeased.
Did they really think I'm less of a threat than that guy?
Xiao Qing erupted.
"Awwooo—!"
Under the terrifying enhancement of the Poison Wood Heart, its Poison Vine Strangulation—already vastly different from an ordinary Forest Wolf's Vine Strangulation—burst forth.
Purple, toxin-laced vines erupted from the ground, or perhaps condensed out of thin air.
They slithered like venomous purple snakes, whipping forward.
Their speed was even faster than the sprinting speed of the two Forest Wolves, whose speed had clearly been enhanced!
"Aw—!"
A startled cry rang out as one of the twin brothers' Forest Wolves had its leg instantly entangled.
If these were ordinary vines, the Forest Wolf might have broken free with brute force or skills.
Unfortunately, these were vines strengthened by the Poison Wood Heart.
They did not merely bind—they carried paralytic poison.
Sure enough, less than three seconds after being ensnared, the Forest Wolf's previously moving legs stiffened. It twitched once—
Then, before anyone could react, it collapsed onto the arena floor.
With the numbers advantage gone, the remaining Forest Wolf did not last more than ten seconds.
Once Xiao Qing unleashed Poison Vine Strangulation, the battle was immediately reversed.
From Little Dot being pressed and nearly eliminated first, to a complete turnaround—
The entire fight lasted less than thirty seconds from start to finish.
Medical staff rushed onto the arena, lifted the two Forest Wolves, administered two antidote injections, and then reassured the anxious twin brothers:
"It's a paralytic toxin. After resting for a bit, they'll be fine. No other danger—don't worry."
Only then did the twins finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But the rest of the onlookers who had witnessed this special pet beast battle from beginning to end wore extremely complicated expressions.
A mutated Forest Wolf.
And the mutation was the rare poison attribute.
No wonder Su Ping had looked down on that Scythe Giant Centipede.
At that moment, the medical staff also brought over the fully awakened Redfang Tiger and handed it back to the still-dazed Zhou Shuchen.
Holding Chi Yun in his arms, Zhou Shuchen saw that although the Redfang Tiger had been unconscious earlier, it was still indignant about that "unfair" battle its master had told it about.
Sensing his master's lingering battle intent through the soul contract, the fully recovered Redfang Tiger looked spirited and eager to fight again, ready to wash away its humiliation.
Zhou Shuchen then glanced at that greenish Forest Wolf—
Not smaller than the previous one, capable of controlling terrifying poisonous vines—
With its aloof, disdainful gaze and that smug, contemptuous howl.
The former class monitor fell silent.
And as if fate had a sense of humor, Li Shu—afraid no one would hear him—asked loudly from the side:
"Class Monitor Zhou, are you and Su Ping still fighting or what?"
Instantly, all eyes focused on him.
Yes.
Were they still fighting or not?
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