"I want a rematch!"

Akagi Shu demanded, his face flushed red and his fists cracking.

Just then, the sound of the crowd parting came from behind him, followed by two sets of footsteps approaching side-by-side.

"Akagi Shu, you... you actually lost to a Pet Beast like a Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster?"

Fang Tian龜 was astonished, staring intently at Lu You and her Pet Beast from behind.

No matter how he looked at it, it was a bottom-tier Pet Beast, just like the Little Cyan Snake—the kind meant to be a stepping stone for others.

Yet today, these two "stepping stones" had toppled the very Pet Beasts that were supposed to walk all over them, winning their matches.

Fang Tian龜’s expression was complicated. He looked at the two Pet Beasts being carried by Teacher Ling, his heart filled with immense confusion and bewilderment.

He didn’t understand how he had lost.

His Turtle Wood Flood Dragon was completely unconscious. More than half of its Turtle Wood Scale Armor had been shattered, revealing a mangled mess of flesh and the stark white of bone.

His heart sank. He rushed forward and asked, "Teacher, is it badly injured?"

Teacher Ling glanced at Gu Ming, her look seeming to reproach him for Cyan Treasure’s merciless attack.

However, when she recalled the viciousness the Fang Family had shown toward Qing Lake High School students, she didn’t blame Gu Ming. She just gave him a look, a silent warning to show a little more restraint.

If anyone tried to make an issue of it later, she would defend him.

After all, the Pet Beast wasn’t dead, just seriously injured.

As long as no one died, it was considered a conflict between the younger generation, and any medical expenses beyond the standard coverage were their own responsibility.

An injury like the Turtle Wood Flood Dragon’s would cost at least 100,000 to treat.

The higher the grade of a Pet Beast, the more expensive the required medicines and labor costs for treatment become.

But just thirty seconds earlier, she would never have imagined the Little Cyan Snake could reduce a High-star Potential Pet Beast like the Turtle Wood Flood Dragon to such a state.

It completely shattered her perception of what was possible.

Hearing Fang Tian龜’s question, Ling Jun replied in an official tone,

"Your Turtle Wood Flood Dragon will be fine. It’s just a serious injury.

"It definitely won’t recover today. Even with intensive treatment, it shouldn’t engage in any more battles. Quiet recuperation is what it needs."

Fang Tian龜 breathed a silent sigh of relief.

But his relief quickly turned to dismay.

He had only fought two matches today.

If Teacher Ling was making him withdraw now, didn’t that mean he would end up in last place?

How could he accept this?

His family would skin him alive.

Teacher Ling, however, paid him no more mind. She set down the still-conscious Red Flame Flood Dragon and turned to walk toward the infirmary.

"If you want it to recover faster, then hurry and follow me to the infirmary."

Teacher Ling left, and the Red Flame Flood Dragon was back in Akagi Shu’s hands.

At that moment, Akagi Shu was seething with rage, glaring at Lu You.

Lu You had won, but before she even had a chance to savor the joy of victory, she was terrified by Akagi Shu’s furious, bloodshot eyes.

It was the first time she had ever been the target of such intense, personal malice.

This wasn’t malice directed at Gu Ming or anyone else. It was aimed squarely at her—a vicious desire to see her Pet Beast crushed underfoot.

It felt as if her Mouse Treasure had stomped his dignity into the dirt and slapped the Akagi Family across the face in broad daylight, and now he was desperate to reclaim his honor.

The people around them whispered amongst themselves, occasionally bursting into stifled laughter. It seemed they were all mocking the Akagi Family’s Flood Dragon for being defeated by a mere Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster.

But whenever Akagi Shu’s gaze swept over them, they would immediately compose their faces or turn to look elsewhere, not daring to meet his eyes.

Just then, Gu Ming stepped in front of Akagi Shu and said calmly,

"Weren’t you looking to challenge me?

"Well, here I am."

His calm and composed demeanor instantly drew all the attention—and hostility—in the arena onto himself.

The crowd’s focus shifted as one from the frightened, trembling Lu You, whose head was bowed low, to Gu Ming.

After all, just a moment ago, Cyan Treasure had viciously beaten the Turtle Wood Flood Dragon—the Pet Beast of the grade’s second-ranked student—and left it seriously injured.

From the looks of it, one more Enhanced Storm Ball and the Turtle Wood Flood Dragon would have been sent to the next life.

Students who had followed from the other arena were chattering excitedly, snapping photos and recording videos with their phones. Their faces shone with excitement as they eagerly fanned the flames.

"Are we going to witness history today?"

"A Little Cyan Snake is stronger than a Flood Dragon? I feel like I’m dreaming."

"Go, Cyan Treasure! Take down two in a row! Wreck him!"

Students farther from the pair, unafraid of stirring up trouble, started shouting.

