Chapter 40 Chapter 40 "Be a good person who will not disappoint the beast..."
The warm afternoon sun shone through the dense branches of the college's tree-lined avenue, casting mottled shadows on Jiang Qing.
“Alas, alas~”
Jiang Qing sighed constantly along the way.
Zhu Tianba raised his head and looked at her sideways, not understanding why she sighed. When they were in the office, he could feel that Jiang Qing was very happy and excited.
"Kang?" Zhu Tianba made a slight hum and rubbed her trouser leg lightly with his head, just like when they first met.
Jiang Qing ignored it.
Zhu Tianba seemed to have thought of something in his little head. He suddenly grabbed Jiang Qing even harder, forcing Jiang Qing to stop.
Zhu Tianba immediately searched in the small bag she was carrying.
She had been carrying that bag since she entered the Misty Forest. She didn't lose it during the fight, and no one took it off for her when she returned to the academy. The bag was stained with a lot of mud and green juice left by the giant vine king seal.
It looks a bit disgusting and smells a bit.
Feeding pigs has biological programs.
Jiang Qing thought Zhu Tianba was hungry, so he patted its hoof and said, "There's no food here. I'll get it for you later."
"Gu~"
A day had passed since they had left for the Misty Forest, and she was feeling a bit hungry.
Zhu Tianba still refused to give in.
Jiang Qing had no choice but to squat down. She unzipped the bag, but before she could show it to Zhu Tianba, a wooden box suddenly appeared inside.
She belatedly remembered the box.
Zhu Tianba went to the lair of the iron-thorned lizard just to find this.
There is a lock on the box, the most common combination lock that requires a key to open.
Jiang Qing picked it up and took a look at it, then threw the box heavily to the ground. The wooden box had been buried in the soil for many years and had become loose. When she hit it just now, the box broke into two pieces and the things inside fell out.
An object the size of a pigeon egg slipped out of the box, landing on the bluestone pavement with a crisp "ding" sound.
"What is this?" Jiang Qing picked up the crystal from the ground, held it in front of his eyes, and looked at it carefully again and again in the sunlight.
Zhu Tianba squatted aside and waited quietly.
Golden and shiny.
It was exactly the same as what it found for Jiang Qing the first time.
Jiang Qing would probably be happier seeing this, and maybe even kiss and hug it like the first time.
Zhu Tianba was secretly looking forward to it, thinking that when Jiang Qing came to hold him again, would he accept it? Or would he accept it? Or would he accept it!
The golden crystal reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight, and there seemed to be tiny points of light flowing slowly inside. Holding it in the hand gave a strange warm feeling, which dispelled the haze in Jiang Qing's heart.
"Kang Kang." Zhu Tianba proudly raised his little head, stomped his front hooves happily on the ground, and his little eyes were full of anticipation of "Praise me! Hug me!"
Jiang Qing looked at its unconcealed desire for credit, then looked down at the crystal in his hand that was obviously of extraordinary quality, and decided to be a good master who would not let the beast down.
She put down the crystal in her hand, hugged Zhu Tianba into her arms, and kissed him hard on the forehead: "My Tianba is the best!"
"Kang~" Zhu Tianba felt a little dizzy from the kiss. Although there was a look of great satisfaction on his face, he still blocked his chest with his front hooves as if to shirk it.
It didn't know who said it, but it vaguely remembered that this was wrong. Someone told it that a qualified beast must be independent and not indulge in it.
But...but, Jiang Qing's embrace is so comfortable, so comfortable!
After a while, Jiang Qing let go of Zhu Tianba.
She carefully put the crystal back into her pocket. The energy contained in this crystal felt very pure, completely different from the violent and aggressive beast core power she had come into contact with. It even had a subtle effect of soothing her mental strength.
"Let's go back to the dormitory. I'll give you a snack today, a deluxe version of pig feed!" Jiang Qing hugged Zhu Tianba and his steps became lighter. The heavy feeling about home that he had just felt in the principal's office was temporarily diluted a lot by this sudden harvest.
Returning to the familiar dormitory filled with various spirit beast feeds and sundries, Jiang Qing immediately fulfilled his promise.
