Li Cunxu had never practiced martial arts; he was just an ordinary mortal relying solely on the physical strength enhanced by the Evil Dragon Curse. How could he match Xiang Bai, who had trained in martial arts for ten years and had thick, tough skin?
If Xiang Bai hadn't been poisoned, Li Cunxu would have surely lost in the end.
But there were no "ifs." This was a battle between Beast Tamers, not martial artists.
Moreover, Li Cunxu was afraid that if he didn't accept the Tiger Bone Traumatic Injury Medicine, Lin Qingwei might overthink things. When a yandere overthinks, it's always a terrifying prospect.
Lin Qingwei didn't overthink it, but Lin Jiusan did.
Seeing the sweat on his daughter's forehead from running and the radiant smile on her face when Li Cunxu accepted the medicine, Lin Jiusan couldn't help but feel furious.
"Let's go. Qingwei needs to report to the ancestral shrine today."
Lin Qingwei's frequent glances back only fueled Lin Jiusan's anger, and he pulled his daughter along even faster.
Li Cunxu didn't ride his bike back this time; he took a car instead. His hands and feet were in too much pain to ride.
The Mech Hunter said, "Boss, you've got some packages."
Li Cunxu's face lit up with joy. "How many packages?"
"Three."
"Perfect!"
Li Cunxu didn't even bother applying the Tiger Bone Traumatic Injury Medicine and immediately went to open the packages.
Inside the three packages from different locations were three Slimes of different colors.
The red Slime had flames burning on its head and was angrily bashing against the fireproof cage.
The blue Slime emitted a cool, chilly aura and was equally temperamental, exhaling a breath of cold air at Li Cunxu, causing ice crystals to form on the specially treated glass.
The green Slime was surrounded by a gentle breeze but lay listlessly on the ground.
"Fire Slime, Ice Slime, and Wind Slime."
These three were the result of Li Cunxu's online bounty of 500, offered to anyone who could capture and send them from the wild.
Li Cunxu immediately released the Fire Slime and Ice Slime, letting Xiao Ruan subdue them. The two Slimes were anything but docile and quickly launched attacks on Xiao Ruan.
The Fire Slime spat out a Fireball, but Xiao Ruan countered with a Water Orb, extinguishing the Fireball and sending the Fire Slime flying.
The Ice Slime exhaled a freezing breath, spreading cold air everywhere. Xiao Ruan blew a gust of wind, redirecting the cold breath back at the Ice Slime, which ended up freezing itself.
As for the Wind Slime, it wasn't subdued yet. It looked too weak, as if a strong breeze might blow it away.
"Let's nurture the Wind Slime first before subduing it."
Li Cunxu prepared a bowl of Slime Nutrient Solution and placed it in front of the Wind Slime. By the next day, the Wind Slime had regained its energy, and Xiao Ruan successfully subdued it.
After one night, the Fire Slime and Ice Slime, having consumed diluted Breeding Potion, had multiplied.
The Mech Hunter sat on a rock, staring intently at the Fire Slime and Ice Slime as they played.
"Ji Mie, good morning!"
Li Cunxu greeted him.
"Good morning, Boss. By the way, I have something to report."
"The Fire Slime isn't suitable for staying in the ranch. Its surface temperature is too high, and if it stays in one spot for too long, it'll scorch the grass. Plus, its flames could easily set the buildings on fire."
"The Ice Slime isn't suitable either. Its surface temperature is too low, and if it stays in one spot for too long, it'll freeze the grass."
Li Cunxu pondered for a moment. "Should we place the Ice Slime by the stream?"
The ranch had a stream running from east to west, cutting through the entire property.
As for the Fire Slime, it couldn't be placed near the river. Areas with active Water-Type Spiritual Energy would make the Fire Slime extremely uncomfortable, and submerging it in water for more than ten minutes would drown it.
Mech Hunter shook his head, "No, I tried it last night. The Ice Slime would lower the temperature of the stream, making it uncomfortable for the Water Slimes that originally lived by the stream. Moreover, Ice Slimes are cold and cruel by nature and would actively attack Water Slimes."
