Beast Battle!

Chen Bo felt that Luo Yu ought to be strung up from a streetlight. What did he mean, free labor? If I work for you, shouldn't you be paying me a wage! As for feeding fish... He was the future heir of a biological research institute, for crying out loud. Only someone bored out of their mind would take on a mindless chore like feeding fish. "What are you two standing around here for?" Before Chen Bo could speak, a voice drifted over from nearby. Yuwan walked up clutching a stack of documents, eyeing the two in bewilderment. "Nothing much. Researcher Chen Zhuo's son was just asking me how he can become as outstanding as I am," Luo Yu said. "I was not!" Chen Bo was taken aback. When had he ever asked that! "As expected of Researcher Chen Zhuo's child. Quite studious," Yuwan praised. "..." Chen Bo felt as though several knives had just been plunged into his heart, making it difficult to breathe. Luo Yu gave a light chuckle. "We can talk about work later. Didn't you want a beast battle? We happen to be heading over to the Beast Fighting Arena right now—want to come along and take a look?" "What are you going to the Beast Fighting Arena for...?" Chen Bo asked. "We have a medical collaboration with their infirmary, so we're heading over to discuss the details," Luo Yu said. Chen Bo: "..." "Then shall we set off?" Yuwan wore a weary expression. "My schedule is rather packed today. Once I drop you off, I'll probably have to leave." "By the way, Luo Yu... about the institute's security personnel you mentioned earlier... The Director is already screening candidates. Do you have any specific requirements, such as gender or age?" Security personnel? Chen Bo remained silent to the side, feeling as if the entire world had suddenly grown unfamiliar. They were even assigning Luo Yu bodyguards...? ...... Afterward, the three rode in a carriage toward the Beast Fighting Arena. Yuwan had brought along a coachman who was waiting not far away, and their ride was drawn by the mutated beast, a Wave-Treading Horse. Once aboard the carriage, Chen Bo became a third wheel, listening as Luo Yu and Yuwan discussed work the entire time. "Finally, we're here..." Much later, Chen Bo drew back the curtain and let out a heavy breath. Pure torture. The Beast Fighting Arena was immense. Its architectural style was not like ancient Rome, but resembled an open-air stadium. Inside, there were multiple zones, each featuring a battle arena centered around a massive pool. Since most Beast Masters these days contracted Water-system pet beasts, a venue meant for Beast Masters to spar naturally provided ample water environments. When Luo Yu and the others arrived, the head of the arena infirmary had already been waiting for a long time. He was a middle-aged man with a balding Mediterranean hairline... clearly possessing formidable medical skills at a glance. "Secretary Yu, er..." He offered an enthusiastic greeting, and just as he moved to greet Luo Yu as well, he realized "two Luo Yus" had stepped down from the carriage. He sized them up. Chen Bo had a well-proportioned build and the typical face of a top student, looking every bit like an elite youth raised by two researchers. As for Luo Yu, thanks to his needle-puncture training method over the past month, he had developed rapidly of late. Standing tall and robustly built, he looked like an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old sailor... clearly someone accustomed to hard manual labor. "This is Luo Yu, and this is Researcher Chen Zhuo's son, who came along to have a friendly spar with Scholar Luo Yu," Yuwan introduced. "Scholar Luo Yu, you are indeed an imposing talent, haha..." The infirmary director wiped his sweat and immediately offered greetings, wondering why the real Luo Yu seemed less like a researcher and more like a combatant. "This is Director Zhang, the current head of the Beast Fighting Arena infirmary and also the vice director of Jingyue Hospital," Yuwan introduced to Luo Yu. "Vice Director Zhang." The two shook hands. Chen Bo was once again left out in the cold. Director Zhang then said, "Why don't I show you around the Beast Fighting Arena, Scholar Luo Yu? We can chat about the collaboration the Director mentioned while we walk." "Sure," Luo Yu nodded. "Then go ahead and look around. Vice Director Zhang, I'll leave Luo Yu and Chen Bo in your hands," Yuwan said faintly. "I still have dozens of documents to process today, so I won't keep you company." "No problem," Director Zhang chuckled. He then took Luo Yu and Chen Bo along for a tour of the Beast Fighting Arena, introducing its facilities. "Here in our arena, there are sixteen combat zones in total: fourteen ordinary sub-arenas suitable for Apprentice and Junior Beast Masters to spar, one advanced arena capable of handling spars between Intermediate Beast Masters, and one main arena used when Jingyue Island hosts special events, with extensive spectator seating. "Beyond the combat arenas, there are also three training facilities... "The Director told me that Scholar Luo Yu is free to use these training facilities whenever you wish. Shall I show you?" Within the arena, the three training facilities consisted of the