She rummaged through the drawers and put the several high-quality energy dried fruits that she had saved money to buy for Zhu Tianba to replenish his energy, and a small can of moonlight nectar, into Zhu Tianba's exclusive food bowl.
Zhu Tianba was very happy. He cheered "Kang!" and buried his whole face almost in the food bowl. He ate like a whirlwind, and his little tail was wagging quickly.
Jiang Qing sat aside, watching it eat, and took out the charger to charge Lingtong.
Lingtong is actually a transparent, card-thin thing, slightly smaller than the palm of an average adult. The charger used by Lingtong is a white round disc with two small acrylic card slots on it.
Insert the Lingtong into the base to charge it.
It takes about ten minutes to fully recharge Lingtong.
At this time, most people are still in class. When Jiang Qing opens Lingtong, he can notice many messages on it.
The messages basically came from two group chats.
Jiang Qing saw the message Meng Yanlang sent to the group before the incident.
She said it was no wonder the guards arrived so quickly, thanks to her foresight to report it in advance in the group.
She sent a safety message to the four people in the group, and then switched to another group chat.
It is the class group of Class A7.
The Misty Forest incident was not like the last Dark Valley incident. This time, more people were involved, and some people in Song Shiduo's group took photos on the spot and posted them on the forum.
She survived in the lair of the mutated and rampaging iron thorn lizard, and this explosive news spread quickly in a small circle.
At first, some people did not take the middle-stage mortal iron thorny lizard seriously and claimed that there was nothing worth bragging about.
Until the person who took the photo released the "fragments" of the mutant vine king giant seal all over the ground.
Those who objected fell silent.
Jiang Qing slowly scrolled through the messages from the first one. Most people didn't know that she and Zhu Tianba had killed Teng Wang Ju Zhang. It happened that the guard team selection was taking place in the past two days, so the focus of everyone's discussion later became the guard team that had arrived.
For example, A5 squad Huo Qiushan joined the escort team in advance and followed the main members on missions.
Jiang Qing's fingertips slid across the Lingtong screen, watching the discussion about Huoqiu Mountain in the group gradually ferment.
Some people said that he had already passed the internal assessment of the guard team, and this Misty Forest Operation was just a formal mission.
Some people also found out that his spiritual pet, the Qingbao Spirit Snake, has reached the middle stage of the Earth Rank and is considered the top in its grade.
"Huoqiu Mountain..." Jiang Qing thought of the cold eyes in the cave and the embarrassment of being picked up by him like a chicken, and couldn't help rubbing the back of his neck.
At that time, her mind was full of fear of the Qingbao Spirit Snake, and she didn't pay close attention to his movements.
Now that I think about it, the fact that he could steadily lift an adult from the edge of a pit covered in slime and gravel meant that his strength and reaction speed were probably far more than what appeared on the surface.
Jiang Qing stayed in the dormitory until Li Xiu finished class in the evening and did not go out during that time.
Li Xiu pulled her hand over and examined it carefully from top to bottom before relaxing. The two hugged each other and exchanged greetings for a long time before letting go.
Xuerongtu was quietly looking at Zhu Tianba next to him.
It should have been afraid of this cold and threatening "roommate", but when it learned that it was fine, the Snowmelt Rabbit felt relieved for some reason.
It watched the interaction between Li Xiu and Jiang Qing and decided to attribute this to "roommate friendship." It heard that the spirit beasts of Li Xiu's other classmates also got along like this.
After finishing chatting with Li Xiu, Jiang Qing washed up carefully and went to bed.
Almost the moment it touched the pillow, my consciousness sank into darkness.
......
The selection for the next day started early in the morning.
Although the guard team is an official organization of the college, the selection is spontaneous. Therefore, no teachers or other school staff participated today, and the selection day was also an ordinary Saturday.
A lot of people have gathered outside the training ground.
The selection process for the guard team of the Fifth Beast Taming Academy has always been very strict, and only the best students from each grade are attracted. The air is filled with the roars of spirit beasts, the collision of training equipment, and the excited or nervous conversations of the students.
Jiang Qing followed Li Xiu to the training ground and then separated. She brought Zhu Tianba to the A7 class area, immediately attracting a lot of attention in the class.
