Old Zhang's lecture was indeed very interesting.
He would get distracted every time.
However, the diverted topics were more fascinating than the content of the textbook. Most of them were fun facts sprinkled with mythological flavor.
For example, Old Zhang was explaining how the Abyss Demon Snake would hunt its prey. Then, he would shift to the abyss.
"The abyss is the final destination of the New World. It's also known as 'The Tomb Of The New World'."
Old Zhang took a sip of tea and continued, "On the eve of the destruction of a New World, it will slowly sink into the abyss under the guidance of some unknown force, eventually becoming a part of the abyss. Usually, there are 3 to 18 layers in an abyss. When a New World sank into the abyss, acid rain would fall and corrode everything. The earth will be torn into pieces and molten magma will melt whatever that's in its path. All living beings would die and the place would be dyed red."
…
Jiang He was taking notes seriously. Suddenly, he noticed Ding Lei, who was sitting diagonally to him, seemed to have lost control of his emotions.
Usually, his eyes were somewhat dull. However, at the moment, they were red. His fists were clenched tightly and he looked agitated.
"Is Ding Lei involved with the abyss?"
Jiang He was puzzled.
They should not be involved with something like the abyss, right?
However, he had no intention of prying. After all, this was Ding Lei's privacy.
As Old Zhang talked, the topic then shifted to the New World.
"The final destination of a New World is the abyss, so what's the former's origin? Currently, there are two main theories in the academic world. First, the New World is an ancient beastmaster's subdued beast's space, only slightly larger. This was derived from the book of contracts. Master-level beastmasters are able to construct landscapes such as lakes and mountains in their subdued beast's space. So it's very possible this is where a New World originates. The second theory is that new worlds are created by subdued beasts. Subdued beasts can master the power of time and space. Hence, they could also create a New World in the void and construct a Star Screen to connect the two..."
Now, Old Zhang shifted to Star Screen.
In the end, Jiang He could barely remember anything from the textbook, but he had memorized two full pages of fun facts.
After school, Jiang He, Ding Lei, and the class monitor, Lu Zhen, went to the school's training ground. They were ahead of time. Oddly, there were already quite a few people there.
They seemed to be third-year students and their familiars were at least level eight servants.
Second-year students generally did not have this kind of strength.
"Why are there so many people?"
Jiang He was a little dumbfounded. He thought the special training class would only consist of the three of them!
"This special training class was originally set up for third-year students. We're only here to experience it in advance. You'll understand later."
Lu Zhen was not surprised at all. His tone even sounded mysterious.
"Gather!"
Bai Shan's figure appeared at the entrance of the training hall. She was still dressed in military green, looking very valiant.
The students, who were originally undisciplined, quickly gathered. Their familiars obediently stood by their side.
Bai Shan was frighteningly efficient as a teacher.
There did not seem to be any new students other than Jiang He.
"I'm sure everyone knows the purpose of this special training class. It's to prepare all of you for the Youth Tournament that will be held in Haidu Province during October."
Bai Shan's slightly hoarse voice was coming from the front.
"Since I'm your instructor this year, I want some of you to achieve top eight or higher. Can you do that?"
"Yes!"
"Based on my analysis, if you want to make it into the top eight, your subdued beasts must be at least warlord-level. If your subdued beast is currently already warlord-level, raise your hands."
Only two people in the crowd raised their hands.
Unsurprisingly, both of them were third-year students. They were a boy and a girl.
The original host knew them, but not vice versa.
Anyway, the boy's name was Zhang Weiyan. He was the youngest son of the Lava Dojo's master and his subdued beast was a Flaming Lion.
As for the girl, her name was Jin Yi. She was the daughter of a CEO of a prominent company and her subdued beast was a Flower Fairy.
Additionally, she was considered an influential figure in Haiping City High School.
"Level 9, raise your hand."
This time, more people raised their hands. There were about twenty.
Bai Shan calmly said, "This special training will be very cruel. I hope you're all mentally prepared. If anyone wants to withdraw, you can do it now. No one will stop you."
No one said anything. Everyone chose to stay.
"Very good. I hope you can keep this spirit up."
Bai Shan revealed a meaningful smile and a ray of light appeared in front of her. A golden book of contracts was floating in mid-air.
She truly was a professional beastmaster!
As electric arcs flashed, a huge summoning array appeared in front of Bai Shan. A subdued beast appeared in front of everyone. It was hovering in mid-air.
It was made up of three giant silver rings, two big and one small, one horizontal and two vertical, crisscrossing around each other. It had a unique metallic mechanical beauty to it.
Magnetic Wheel Beast.
It was an incredible mechanical-type beast found in mechanical ruins. Even though it was made purely out of mechanical parts, it had self-awareness.
"This Magnetic Wheel Beast was rented by the school from the Beastmaster Association. I'm sure everyone knows what I'm going to do next."
A Magnetic Wheel Beast could master an extremely rare mechanical skill known as Gravity Field. Hence, it was often used for training the physiques of other familiars.
However, this type of subdued beast was regulated. It was very difficult for an individual to own one. Thus, the school could only rent from the Beastmaster Association.
When renting a subdued beast, a temporary contract would be established. Once the time was up, the contract would automatically disappear.
"We're going to do weight training. The school had really invested a lot this time around."
Since Lu Zhen was well-informed and knowledgeable, he explained the details to the two newbies beside him.
"Weight training is very good for improving a subdued beast's physique. I hope that my Crimson Flame Fox can make a breakthrough in terms of speed."
"Yea, this training is more complicated than it looks."
Bai Shan paused for a moment before saying, "To be precise, it's combat training in a different gravity environment. Actual combat will always be the best way to train. Only in actual scenarios will you discover your shortcomings and improve! I'll give all of you three minutes to choose your preferred opponents. Try to choose someone with similar strength."
"Ding Lei, shall we pair up?"
Jiang He glanced at Ding Lei.
Ziyue should be the weakest in the entire arena based on strength. It would be impossible to find an opponent that was on par with him.
Since they were going to be beaten up anyway, he might as well find an acquaintance.
Ding Lei had the same thought as well. He was a little shy, so he did not like dealing with strangers.
Jiang He was a classmate and they even fought in the morning.
Once everyone was ready, the Magnetic Wheel Beast activated Gravity Field.
"Bang!"
It was like a heavy iron bell had crashed to the ground.
Jiang He felt that his body had suddenly become heavy. Even his thoughts appeared to have slowed down.
Seriously?
Even beastmasters had to conduct their battles in Gravity Field?