Chapter 43 – Overwhelming Force

The sudden voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.

When they saw that the speaker was Lin Ze, everyone was taken aback.

Jing Tao whipped his head around, looked Lin Ze up and down, and wore a somewhat amused expression.

“You want to challenge me?”

Lin Ze nodded calmly. “Yes.”

A flicker of mockery flashed through Jing Tao’s eyes.

He had already revealed his Pet Beast, and under these circumstances, the other party still intended to challenge him. Either he truly had confidence, or he was simply clinging to wishful thinking.

“And what should I call you, Junior?”

“Lin Ze.”

Jing Tao’s expression shifted slightly.

Even Zhang Man and Wu Tianze, who had remained silent since the challenge began, couldn’t help but carefully size up Lin Ze now.

The title of Top Freshman was something even they, as Second Year students, had to take seriously.

Jing Tao immediately restrained the mockery in his eyes and nodded with a smile.

“Alright. If Junior wishes to challenge, I’ll accept.”

Seeing Jing Tao agree, the previously quiet crowd stirred with commotion.

“I really can’t figure out why Lin Ze still wants to challenge.”

“Exactly. Senior Jing’s Wind Lion is right there—how could a Freshman possibly defeat a Tier 4 Pet Beast?”

“Even if Lin Ze is the Top Freshman, this is way too arrogant.”

“Maybe he’s just clinging to wishful thinking.”

“Sigh, what a waste of a month’s worth of Cultivation Resources.”

Guan Ning, Zhang Xiaoyun, and Liu Siyan all couldn’t help but show anxious and worried expressions.

Although they had great confidence in Lin Ze’s strength,

this was, after all, not a competition against fellow Freshmen.

The opponent was a Second Year student from Ningjiang Academy, whose strength far surpassed theirs.

Facing such an opponent, even Lin Ze would probably struggle to come out on top.

Unfortunately, everything happened too suddenly. By the time Lin Ze spoke, it was already too late for Guan Ning and the other two to dissuade him.

On the other side,

Guo Xinyi looked at Lin Ze with a puzzled expression.

“What is this guy thinking?”

She really couldn’t understand why Lin Ze would still insist on challenging after learning that Jing Tao had a Tier 4 Pet Beast.

There was simply no chance of winning!

Tan Yong also wore a confused expression, silently pondering Lin Ze’s intentions.

Lv Gang, on the other hand, sneered.

“Someone who doesn’t know his own limits!”

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

Only Li Pengyun remained silent, a strange expression on his face.

Among everyone present, only he knew where Lin Ze’s confidence came from.

Paying no attention to the words and gazes around him, Lin Ze walked straight to the arena and stopped, casually summoning his Pet Beast.

The moment Xiao Xue appeared, exclamations of admiration immediately rose from the surroundings.

“What a beautiful girl!”

“It’s actually a Humanoid Pet Beast!”

“Wow, her appearance is no different from a human’s.”

“Does anyone know what kind of Pet Beast this is?”

“No idea, never seen one before.”

Jing Tao, Zhang Man, and Wu Tianze also wore puzzled expressions.

They likewise didn’t recognize the Pet Beast before them.

That said, the three of them weren’t too concerned.

There were countless types of Pet Beasts in the world—even the most knowledgeable person couldn’t possibly recognize them all.

Encountering an unfamiliar Pet Beast from time to time was perfectly normal.

In the crowd,

Guan Ning and the other two women all widened their eyes in unison, their pretty faces filled with astonishment.

“Why has Brother’s Pet Beast changed?”

“What happened to that Ice Crystal Soul?”

“Could this be a second Pet Beast he newly contracted?”

The three exchanged glances, as if a thought had struck them, and shock simultaneously appeared in their eyes.

If it were a second pet beast, that would be one thing.

But if not, then there was only one explanation left.

Evolution!

This was the evolution form of the Ice Crystal Soul!

The moment this thought surfaced, Guan Ning and the other two women chuckled wryly and dismissed it themselves.

It seemed far too unlikely no matter how they thought about it.

Lin Ze’s Little Snowball had only evolved into an Ice Crystal Soul a little over half a month ago, at most.

For it to evolve again in such a short span of time was simply too incredible.

“Let’s begin.”

Jing Tao stared at Little Snow for a while.

Since it was a pet beast he didn’t recognize, it was difficult to judge its power level from appearance alone.

After observing for a moment without results, Jing Tao simply gave up and directly summoned the Wind Lion.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you—my Wind Lion has reached Tier 4, Stage 2.”

Lin Ze smiled faintly and said nothing.

The battle erupted quickly.

The Wind Lion struck first.

It let out a roar, and a visible cyan hurricane whipped up around its body. Its massive frame instantly transformed into a tornado, charging forward in a sudden assault.

The violent gale tore through the air.

A piercing howl of wind erupted through the void, its momentum ferocious and overwhelming.

Even from dozens of meters away, the examinees in the front row couldn’t help but hold their breath, feeling as though a gale was rushing at their faces.

“Such immense power!”

“As expected of a Tier 4 pet beast!”

“How is Lin Ze going to handle this attack?”

Countless gazes—curious or gleeful—fell upon Lin Ze.

Unexpectedly, even faced with such a formidable attack, Lin Ze remained calm and composed.

As if what stood before him was merely a gentle breeze brushing past his face.

“Little Snow.”

The girl in white let out a charming laugh in response, extending her fair hand and pointing into the distance.

Crack!

The sound of ice condensing burst forth abruptly.

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, countless ice crystals suddenly materialized around the Wind Lion, rapidly fusing together at a visible speed to form three azure ring-shaped ice chains that interwove into a circle.

Before the Wind Lion could react, the circle suddenly contracted inward, and the frigid Extreme Ice Chains instantly bound it tightly.

Extreme Ice Chain!

“Roar!”

The Wind Lion struggled desperately, gales howling around it, scraping against the ice chains with cracking sounds—yet it could not break free.

At that moment, Little Snow had already begun casting her second skill.

Along with a bone-piercing chill that surged forth, countless ice blades abruptly condensed above the Wind Lion’s head, their sharp, transparent tips aimed straight downward.

Whoosh!

Little Snow’s right hand swept down fiercely.

With her motion, the countless ice blades poured down like a waterfall, engulfing the Wind Lion in an overwhelming deluge.

Ice Waterfall!

Boom!

In an instant, thunderous noise erupted and dust scattered everywhere.

Bitter cold air swept outward in all directions, carrying dust and debris with it.

The examinees nearby felt the chill rush at their faces, involuntarily shuddering violently.

But they had no time to dwell on that—they simply stared wide-eyed at the scene ahead.

As the dust dispersed, the situation within was revealed once more.

Like a violent storm had swept through, the open ground was now riddled with pits and scars, a scene of utter devastation.

And at the very center, the Wind Lion lay motionless, its body covered in shocking wounds and draped in frost, clearly having lost all combat capability.

Silence!

Dead silence!

Everyone stared blankly at the scene, their minds reeling, mouths agape and utterly speechless for a long time.