Chapter 92 – A Rare Genius

After a Pet Beast evolves, new skills always emerge.

This time was no exception.

Lin Ze’s gaze moved downward, landing on the skill unlock section.

【Meteoric Extreme Ice】: Advanced skill of ‘Frost Nova’, an area-damage skill that summons extreme ice from beyond the heavens, dealing explosive ice-attribute damage to a designated area. Unlock requires 20% Growth Rate and 500 Achievement Points.

【Frost Ray】: Compresses a large amount of Ice Element into a single point, firing a ray at a designated target to deal massive ice-attribute damage and apply a frozen debuff. Unlock requires 30% Growth Rate and 500 Achievement Points.

【Ice Dragon Break】: Manipulates Ice Element to condense into an ice dragon form, autonomously attacking designated multiple targets. Unlock requires 50% Growth Rate and 800 Achievement Points.

【Frost-Blue Domain】: Advanced skill of ‘Blizzard’, an area-damage skill that turns a thousand-meter radius into an ice-attribute domain, continuously dealing massive ice-attribute damage to enemies and applying a Slow effect. While within the domain, the user’s attack power is greatly enhanced. Unlock requires 80% Growth Rate and 1000 Achievement Points.

Four new skills in total.

Just from the descriptions alone, it was clear that each of these four skills was extremely formidable.

Lin Ze’s heart surged with excitement, wishing he could unlock them all right now.

Unfortunately, he only had a little over 500 Achievement Points on hand, enough to unlock at most one.

Moreover, Xiao Xue’s Growth Rate didn’t yet meet the unlock requirements.

Shaking his head, Lin Ze switched to the Spirit of the Earth’s attribute panel.

After evolving from Rock Ghost to Spirit of the Earth, new skills had also appeared.

【Earth-Rupture Wave】: Advanced skill of ‘Earth Thorns’, heavily stomping the ground to deal earth-rupture damage to all targets within a fifty-meter straight line. Unlock requires 20% Growth Rate and 300 Achievement Points.

【Mountain Crush Strike】: A heavy punch condensing all the power of one’s body, dealing massive earth-attribute damage to the target with a Rupture effect attached. Unlock requires 30% Growth Rate and 500 Achievement Points.

【Crystal Protection】: Advanced skill of ‘Rock Guardian’, summoning Earth Element crystals to orbit around the body for defense, blocking attacks from any direction. Unlock requires 50% Growth Rate and 600 Achievement Points.

【Giant Spirit Transformation】: Summons the Power of the Earth to possess the body, greatly enlarging it and significantly boosting defense and attack power. Unlock requires 80% Growth Rate and 800 Achievement Points.

Again, four new skills.

However, the unlock conditions were somewhat easier than Xiao Xue’s.

Of course.

The Spirit of the Earth also didn’t currently meet the unlock requirements.

“Let’s set this aside for now. Next, it’s time to apply for the Bronze Assessment.”

Lin Ze mused quietly.

Now that he had two Tier 6 Pet Beasts, his strength had soared, and his confidence in passing the Ultra Difficulty Bronze Assessment was considerable.

Moreover, once he passed, not only could he boost his Pet Beasts’ Growth Rate, but he would also receive a large number of Achievement Points, further enhancing his strength.

The Bronze Assessment was an absolute must.

Lin Ze searched online and found that the most recent Bronze Assessment was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

“Great, I’ll apply for the assessment the day after tomorrow!”

Lin Ze quickly made his decision.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

Soon, the day of the Bronze Assessment arrived.

Early in the morning.

After breakfast, Lin Ze headed straight for the Beast Tamer Association Branch in Ningjiang City.

Worth mentioning.

The news of Xu Bing, Luo Han, and the others’ deaths had not yet spread.

After all, it was perfectly normal for a secret realm exploration to last two or three days, so no one had yet realized that they had met with misfortune.

Naturally, Lin Ze, Liu Man, and the others weren’t foolish enough to go around spreading the news.

Even though Xu Bing and his group had died at the hands of the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon, and it had nothing to do with them—in fact, they were victims themselves—still, out of a desire to avoid getting dragged into trouble, Lin Ze, Liu Man, and the other girls tacitly chose to remain silent.

Anyway, incidents of trainees dying in secret realms happened from time to time. Even if the academy and the Gaoshan Club noticed that Xu Bing and the others were missing, they wouldn’t suspect them.

Shaking his head, Lin Ze cast aside his thoughts and strode into the Beast Tamer Association building.

The spacious, brightly lit first-floor hall was already packed with people.

Some wore tense and anxious expressions, others excited and thrilled.

These were all Apprentice Beast Tamers here to take the Bronze Assessment.

The vast majority were students from various Beast-Taming Academies.

Ningjiang Academy was naturally among them.

Not long after Lin Ze stepped into the hall, students from Ningjiang Academy recognized him.

“Hey? Isn’t that Lin Ze?”

“Lin Ze? Where… damn, it really is him!”

“No way, he’s here to take the Bronze Assessment too?”

“What’s so surprising about that? With Lin Ze’s strength, he should’ve applied for the Bronze Assessment long ago.”

“True. Even Advanced Difficulty is a piece of cake for Lin Ze, unlike us who aren’t even confident about Intermediate Difficulty.”

“Comparing yourself to him will only drive you crazy!”

More and more Ningjiang Academy students recognized Lin Ze and began whispering among themselves.

The unusual scene quickly drew the attention of many onlookers.

He was just a young man under twenty—wasn’t it commonplace for someone like that to take the Bronze Assessment?

Why were so many people so astonished?

Could this guy be some kind of celebrity?

A young man with a crew cut couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked a nearby Ningjiang Academy student:

“Bro, who’s that guy? Why is everyone talking about him?”

The student being asked turned around, puffed out his chest, and wore a look of shared pride.

“You mean Lin Ze? He’s our academy’s Top Freshman this year.”

“I see.”

The crew-cut young man let out an “oh,” but inwardly he was unimpressed.

Sure, being Ningjiang Academy’s Top Freshman was impressive, but was it really worth all this fuss?

Seeming to sense the crew-cut young man’s dismissiveness, the student chuckled and continued:

“Lin Ze is also the first student in our academy’s history to clear the Stele Challenge.”

“That impressive!”

The crew-cut young man’s expression shifted.

He’d heard of Ningjiang Academy’s Stele Challenge before.

For a freshman to pass that kind of Trial, his strength and talent were undoubtedly exceptional.

“Lin Ze also has two Tier 5 Pet Beasts.”

“What?!”

This time, the crew-cut young man was genuinely shocked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Two Tier 5 Pet Beasts?

And he’s still a freshman?

How was that possible?

“That’s not all—Lin Ze is also the No.1 in the Apprentice Zone of the Glory Virtual Realm!”

The student glanced sidelong at the crew-cut young man.

“You haven’t logged into the Glory Virtual Realm in a long time, have you? Otherwise, there’s no way you wouldn’t have heard of Lin Ze’s name.”

The crew-cut young man was already frozen in place, dumbfounded and speechless.

A First Year freshman, actually the No.1 in the Apprentice Zone ranked battles?

What kind of fairy tale was this?

It was simply beyond belief!

The crew-cut young man inwardly doubted whether this person was bragging, but judging by the expressions of those around him, it was clear the other party was not lying.

For a moment.

An overwhelming surge of shock rose within him.

His gaze toward Lin Ze carried an irrepressible sense of awe and reverence.

“A prodigy of heaven-sent genius!”