"Huh? Class Monitor Wang, what happened to you?"

Wang Meng's face was black and blue - he'd clearly taken a thorough beating.

"Damn it, who dares bully my classmate?!" Chen Shu declared righteously, instantly summoning his golden slime, which bubbled 'ferociously' with a "Guji guji."

Already a Level 1 contract spirit, it stood a MIGHTY three centimeters tall and looked like a pile of poop with zero combat ability... which, in reality, was exactly right.

"Chen Pi, China's Beast Taming Law forbids randomly summoning contract spirits. Let's get back to class."

Wang Meng looked alarmed and hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Bullying my classmate in broad daylight—is there no justice? Is there no law?" Chen Shu demanded with righteous indignation, though he quietly put away his contract spirit just as a student with eye-catching green hair emerged from Beast Taming Class 3 next door.

"I'm Zheng Yi, and yeah, I beat him up. Got a problem? A bet's a bet - that's the rule in Beast Taming classes."

Zheng Yi sneered at Wang Meng.

"This month's Low-Grade Beast Orb is mine. Remember to hand it over properly."

"Little Wang, I'm not targeting you specifically - I'm saying EVERYONE in Beast Taming Class 5 is trash!"

Wang Meng clenched his fists, his eyes burning with frustration.

"This green-haired punk is THAT arrogant?"

Chen Shu thought to himself, already preparing to step forward.

Wang Meng pulled Chen Shu back toward their classroom, urging, "This is Beast Taming Class 3's territory; let's go back."

Chen Shu glared fiercely at Zheng Yi but didn't act rashly.

"How did you end up fighting them?" Chen Shu asked.

From what he knew of Wang Meng, he didn't seem like the type to cause trouble.

"He and I have always had conflicts, so we have a Beast Tamer duel every month where the loser has to give their school-issued Beast Orb to the winner."

"Beast Orb? Why haven't I heard of this?"

"The top three in monthly exams each get a Beast Orb."

"In that case no wonder I didn't know..."

The two headed back to the classroom together.

Several male students gathered around, asking with concern: "Brother Meng, you okay?"

Clearly, everyone knew about Wang Meng's monthly duels.

"Really useless! Lost three months in a row."

A cold, disdainful voice cut in, belonging to an incredibly petite, ponytailed girl in a white dress with delicate features.

After speaking, the girl walked out of the classroom.

"Who's that?" Chen Shu asked, confused.

"Our class's study committee member, Xia Bing."

Wang Meng muttered, clearly used to her harsh tone by now.

As class monitor, losing three duels in a row had made Beast Taming Class 5 the target of criticism from other classes.

Just as they were chatting, a student suddenly shouted:

"Big news! This afternoon after school, Xia Bing is challenging the entire Beast Taming Class 3!"

"What?! The study committee member is that hardcore?"

"Beast Taming Class 3 has twenty-four people. Even their weakest is a Level 3 Beast Tamer."

Wang Meng's expression froze as he sighed.

"Sister Xia is getting revenge for me. It's all my fault for being useless and unable to beat Zheng Yi."

"Can she win?"

Chen Shu looked at Xia Bing's empty seat.

He hadn't expected this girl to be so fierce - challenging an entire class head-on.

"Sister Xia used to be in Beast Taming Class 1. She was transferred to Beast Taming Class 5 due to special circumstances. She definitely has the strength, but Beast Taming Class 3 aren’t pushovers as well."

Chen Shu rubbed his fists eagerly, actually feeling excited.

"This afternoon we'll all go cheer her on. If she really can't win, we'll all jump in together."

"Right!"

Beast Taming Class 5 instantly united, everyone expressing their intention to watch the battle.

The confrontation between the two classes shocked the entire grade, and even the teachers knew about it, but no one tried to stop it—while regular students fighting in groups would definitely be unacceptable, Beast Taming classes not fighting? What else would they do—play cards¹?

Just then, the class bell rang, and Xia Bing returned to the classroom in her white dress as Fang Ke also entered and began handing out test papers to the students.

"Results from the last test - top three are Xia Bing, Wang Meng, and Li Zixuan."

With that, Fang Ke produced three white orbs rich with spiritual energy—the school-issued Low-Grade Beast Orbs.

Unlike other potions, these orbs could directly increase Beast Taming Power, making them extremely valuable—but equally expensive at over ten thousand yuan each and hard to find, since only schools with official backing could obtain them. For outstanding students, the tens of thousands in yearly tuition was absolutely worth it.

"Xia Bing, be careful this afternoon."

Fang Ke gave her a pointed look, clearly aware of the challenge.

"Teacher Fang, it's fine. All my classmates will be watching."

Chen Shu spoke with absolute confidence.

"That's good," Teacher Fang said. "But Chen Pi, you don't need to go; save yourself the danger and just focus on your regular subjects."

Chen Shu could only think: *?*

I'm the PROTAGONIST here! Without me in the fight, can it even BE called a fight?

The day passed quickly.

Chen Shu initially wanted to study, since regular subjects would be on the college entrance exam too.

But he had zero foundation. Just looking at those textbooks made him drowsy.

After a few minutes, he unknowingly fell fast asleep.

Ring ring ring!

The crisp bell rang out. Chen Shu woke up instinctively.

"School's out..."

The classroom atmosphere instantly changed.

Xia Bing shouldered her blue backpack and strode out of the classroom first, her head lifted high. The other students followed shortly behind her to the school's Beast Taming Arena, which was soon crowded with nearly a hundred spectators from all five classes.

At the very center was a huge platform - where the contract spirits would battle.

"Xia Bing, I admit you're strong, but I didn't think you'd be this stupid - challenging our entire class. Are your three Beast Orbs ready?"

Zheng Yi crossed his arms, his expression mocking.

Three Beast Orbs meant thirty thousand yuan in value - a true high-stakes gamble. Even Beast Taming Class 1 students wouldn't be this extravagant.

"Cut the crap!"

With a look of pure disdain, Xia Bing instantly summoned her contract spirit. A roar echoed as a two-meter-long, deep blue ice wolf appeared, its frosty aura immediately intimidating the entire venue.

"LEVEL 5 BEAST TAMER?!"

The crowd below cried out in shock.

A Level 5 Beast Tamer was already considered a top student in Beast Taming Class 1, easily ranking in the top ten.

"No wonder you're so confident."

Zheng Yi's face turned ugly. As class monitor, he was only a Level 4 Beast Tamer.

"Don't panic. We have over twenty people. Even if we take turns, it's enough to win."

With that, Zheng Yi summoned his own contract spirit.

A skeleton holding a bone knife instantly appeared, with two green flames hovering where its pupils should be, looking extremely terrifying.

Though they were called Beast Tamers, contract spirit types were extremely varied, not limited to just beast types.

Zheng Yi's skeleton belonged to the undead type, while Chen Shu's slime was a special type.

¹ "Play cards" - In the Chinese original, this references "斗地主" (Dou Dizhu/Fighting the Landlord), a popular Chinese card game, used here to humorously contrast with the expected fighting nature of Beast Taming classes.