Chapter 363: Chapter 201: So You’ve Also Been Shot Down by Advisor Chen_4
"Alright, see you again sometime." Chen Yuan nodded in greeting.
Mei waved to Chen Yuan: "Advisor Chen, when I earn my own money in the future, I’ll treat you to a big meal!"
Chen Yuan smiled: "I’ll be waiting."
Huo Hong and Mei turned and left, their figures gradually fading into the distance, with only their conversation echoing in the wind.
"Mei, actually I lied to you."
"Master, what are you talking about?"
"In fact, I’m not on par with Advisor Chen at all; I’m far from being his match."
"Master, actually I’ve known for a long time."
"Oh?"
"But whether you’re Advisor Chen’s match or not, what does that have to do with you being my master?"
"Mei..."
"It’s okay, Master. You adults care about face, but it’s alright to not be Advisor Chen’s match. In such a big Baokun City, with so many Beastmasters, how many could rival Advisor Chen?" Mei turned her head and looked at the Flowing Cloud Sparrow on her shoulder, "Am I right?"
"Chirp!"
...
Yunhua Beast Taming Academy,
The indoor Battle Hall was crowded, with no empty seats available.
Despite the audience size, the atmosphere inside was extremely oppressive, and almost all the students silently watched the battlefield.
"Qingqing, this match should be ending soon, right?" Yang Yue lowered her voice, asking Li Qing.
Li Qing nodded: "Zhuang Jianbai is about to lose."
Hearing this, Yang Yue looked at the black-haired young man on the left side of the battlefield, a genuine sigh in her voice: "Even Zhuang Jianbai is losing so badly. The gap between us and them is really big."
She added, "Much bigger than I imagined."
The academy leadership placed great importance on this exchange match, sending the top five talented Beastmasters to interact and exchange with the five students from the headquarters who had come from afar.
Even though the academy’s students were prepared to have some disparity with the headquarters students, they never expected the gap to be this wide, making it even harder to accept.
Before Zhuang Jianbai took the stage, all four students from the academy had lost miserably.
Thinking of this, Yang Yue looked at the delicate girl sitting in the front row, holding an Ice Crystal Illusion Cat.
She was the only girl in the opposing team, and her Pet Beast was just a seemingly weak Ice Crystal Illusion Cat.
Thus, the academy’s second-ranked student challenged her, trying to score a point for Yunhua Beast Taming Academy.
However, the Ice Crystal Illusion Cat’s tactics were extremely ruthless.
The last match, then, was Zhuang Jianbai against the boy with dark red hair, always hands in his pockets, with an arrogant look on his upturned face.
It’s said that this boy named Lu Ran was ranked fifth at the Donghuang Beast Taming Academy Headquarters.
If Zhuang Jianbai could defeat him, it would prove that Zhuang Jianbai’s strength would be in the absolute top tier even at the headquarters.
In the battlefield,
The Winter Dog lowered its body, the thick, snow-white fur covered in scorch marks; it panted heavily while vigilantly watching the Blast Flame Fighting Ape opposite it.
"Roar!"
The Blast Flame Fighting Ape bared its teeth in a smile, suddenly clashing its fists together, immediately sparking a raging Flame Stream, with sparks falling to the ground.
Compared to the Winter Dog’s tension and unease, the Blast Flame Fighting Ape was rather calm, as if this was its home ground.
Lu Ran, hands in pockets, felt the same, raising his eyes with a faint smile on his face: "A teacher told me you would be a satisfying opponent."
After a pause, the smile on his face grew: "But now it seems, he was wrong."
"You’re boring me."
As soon as these words were spoken, a stir immediately erupted in the audience, with many students glaring angrily at Lu Ran, and occasional curses could be heard.
Zhang Yu, sitting in the front row, shrank his neck: "Professor, with Lu Ran trash-talking in someone else’s home ground, we won’t be able to leave this Battle Hall later, will we?"
Professor Song smiled slightly: "Don’t worry, the fight on the field won’t involve disputes off the field."
Sitting beside them, Jiang Yuntao, although he heard the two talking, his full attention was on Zhuang Jianbai, clenching his fists with a face full of worry.
He knew Zhuang Jianbai’s greatest weakness—his mindset was easily influenced by his opponent.
