The training building was the largest architecture in Haiping City High School.
In addition to the eight standard arenas, there were also various training rooms. Clearly, a lot was invested into it.
Apart from classes, students would tend to hang out here.
Students from the art and science departments liked to come here to watch battles as well.
Bai Shan stood in front of the crowd and said calmly, "Let's warm-up first. Everyone, take your subdued beasts and run five laps around the stadium!"
Liu Hao gave Jiang He a look. It was as if he had nothing left to live for.
Jiang He understood how he felt.
The White Devil really lived up to her name.
Five laps were more than three miles.
Bai Shan continued, "The top three students will be rewarded while the last three will be punished."
The students were unsure if she was trying to motivate them.
Regardless, after hearing the word "reward", a number of students became excited.
A girl wearing glasses raised her hand and said, "Reporting! Instructor Bai, my familiar is a Blue Worm. It can't run very fast and might take till the next day to complete five laps."
"Instructor Bai, my Water Spirit can't run as it doesn't have legs," said another boy as he pointed to his blue slime-like familiar.
"Okay, they don't have to run."
Bai Shan nodded.
Those two cases were the exception.
"Instructor Bai seems to be very understanding!"
Liu Hao, who was beside Jiang He, suddenly had a bold idea after witnessing this scene. He whispered a few words to the Lightning Lizard and raised his hand.
Liu Hao pointed at his Lightning Lizard and said, "Instructor Bai, my Lightning Lizard broke its leg a few days ago. It can't run either."
The Lightning Lizard cooperated and began limping.
"Alright, it doesn't have to run."
"Nice!"
Liu Hao tried his best to suppress his smile. Then, he happily ran to the resting area.
"Come back! The Lightning Lizard doesn't have to run, but you do. In order to cultivate the relationship between the two of you, beastmasters have to run with their subdued beasts. It doesn't matter if you're carrying, holding, or dragging them as long as you finish the laps."
Bai Shan said with a faint smile.
"Hey! Its leg had suddenly recovered. Hehe."
Liu Hao patted his Lightning Lizard and faked a smile.
However, the Lightning Lizard didn't cooperate this time. It continued to limp pitifully.
"F*ck! Instructor Bai, it's just pretending!"
Liu Hao was anxious.
His subdued beast seemed to be quite mischievous.
The Lightning Lizard limped even more.
Liu Hao's face was filled with despair. In the end, he could only pick up the Lightning Lizard and placed it on his shoulder.
"It's heavy!"
Bai Shan ignored Liu Hao's cries and said indifferently, "Run!"
The group of beastmasters and their subdued beasts rushed out.
Those students who had contracted with their subdued beasts for a period of time were doing fine. Most of them were able to keep up with each other. They also bonded rather well.
On the other hand, the students who had just contracted with their subdued beasts encountered various "accidents".
Some of the subdued beasts completely took off, ignoring their beastmasters. A lap was only considered completed when both beastmaster and their subdued beast crossed the line together.
This happened to the bespectacled boy with a sour attitude earlier. His Flame Dog just left him behind.
Other subdued beasts even launch attacks on those in front of them. Naturally, the other party countered. As a result, there were numerous chaotic battles.
A Seaweed Turtle spat out two streams of water, stunning the Blade Mantis in front of it.
The Blade Mantis became agitated. It attacked the Seaweed Turtle by slamming the latter's shell. This frightened the Seaweed Turtle and it retreated into its shell.
Moreover, the battles affected the young beastmasters.
Some students would purposely slow down and even run in the opposite direction. This was done so their families could interfere with others.
The scenario reminded Jiang He of go-karting.
Everyone wanted to take revenge on each other.
Fortunately, he and Ziyue did not get caught up in the mess.
Moonlight Elves were naturally agile. Coupled with the week of training, Ziyue's speed had become outstanding.
This also applied to Jiang He.
They did not slow down and took the lead. The gap between them and their peers continued to widen.
Of course, there were others who were faster than them.
Ding Lei and his Snow Wolf were in the first place. In second place was the class monitor, Lu Zhen. His familiar was a Crimson Flame Fox. When it ran, it looked like a ball of crimson flames.
Judging from its strength, it should be a level seven servant or above.
During the second lap, Jiang He noticed that a portion of his classmates was still fighting at the starting point.
When he passed by, a Water Monkey shot a water ball at Ziyue.
Ziyue immediately reacted. It easily dodged with a sidestep. Just as it was about to counterattack, it was stopped by Jiang He.
"Little fellow, just use Godly Speed to escape."
Jiang He did not forget about the main goal. It would not be good to get distracted.
He looked at Bai Shan who was standing in the middle.
Bai Shan had no intention of stopping the chaotic battles. She merely summoned a Silver-Black Snake. It would attack the subdued beasts if they were about to harm the students.
Jiang He had completed three laps.
However, some students had not even finished the first lap. They were generally new beastmasters who had just recently contracted their beasts. Their physique had yet to improve significantly. Moreover, their subdued beasts had expended too much energy by fighting.
Upon realizing this, Jiang He felt that he was in a good position. His endurance had improved a lot from the week of training.
As for the Moonlight Elf, it was dissatisfied. These laps were not even comparable to its usual training!
"Don't underestimate running. Not only will it increase your willpower, but it'll also help you bond with your familiars."
Bai Shan noticed that most students were about to give up, so she tried to encourage them.
It was as if her words had injected energy into their bodies.
"Your goal is to raise your subdued beast to level 10 servant before the college entrance exam. Also, you have to train your mental strength to above 200 points. Only then will you be accepted into a top-tier beastmaster university. Don't be afraid of hard work. Keep training and you'll improve."
…
In the end, Jiang He placed third.
Ding Lei and his Snow Wolf came first while Lu Zhen and his Crimson Flame Fox were second.
"Meow!"
The Moonlight Elf glanced at Jiang He with slight disdain.
This is all the poop-shoveling officer's fault!
Most students did not finish the race, but Bai Shan did not force them any further. She only wanted them to do their best.
"As I've mentioned before, there will be rewards and punishments. The top three students will receive special training arranged by the school. Gather here after classes end. As for the students who didn't finish, you'll be on cleaning duty."
Some students were happy, but others were worried.
The reward was an extra class?!
Not getting this reward was totally fine!
Of course, some students knew this special lesson would be very useful.
Bai Shan had retired from the Beast Tamer Army. She had plenty of combat experience. Ding Lei and the others would definitely learn something valuable.
"Warm-up is over. The class will begin now! We won't be practicing anything else since this is the first day. Just show me the strength of your subdued beasts. All of you will fight in pairs and I'll be the judge!"
"Ding Lei, Jiang He, the two of you are up first."
"???"