Chapter 44 – Then I Won't Hold Back Either

The scene fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone stood frozen in place, staring dumbfounded at what had just unfolded before their eyes.

They never imagined the battle would take such a turn.

A full-fledged Tier 4 Wind Lion, taken down in a single exchange!

It was simply unbelievable.

It took a long moment before the crowd snapped back to their senses, drawing in sharp breaths in unison.

“Am I seeing things?”

“It took him down that easily!”

“Incredible…”

“That was a Tier 4 Pet Beast!”

Exclamations rose one after another.

Jing Tao, in particular, looked dazed, his face a mixture of disbelief and shock.

“How is that possible…”

He muttered to himself for a while before suddenly snapping to attention, his gaze locking onto Lin Ze.

“Is that a Tier 4 Pet Beast of yours?”

The surroundings went quiet again, all eyes turning to Lin Ze, awaiting his answer.

Lin Ze remained as composed and unhurried as ever. He nodded frankly at the question.

“That’s right.”

Hiss!

Even though many had already suspected as much, hearing Lin Ze confirm it with his own words still made everyone in the room suck in a breath.

After all, that was a Tier 4 Pet Beast!

For context, freshmen like Tan Yong and Guo Xinyi were already hailed as prodigies for possessing Tier 3 Pet Beasts.

And even their beasts were only at Tier 3, Stage 2 or Stage 3.

They were nowhere near comparable to Tier 4.

That was a level freshmen could only look up to from afar.

“It really is Tier 4…”

“That’s insane!”

“How did he even manage that? Lin Ze is about the same age as us.”

“Even elite scions from Beast Tamer families couldn’t achieve something like this!”

For a moment, many felt a surreal, dreamlike sensation.

What they had just witnessed was simply too extraordinary to wrap their heads around!

Guo Xinyi and Tan Yong, in particular, were stunned, their gazes vacant.

Both came from Beast Tamer families, raised under elite training from childhood, pouring in countless resources to reach where they were today.

They had always taken pride in their strength and talent.

Even when Lin Ze had blown past them by a huge margin in the Ferocious Beast hunt, they still didn’t think they were that far behind him.

Instead, they were filled with fighting spirit, determined to surpass him.

But it was only now that they truly realized the gap between themselves and Lin Ze.

Tier 3 versus Tier 4—the difference was like the chasm between heaven and earth.

Proud as they were, facing such an insurmountable divide, they couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of dejection welling up inside.

“This guy… he’s an absolute monster!”

Guo Xinyi bit her lip, her face a mix of unwillingness and shock.

Having been flattered and praised by countless people her whole life, she was experiencing for the first time the complicated emotions of an ordinary person facing a genius beyond reach.

On the other side.

Lv Gang’s face was ashen.

Falling behind in the Ferocious Beast hunt rankings was one thing—that didn’t truly prove anything.

But the existence of Lin Ze’s Tier 4 Pet Beast made him keenly aware of the enormous gap in strength between them.

It dealt an indescribable blow to his psyche.

In contrast, Guan Ning, Zhang Xiaoyun, and Liu Siyan were a mix of shock and delight.

Delighted that Lin Ze had defeated Jing Tao.

Shocked, of course, because their earlier guess had actually turned out to be true.

Clearly, that humanoid Pet Beast with the delicate features, looking no different from a human girl, must have evolved from the Ice Crystal Soul.

“Brother Lin is amazing!”

“Yeah, it’s only been a little over half a month, and his pet beast has evolved again!”

Zhang Xiaoyun and Liu Siyan exclaimed in amazement, their eyes turning into starry gazes as they looked at Lin Ze.

Guan Ning didn’t say anything, just gazing at Lin Ze with a face full of joyful smiles, a brilliant gleam flickering in her eyes.

“A freshman with a Tier 4 pet beast… Am I dreaming?”

Jing Tao forced a bitter smile, feeling a dryness in his mouth.

Even for the Top Freshman, having a Tier 4 pet beast was simply too outrageous.

Among all the Top Freshmen in Ningjiang Academy’s history, never had such a monstrous figure appeared.