There was curiosity, inquiry, and even a hint of awe in those eyes.
Her experiences in the Misty Forest had already spread through various channels. The fact that she had survived the Ironthorn Lizards and the lair of the Ivy King Giant Seal was enough to become a hot topic in itself.
Zhao Peng and Song Shiduo were the first to come over, and they surrounded her.
Zhao Peng learned yesterday that she was fine, but Song Shiduo didn't know.
"Fortunately, you are okay. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to go to the Misty Forest." Song Shiduo looked apologetic, his eyes slightly red, and his voice was nasal.
"I'm fine." Jiang Qing looked at her slightly red eyes with a bit of confusion and said, his heart was touched for a moment.
She raised her hand and subconsciously wiped away the tears from Song Shiduo's eyes.
Song Shiduo reacted, sniffed, lifted her eyelids and wiped away the tears under her eyes: "Sorry, this is what happens when you have a tear-loss physique."
It turned out to be a tearful collar.
Jiang Qing smiled self-deprecatingly.
Jiang Qing came back to his senses, took a deep breath and said, "I also want to thank you for calling the rescue team."
Even though Meng Yanlang and others noticed something was wrong early on and reported it to the guard team, the guard team was unable to find her location. It was thanks to Song Shiduo and others that they did not abandon her and led the guard team on the way.
"By the way, did you get the core of the iron-thorned lizard later?" Jiang Qing asked.
Song Shiduo smiled and nodded: "Yes, after the guard team cleared out the mutant iron thorn lizards in the cave, we asked them for a few."
As she spoke, she released her spiritual pet.
"Let me show you my Bear Zaizai. I feel like it can shatter the huge rock in the distance with one turn!" Song Shiduo's eyes were exceptionally bright when he smiled.
As the two were talking, the selection process for the guard team was officially announced.
The first round is a group elimination round. All applicants bring their own pets into a large-scale simulated battle barrier. The fifty people who persist in the chaos will advance. Grouping is prohibited during this period.
The second round is a one-on-one competition by drawing lots until the final number of candidates is determined.
There are only 4 places available.
Originally, the guard team was supposed to recruit five new members every year. However, since Huoqiu Mountain took one in advance this year, the remaining people had to compete for the last four places.
"All applicants, please enter the barrier in front of you!" A loud voice resounded throughout the venue through the loudspeaker, with unquestionable majesty.
The speaker was a senior member of the guard team, who was hosting the selection.
The crowd began to flow in an orderly manner towards the area in the center of the training ground that was covered by an invisible force field.
The light and shadow within the barrier change, simulating rugged rocks and sparse woodlands, and the environment is complex and changeable.
Jiang Qing took a deep breath, squatted down and touched Zhu Tianba's head.
The little guy looked up at her and made a "kang" sound. Although he was short of breath, his eyes were firm, indicating that he could fight.
Jiang Qing knew that it was holding on. The aftereffects of the town's destruction and the injuries caused by the giant vine king seal would not be recovered in a short time.
"Do what you can and protect yourself." Jiang Qing whispered, his eyes serious.
Zhu Tianba rubbed her palm.
A man and a pig followed the crowd into the barrier.
Inside the barrier.
As soon as you enter, chaotic energy fluctuations hit you in the face.
The skills of spirit beasts of various attributes burst out instantly. Flames, ice cones, wind blades, vines... intertwined and collided in the limited space, and roars and roars were endless.
The wails of low-level spirit beasts and the shouts of beastmasters echoed one after another.
It has a lot of similarities with the content of the previous Thorn Road training.
Jiang Qing immediately took Zhu Tianba and hid behind a huge rock, avoiding a whistling wind blade.
"Keep moving and don't get surrounded." Jiang Qing quickly assessed the situation and said to Zhu Tianba.
Zhu Tianba’s condition is not suitable for head-on confrontation, and he must rely on positioning and tactics.
They shuttled between the rocks and sparse trees, using the terrain to avoid most attacks.
Jiang Qing's mind was highly concentrated, his innate skills were ready to go, and he was ready to deal with any emergency at any time.
Although Zhu Tianba was unable to use powerful skills, his "avoidance" ability worked wonders in the chaos, helping them to narrowly avoid sneak attacks several times.