reef-strewn, fast-flowing "Turbulent Maze," which trained a pet beast's ability to battle turbulent currents and dodge obstacles; the high-impact "Artificial Waterfall," which drilled pressure endurance and resistance to Water-system special abilities; and the "Sniper Chamber," filled with numerous moving targets to train the precision of water-stream shooting. None of them was a perfect match for July, but they couldn't be called entirely useless either. After all, water was also a "weakness" the little penguin needed to overcome. "Not bad. I can come here often in the future." Chen Bo had only ever visited as a spectator to watch others battle beasts; since becoming a Beast Master, he hadn't really been here much. "Weren't you looking for a beast battle?" Luo Yu said. "Let's do our match first, and afterward I can attend to business with Director Zhang." "Let's go." Chen Bo nodded, though he felt a bit puzzled. Wait a second. Why wasn't Luo Yu afraid of him? Once he calmed down, he even felt that his challenge was somewhat bullying the smaller guy. After all, he had become a Beast Master several months earlier than Luo Yu. Luo Yu had every right to refuse, so why had he accepted so calmly? Chen Bo felt something was off... Yet the challenge for a beast battle had already been issued, and he could hardly take it back now. Never mind. It was just a Ground Penguin—could it really sprout wings and fly to the heavens? "If you two want to spar, I'll take you over to check out an arena," Director Zhang said after showing them the training facilities. "Thank you." Luo Yu smiled. Come to think of it, July had never experienced actual PvP yet. Fishing certainly didn't count, and Luo Yu was quite curious about how it would perform in combat. Chen Bo would likely make a decent opponent... The three walked on. There weren't many people in the arena right now, and only one arena was in use. The two battling inside appeared to be around the same age as Luo Yu and Chen Bo. "Looks like two freshmen from the beast taming school. Having just become Beast Masters, they're bursting with passion for beast battles and come here to spar almost every day." Catching sight of their faces from a distance, Director Zhang seemed to recognize them. "By the way, did Scholar Luo Yu not attend school...? Er, though there doesn't seem to be much need." Just after asking, he gave a wry chuckle. After all, Luo Yu was a genius whom the Director had personally entrusted to his care; someone like that truly had no need to go to school alongside ordinary peers. Graduating from beast taming school meant nothing more than finding a job. Those who fared worse took on ordinary manual labor on the island, while the more fortunate joined major fleets to go to sea on missions. By comparison, neither could hold a candle to the achievement of Luo Yu, who had bred medical inkfish. Not to mention Luo Yu, even Chen Bo beside him apparently hadn't gone to school, working instead as an assistant in his father's research institute the whole time. "Those two pet beasts are trained reasonably well," Chen Bo remarked. He did possess the confidence to feel superior; after all, he was an elite student nurtured in a highly educated household. Luo Yu was also observing the beast battle. Beside the pool, the two combatants were a Lower Common Species Wave Dog at life level 6, and a Mid-tier Common Species Cold Mist Lizard at life level 4. In the arena, the Wave Dog dodged at high speed, while the Cold Mist Lizard acted like an artillery turret, repeatedly spitting icy-blue gas arrows from its mouth. The special ability Ice Mist! Moreover, unlike formless, loose cold mist, even though this Cold Mist Lizard was only level 4, it had trained its special ability to the proficiency of condensing the mist into arrows and firing them in rapid succession. Thus, despite being two levels lower than the Wave Dog, it was not at a disadvantage. Judging by the power of the Ice Mist arrows, which easily froze whatever they hit... if the Wave Dog took a direct blow, it would likely be frostbitten instantly and lose all mobility. The Wave Dog therefore had to evade. Its special ability was Flowing Fangs, a melee technique, which meant it had to close the distance to the Cold Mist Lizard while dodging; only by landing a bite could it secure victory. "Indeed, both have been trained quite well. The Wave Dog is swift and agile, while the Cold Mist Lizard shows skilled mastery over its special ability," Vice Director Zhang chimed in with his assessment. Are they really that good...? Luo Yu remained silent, continuing to evaluate the standard of pet beast cultivation among peers his age. A moment later, relying on its agile movements, the Wave Dog successfully closed in on the Cold Mist Lizard and clamped its jaws onto the creature. Yet such close proximity also turned it into a sitting duck. At this point, it became a clash of sheer ability power. And the outcome... The Wave Dog's Flowing Fangs failed to crush the other's scales right away, while the cold mist froze the Wave Dog solid in an instant. The match was decided. Watching this, Luo Yu analyzed the fight. Both were indeed trained well enough, but it was far too