As the three were accepting their mission, a voice reached them.
"Eh? Who do I see? Isn't it you, kid, in such a hurry to reincarnate?"
A burly man in black stood with his arms crossed, looking at the three with amusement.
Chen Shu turned his head, slightly startled, but quickly recalled.
It was Huang Wei, the arch-rival of Zhou Shi's Beast Taming Group. Chen Shu had certainly taught them a lesson before.
"Big Brother Weasel, is that you? Two months have passed, and you've gotten so weak?"
Huang Wei's mouth twitched. "Who do you think you're calling a weasel?"
His eyes narrowed, and his voice carried a hint of anger. "Kid, your mouth is still as foul as ever!"
Chen Shu adopted a humble demeanor. "Just average, third in Nanjiang!"
Huang Wei sneered. "Coincidentally, I'm also heading to the Frost Gorge. Zhou Shi won't be able to protect you!"
Just as he turned to leave, a hand suddenly appeared on his shoulder.
"Huh? You?!"
Huang Wei froze, looking at the stern-faced man before him.
Shen Wushuang's expression was calm. "What? You intend to bully my students?"
Chen Shu and the other two hadn't expected such a coincidence as meeting Shen Wushuang.
However, it wasn't much of a coincidence. Shen Wushuang, unable to shake off his worry for these three, had been secretly following them.
"Shen Wushuang?!"
Huang Wei's expression stiffened as he instantly recalled the name.
"It's good that you know. Stop having any foolish ideas!"
Shen Wushuang nodded slightly and said gently, "Otherwise, I'll bury you in the Frost Gorge!"
Huang Wei glanced back at Chen Shu, then finally nodded and left.
There weren't many ordinary-level异空间 (yìkōngjiān - spatial anomalies) near Nanjiang City, and powerful beast tamers generally knew about most of them.
Shen Wushuang was one such person who commanded respect.
He had originally formed his own beast taming group, which included three Black Iron-level beast tamers, making them quite renowned in ordinary-level spatial anomalies.
However, due to a beast tide, a large portion of his beast taming group perished.
He had no choice but to disband the group and settle into becoming a special training class teacher.
Even though his beast taming group was gone, Shen Wushuang's reputation remained undiminished, circulating among numerous beast taming groups.
Chen Shu gave him a thumbs-up. "Teacher Shen, that was awesome!"
Shen Wushuang furrowed his brow. "Have you three caused trouble again? Why provoke a Black Iron beast tamer for no reason?"
Chen Shu explained, "It's really not like that. It's just a past minor conflict. Who knew he'd hold such a grudge?"
He had thought he would never meet Huang Wei again, but to run into him on only his second visit to a spatial anomaly was unexpected.
As Shen Wushuang approached, he immediately saw the mission the three had accepted.
"Do you truly think you've lived long enough?"
Shen Wushuang's eyes widened. Even he wouldn't dare to take on a Lord-level Frost Giant Wolf. Yet, three intern beast tamers were aiming for it?
Chen Shu explained, "We were just playing around."
Then, Chen Shu asked again, "Teacher Shen, can you defeat a Lord-level fierce beast of Black Iron rank?"
After all, Fang Si had famously thrashed the Lord-level fierce beast, the Black Armored Beetle.
"I can't kill them!" Shen Wushuang shook his head. "If you really want to take missions, it's best to accept simpler ones, like collecting medicinal herbs or hunting ordinary fierce beasts."
Chen Shu and the other two nodded. Shen Wushuang had only said he couldn't kill them, not that he couldn't fight them, which implied he could hold his own.
Shen Wushuang had no idea Chen Shu was already setting his sights on him.
The three looked at the mission list again and finally accepted two missions: [Collect Ice Leaf Flower] and [Hunt Roaring Lion].
The first prize in the class competition was the organ of a mutated roaring lion, with a chance to learn the skill "Battle Roar," but Chen Shu had exchanged it for a Beast Taming Pearl.
"Let's go."
The three, along with Shen Wushuang, left the mission hall.
Chen Shu spoke, "Xiao Xing, your family is so wealthy, why don't you get some attack skills customized for your Thunderbird?"
The mission to hunt the Frost Giant Wolf was clearly posted by someone wealthy, with the intention of learning the Frost Giant Wolf's innate skill.
Xu Xingxing calmly replied, "It already has three customized skills."
This time, even Shen Wushuang looked over with surprise.
"Damn rich people! Goodbye!"
The four began to wander through Ice Valley Town. Each town outside a spatial anomaly had its own unique characteristics, which left them dazzled.
Of course, Shen Wushuang had long since grown tired of it and simply followed alongside, concerned for the safety of strangers.
Chen Shu suddenly asked, "Teacher Shen, do you think I can get into Huaxia Academy?"
"You?"
Shen Wushuang was taken aback, his question catching him off guard.
After a moment of thought, he said tactfully, "There's a chance."
"Is it because of my contracted spirit?" Chen Shu could hear the hesitation in Shen Wushuang's voice.
He then pressed further, "Have there been any precedents of F-rank contracted spirits being admitted to Huaxia Academy?"
Shen Wushuang frowned, not wanting to discourage his student, but the student could easily find this information online.
He shook his head, intending to offer some comfort to Chen Shu.
However, to his surprise, Chen Shu's expression brightened, and he became excited.
Shen Wushuang asked, "Why are you so happy?"
Chen Shu grinned. "Isn't it better that there are no precedents? Otherwise, how would my value be shown?!"
"You... you're really quite confident."
"If you're not good enough, don't blame the road for being uneven!"
Chen Shu smiled, patted Shen Wushuang's shoulder, and said, "Miracles are created by people. As long as you work hard, there is hope, isn't there?"
"Could he have been possessed?"
Shen Wushuang's eyes widened. He touched Chen Shu's forehead. "Doesn't it feel out of place for you to be so positive?"
"Besides, I was going to comfort you, but now you're comforting me?"
The four chatted and laughed as they toured Ice Valley Town.
Xu Xingxing couldn't help but complain, "Why is the school so stingy? Three people in one room!"
Xie Sunan said indignantly, "Exactly! And it's not mixed-gender!"
"What are you thinking?"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Fortunately, the hotel rooms were quite large, and an extra bed had been added.
"Once we're in the spatial anomaly, listen to me! Frost Gorge, tremble before my feet, Chen Shu!"
Chen Shu burst into laughter, immediately earning gestures from the other two.
The next morning,
the three were woken up by Shen Wushuang.
Chen Shu yawned. "Teacher Shen, is it really that early?"
"The entire class has assembled! It's just you three missing!"
The three quickly washed up, slung on their backpacks, and headed to the hotel entrance.
The other twenty-one people were already waiting. As soon as the three emerged, all eyes turned to them.
Chen Shu noticed that many people had dark circles under their eyes, clearly not having slept well.
It was their first time, and everyone was a bit nervous and excited.
Not everyone had the same excellent psychological fortitude as the three of them.
"Let's go!"
Shen Wushuang led the class towards the back of the town.
Beast tamers passing by cast envious glances. Those who could train in spatial anomalies were the elites of the school, their futures far brighter than theirs.
In the depths of the town, another large building stood, surrounded by persistent, dissipating mist.
Without paying any entrance fees, the group proceeded directly into the spatial anomaly.