Chen Shu scanned the entire panel twice and glanced at the chubby long-haired cat, his mind at work.
It was a rare weakening-type support contract spirit!
As far as Chen Shu knew, Ning Bufan's black ghost was the only weakening type.
While this creature possessed no combat power, its utility could not be overlooked.
Furthermore, the chubby long-haired cat before him came with three special skills, one of which was an exclusive skill.
It was important to note that Chen Shu's first four contract spirits had their exclusive skills rewarded by the system.
Yet, this creature possessed it naturally, highlighting its uniqueness.
"Another SS-rank..."
Chen Shu stroked his chin. After some thought, he felt a surge of excitement.
He was not lacking in combat-type contract spirits. Little Yellow handled low-level fierce beast tides, Husky could fight beyond its level with supreme attack power, and Rabbit was relatively balanced.
These three contract spirits alone were sufficient for various major battles.
"If this thing works together with Little Sprite, one amplifying, the other weakening..."
"Hehe~~ Hehe~~"
Chen Shu's lips curved upwards as he envisioned a certain scene, unable to suppress a laugh.
"He..."
The long-haired cat had been looking down, but upon hearing Chen Shu's laughter, it instantly felt a chill crawl up its spine...
Was this a normal human?
"Don't be afraid... it's normal..."
Little Sprite flapped its wings and flew to the top of the long-haired cat's head, comforting it. "He's just a little sick..."
"..."
The long-haired cat nodded, relieved. Then, as if struck by an idea, its eyes lit up, and it said, "Big Sister, is there really good food here?"
"Hmm?! Sister?!"
Chen Shu, who had been lost in his fantasies, snapped back to reality upon hearing the address, his gaze becoming peculiar.
"Little Chen, what's with your look?"
Little Sprite crossed its arms and stated calmly, "Is it abnormal for me and the big cat to have a bit of a blood relation?"
"..."
Chen Shu's expression froze. Looking at the Little Sprite and the plump long-haired cat before him, his mind felt a bit muddled.
However, considering they were異獸 (yìshòu - exotic beasts), he didn't dwell on it further...
He raised an eyebrow and said, "Did you really bring the whole family?"
"Big Cat King is very strong."
Little Sprite, thinking Chen Shu was about to criticize again, quickly explained, "When the two of us teamed up in the past, we could traverse the entire world!"
"I can believe that."
Chen Shu nodded. Both were support-type contract spirits, and with the help of countless subordinates, there were indeed few creatures that could provoke them...
"So, you don't dislike the Big Cat anymore?!"
Little Sprite's expression shook, its eyes instantly filling with excitement.
"Of course!"
Chen Shu smiled slightly and stepped forward to stroke the long-haired cat's soft belly, saying, "You are my contract spirit now. Brother can't wait to dote on you."
"..."
The long-haired cat's body trembled, its fur bristling. It said with a hint of panic, "Sister, I want to leave..."
It had thought coming here would mean delicacies and a life of eating, drinking, and lounging. But it seemed something was not quite right...
"You can't leave now."
Chen Shu chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Brother will nurture you well!"
He directly touched the long-haired cat, finding it fluffy and much more comfortable than Little Yellow.
However, as soon as he made the move, the long-haired cat's obedience level began to continuously decrease...
"Damn it!"
Chen Shu quickly distanced himself. Seeing the wariness in the long-haired cat's eyes, he could only helplessly return to a more serious demeanor.
Since it was a new contract spirit, it was not yet in the state of human-spirit unity with him.
However, Chen Shu believed that before long, the long-haired cat would place its absolute trust in him.
"Eat something quickly. Look at your belly, you must be starving..."
Chen Shu's eyes rolled as he instructed Rabbit to bring out various foods.
Although they were jerky-type foods, they were expertly prepared, making them top-tier in taste.
The long-haired cat's intelligent eyes widened, instantly becoming extremely excited, and it began to devour the food ravenously...
At the same time, its obedience level also continued to rise steadily...
"This is truly their shared trait, just like Little Sprite..."
Chen Shu shook his head, now believing that the two had a blood relation.
Concurrently, the other four contract spirits began to gather around, enjoying their meal harmoniously.
Looking at the peaceful scene before him, Chen Shu felt a sense of contentment.
He sat on the ground, leaning against the long-haired cat, and looked up at the brilliant starry sky, murmuring to himself,
"I am now a King-level Beast Master, and I have my fifth contract spirit..."
He could now be considered a top-tier expert in beast taming!
As for legendary, that was a realm encountered by chance.
"But the war is still ongoing..."
Chen Shu gazed through the starlight, seeing the countless ordinary people living above, and was brought back to reality, thinking of humanity's precarious situation.
For a moment, his excitement subsided considerably.
"Now is not the time to be happy..."
He looked at his five contract spirits interacting harmoniously, but did not disturb them. Instead, he teleported away alone.
As the inheritor of the ruins, he could naturally teleport freely within the ruins and could also see the entire layout of the ruins.
The next second,
Chen Shu appeared in the living quarters of Ah Liang and the others.
The group was gathered, discussing matters. Chen Shu's sudden appearance startled them.
"Damn, you're awake?!"
"Are you trying to scare us to death? Appearing so suddenly?"
"Did you break through to King-level?!"
All eyes turned towards him, and they spoke in a flurry of questions.
"Of course, I've reached King-level."
Chen Shu sighed, lamenting with a touch of melancholy, "It took me a full eight years to reach this level. I'm ashamed..."
Before he could finish speaking, a barrage of urea bags was instantly hurled at him.
Chen Shu's innate talent for dodging urea bags automatically activated. Almost with his eyes closed, he easily evaded them one by one.
"What are you doing?! Are you crazy?!"
"Let's cure this show-off!"
Ah Liang and the others glared at him, their eyes burning. Did he still want them to live?
"Isn't this just me having high self-expectations..."
Chen Shu shook his head, no longer joking around. He then asked, "What's the current situation?"
Upon hearing this, the group fell into a brief silence.
Ah Liang sighed and began to recount the events one by one...
After a while, Chen Shu, with a contemplative expression, murmured,
"Ten Great Fierce Emperors have appeared... All humans have been evacuated..."
His brows furrowed, and a hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes. In just half a month of secluded cultivation and breakthrough, so much had happened.
He now understood the true strength of the fierce beasts, which explained why his grandfather had always been so cautious.
"Did Grandpa have any instructions?"
"No specific tasks."
Ah Liang shook his head and said,
"Grandpa just told us to stay put in the ruins and wait until the battle ends before making further plans."
"Is that so..."
Chen Shu's expression was thoughtful. He suddenly stood up, a hint of fighting spirit in his eyes.
Now that he was a King-level Beast Master, he naturally had to test his achievements!
Even though the opponents were Legendary, he remained fearless.
This was the confidence of a notorious bandit!
Fang Si immediately sensed his thoughts and quickly advised, "Chen Pi, that's a Legendary battle... it's not something we can participate in..."
"My Southern Jiang Bandit specialty is fighting beyond my level!"
Chen Shu smiled slightly, then abruptly turned, softly saying,
"I am King-level, and I shall suppress all enemies in the world!"
As soon as the words fell, he teleported away, put away his contract spirits, and directly left the Starry Sky Ruins.
"Suppress all enemies..."
The group watched his departing back, their hearts stirred and filled with excitement.
Indeed, he was the Southern Jiang Bandit!
But just as the thought arose, they saw Chen Shu return with a teleportation, his eyes filled with trepidation.
"???"
The group's expressions froze, and they asked, "Chen Pi, why did you come back?"
"Uh... I think Grandpa was right... we shouldn't act rashly..."