Combination Skill—Ghost Shattering Star!
The Glorious Black Desolate Strength Ant, Little Mouse's incarnation, roared in its heart and threw a punch.
Hum!
The moment the punch was thrown, the immense force, concentrated at a single point, blasted out a nearly tangible ring of airflow in front of it.
It paused for an instant, creating a brief vacuum. In the next moment, a sonic boom erupted, and a pillar of inky shadow light swept out!
Boom!
Within this pillar of light, numerous chaotic and twisted "Ghost" figures were born.
They were special monstrosities created by Little Mouse's Trinity characteristic—lifeless, yet capable of interfering with and eroding the spirits of all things.
In an instant, it reached the Starlight Mist Demon.
All starlight dimmed at this moment.
"Dodge it, quickly!"
Zhu Fei's face paled in horror as he felt the terrifying aura contained within.
He hurriedly called out through their Soul Link, but it was useless. Moreover, his own awakened Beast Tamer talent was merely 【Star Gathering】, which only accelerated the condensation of starlight to assist in the cultivation of star-type pet beasts.
It was a good talent for cultivation, but it was useless in battle, completely unable to provide any assistance on a spiritual level.
"Moan…"
But the Starlight Mist Demon was a Commander Rank lifeform, after all.
After being stunned for a moment, it sensed a life-or-death crisis and instantly snapped back to its senses.
However, just as it was about to dodge, it found that it couldn't move.
Through its omnidirectional vision, it discovered that at some unknown point, the mysterious black and red ant had appeared on top of its shadow, cast upon the ground by the twilight glow.
Shadow Step!
Interfering with the spirit through the shadow, causing paralysis!
Sensing the Starlight Mist Demon's gaze, Little Mouse felt it couldn't let the moment get awkward, so it deliberately made a heart shape with its ant leg.
Love you!
"…"
The Starlight Mist Demon was completely stunned. However, it had no time to think, only able to watch helplessly as it was devoured by the black pillar of light.
Countless Ghosts passed through it with sinister grins, continuously shaking its soul and eroding its will.
Even its starlight-like body of mist was dyed pitch-black, like a star at the end of its life, dim and lusterless, about to meet its end.
As the pillar of light swept past, the world was dyed a layer of ink, as if the Netherworld had opened at this moment, with countless ghosts pouring out to erode the world and devour the light of the stars.
Shattering stars!
A powerful finishing move formed by forcibly combining three Proficient-level Super-tier Skills—【Shadow Control】, 【Strength Ring】, and 【Thousand-Faced Tentacles】—using its own immortal soul.
Even in its incomplete state, its power was already comparable to the prototype of a general Profound Meaning Skill, surpassing a Combination Skill.
Let alone an early-stage Commander, even a mid-tier one would have to kneel.
The soul-based Starlight Mist Demon was naturally heavily injured. It fainted instantly and fell straight to the ground.
It's… it's broken!
Seeing this, Zhu Fei felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at Lu Yu, at the smiling boy, and felt as if he were trapped on a chessboard, a piece being moved at will.
Every move he made was seen through by Lu Yu.
Just as the file said: extremely high tactical proficiency, pressing at every step, leaving no path of escape, and skilled at…
Bullying the weak!
At this thought, Zhu Fei couldn't help but smile bitterly.
He, a Commander Rank Beast Tamer, had actually become the weaker party…
This guy named Lu Yu, how was he any different from that group in the Imperial Capital? He was the exact same type of person.
Boom!
However, the black pillar of light did not stop after defeating the Starlight Mist Demon.
It shot straight into the sky, directly hitting a dark green barrier of flowing light, and exploded upon impact.
Other attacks shone brilliantly, but this one was like a black hole, devouring all light, as if a dark canopy had descended to welcome the arrival of a terrifying lifeform.
"What's happening?"
Outside the school, many passersby heading home witnessed this scene. They were captivated, stopping in their tracks with looks of astonishment.
Many drivers even pulled over to record, causing a traffic jam.
"What are you doing…"
A traffic police officer rushed over angrily, about to berate the crowd for obstructing traffic.
But after seeing the scene above Great Abyss City High School, he silently took out his phone, recorded a video, and sent it to the "Loving and Harmonious Family" group chat with the message "The school's being bombed," instantly sparking a heated discussion.