rigid. The Wave Dog excelled at hunting on land and water, was nimble on its feet, and had its fangs as its core weapon—there was nothing wrong with that. The Cold Mist Lizard's special ability, Ice Mist, was its most formidable asset, which was also true. So both trainers had concentrated on polishing their beasts' apparent strengths. There was nothing wrong with this approach; most people who contracted a Wave Dog or a Cold Mist Lizard would train them that way. Yet Luo Yu noticed that the individual talents of both pet beasts... seemed completely untapped. For instance, he had observed that the Wave Dog possessed the "ordinary talent: Steel Claws." With the Steel Claws talent, its sharp claws gained powerful armor-piercing effects... With that talent, the potential of its claws was actually greater than its teeth. That defied common sense—canine teeth were typically far stronger than claws—but mutated beasts could not be judged by normal rules... Luo Yu didn't know whether training the Wave Dog's steel claws from an early age and directing its abilities toward condensing water elements around its claws would have yielded better results, but right now, it had certainly lost—and lost because it failed to breach its opponent's defense. "They're done. Looks like this Cold Mist Lizard is a bit more capable," Director Zhang remarked. "Yeah," Luo Yu nodded. Still, even though the Cold Mist Lizard had won, in Luo Yu's eyes, it could have done much better. Its talent was the "ordinary talent: Agile." Yet throughout the battle, it had acted entirely like a stationary turret, releasing skills from one spot over and over. When its opponent drew near, Luo Yu clearly saw the Cold Mist Lizard panic and attempt to dodge, only to fail miserably—it had exhibited nothing resembling agility. Evidently, the Beast Master hadn't trained its speed attribute, instead treating it solely as an artillery piece all along. The power of its special ability was strong, but its reactions were not nimble at all. If the trainer had dedicated even a sliver of effort to tapping into its speed talent, it might have dodged that final attack while delivering a point-blank finishing blow, rather than getting bitten in the process. With the beast battle over, the two students recalled their pet beasts, intending to head to the infirmary for treatment. Just then, however, the Cold Mist Lizard's Beast Master spotted Director Zhang and couldn't help walking over. "Uncle Zhang, you're actually here!" "Ah, Xiao Liang! Good fight. Both of you performed well," Director Zhang smiled. "Were you heading to the infirmary? Summon your pet beasts; I'll just have mine treat them right here." "Thank you!" The two were overjoyed; opportunities like this were rare. With that, Director Zhang summoned his own pet beast—a sea turtle possessing healing abilities—and administered basic treatment to both beasts... "It's you?!" During this time, the Cold Mist Lizard's Beast Master had been sneaking glances at the unfamiliar Luo Yu. At first, he hadn't made the connection, but soon let out a startled cry. "Do you know me?" Luo Yu looked at him, then recalled. "Oh, right, I remember now. We ran into each other when I was catching Honey-Water Bees." "Is it him?!" The Wave Dog's Beast Master, Zhuang Feng, also stared at Luo Yu in astonishment. Back then, he was the one who had mistaken Luo Yu for a wild man. "What a coincidence..." Luo Yu was surprised. These two fellows were the students guided by that teacher back then... Wait, wasn't there a girl too? Did they leave her out of their fun? "Are you here for a beast battle too?" Bing Liang asked. "No, to discuss a collaboration with Director Zhang." "A collaboration??" "Haha," Director Zhang chuckled. "That's right." "..." The two fell silent. "Luo Yu—I can call you Luo Yu, right?" Bing Liang said suddenly. "How about having a beast battle with me?" He was genuinely curious about Luo Yu. After all, even his teacher hadn't known the extent of Luo Yu's strength. "Xiao Liang," Director Zhang chided from the side. "Luo Yu doesn't have time to fool around with you boys..." If he remembered correctly, Luo Yu's pet beast was a Ground Penguin. That pet beast was inferior even to a Wave Dog—how could it possibly defeat a Cold Mist Lizard? Research talent was one thing, but combat was an entirely different matter. As for Luo Yu and Chen Bo arranging a match, he assumed it wasn't a standard duel either—more likely Chen Bo was acting as Luo Yu's sparring partner. The two clearly looked like friends. But Bing Liang's challenge was far too abrupt. "It's not out of the question," Luo Yu said. "My pet beast happens to be about the same level as yours..." After half a month of training, July had leveled up two more times and was now level 4 as well. "You agree?!" Bing Liang was pleasantly surprised. "This..." Beside them, Director Zhang wore a stunned expression. "Yeah, sure," Luo Yu nodded. "Wait—wait a second?" Chen Bo was also dumbfounded. I was clearly first, wasn't I?! Luo Yu patted Chen Bo on the shoulder and said, "Don't rush. You're up next." Chen Bo was probably quite strong, so Luo Yu figured he should let the little penguin warm up against a rookie first.