"Let the Fire Slime and Ice Slime live in the cellar!"
So far, the ranch has two large cellars and one small cellar that is being dug.
Originally, Li Cunxu didn't plan to dig so many cellars; he thought one super large cellar would be enough. However, he later found that reality didn't allow it. Earth Slimes could dig out a super large cellar, but they only knew how to dig and not how to reinforce it.
The consequence of stubbornly digging a super large cellar was the collapse of the ranch's ground.
"Ranch Master, there's another problem. Neither the Fire Slime nor the Ice Slime likes to eat grass and soil."
Li Cunxu said, "The Fire Slime's food mainly consists of high-calorie items. I'll order some coal. The Ice Slime's food is mainly ice and water. We can divert the stream and channel some water into the cellar where the Ice Slime lives to solve the problem."
Mech Hunter stared at the lively Wind Slime and asked, "What about the Wind Slime?"
"The Wind Slime can't be kept in the cellar. The Wind Slime's main food is wind, and there's no wind in the cellar. We'll just raise the Wind Slime on the ranch. When their numbers increase, we'll release a batch."
The Strongest Newcomer Cup, Sacred Lotus District, the final begins.
Li Cunxu entered the arena, and his opponent for the championship was also a commoner.
How did Li Cunxu know?
Last night, Lin Qingwei sent him the information about his opponent.
Li Chengjian, his Pet Beast was a Black Iron Level 9 Dual-Gun Battle Bee.
Li Cunxu didn't think much of him. Li Chengjian was a commoner, and his family wasn't particularly wealthy. In about a month, how could he have made the Short-Gun Bee evolve twice, from a Short-Gun Bee to a Long-Gun Bee, and from a Long-Gun Bee to a Dual-Gun Battle Bee, and upgrade from Black Iron Level 0 to Black Iron Level 9?
There was only one explanation: he exploited the rapid growth characteristic of insect-type Pet Beasts, overdrawing the Dual-Gun Battle Bee's potential and lifespan in exchange for its current level and strength.
Li Chengjian probably thought of using the Dual-Gun Battle Bee's powerful combat ability to sweep through the competition, quickly accumulate resources, and get ahead faster, like a snowball rolling bigger and bigger.
This approach required continuous victories, no losses, no retreats. Once he lost, the snowball would stop and then melt under the sun.
Li Cunxu admired his determination but didn't agree with his approach.
This method needed to be adapted to local conditions. In other cities, this approach might succeed, but in Pupil City, the chance of success was almost zero.
Pupil City was the capital of Pupil Techniques and also the capital of bloodlines. Bloodline Talents were as common as hairs on a cow. To think of continuously winning in this city seemed to underestimate the various major families.
Don't be fooled by Li Chengjian making it to the finals; this was only the Sacred Lotus District final.
There were eleven other districts similar in size to the Sacred Lotus District.
After the Sacred Lotus District final, there was the Pupil City Grand Final, where the twelve district champions would compete for the ultimate championship.
In Pupil City, did commoners have no hope of rising? No, there was hope.
However, it wasn't as radical as Li Chengjian's approach.
Bloodline Talents had a significant advantage in the early stages, but in the later stages, Bloodline Talents became a disadvantage instead.
So the hope for commoners lay in the later stages.
The most correct approach was to build a solid foundation and strike later.
In Li Cunxu's eyes, Li Chengjian had taken the wrong path.
Moreover, Li Chengjian overlooked the consequences of depleting the potential and lifespan of his Pet Beast for temporary strength.
The Dual-Gun Battle Bee is an insect-type Pet Beast, and insect-type Pet Beasts naturally have short lifespans. Additionally, Li Chengjian's hastened maturation of
the Dual-Gun Battle Bee further shortened its lifespan.
The Dual-Gun Battle Bee has only a few years left to live. Once its lifespan is exhausted, it will inevitably die of old age.