At the same time, many people gathered at the school gate, asking the gatekeeper, Grandpa Qin, what was going on.
They said if he didn't tell them, they would start spreading rumors, and a bunch of others chimed in that if rumors were spread, they'd believe them.
Grandpa Qin was so angry he almost let his dog loose on them.
The small black hole lasted for about ten seconds before dissipating. In the end, it couldn't penetrate the dark green barrier, only leaving behind a large number of scorch marks, like burnt earth.
It was as if an invisible dark troll had stomped on it, almost tearing a crack, but it soon began to repair itself.
"How is this possible!?"
Wang Xingjian watched this scene, his heart trembling.
As the Teaching Director, how could he not know what this barrier was?
This was the school's life-type Defensive Ritual, the 【Forest Dome】, which used countless plants as ritual nodes. It could regulate the students' bodies, promote the growth of their pet beasts, and resist attacks at the Spirituality Transformation level.
It was meant to give students time to evacuate safely even in the face of danger, yet now it had almost been cracked by a single punch from this mysterious ant pet beast.
Although the strange attribute of that punch, like a small soul tide from the Netherworld, might have perfectly countered this life-type barrier, its power…
…was still absurdly strong!
Is this really just a Peak Elite pet beast?
This guy, Lu Yu, isn't he afraid of his Beast Taming Space being drained by housing a pet beast of this level?
The other Beast Tamers also stared with wide eyes, falling into silence.
It took them a long time to come back to their senses.
"I'm not seeing things, am I… A Peak Elite just instant-killed a Commander Rank?"
"I also want to know if I'm dreaming.
What kind of monster is this?"
"Help, family, who gets it? Today I actually saw a Pluto Ant!"
"What attribute is that? Why are there things like ghosts appearing? Is it a ghost-type? But why does it have such a strong body? It doesn't look like a corpse puppet type of pet beast either…"
"…"
The young Beast Tamers were so shocked their brains could barely function, almost burning out their CPUs.
It wasn't that they had never seen an Elite Rank defeat a Commander Rank, but those were usually grueling battles, fought with great difficulty, often requiring the weak to overcome the strong.
But who had ever seen someone like Lu Yu do it with a direct, one-hit instant kill?
Are you kidding me, who is the weaker party here!?
At this thought, many Beast Tamers turned to look at Lu Yu's number one fan and master essayist, Qi Wei, wanting to see his reaction.
But they found he had already turned his back to them, facing away from the crowd, with an expression of someone who had seen it all before, leaving them dumbfounded.
Everyone's first reaction was: just how much inside information does this guy have?
He's not even interested in watching this? Could it be that he's already seen something better?
Could Lu Yu already challenge someone at the Spirituality Transformation level?
The students of Great Abyss City High School felt like shàs
What they didn't know was that after Qi Wei turned around, his expression was numb.
"Third time's the charm."
Not wanting to see Lu Yu show off for a third time was his last shred of stubbornness.
Especially when he remembered his old man telling him that with enough resources, he could surpass Lu Yu and leave him in the dust in terms of growth speed, Qi Wei couldn't help but burst into tears.
Now, the guy could fight Commander Ranks, while he was still struggling at the Silver Rank.
That's just tricking a kid!
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Since Wei was born, why must Yu be born as well!
He now understood that Lu Yu was a complete monster with inhuman growth speed.
No wonder that scheming woman, Yu Xiyan, liked him.
Instead of thinking about surpassing him, it seemed more likely that in a few days, he'd see Lu Yu's pet beast slap his big-talking old man into oblivion.
If Qi Changhai knew his thoughts, he'd probably praise him for being "so filial," using his own father as a power level measuring stick.
However, although Qi Wei was being tsundere and saying he wouldn't watch, his body was very honest as he took out his phone and started recording with one hand, preparing to post this explosive scene to his Moments.
He'd let that group of guys who dared to laugh at him see what a heaven-sent hunk looked like!
And what a mad, pig-rearing genius Beast Tamer was!
"Mmm…"
Chiyue Meng watched Lu Yu's spirited appearance, her pupils turning into heart shapes at some point. A tail silently lifted the hem of her skirt, causing a blush to spread across her fair face.
