"Understood."
No, I dare not say I don't understand.
Instructor Xiong lived up to his surname, exuding a pressure as overwhelming as a bear.
But even more oppressive was the massive figure behind him, standing four or five meters tall.
A bear!
Its fur was dark brown, thick and dense, with a striking crimson symbol on its chest.
Tyrant Bear!
The final evolved form of the plush bear.
And the first final-evolution spirit Su Hao had ever seen with his own eyes!
The colossal Tyrant Bear stood silently behind Instructor Xiong.
Like a stand-in.
Radiating an indescribable pressure.
Su Hao and the other students were fine.
The Tyrant Bear had already restrained its aura.
But the spirits, more sensitive to perception, were all trembling.
Instructor Xiong scanned the students from four classes, his gaze pausing briefly on Gu Lingyao and Su Hao.
He had once worked with Gu Lingyao's father for a time and was fairly familiar with her.
Before taking up the teaching post, Instructor Xiong had also received a reminder from Gu Lingyao's father.
Don't hold back; train them as you see fit!
Instructor Xiong didn't argue.
Even without being told, he wouldn't go easy.
Under his training, there were only two outcomes.
Those who could endure, and those who couldn't.
'Student Su...'
Instructor Xiong's gaze lingered longer on Su Hao.
He was more curious about Su Hao.
'To think he could improve the Charge move.'
'Not from a spirit-taming family, nor a disciple of any school—just an ordinary high schooler from a common background.'
Good,
Training a student like that would be interesting.
He spoke, his voice booming, "Before we start systematic training, let me demonstrate what a real spirit battle looks like. Any volunteers to come up as an example?"
The training ground fell silent.
"It's not a Tyrant Bear—just a spirit I contracted a little over a month ago."
Instructor Xiong snapped his fingers.
Clop, clop.
Clop, clop.
The sound of hooves approached, and a white horse galloped in.
The horse was still young, only as tall as a four- or five-year-old child.
Its coat was pure white, its mane flowing, and strangely, on both sides of its neck near the body, it had a pair of palm-sized wings.
"It's a wind-type spirit, a Breeze Pony!"
"A very rare spirit!"
The handsome Breeze Pony instantly caught the students' attention.
The tiny horse stood beside the towering Instructor Xiong, the contrast so stark it made people worry.
Instructor Xiong stroked its mane. "The spirit I'm using for the demonstration is this Breeze Pony. Any eager students?"
The training ground remained silent.
"The Breeze Pony will take on any five of your spirits alone. No one brave enough?"
Instructor Xiong tempted and taunted.
But still, no student stepped forward.
No one was foolish.
So what if it was only contracted for a little over a month?
An elite spirit tamer's spirit couldn't be compared to theirs.
No one wanted to be humiliated.
A few homeroom teachers felt a bit embarrassed and were about to speak, but Instructor Xiong beat them to it:
"Since that's the case, I'll pick names."
Su Hao was looking down at his shoes when he heard a very familiar name called.
"Su Hao."
"Gu Lingyao."
"Li Songting."
"And... the spirit tamer of that Ember Tortoise over there, and the student who contracted the Vine Snake."
Eyes turned in unison.
Su Hao sighed and stepped out of the line.
He met the gaze of a face like a big pancake with small eyes.
Fellow sufferers, huh.
Instructor Xiong waved his hand, sending the Tyrant Bear away so the rookie spirits could relax.
He looked around again. "The training ground... it's too open here. Not suitable. Let's head to the woods over there."
"Forests are the most common terrain and a key environment you need to train in. How to fight in the woods, how to use the terrain—let's demonstrate through this battle."
The school's training woodland was filled with tall transplanted trees.
Dense leaves blocked the sunlight, letting only faint rays filter through, casting dappled shadows.
Instructor Xiong stopped.
The Breeze Pony reared up, neighing loudly.
Full of fighting spirit.
"Come on, attack freely. A real battle has no limits."
The five named students—Su Hao, three boys and two girls—stood there. Except for Li Songting, who was brimming with battle fervor and exchanging encouragement with his Kung Fu Hound, the others all had expressions of resigned misery.
But,
Since there was no avoiding it, they might as well fight well.
Instructor Xiong's spirit was still young, its spiritual power level likely only comparable to Silkworm Baby's.
With a group fight, they might just... have a chance!
Su Hao took a deep breath.
He gave Silkworm Baby a small look to act on its own.
The five spirits spread out.
As the ranged attacker among them, Spring Spirit was the first to strike.
A jet of water shot out.
Compared to when it sparred with Silkworm Baby, Spring Spirit's water blast was faster, more accurate, and more forceful.
The white water column arrived in an instant.
...
Outside the woods, the students from each class formed a semicircle.
They watched the battle in the forest with interest—after all, it wasn't them getting beaten, which instantly lifted their spirits.
"That guy, Li Songting—I remember he's the freak who got first in the placement test, right?"
"I heard Gu Lingyao comes from a notable family. Her Spring Spirit's cultivation level should be top-notch in our year."
"Who are the other three? Did the instructor just pick randomly?"
The spirit studies program had a freer teaching environment, which meant students weren't very familiar with each other.
Even among classmates, many only knew each other by name.
"The chubby one is Liu Ren. I heard his family is rich, so his Ember Tortoise shouldn't be weak either."
"What about the other two?"
"The Vine Snake's tamer is pretty cute... ahem, I mean the Vine Snake isn't bad either."
"The guy... probably got picked because he's handsome."
A group of people wore deadpan expressions.
But looking into the woods, at the face illuminated by dappled light, it did seem... kind of handsome.
Some boys weren't convinced. "What's the use of being handsome? Can you eat it? And he contracted a Silkworm Baby—what's that spirit good for besides being cute?"
Isn't being cute enough!
The girls weren't having it.
Before they could retort, a boy with glasses said coldly, "Hmph, foolish. No observational skills at all.
"Su Hao, Gu Lingyao, and Li Songting—the instructor called them by name, which means he knows them.
"Su Hao's name was even first. Based on my observation of the instructor, he wouldn't pick someone just because he knows them or for other reasons.
"There's only one reason: strength.
"Gu Lingyao and Li Songting are both strong, and Su Hao should be on the same level as them.
"In the placement test, the second-place spirit was a Silkworm Baby.
"So I judge that Silkworm Baby is no simple thing."
He adjusted his glasses, his expression confident.
The boy who was rebutted felt unconvinced.
But under the overwhelming trend of "cuteness is justice," he didn't dare speak again.
He just looked at the field.
A Silkworm Baby—even if well-trained, what impressive feat could it pull off?
That was everyone else's doubt too.
Only Chen Qi and his two friends knew that this Silkworm Baby wasn't just strong—it was incredibly strong.
You can't imagine Boss Su's spirit~!
Watching their clueless classmates, a sense of superiority welled up inside them.