Although his mindset had improved a lot with Advisor Chen’s guidance, being trash-talked in front of so many people could seriously impact his mindset.
Losing the match isn’t a big deal, but if Zhuang Jianbai becomes depressed over it...
Under the watchful gaze of many students, Zhuang Jianbai merely smiled at Lu Ran’s trash talk: "Thank you to that teacher for his assessment of me, I deeply appreciate his acknowledgment."
After a pause, he continued: "I understand that there’s a power gap between us, but you’re my opponent, and no matter how big the gap, I’ll give it my all."
"As long as I’m on the field, the Winter Dog and I will fight to the last moment."
Applause thundered like muffled thunder, and Jiang Yuntao didn’t say anything, he just rubbed the corner of his eyes with his fingers.
The wind in the Battle Hall was too strong, letting some sand in just now.
Hearing Zhuang Jianbai’s response, Lu Ran no longer kept his hands in his pockets and instead earnestly looked at Zhuang Jianbai, the corner of his mouth curling up: "Now I’m a bit interested."
The next moment, a thought sounded: "Blast Flame Fighting Ape, Fire Meteor Jump Attack!"
At the same time, Zhuang Jianbai’s eyes sharpened, his thoughts flowing: "Winter Dog."
"Howl!"
The Winter Dog howled, tensing its entire body.
"Ice Pillar Strike!!!"
Rumble!
Black smoke filled the field, everyone craning their necks, watching nervously.
They were waiting for a miracle.
But Zhuang Jianbai, who was spiritually in sync with the Winter Dog, already knew the outcome.
As the black smoke dispersed, the heavily injured Winter Dog lay on the ground, eyes closed, while the Blast Flame Fighting Ape stood unscathed nearby, with a menacing expression on its face, though bearing a noticeable scar.
This was the sign of the Winter Dog’s final strike.
As the whistle sounded, this match ended with Lu Ran and the Blast Flame Fighting Ape claiming victory, and groans echoed from the audience.
"The Zhuang Jianbai we pinned our hopes on still fell."
"Our academy was swept..."
"But honestly, there is indeed a gap in all aspects, let’s keep working hard everyone."
Lu Ran returned the Blast Flame Fighting Ape to the Pet Beast space, striding forward to Zhuang Jianbai and offering his hand: "Actually, that teacher was right, you really satisfied me. This was the most enjoyable match I’ve had since getting here."
"At least both sides gave it their all."
"It’s just....."
"The other Beastmasters here are a bit weak."
Zhuang Jianbai shook hands with him, smiling: "If you want stronger Beastmasters, I do know someone, he’s better than me, but finding him is a bit troublesome."
Lu Ran casually replied: "Might not be possible, we’re about to head back."
Zhuang Jianbai suddenly asked, "By the way, what’s the name of that teacher you mentioned? If I get a chance to visit your place in the future, I must thank him personally."
Unknowingly being noticed all the way from Shanghai and receiving such a high evaluation made Zhuang Jianbai truly grateful.
Lu Ran was stunned: "Our place? He’s not a teacher at our academy."
"Then who..." Zhuang Jianbai looked puzzled.
Lu Ran leaned over to whisper in Zhuang Jianbai’s ear: "His status is quite special, I’ll just tell you personally."
Zhuang Jianbai nodded repeatedly.
Lu Ran’s voice continued: "In your Qin Province, there’s a Baokun City, and in Baokun City, there’s a Xuanhe Village, near the Qinling. There’s a Beastmaster named Chen Yuan there, he’s a consultant for the Baokun City Beastmaster Association..."
"Don’t tell anyone else about this, Mr. Chen prefers to keep a low profile and doesn’t want too many people to know."
"Oh, and show some respect to Mr. Chen, because even I and the Blast Flame Fighting Ape can’t beat him right now..."
Just then, Zhuang Jianbai’s voice quietly emerged: "Actually, the Beastmaster I was going to recommend to you was Advisor Chen."
Hearing this, Lu Ran suddenly turned to look at Zhuang Jianbai.
For a moment, the two stared at each other, both falling silent.
With a look of recognition, they confirmed they were both among those overwhelmed by Advisor Chen (Mr. Chen).
