Li Qingzhou wouldn't let go of such an excellent opportunity and immediately ordered Ping An to continue the attack.
A storm of gravel surged toward the Flame Wolf, completely engulfing it. The Flame Wolf struggled but was unable to break free. It could only watch as the gravel closed in tighter and tighter.
"Owww!"
A heartbreaking howl echoed through the room as the Flame Wolf writhed in pain, unable to breathe. After a few moments, the sound ceased as the Flame Wolf fainted from lack of oxygen.
The students outside the classroom held their breath in shock. The one-sided defeat of the Red Fox that they had expected never happened. Instead, it was the Flame Wolf that had been severely injured and knocked unconscious.
"How could this be?"
"What just happened? Why did the Flame Wolf stop moving?"
"That Red Fox actually won! How come mine only knows how to eat?"
The students were stunned, unable to believe that a Red Fox had just defeated a Black Iron Level 9 Flame Wolf.
"The match is over," the young teacher declared, still surprised by the outcome. He had not expected the Red Fox to have such strong abilities, particularly its spiritual skills and its adept use of sand control.
He glanced at Li Qingzhou with newfound respect.
It wasn't until the teacher announced the results that Wang Li came back to his senses. He stood frozen, unable to accept the outcome. How could the pet he had spent so much money on, paired with his D-level talent, lose to Li Qingzhou, an F-level talent, and his supposedly worthless Red Fox?
"The winner is Li Qingzhou," the teacher said, confirming the unexpected result.
Wang Li felt as if his world had crumbled. He had issued this challenge with full confidence, certain that the Flame Wolf would crush Li Qingzhou and allow him to humiliate him forever. Instead, he had lost, and lost badly. The slap in the face was undeniable. The clown in this whole situation was himself.
All Wang Li wanted now was to find a hole to hide in.
"Quickly, take your Flame Wolf back into the beast control space for healing," the teacher said, patting Wang Li on the shoulder.
With his head hung low, Wang Li numbly retrieved his fainted Flame Wolf into the beast control space. How confident and fierce the Flame Wolf had seemed earlier, but now the defeat was utterly embarrassing.
Wang Li turned to leave in silence, wanting nothing more than to disappear.
"You remember our bet, right?" Li Qingzhou's calm voice broke the silence, ensuring Wang Li didn't forget the terms of their wager. After all, the entire class had witnessed it. If Wang Li tried to back out, his reputation would be in tatters.
Without a word, Wang Li threw a bank card at Li Qingzhou before pushing through the crowd and fleeing.
Li Qingzhou, suddenly inspired, looked at Ping An and realized it had leveled up—rising from Black Iron Level 7 to Level 8.
There are generally three ways for a pet beast to grow and level up: through food, training, or combat.
Food provides the necessary nutrients for natural growth, training enhances physical fitness and abilities over time, and combat—while dangerous—is the fastest way to gain experience. Through actual combat, pets can hone their skills, improve physically and mentally, and grow rapidly.
Ping An had gained experience through its battles with both the Barbarian Bull and the Flame Wolf, allowing it to level up.
Li Qingzhou pocketed the bank card and returned Ping An to the beast control space before leaving the battle classroom. The students were still left buzzing with excitement and disbelief.
Feeling satisfied, Li Qingzhou walked through the campus. With no classes that afternoon, he decided to go into the city and search for the materials needed for Ping An's evolution.
Linyuan City, situated near the Abyss, was always bustling with beast masters and adventurers hoping to make a fortune by exploring the Abyss. This constant activity had greatly boosted the city's economy. The streets were alive with neon lights, crowds of people, and heavy traffic.
Teahouses, cafes, malls, bars, and restaurants were everywhere. Additionally, there were many establishments catering to beast masters—pet training centers, pet hospitals, and pet trading centers.
As Li Qingzhou wandered aimlessly, he eventually found himself standing in front of a massive building in the city center. A sign on the 13-story structure read: *Beast Master Association*.
The Beast Master Association was a guild for beast masters, managing their affairs and promoting their shared interests. Any person who had contracted a pet beast and become a trainee beast master could join by paying a membership fee.
The association also handled task bounties. Beast masters could accept missions and earn rewards for completing them. The difficulty and the rewards varied depending on the mission.
Li Qingzhou entered the task hall and began browsing the trainee-level tasks.
[Task: Weed Removal]
[Difficulty: One Star]
[Requirements: Remove wild weeds from the fields. Best suited for earth-type pets.]
[Reward: 500 yuan]
This task was simple enough, and Ping An's sand skills could handle it, but the reward was too low. Li Qingzhou would need many similar missions to afford the auxiliary materials, and it wouldn't help Ping An gain experience.
He scrolled to the next mission.
[Task: Escort Mission]
[Difficulty: Two Stars]
[Requirements: Escort a target to Wangfeng Mountain. Pet must be at least Black Iron Level 9.]
[Reward: Electric Crystal X1]
This mission offered a decent reward. The electric crystal was worth around 10,000 yuan, but since Ping An wasn't at Black Iron Level 9 yet, it wasn't an option.
[Task: Paramecium Clearing]
[Difficulty: Two Stars]
[Requirements: ...]
There were hundreds of tasks, most of them low-paying and designed to train both the beast masters and their pets. Li Qingzhou knew his goal wasn't purely monetary but also to find ways to help Ping An improve.
After scrolling through several tasks, he found one that caught his attention.
[Task: Catch Stray Cats]
[Difficulty: One Star]
[Requirements: A group of stray cats has been causing trouble in the Hutao neighborhood. Capture them using a pet at Black Iron Level 5-9.]
[Reward: 3,000 yuan]
The stray cats in this world weren't ordinary; they had some intelligence and extraordinary abilities. This task had a good balance of reward and training potential. Capturing the extraordinary cats would provide battle experience without too much danger.
Li Qingzhou decided to accept the task.