19: When did I become a big shot?
As they walked, the two of them happened to pass by the battle zone.
"Hey, isn't that Senior Jiang! Who's that person next to her?"
"That's Chen Fei from our class. He took a leave of absence just a few days after school started."
"So he's Chen Fei! Holy crap, don't tell me Senior Jiang, that beautiful flower, has already been plucked?"
"Stop, don't scare me like that. She's the goddess of my heart!"
As soon as that name was mentioned, the vast majority of people looked over.
It couldn't be helped; everyone still remembered the time Jiang Yiyi went to Class 2 to find Chen Fei.
Now, seeing the two of them chatting and laughing, it was only natural for people's imaginations to run wild.
The people from Qianfeng Academy also looked over. At first glance, it didn't seem like much, but the second glance gave them a shock.
Liu Shaohu blurted out, "Isn't that the guy with the Rank 2, Level 8 Jade Light Mantis?"
Shanhai Academy students: ????
"Are you mistaken? Chen Fei is just a freshman. How could he have such a high-Rank Yao Beast?
You should know that even Big Shot Su Can isn't that exaggerated."
Liu Shaohu glared at the speaker: "What the hell do you know? I already fought him at the school gate. How could I not know?"
To be precise, he had been utterly crushed.
As soon as Liu Shaohu said this, the way everyone looked at Chen Fei changed.
"Is it really Rank 2, Level 8? Why does that feel so surreal?"
"That's just ridiculous. If you calculate it that way, he's even stronger than Big Shot Su Can."
"No, really, who exactly is this Chen Fei?"
Liu Shaohu: ... Qianfeng Academy students: ... It's one thing for us from Qianfeng Academy not to know, but why are you Shanhai Academy people also making such a fuss?
At this moment, even favored geniuses like Shangguan Shihua and Qu Lie looked over.
However, they found that they couldn't see through Chen Fei's cultivation at all.
There were only two possibilities for this: either Chen Fei's cultivation was higher than theirs, or he was practicing a hidden Cultivation Technique.
But Beast Tamers rarely have much time to study Martial Arts, so the former was more likely.
In other words, what Liu Shaohu said was very likely true.
This caused the pupils of Shangguan Shihua and the others to contract.
There was actually such a hidden big shot among the first-year students?
Oh, no wonder Senior Jiang only looks for Chen Fei!
It's because they are both geniuses among geniuses!
Everything makes sense now!
Chen Fei had no idea that simply because he was walking with Jiang Yiyi, he had been identified as a big shot.
Could there be anything more ridiculous than this?
As expected, invisible mental gymnastics are the most lethal!
Just as they were discussing Chen Fei, another wave of exclamations broke out.
Su Can't Eagle-Tiger Beast had actually been knocked down.
This was Su Can at Intermediate Level 5; who could be so fierce?
Looking closely, it wasn't someone from Qianfeng Academy, but from another school called Element Academy.
This academy only accepted elemental-type Yao Beasts. They were a bit specialized, which was why Qianfeng Academy hadn't taken them seriously.
Now, they had suddenly risen to prominence, and even Su Can't usual beast pet was no match for them.
"The opponent is actually at Intermediate Level 6. Since when did their school have such a strong Beast Tamer?"
"What's going on? There are a lot of geniuses these past two years. It's a bit ridiculous!"
"I've heard a saying: the more geniuses there are, the greater the impending disaster. They are born to meet the tribulation!"
"Go, go, go, get lost! Don't spread alarmist talk here!"
"..."
The people from Shanhai Academy and Element Academy were still watching the spectacle; the only one hurt was Qianfeng Academy.
Liu Shaohu pulled a long face: "Wait, are we the weakest? Our strongest is only at Intermediate Level 4. At this rate, we're going to be finished!"
On the arena stage!
Su Can was not discouraged by the Eagle-Tiger Beast's defeat. He remained calm because he still had a trump card.
A dragon-type Yao Beast, white with blue highlights, fleshy wings on its back, and covered in ice armor, appeared in front of Su Can, drawing another round of gasps from everyone.
Its over three-meter-tall body even attracted the attention of Chen Fei and Jiang Yiyi.
[Frost Dragon (Sub-Dragon species)
Strength: Rank 2, Level 5
Attributes: Elemental, Flying
Aptitude: S
Potential: Expected to promote to SSS-Rank Aptitude.
Skills:
1. Arrow Rain: Ice soul arrows composed of countless wisps of extreme cold Qi, pouring down like meteors!
Proficiency: proficient level
2. Pure Ice Barrier: An ice crystal shield condensed from water vapor in the air, most effective against fire-attribute attacks.
Proficiency: proficient level
...]
Even if it was a sub-dragon, it was still a dragon!
The minimum Aptitude was at least S-Rank.
Su Can was definitely not someone raised in an ordinary family.
As luck would have it, the opposing Yao Beast happened to be a fire-attribute one. It was completely countered and was defeated instantly.
