9: Frost Star Sparrow and the University Cup

The sky gradually darkened.

Lin Shu started getting busy at home.

He simply tidied up the room and the living room.

The clones had made the inside of the house quite messy these past few days.

After satisfying his appetite, Lin Shu collapsed onto the sofa.

He watched as Hei Ye and a clone exercised vigorously beside him.

Unlike the previous few days, Hei Ye could now match the clone for short periods.

However, the gap in endurance was still too large.

At this moment, the two clones became somewhat dim.

Just like fading colors.

Then they burst apart like bubbles.

Leaving nothing behind, they simply vanished into the air.

Seeing this scene, Lin Shu was not surprised.

He knew the clones could not exist forever.

He thought about how long they had lasted.

He realized they had persisted for five days, which was quite a good performance.

Without wasting too much time,

The two clones reappeared in the room quickly.

Using his talent twice in a row placed too much mental strain on Lin Shu.

Slumped on the sofa, he chugged a bottle of Mental Stimulation Potion, and only then did he feel a bit better.

Under Lin Shu's control, the clones numbly continued practicing their skills.

He had some thoughts regarding his talent.

It seemed the less energy consumed, the longer they could last.

The clones would disappear once the energy stored within his body was depleted.

It didn't affect anything now, but later, when Hei Ye mastered Intermediate and Advanced skills,

The clones might not even last a full day.

Without dwelling on this, Lin Shu thought about Proficiency.

Although the amount he could gain daily was already considerable,

This kind of thing was never too much.

Looking at his panel attributes, he immediately had an idea.

[Name]: Lin Shu

[Status]: Normal (Mentally Exhausted)

[Mental Energy]: 72

[Talent]: Mirror Flower, Water Moon - Beginner (35 / 200)

[Beast]: Shadow Mantis (Hei Ye)

[Technique]: Basic Spirit Refining - Major Achievement (11 / 70)

(Proficiency: 11)

During this period, not only did Hei Ye improve greatly, but Lin Shu hadn't fallen behind.

His Mental Energy had increased by four points, and the Basic Spirit Refining Technique had reached Major Achievement.

My talent can copy a Beastmaster's Beast, bringing me Proficiency.

This means the more Beasts I contract,

The more Proficiency I will gain.

So the next goal is to raise my Mental Energy to 100 points,

Reaching the threshold for a First-Rank Beastmaster.

Only then can I proceed to contract a second Beast.

Lin Shu was rather special. For other novice Beastmasters,

They would only consider a second Beast upon reaching Third-Rank, as contracting Beasts required a lot of money and time.

Ordinary people simply couldn't afford to raise them.

Having made up his mind, he aimed to reach 100 Mental Energy before this weekend,

Then go select a second Beast to contract,

To speed up Proficiency acquisition.

Regarding the second Beast, Lin Shu pondered.

Should he choose a Warrior type, or a Tank?

Or perhaps a Mage?

Forget it, I won't overthink it now.

I'll see when the time comes.

I'll think about it more these next few days.

The room quieted down.

The night passed without incident, and time arrived on the second day.

...

Lin Shu walked through the campus, and many passing students pointed at him,

And whispered amongst themselves.

Leaving him somewhat confused.

What were these people doing?

He walked into the classroom and asked his classmates.

Only then did he find out what was going on.

It turned out that the news about yesterday's battle had spread.

Many people now knew about Lin Shu.

The strongest man in Class 5.

Lin Shu wasn't sure what to say.

What was all this?

Huang Yian, standing nearby, couldn't stop laughing.

Time passed quickly, and it was already lunchtime.

At noon, Lin Shu also received a spiritual item from the teacher.

The afternoon class was relatively relaxed: watching the University Cup competition.

Of course, there was also the High School Cup, but its popularity couldn't compare, though it still garnered some attention and prestige.

It was meant to broaden the horizons of the classmates.

Today was the individual competition for the University Cup, Round of 128 to 64.

The University Cup was divided into two events: Individual and Team.

So there would be two champions.

Jiangcheng University VS Blue Lake University.

The teacher arrived in the classroom, skillfully opened the webpage, and put up the match.

It was currently commercial time; the match hadn't started yet.

Everyone was excited, discussing which university would win.

"I think it'll be Jiangcheng University. After all, it's an established powerhouse."

"Yeah, they are regulars in the top sixteen. Beating Blue Lake University should be easy."

The consensus leaned heavily toward Jiangcheng University.

Their reasoning was sound. Compared to the fame of Jiangcheng University,

Blue Lake University was significantly weaker and had never achieved any notable results in the University Cup.

Everything they said was true.

Lin Shu was also quite interested. He wanted to witness a real competition.

Yesterday's class battle was merely child's play.

He tapped Hei Ye's head, telling him not to be distracted,

To watch carefully and learn well.

Hei Ye obediently nodded, appearing very well-behaved.

The commercial break passed quickly.

As the camera cut in,

The city's hustle and bustle combined with the roar of the crowd.

A massive and magnificent arena stood there,

Like a giant beast rooted in place, full of power and beauty.

Entering the arena, the view focused on the center of the field.

It was a huge circular arena specifically designed for battles.

Several massive display screens were installed inside the venue,

Real-time broadcasting the detailed information and highlights of the contestants.

The arena was surrounded by tiers of audience seating.

The seats were arranged neatly, capable of holding tens of thousands of spectators.

After a short wait, both sides' contestants appeared inside the arena.

Magic arrays surged, and the Beasts appeared in view.

Following the referee's order,

The match between Jiangcheng University and Blue Lake University officially began.

As expected, the students from Jiangcheng University were extremely formidable.

They sent out a Frost Star Sparrow that forced their opponent into a continuous retreat.

They were no match at all. Despite both being university students, the gap was considerable.

They Advanced into the top 64.

As the match concluded, the classroom erupted in noise.

Everyone was filled with excitement, wishing they could step onto the stage to compete.

They discussed the power of the Frost Star Sparrow.

Lin Shu, using his panel, also learned exactly how strong it was.

[Name]: Frost Star Sparrow

[Rank]: Lv63 (55 / 630)

[Rank Cap]: 100+

[Status]: Moderately Injured

[Quality]: Lord

[Attributes]: Ice / Flying

[Talent]: None

[Skills]: Elementary Skill -- Peck - Subtlety (105 / 200), Ram - Subtlety (77 / 200)...

Intermediate Skill -- Extreme Cold Dash - Perfect (35 / 100), Ice Blade - Subtlety (13 / 400)...

Advanced Skill -- Frost Feather - Major Achievement (144 / 160), Ice Shield - Major Achievement (122 / 160)...

Super-Tier Skill -- Dance of Ice and Snow - Beginner (48 / 160)

Terrifying!

Seeing a panel like this, one finally understood the true strength of an Advanced Beastmaster.

Approaching Seventh-Rank, a staggering Level 63,

Lord Quality, and countless skills.

And this was what could be called a competition.