Why did he have to run into someone like this!

Zhang Man and Wu Tianze exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

The current Academy Top Student, when they first won the freshman championship back then, only had a pet beast at Tier 3, Stage 9 at best.

Even so, it had caused quite a stir at the time.

But now, compared to Lin Ze, it seemed utterly insignificant.

“Senior Jing.”

Lin Ze suddenly spoke up, snapping Jing Tao and the other two out of their shock.

“Shall we continue?”

He was referring to Jing Tao’s other pet beast, the Wind-Slicing Mantis.

Jing Tao let out a bitter laugh at that and shook his head.

“I have no interest in being a glutton for punishment. The Wind-Slicing Mantis can’t beat your pet beast. This match is my loss.”

Hearing Jing Tao concede so readily, the surrounding crowd immediately stirred with commotion.

Before the challenge began, who could have imagined that Lin Ze would defeat Jing Tao?

This outcome was truly beyond anyone’s expectations!

Many examinees now looked at Lin Ze with awe and admiration in their eyes.

Regardless of whether Lin Ze could pass the challenge today, his position as the number one freshman was already unshakable.

After conceding, Jing Tao stepped back without hesitation.

Then Zhang Man stepped forward in his place.

“Junior Lin, your second opponent is me.”

Zhang Man’s strikingly heroic face was filled with solemnity as she fixed her gaze firmly on Lin Ze.

“I have to admit, although you’re a freshman, your strength isn’t much weaker than ours. So in the coming battle, I won’t hold back.”

As her words fell, a flash of light appeared beside her, and two pet beasts materialized at once.

One was a giant turtle draped in a thick carapace, its body covered in sharp spikes.

The other was a humanoid pet beast standing a full two meters tall, resembling an upright lizard.

Lin Ze swept his gaze over them and immediately recognized the origins of both pet beasts.

Thorn-Shell Turtle and Yellow Sand Lizardman.

Both were Tier 4 Earth Attribute pet beasts.

“It seems this senior sister is a Beast Tamer specializing in the Earth Attribute.”

To better nurture their pet beasts and enhance their strength, many Beast Tamers chose to specialize in a single attribute type.

Just like the Zhang Man before him.

And Jing Tao as well—he specialized in the Wind Attribute, with both of his pet beasts being Wind-type.

Seeing Zhang Man summon two Tier 4 pet beasts, the watching examinees let out a low murmur.

Strictly speaking, Jing Tao had still held back in their earlier battle, having only summoned one pet beast in each of his fights.

Otherwise, if he had thrown both pet beasts into the fight at once, even if Lin Ze could win, it wouldn’t have been nearly so easy.

The atmosphere suddenly grew somewhat tense.

Everyone stared at Lin Ze, wondering how he planned to handle this.

Guan Ning also wore a look of nervous unease.

“Don’t worry, Ning. Brother Lin will definitely be fine!”

Zhang Xiaoyun comforted her friend.

But even as she said it, she was actually a bit anxious herself.

After all, Lin Ze was fighting one against two—the situation was extremely unfavorable for him.

After all, as a Second Year student, once they went all out, it was still quite troublesome for a Freshman.

“Heh heh, Zhang Man is getting serious now. This kid is in trouble!”

Jing Tao said with a hint of schadenfreude.

Wu Tianze glanced at him and said flatly, “You still have the mood to mock him? Don’t forget you lost your duel. According to the rules, you’ll be getting half less of the resources this time around.”

Jing Tao’s expression immediately fell, and he muttered with some dissatisfaction:

“I just let my guard down. If I’d known earlier that the kid had a Tier 4 Pet Beast, I definitely wouldn’t have held back. Then who knows who would have won or lost…”

He was only halfway through his words when he heard Lin Ze’s calm voice ring out.

“Since Senior Sister intends to go all out, then I won’t hold back either.”

As his words fell, a flash of light appeared before Lin Ze, and a burly, imposing figure suddenly materialized out of thin air.

“Roar!”

The Rock Ghost roared at the sky, appearing before everyone’s eyes for the first time.