"Interesting, now this is interesting!" Tang Jian laughed loudly, feeling the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent.
The Element Academy students below the stage also started laughing:
"When Brother Tang smiles, life and death are uncertain. It seems he's getting serious."
"Among peers of the same grade, Brother Tang has never lost!"
"..."
Next, Tang Jian summoned a creature with a bird-like appearance, blue-purple feathers, and three long, beautiful tail feathers.
Chen Fei looked over again:
[Purple Thunder Phoenix (Possesses rare Phoenix Bloodline)
Strength: Rank 2, Level 6
Attributes: Elemental, Flying
Aptitude: S
Potential: Expected to promote to SSS-Rank Aptitude.
Skills:
1. Thunder Cage: Constructs a cage woven from lightning to imprison the enemy.
Proficiency: proficient level
2. Thunder Snake Entwinement: Stimulates the thunder elements throughout the body to condense several giant snakes of pure lightning to attack the enemy.
Proficiency: proficient level
...]
This strength was not weaker than the Frost Dragon. It looked like there would be a real fight.
The dragon and the Phoenix began a fierce battle in the air.
When the six giant blue lightning snakes approached, they were frozen by the frost from the Frost Dragon's mouth.
However, the Purple Thunder Phoenix was very crafty. It had secretly condensed a small white lightning snake. It was inconspicuous, but its lethality exceeded that of the six giant lightning snakes.
This small white snake circled behind the Frost Dragon and crashed directly into its fleshy wing.
Instantly, purple lightning entwined the dragon's body. A large patch on its wing turned black, and the pain caused the dragon to fall from the sky.
Just when it seemed the scales of victory were tipping toward the Purple Thunder Phoenix, a semi-transparent ice-silk net fell from the sky, covering the Purple Thunder Phoenix.
This was the Frost Dragon's unique skill, Frost-Woven Net.
The nearly transparent net contained the power of extreme frost, suppressing the Purple Thunder Phoenix.
Both behemoths hit the ground, and dust instantly filled the air.
It seemed like they had both taken heavy damage, but that wasn't actually the case!
The Purple Thunder Phoenix wasn't actually injured; it had allowed itself to fall to get close to the dragon and use its Lightning Magnetic Field.
Long before the Frost-Woven Net fell, the Purple Thunder Phoenix had also condensed a white Thunder Cage, and the two collided.
The reason it fell was that it was caught in the impact of the collision.
So it used that impact to approach the dragon at maximum speed.
Once the Lightning Magnetic Field was activated, the Frost Dragon's defeat became apparent.
But no one expected that the Frost Dragon had also feigned its fall.
The wing being shocked was real, but in that instant, the dragon had condensed countless layers of ice shields, negating a large amount of damage. The remaining lightning power wasn't enough to seriously injure it.
So the moment the Purple Thunder Phoenix landed, the Frost Dragon lunged to bite it, relying on its thick ice armor to engage in close combat.
Unexpectedly, the Purple Thunder Phoenix also had close combat skills.
Thus, the Frost Dragon bit the Purple Thunder Phoenix's neck and continuously spat out frost power.
Meanwhile, the Purple Thunder Phoenix's Lightning Magnetic Field was constantly acting upon the Frost Dragon's body.
Neither would give an inch!
"Incredible! This is truly a battle of twists and turns!"
"Both of them are so crafty. They both faked being injured. Now look at them—they could have been flying, but they're forced into close combat."
"Now it just depends on which one can hold out longer!"
Just as the words were spoken, the Frost Dragon collapsed straight down.
When Aptitude and technique are similar, it comes down to who gets the first move.
If neither side has the advantage of the first move, then it comes down to raw strength.
The Frost Dragon was Rank 2, Level 5, while the Purple Thunder Phoenix was Rank 2, Level 6.
That one extra level was an absolute advantage in this kind of situation.
Su Can opened his mouth but said nothing. Finally, he just withdrew the Frost Dragon into his beast taming space to recover.
He was somewhat discouraged, leaving only a lonely silhouette as he stood in the corner.
As for the Purple Thunder Phoenix, it chirped and circled in the sky; this was the victor's ritual.
The students of Shanhai Academy were also unwilling to accept this:
"So close. We were just a tiny bit away from taking down that Purple Thunder Phoenix. Even a draw would have been fine. That way, neither Shangguan Shihua nor Qu Lie would have felt any pressure facing the others!"
"Yeah, who can deal with this Tang Jian now?"
"Wait, don't we still have Big Shot Chen Fei? Why is everyone looking so dejected?"
"Oh right, isn't Big Shot Chen Fei right here? Go for it, Big Shot Chen Fei! Crush that Purple Thunder Phoenix!"
"Right, right, right, everything depends on you, Big Shot Chen Fei!"
"..."
Chen Fei: ????
No, wait, since when did I become a big shot?
Even I didn't know!
Jiang Yiyi also looked over: "It seems you're quite famous among the freshmen, Junior!"