She wanted to touch him…
Deep within her Succubus bloodline, the desire to breed powerful offspring was surging.
"I let you cause a scene, and you nearly shattered the school's sky!"
Luo Zisong was also dumbfounded, realizing he had seriously underestimated Lu Yu.
His so-called previous estimates were complete bullshit.
A dignified Morning Star Rank Beast Tamer had actually been taught a lesson by Lu Yu.
He understood that a true super genius was not bound by logic, could not be defined, could not be observed—in short… indescribable.
I get it, Lu Yu is an Evil God!
Although Luo Zisong was old, he always kept up with the times.
He joked to himself and didn't take it seriously, instead pondering another question.
'He beat a Gold Rank.
How much more should I add…'
Luo Zisong felt a pang of pain. This wasn't school money; he was subsidizing it with his own private funds.
All just to vent some anger!
Just as he was thinking, he suddenly saw an even more terrifying scene. After defeating Zhu Fei, Lu Yu didn't stop.
Instead, he turned his gaze to the other supervising teacher, the Peak Gold Rank Su Bin.
This made the many Beast Tamers hold their breath, and nearly gave the old man a heart attack.
No way, right?
Does Lu Yu still want to challenge a Peak Gold Rank Beast Tamer?
Are you f*cking sure this isn't a TV drama about the youth of a Legendary Beast Tamer?
"Does he still want to challenge…"
Su Bin was shocked. His gaze was serious and solemn; he had already placed Lu Yu on an equal footing.
Fu Feng sighed as he watched his teacher's reaction.
While they were still squabbling amongst the students, Lu Yu's sights were already set on the level of the teachers.
It seems Chiyue Meng's judgment is indeed very good.
"This kid is too brave…"
Luo Zisong muttered.
Although he felt Lu Yu's strength couldn't be that exaggerated, his face was still smarting from being proven wrong moments ago. Luo Zisong didn't dare to bet on it!
If he really won, the entire Borderlands would be shaken.
Who knows how many Evil God Cults would flock here then? That would truly be poking a hole in the sky!
Moreover, his private funds were really running out. If this continued, he'd have to start embezzling public funds.
The old man couldn't take it anymore.
Stop, quick,
I'm begging you, don't cause any more trouble!
Luo Zisong hurriedly sent a message through his soul to add more money, which made Lu Yu smile.
He then gave a slight nod in the direction of Meteorfall City High School and, under their tense gazes as if facing a great enemy, retracted his sight.
Just kidding.
He wasn't an idiot.
This battle was won because Little Mouse, as a monarch cub, used its ever-changing characteristic to simulate an Overlord Aura and construct a Profound Meaning prototype.
All these factors combined allowed it to achieve this instant kill across a whole major rank.
If he were to really challenge a peak Commander, unless it teamed up with Little Spider, with Little Mouse's current proficiency…
…it would at most reach a stalemate, and inevitably be defeated in the end.
Lu Yu had no interest in doing things that brought him no benefit.
Since he had flexed his muscles and received a large sum of money, it was enough.
Besides, this time Little Mouse had given him a surprise, letting him see the Thousand-Faced Armament.
By forming the Trinity, the main offensive force, the Desolate Strength Ant, had compensated for its weakness against elemental and Soul-type lifeforms.
If he could further complete the Thousand-Faced Armament by splicing the bodies of other powerful Demonic Beasts with different attributes and fusing more attributes, it might not be impossible for the Desolate Strength Ant, this Primordial Variant Species, to evolve again and become a Demon God Ant.
After all, Little Mouse's incarnations weren't simple puppets.
Each incarnation was an independent individual with infinite possibilities.
The Thousand-Faced Soul Mouse represented the power to imitate all living beings.
'I wonder what interesting pet beasts will be in the Dragon Mystic Realm this time. Even if I can't find a third pet beast, it would be best to find a suitable dragon-type body to let Little Mouse obtain dragon-attribute energy, making the Imperial Black Crimson Dragon Ant live up to its name a little…'
Countless thoughts flashed through Lu Yu's mind, but to the outside world, it was only an instant.
He said to Zhu Fei, "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Zhu. I got lucky this time, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to contend with this Starlight Mist Demon."
