54: The first victim

On Monday morning, when Lin Chuan arrived at the school gate, he noticed that there were many more people than usual.

Considering today's Calabash Brothers challenge, it was only natural.

"Look, it's Lin Chuan!"

"Is that him?"

"He's quite handsome..."

"But I wonder what his strength is like..."

"Strength in what aspect?"

Lin Chuan completely ignored the gazes of these students from other schools and walked into Third High School as if no one else was around.

He didn't go to the classroom but went directly to the competition venue.

Sure enough, Du Yong had already prepared everything there.

This included checking the stability of the arena and the surrounding defensive Formations.

Speaking of which, this arena hadn't experienced such high-intensity battles in many years, and he wondered if it could withstand it.

Lin Chuan greeted the teacher, then found an empty seat to sit down and passionately argue with netizens.

This time, with six elemental experts challenging him together, it was quite a spectacle for outsiders.

As long as Lin Chuan could hold his ground, he might even break into the top twenty in District 81, practically guaranteeing his entry into a key university.

After once again verbally tearing apart every netizen who slandered him, Lin Chuan felt his Dao Heart had become much more stable.

Refreshing!

Internet trolls were truly terrifying, but thankfully, he won every argument.

Lin Chuan's number one hater, Invincible Turtle, reappeared in the comment section, which surprisingly attracted a lot of attention.

After all, with his almost one-second-per-reply speed, coupled with his almost never-repeating beautiful phrases, no one was his match.

Lu Xiaomo covered her mouth, chuckling softly, as she hurried towards the training hall.

She naturally knew who Invincible Turtle was, choosing to see through it without revealing it.

She thought Boss Lin Chuan was truly too interesting!

...At ten o'clock, all preparations were complete.

Lin Chuan stepped onto the stage and looked at the opposite side.

The six Calabash Brothers—no, the six challengers from First High School and Second High School—were also in position.

However, their expressions were not very pleasant.

Among them, there might even be some enthusiastic netizens who had just been arguing with Lin Chuan.

In truth, they knew in their hearts that victory in this battle was not guaranteed; at least some of them would be crushed by Lin Chuan.

Especially the fire-attributed student; he had heard rumors that Lin Chuan's master's beast had extremely high fire resistance and had crushed the previous grade's top student to take his place.

The principal sent him here merely to verify it.

He, a student from the elite class, a seed for a key university, was actually being used as a pathfinder!

Unbearable!

..."Who wants to go first?"

He directly summoned Old Black.

Lin Chuan asked leisurely.

If he finished quickly, he could still make it home for lunch. Eating out wasn't clean or hygienic, so Lin Chuan usually ordered takeout to eat at home...

"I'll go first." The first victim stepped forward.

Liu Feng, who was fire-attributed, spoke first, then directly went onto the stage.

"May I ask what your attribute is?"

Lin Chuan asked.

"It's probably too late to prepare now, isn't it? I'm not afraid to tell you, I'm a B-grade fire attribute."

Saying that, Liu Feng directly summoned his beast.

Immediately, a crow engulfed in flames appeared in the air, and the temperature inside the venue quickly became stuffy.

However, the school had already prepared for this and turned on the high-power air conditioning.

"Blazing Crow..."

"It looks stronger than the Lava Giant!"

"Don't speak ill of the deceased..."

"..."

"Fire attribute?"

Lin Chuan's expression was strange.

"Everyone knows your purpose. You can directly use your strongest attack skills. I won't attack or dodge. If I defend against it, I win. Otherwise, you lose. How about it?"

Lin Chuan directly used his old trick.

Liu Feng on the stage hesitated, but a boy below the stage spoke up: "Okay, we agree."

"Gu Zhen, you..."

Liu Feng was displeased that the other party made a decision for him, but he couldn't say anything.

Gu Zhen was lightning-attributed and the strongest among the six people on this trip, subtly leading them.

"Then let's begin, quickly, speed it up..."

"Don't underestimate me! Blazing Crow, burn it down!!!"

Liu Feng shouted directly.

Immediately, the Blazing Crow flapped its wings a few times, and a rain of fire fell within a ten-meter radius above Old Black's head.

Countless lava-like fireballs directly landed on Old Black's entire body, striking his shell and sparking.

After the fireballs landed, they didn't extinguish but continued to burn... This wasn't over; immediately after, came the second skill, "Prairie Fire."

Ten-meter-high flames completely engulfed Old Black.

It looked like he was being roasted.

Then, the third skill...

The originally red and yellow flames gradually turned blue-violet, and the temperature increased by at least 2 times.

A combo of skills was unleashed in an instant.

The flames burned for a full minute, and the steel plates of the arena showed signs of melting.

The students below watched with horrified eyes, constantly swallowing. They didn't know if it was from the heat or from fear.

Is this an elite from First High School!

Every master's beast had at least three active skills. Thinking about how most of their own classmates only had one active skill made them want to cry.

However, now was not the time for self-pity; at least Third High School still had Lin Chuan!

Everyone was focused on Old Black's situation on the stage.

In reality, Old Black had been sleeping ever since Lin Chuan summoned him, and he hadn't woken up yet.

He just felt so warm... like when he was in an egg hundreds of years ago... He was young then... not being called Old Black now... Wait, if Old Black could live for tens of thousands of years, he'd still be a several-hundred-year-old child now!

"Old Black, wake up, stop playing dead!"

Lin Chuan was truly exasperated with this guy.

As his master, how could he not know what Old Black was doing? He was practically snoring.

The flames hadn't completely extinguished yet, when Old Black reluctantly walked step by step towards the opposite side.

He stopped only when he reached the front of the six people on the opposite side, allowing them to see him clearly.

Directly facing such a giant beast, the six people were all terrified, fearing that this guy would swallow them whole.

"Look, if there's even a trace of a burn, I lose!"

As soon as these words came out, the students below instantly erupted...

"Handsome..."

"Boss Lin Chuan is too handsome!"

"Ah, I can't take it anymore..."

"This is impossible!" Liu Feng ignored the danger and walked directly in front of Old Black, almost reaching out to touch him.

Old Black glared at him, looking at him with the gaze of someone caring for an idiot.

Finally, Liu Feng gently touched Old Black's shell; it was cold!

Just like his heart, it was utterly cold.

"I lost."

Liu Feng walked off the stage dejectedly, and as he passed the remaining five people, he whispered: "There really isn't a single burn. Maybe it just has high fire resistance; it's up to you guys now."

After saying that, he found a random corner and remained silent.

As for whether his current hope was for the other students to win or for everyone to retreat in defeat... who could say.