Half an hour later, the group headed to the competition stage in the center of the island. The surrounding contestants looked on with anticipation, eager to see who would emerge victorious today. Despite the silence on-site, the online buzz was already electric. Since early morning, the comment section had been non-stop, filled with fans of Chen Shu and Qiao Na. While Qiao Na had the advantage of her beauty, Chen Shu’s "ferocious bandit" persona had garnered him just as many fans, making them evenly matched, both with a shot at the Silver group championship.
“Chen Shu, you’ve really become an international ferocious bandit now,” A Liang said, holding up his phone. “You have fans overseas too.”
“As expected, as expected,” Chen Shu replied with a slight smile, feeling a surge of excitement.
“Chen Pi, someone even did a data comparison of you two!”
“What?” Chen Shu snatched the phone, his eyes widening as he saw a detailed analysis of their respective information.
The Alliance Goddess Qiao Na:
Looks: ☆☆☆☆☆
Beast Taming Level: ☆☆☆☆☆
Contracted Spirit Potential Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Combat Experience: ☆☆☆☆☆
…
The data showed Qiao Na as near perfect, her attributes far surpassing those of prodigies at her level, even recognized by official organizations worldwide. In contrast, Chen Shu’s data appeared rather bizarre.
The Southern River Ferocious Bandit Chen Shu:
Looks: ☆☆
Beast Taming Level: ☆☆
Contracted Spirit Potential Rating: ☆
…
His data hovered between one and two stars, looking rather dismal.
“Am I really that bad…” Chen Shu’s mouth twitched. Was this meant to mock him?
“Just a reminder, this was done by your fans,” A Liang said.
Chen Shu’s jaw dropped, a wave of melancholy washing over him.
“Don’t worry, keep reading,” A Liang prompted.
“Huh?” Chen Shu patiently continued. Finally, he found the turning point:
Combat Experience: ☆☆☆☆☆
Personal Ferocity: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall Strength: ☆☆☆☆☆
Note: Five stars do not represent actual skill but the highest possible rating.
“Now that’s more like it,” Chen Shu mused, stroking his chin. This felt accurate and objective.
“Get ready!” Qin Tian announced. “We’re about to go on stage.”
At that moment, the host above called out, “Please welcome today’s two protagonists! Player Chen Shu from China and Qiao Na from the Free Alliance!”
The surrounding contestants applauded with admiration. Meanwhile, across China, countless people were watching the World Championship finals through various means. The previous year, China’s performance had been disappointing, leading to a lack of interest in the finals. But this year was different. Chen Shu, one of the protagonists, enjoyed immense popularity, even being considered a role model for the youth, at least in terms of talent and strength.
In Nanjiang City, the entire city had come to a standstill, with everyone gathered before televisions and computers, awaiting the finals.
“Damn, this kid has really brought honor to us!” Shen Wushuang exclaimed, his body trembling with excitement. He had never dared to dream of such a scene. He had merely taught casually, and now he had produced a world champion – it was like a science fiction movie!
“Old Shen, can you stop shaking?” a woman in an apron asked. “People will think you’re having an episode…”
“What do you mean?” Shen Wushuang frowned. “Look, he’s a student I personally taught!” He pointed at Chen Shu on the television, his eyes brimming with excitement.
“Does he even acknowledge you after all this time?” the woman scoffed. “I remember you burying him, didn’t you?”
“What do you know?!” Shen Wushuang retorted. “I was helping him appreciate the beauty of nature!”
…
Not just Shen Wushuang, but all the residents of Nanjiang City were eagerly awaiting the match. Nanjiang City, a small town, had suddenly gained renown across the nation and the globe. Many attributed this to good Feng Shui, believing it was the only way to nurture such a prodigy.
“With such good Feng Shui, I must find a way to move my ancestors’ graves here!” many decided. However, a minority cautioned, “Are you crazy? Moving your ancestral graves to Nanjiang City? That’s practically giving them away!”
“What’s wrong with that? I want to absorb some of the genius’s aura!”
“I’m afraid you’ll absorb a nuclear bomb instead of genius aura…”
“What do you mean?”
“Let me explain…” The few knowledgeable individuals tried to dissuade them. They acknowledged Nanjiang City as a blessed land, but moving graves was unnecessary. They worried that the graves might be perfectly fine when moved, but not returned intact.
…
As the global audience debated, the two protagonists had already arrived at the competition stage.
“Patriarch Tianhe, who do you think has a higher chance of winning?” a King-level Beast Tamer asked with curiosity. A dozen or so King-level Beast Tamers were gathered above the stage, discussing amongst themselves. However, only Anton of Snow Country remained beside Qin Tian. Following recent events, others dared not approach him, fearing they would become the next victim. Dori, on the other hand, was completely alone, with even the usually friendly Immortal Kingdom keeping their distance.
“If it were that obvious, what would be the point of the competition?” Patriarch Tianhe shook his head. “However, generally speaking, Qiao Na has a slightly higher chance of winning.” While he found Chen Shu unconventional, scientifically speaking, Qiao Na was indeed stronger.
“No way, his husky is also Golden grade, no less than an angel’s.”
“But Qiao Na is Silver three-star,” Patriarch Tianhe explained. “The gap between minor levels is significant, making Qiao Na’s other two contracted spirits even stronger.”
“That does make sense,” they nodded, acknowledging Qiao Na’s advantage.
Just then, a sudden voice interjected, “Is there a possibility that he could break through on the spot?”
“Huh?” Patriarch Tianhe turned to look at Qin Tian in the distance. “Principal Qin, are you making a science fiction movie here?”
“Look!” Qin Tian pointed at Chen Shu below, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.
“What?” Everyone looked down and their expressions froze. The next second, their mouths hung open, their minds blank. Chen Shu appeared calm, but with every step he took, a dense spiritual energy emanated from him.
“What… what’s his method?!” Patriarch Tianhe was shocked, unable to speak. They were all King-level Beast Tamers, acutely sensitive to beast taming power. Chen Shu below was clearly approaching a breakthrough.
Someone exclaimed, “Isn’t he just walking?”
“Is breaking through while walking unreasonable?” Qin Tian shrugged, a smile in his eyes. Although he had witnessed Chen Shu’s unconventional breakthroughs before, he was always shocked. This guy was truly unreasonable!
“You?!” Qiao Na, closest to Chen Shu, was equally startled, her expression completely stunned. How could someone break through like this?!
*Boom… Boom…*
Chen Shu remained composed, but he could hear the turbulent beast taming power within him. In the World Championship finals, he was about to break through to Silver three-star! At this moment, due to the immense beast taming power, a large amount of white mist appeared within him once again… After many days, he was reignited.
“Holy crap! Not again?!” A Liang and the others below stared in disbelief, recalling Chen Shu’s past breakthrough scenes.
“What’s wrong with you guys?” Someone nearby, unfamiliar with Chen Shu and lacking in power, couldn’t sense the changes in his beast taming power and naturally didn’t understand the situation.
“Nothing,” Wang Jue shook his head. “He just surprised my… uh… heartstrings.”