With all the benefits secured, Lu Yu didn't mind giving others some face.
In the world of adults, there was no need to make too many enemies.
Take the substance, and share the face.
Luo Zisong nodded slightly. Knowing when to advance and when to retreat made one more likable than an arrogant genius.
"No, it was mainly your own ability. There's no such thing as getting lucky," Zhu Fei said, coming back to his senses.
He wasn't angry about being defeated. He shook his head and said with a bitter smile:
"Your strength is immense. If you can go to Imperial Capital University, you should have even better development."
"What is Imperial Capital University like?" Lu Yu asked curiously.
Zhu Fei thought for a moment, then slowly said:
"The holy land for Beast Tamers!"
"There, Beast Tamers can unleash their greatest talents, witness a wider world, see the clash of countless beast taming systems, and explore unimaginable Mystic Realms.
Even the Border Battlefield pales in comparison.
It could be said that if you don't want your pet beasts to stop at the Overlord or Monarch rank, you must go there."
"A holy land, huh…"
Lu Yu contemplated, feeling a stir in his heart.
A Beast Tamer's university was different from the universities of his past life. It was much freer.
Even if he enrolled, it wouldn't affect his exploration of Mystic Realms and collection of materials.
But before that, he had to improve his own strength.
After all, the students who could enter Imperial Capital University were all selected from the various major domains of the Alliance. The weakest were at Peak Silver, Gold Ranks were as common as ox hair, and even Morning Star Overlords were not unheard of.
Besides that, the Border Battlefield was also a good choice. The clash of flesh and blood, under the cover of large-scale slaughter, would allow him to directly obtain a huge amount of materials.
For him, the 【Master of the Gate】, it was the best kind of treasure land.
As Zhu Fei took the Starlight Mist Demon for treatment, Wang Xingjian hurriedly came on stage.
The corners of his mouth couldn't stop rising, but he pretended to be calm and said:
"The winner of this match is Lu Yu. Are there any more challengers?"
As his voice fell, the entire place went dead silent.
The students from Meteorfall City High School were like ostriches, wishing they could bury their heads in the sand.
Even their Gold Rank teacher lost.
What could a bunch of Silver-rank small fries like them do? Go over there to get beaten up?
They now felt the terror of the First Border City. Even with a peaceful life, its foundation was still powerful enough to produce such a top-tier genius.
For the upcoming Dragon Mystic Realm, many people were probably going to have a headache.
After a long silence, the answer was clear.
They looked at Lu Yu on the stage as if looking at an uncrowned king.
Then, an earth-shattering cheer erupted from the Great Abyss City side, chanting Lu Yu's name.
Fang Yao looked at her brother beside her, his face red from shouting, and sighed. A complicated feeling arose in her heart.
This genius had not only not faded into obscurity but had instead reached a new peak.
She compiled what happened here into a message and sent it to Yu Xiyan, only to receive a single reply.
【Qing Wu: Little cat is gratified.jpg】
Looking at this sticker, Fang Yao revealed a bitter smile.
Yu Xiyan didn't ask any questions, not even showing the slightest shock or doubt. This meant that from the very beginning, she had believed in Lu Yu with unwavering conviction, never once faltering…
Compared to everyone's excitement, Lu Yu wasn't too interested.
After all, he could get a spot by freeloading. What was more important now was receiving the fruits of his victory, such as…
"Ding! Your savings card ending in 2767 received a deposit of 3,000,000 yuan at 20:17 on June 24.
Current balance… [Alliance Beast Taming Bank]"
The original two million became three million, deposited directly into his account. In addition, there were two thousand academy points, plus the one hundred from the curse frog incident, for a total of two thousand one hundred and one points.
This was the first time Lu Yu had nearly four million in savings. He instantly understood the feeling of not panicking when you have money in your pocket.
Little Mouse, Little Spider, this time our family didn't just get rich, we struck it rich!
Luo Zisong watched his little slush fund shrink by a small chunk, his mouth twitching, but he didn't feel too bad.
Because of their defeat in the arena matches, and with Lu Yu single-handedly challenging the entire Meteorfall City High School, the dominant say in allocating the spots had returned to Great Abyss City High School.
