Chapter 68 – Did This Guy Start Cultivating in the Womb?

Two Tier 4, nine-segment Pet Beasts were severely wounded in a single exchange—nearly killed instantly.

What this meant was obvious to anyone with eyes.

A suffocating silence instantly enveloped the entire spectator stands.

Everyone stood frozen in place, staring dumbfounded at the scene on the Arena Platform.

Their faces wore identical expressions of shock and disbelief.

A full long moment passed.

Only then did an uproar suddenly erupt from the crowd.

“Am I seeing things?”

“This—this is also a Tier 5 Pet Beast!?”

“Lin Ze actually has two Tier 5 Pet Beasts!”

“Oh my god!”

The sight before them truly exceeded everyone’s expectations.

No matter how hard they racked their brains, they never would have imagined that Lin Ze had a second Tier 5 Pet Beast.

Heaven have mercy.

Luo Han, an elite student ranked in the top ten of the Second Year, possessed only a single Tier 5 Pet Beast.

Yet Lin Ze, a Freshman, not only had a Tier 5 Pet Beast as well—he had two of them!

Throughout the entire Second Year at Ningjiang Academy, the number of people with two Tier 5 Pet Beasts probably wouldn’t even fill one hand.

Absolutely unbelievable!

For a moment.

Everyone felt a dizzying, dreamlike sensation.

The scene before them was simply too unreal.

Luo Han was especially stunned into stillness, staring blankly at the Rock Ghost with utter disbelief written across his face.

“H-How… how is this possible…”

He had invested enormous time and effort, consumed countless family resources, and barely managed to nurture a single Tier 5 Pet Beast.

Yet Lin Ze, who came from an ordinary background, had a full two Tier 5 Pet Beasts.

What’s more, Lin Ze had a year less of training time than him.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Luo Han would never have believed something so absurd.

Could this guy have been cultivating since he was in the womb?

Otherwise, how could he possess such terrifying strength at just eighteen years old!

For a moment.

Luo Han’s head buzzed with noise, his lips trembling, unable to form words.

Below the platform.

Guan Ning’s delicate face was filled with shock and astonishment.

Lin Ze’s performance had once again deeply shaken her.

Although Lin Ze had already brought her many surprises and miracles before.

At this moment, Guan Ning’s heart still suffered a tremendous impact.

“So—so incredible!”

The girl couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

A Tier 5 Pet Beast was already an unattainable existence for her at this stage.

Let alone a full two of them.

As fellow Freshmen this year, Lin Ze’s strength surpassed hers by severalfold at least.

Thinking of this, Guan Ning’s gaze toward Lin Ze grew even more admiring.

Her expectations for the Spike-Tailed Lion he had chosen for her also increased considerably.

Listening to the waves of astonished exclamations around him, Lin Ze’s expression remained as calm as ever, his deep eyes fixed on the battle at the center of the platform.

The Demon-Burrow Spider and the Petrifying Lizard had completely lost their combat ability.

But Lin Ze didn’t have the Rock Ghost stop there.

Instead, he ordered it to continue attacking, and a single volley of Earth Thorns reaped the lives of both Pet Beasts.

Then.

The Rock Ghost turned and joined the siege against the Mountain Giant.

At this point, the battle was already beyond doubt.

Facing the coordinated assault of two same-tier Pet Beasts that were only stronger, the Mountain Giant had no hope of victory whatsoever.

In less than a minute.

The Mountain Giant was already covered in wounds, teetering on the verge of collapse.

It was then that Luo Han finally snapped out of his stupor.

Seeing the situation before him, his face turned ashen.

No matter how unwilling he was, his defeat was already sealed.

But then, as if something else occurred to him, Luo Han’s expression suddenly changed.

After all, the higher the tier of a pet beast, the greater the cost required to revive it.

The Demon-Burrow Spider and Petrifying Lizard were one thing.

But if the Mountain Giant were to die, the resources needed to revive it would be enough to make even him wince for a long time.

With that thought, Luo Han dared not hesitate any longer. He opened his mouth, ready to concede.

But just as he made his move—

Lin Ze suddenly raised his hand and pointed from afar. A Soul Arrow shot forth in an instant, striking the Mountain Giant with pinpoint accuracy.

Though a Tier 5 Soul Arrow was not enough to threaten a Tier 5 pet beast, it could still momentarily hold it back for a split second.

Struck dead-on by the Soul Arrow, the Mountain Giant’s body jolted violently, and a gash was instantly blasted open on its surface.

Even its movements stalled for a brief moment.

Seizing this opportunity, Xiao Xue and Rock Ghost simultaneously unleashed their skills.

Sigh of the Snow Maiden!

Earth Thorns!

A mist laden with extreme cold engulfed the Mountain Giant in an instant, freezing it solid into a massive ice sculpture before it could even react.

Before it could break free, countless razor-sharp Earth Spikes erupted from beneath its feet, slamming viciously into the ice sculpture.

Crack!

A crisp sound exploded in the air.

The enormous ice sculpture shattered in an instant, breaking into chunks of ice that flew in every direction.

The Mountain Giant within was likewise torn into several pieces.

It was dead beyond any doubt.

Seeing this, Luo Han’s face turned ashen in an instant, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

“You bastard!”

Snapping back to his senses, Luo Han glared at Lin Ze with bloodshot eyes.

Lin Ze, unhurried and composed, returned a faint smile.

For someone like Luo Han, who came looking for trouble with ill intentions, the words “show mercy” simply did not exist in Lin Ze’s dictionary.

Ignoring Luo Han, Lin Ze turned to look at the referee.

Only then did the latter snap out of his daze. After casting a look of awe at Lin Ze, he raised his arm and announced in a loud voice:

“Battle over! The victor is Lin Ze!”

The moment those words fell.

The spectators surrounding the Arena Platform erupted into thunderous cheers.

“Incredible!”

“I can’t believe Lin Ze actually won!”

“Yeah, he’s so strong—he actually has two Tier 5 pet beasts!”

“Today really opened my eyes!”

“He’s absolutely insane! We’re both Freshmen, and I only have one Tier 2 pet beast.”

“I’ve decided—Lin Ze is my idol from now on!”

Exclamations of amazement rang out without end.

Everyone’s faces were filled with shock and admiration.

They had thought this would be a Wager Duel where the outcome was already decided due to the disparity in strength.

But as it turned out, the disparity in strength was indeed real—they had just guessed the wrong side.

The one truly holding the upper hand was Lin Ze, whom everyone had originally written off.

This ending took everyone completely by surprise.

At this moment, the gazes directed at Lin Ze carried a hint of reverence.

The strong always earn the respect of others, no matter the time.

Especially in the Beast Tamer circle, where power was revered and strength reigned supreme.

Many young women, in particular, had sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks as they stared intently at Lin Ze.

Yet the man himself paid no attention to his surroundings at all.

The moment the referee announced the victor—

A familiar chime sounded in Lin Ze’s mind.

[Achievement Unlocked]

[First Wager Duel]: Defeat your opponent and claim victory in your very first Wager Duel. Completing this achievement grants 300 Achievement Points and Soul Art Scroll X1 (Completed, reward pending claim).

Without hesitation, Lin Ze claimed the reward immediately.

【Soul Art Scroll: A mystical scroll imbued with the laws of Soul Arts. Upon use, it allows the user to designate any one Soul Art to increase its Level by 1, effective only on Soul Arts of Level 5 or below.】