Akagi Shu had no reason to refuse, and no path of retreat.

"Fine, fine, fine! I’ll defeat you first, and then I’ll burn that Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster to a crisp!"

Gu Ming snorted softly. Instead of provoking him further, he called out to the surrounding students to clear a space for the battle.

At this moment, Lu You walked over holding Mouse Treasure. "Thank you..."

She knew Gu Ming had "saved" her once again.

She was already socially anxious, and with so many people staring at her, her mind had nearly gone blank.

If Gu Ming hadn’t drawn everyone’s attention, she didn’t know how she would have gotten out of the spotlight.

’I should avoid being the center of attention like this in the future.’

Gu Ming spoke to her in a low voice, reassuring her. He said that Cyan Treasure had just used an Ultimate Skill, so his chances of winning were high, and that she should go back into the crowd and relax.

Lu You hesitated for a second or two, then whispered in his ear:

"The Red Flame Flood Dragon was injured during our match. With that last slap, Mouse Treasure forced a lot of dirt into its stomach. It’s so angry right now, it probably hasn’t even noticed."

After saying her piece, Lu You returned to the crowd, holding Mouse Treasure, who was waving its paws in excitement.

Mouse Treasure squeaked in her arms, seeking praise from its master in hamster-speak:

"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!"

Did you see that?

My slap sent him flying so, so high!

Feeling Mouse Treasure’s delight, Lu You broke into a happy smile.

The taste of victory bloomed quietly in her heart, and it was sweet. Very sweet.

Even she hadn’t expected the Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster to actually beat the Red Flame Flood Dragon.

Even if it was just a lucky sneak attack, it was a monumental success!

She knew perfectly well that if the Red Flame Flood Dragon had unleashed its full power and fought at one hundred percent, Mouse Treasure’s chances of winning would have been slim.

Her opponent’s pet could fly. Not even the Turtle Wood Flood Dragon had that ability; it was one of the few Flying Pets among this group of students.

With its aerial advantage, it could dominate most ground-based Pet Beasts with ease.

It was only because Mouse Treasure could burrow into the ground with Earth Escape, making it impossible for its opponent to find, that it managed to avoid a dangerous head-on clash.

Her opponent still had many techniques it hadn’t used. How could the Beastmaster ranked number one in their grade not have a few aces up his sleeve?

She didn’t know how Cyan Treasure had managed to defeat the Turtle Wood Flood Dragon so quickly. Now that the Red Flame Flood Dragon had suffered its first defeat, its master certainly wouldn’t be careless again. Cyan Treasure was in for a tough fight.

In the crowd, Secretary Zhong and Teacher Zhang Yunpeng, who had arrived at some point, were observing from the sidelines and conversing in low voices.

"That Lifebound Pill Fire is truly terrifying. It almost burned right through Mouse Treasure.

"And that was with its pseudo-Petrification Skin enhanced by a Foundation Establishment Platform and a massive amount of Mana. Mouse Treasure truly risked its life for that opportunity. A half-second of hesitation from either side would have meant failure," Teacher Zhang lamented.

"Mouse Treasure’s skin toughness just now was clearly abnormal. It must have been using its Origin Power."

Teacher Zhong’s eyes flickered. He was suddenly less interested in the Foundation Establishment Platform; now he wanted to study the application of Origin Power.

He knew that Mouse Treasure had also learned the mental Array Carving Technique, which was the core Cultivation Technique for Transporting Origin Power. Lu You was one of the few who knew about this, so she must have been focusing on this aspect of its Cultivation.

Teacher Zhang shook his head. "How could cultivating Origin Power be so easy?

"That’s a high-level Technique that transports the soul itself. The key is still the Foundation Establishment Platform. Mouse Treasure’s Dragon Soul clearly leans toward the Earth Dragon, which provides a massive boost to its Earth Element techniques.

"That skyward slap was actually a follow-up move to the Earth Dragon Stomp—the Heaven-Piercing Earth-Splitting Palm. This is also a classic Combat Technique of the Earth Dragon Race.

"When combined, they form a simplified Combat Technique."

What neither of them realized was that, in addition to its Earth Element Mana, Mouse Treasure’s body also contained a mass of Life Energy. This energy was nurtured from the combination of its Earth Spiritual Root and Cultivation Techniques like the Earth Shifting Technique.

It was this very Life Energy that had surged when it executed the technique, allowing it to temporarily brush against the threshold of Mastery of Wood Escape.

Although no one had taught it, its long-term joint practice with Cyan Treasure had allowed it to subconsciously assimilate some principles, drawing it closer to the path of the "Ultimate Skill: Wood Escape Ultimatey".

After analyzing the previous fight for half a minute, the two teachers immediately fell silent and began to observe intently as the battle between Gu Ming and Akagi Shu officially began.