In fact, according to the rules, it would be fine even if he didn't give them any spots. It's just that it would look too ungracious.
So he simply decided to give out three or four spots, and swindle a sum from his old comrade from Meteorfall City to recoup his losses, and maybe even make a small profit.
Thinking about the ugly expression he would soon see on the other party's face, Luo Zisong's mood brightened.
He was clearly leaning on a cane, but he was practically floating as he walked.
Soon, he brought Lu Yu to the depths of the academy, in front of a giant golden door embedded in the wall.
The door had no handle, keyhole, or anything of the sort.
Crack! Crack!
The door suddenly squirmed, and a giant single eye and a gaping, bloody mouth appeared, looking at the two of them.
"Treasure Vault Demon!"
Lu Yu's gaze sharpened as he recognized this thing's identity.
"Not bad, your theoretical knowledge is solid.
You even know about such an obscure pet beast." Luo Zisong nodded in satisfaction, then said:
"The Treasure Vault Demon is an extremely special pet beast.
It has no clear rank division. It can fuse with a sealed room, leaving no gaps, and its shell is extremely hard, possessing defensive power far exceeding its rank.
Therefore, they are often used to guard secret treasure vaults. They grow by absorbing the treasure energy from items.
The more treasures, the faster they grow. This one of mine is only at the Spirituality Transformation level, but even an ordinary Morning Star can't break it open.
"In the past, when I was exploring a Mystic Realm with my companions, we went through great hardships to enter its treasure vault, only to encounter a Treasure Vault Demon that had reached the Monarch rank and lived for who knows how many years. It guarded the entrance, and we couldn't get inside the vault at all.
You know, back then, to explore that Mystic Realm, our group spent all our savings, and ended up losing everything, even taking on a loan. But even though those days were tough, everyone was together…"
Old people like to reminisce about the past.
But since this old man was rich, Lu Yu nodded cooperatively, throwing in a few words of flattery, which made Luo Zisong quite happy. He said, eager to be a teacher:
"The Treasure Vault Demon can be used without a contract.
And once it recognizes a master, it won't easily change. The method of use is also very simple: exchange.
For every item you take out, you must put another one in. It's okay if the quality is a bit lower, but it must possess spirituality, and the total number must be maintained or slightly increased.
Otherwise, it won't agree to let you take anything…"
As he spoke, Luo Zisong handed over a booklet, which contained information, pictures, and the required points for various items.
Lu Yu opened it, and the first thing that caught his eye was the heart of a Golden Dragon Lion, a dragon-blooded creature that could extract special substances by devouring gold and storing them in its heart.
Its racial skill was 【Burning Gold】, which consumed the substance upon use to temporarily enhance its combat power.
Its heart could be used to create Magic Potions that greatly reduced the growth time for metal-attribute pet beasts and enhanced their potential.
Lu Yu was also very interested in this kind of power-up skill. After all, it was very suitable for a pure-power pet beast like the Desolate Strength Ant.
However, when he looked at the price… ten thousand points, he went numb.
Lu Yu flipped through the pages and found that there were indeed many good things, no shortage of Magic Potions to enhance strength and some transcendent items.
But the point requirements were absurdly high. His points were barely a fraction of what was needed.
The batch of materials he could afford, while not bad, inevitably felt disappointing in comparison.
Lu Yu caught a glimpse of the smiling Luo Zisong out of the corner of his eye and understood.
This old man was deliberately tempting him, wanting him to earn more points, complete more academy missions, and promote the school.
And if Lu Yu were really a student with no background, he would have no choice but to take the bait.
Unfortunately…
He loved saying no to these confident people!
As the Master of the Gate, the most practical things for him were only materials. Even Magic Potions had an average effect; it was better to just use the Gluttony Cauldron to create transcendent food.
So Lu Yu searched from three directions—Little Spider, Little Mouse, and the Desolate Strength Ant incarnation—and quickly found materials such as organs of Curse Arts pet beasts, herbs to strengthen the soul, skills to increase defense, and so on.
Lu Yu had already made a decision in his heart.
He prepared to flip through the whole thing once out of habit before making the exchange. Just as he reached the last few pages, he suddenly saw something that caught his attention, his expression filled with pleasant surprise.
He had actually seen something completely unexpected…