"Right!" Jiang Qing shouted in a low voice.
An early Earth-level Cracked Claw Wolf suddenly pounced from the flank, its sharp claws flashing with cold light.
Jiang Qing's pupils shrank, and he was about to take action, but Zhu Tianba beside him reacted first.
It seemed to sense the threat, and the remaining power from the "Town" in its body was instinctively stimulated.
There was no dazzling platinum flame, only a weak but extremely condensed "force" that spread out instantly, accurately covering the attacking split-claw wolf.
The Split Claw Wolf's movements suddenly froze, as if it had hit an invisible wall. The fierceness in its eyes was replaced by an indescribable fear. The momentum of its attack stopped abruptly, and it even rolled over twice on the ground due to inertia.
Its beastmaster was obviously affected as well, with an expression of astonishment and discomfort on his face.
Jiang Qing seized this fleeting opportunity and without hesitation pulled Zhu Tianba out of the area quickly.
Jiang Qing glanced sideways at Zhu Tianba. The little guy didn't seem to have consumed much energy and just took a slight breath. It was obvious that the attack just now was the result of his exquisite control of "momentum" rather than forced power.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
In the following time, Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba moved through the chaotic battlefield like fish.
Zhu Tianba occasionally releases precise and short-term "momentum" interference, which can often interrupt the opponent's rhythm or create chaos at critical moments, winning them valuable escape space.
Jiang Qingze, with his keen observation skills, can always find a relatively safe path, and use his Midas touch to quietly change the terrain in a small area and create obstacles.
They didn't actively attack anyone, they were just focused on surviving.
This "hiding" tactic is actually very effective in melee combat.
Spirit beasts were constantly eliminated and turned into streams of light and teleported out of the barrier.
As time passed, the number of people in the barrier decreased sharply.
Because they were not allowed to form a team, Jiang Qing gave up the idea of looking for Li Xiu, Zhao Peng and the others. Moreover, she was not in the same area as them. It was not a wise choice to look for them across mountains and rivers and in the chaotic battlefield.
However, Jiang Qing met an unexpected person in front of a bamboo forest.
Warm bamboo stream.
She raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
This person hadn’t been eliminated during the initial screening!
Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba hid behind a huge rock, protecting their bodies with golden light. She carefully observed Wen Zhuxi's defense method.
She found that the other party had chosen the same "hiding" tactic as her, but Wen Zhuxi was even more arrogant than her.
His "hiding" means staying there motionless.
And he was also very lucky. Those spiritual beasts, boulders, and flying needles that wanted to attack him were always intercepted by others halfway.
Success once or twice is luck, but staying still without being attacked is strength.
She thought that one of Wen Zhuxi's talents or pet's skills was the same as Zhu Tianba's "avoidance", which allowed him to "luckily" ignore the attacks around him.
As expected, it is not easy for a top-level earth-level beastmaster to contract a mortal-level spirit pet from the very beginning.
Of course, except Zhao Peng.
Although his Iron-Armored Bull has amazing defense, it is just too stupid, and is well-deserving of the name "Bull".
The roar and roar within the barrier gradually became sparse, and the dense smoke and dust slowly settled, revealing the mess on the ground.
Finally, when a long bell rang, the melee within the barrier came to an abrupt end.
There were only about fifty people left in the center of the venue. All of them were injured, and most of their spirit beasts were exhausted.
Jiang Qing looked around and found that he and Zhu Tianba were among them.
She breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that her clothes on the back were soaked with sweat.
Zhu Tianba lay at her feet, his belly heaving. It was obvious that the continuous concentration just now had consumed him a lot.
Jiang Qing bent down and poured some water into it.
"The first round of melee is over! There are fifty people left in the field, and they will advance to the second round!" The voice of the loudspeaker sounded again, and the invisible barrier rippled and dissipated like water waves. The simulated scene of mountains, rocks and forests also faded away in an instant, revealing the originally empty ground of the training ground.
Jiang Qing looked around and found that most of the familiar faces had fallen. Among the fifty people who advanced, most were second- and third-year students, and most of them were earth-level or near-earth-level beastmasters.
Among them was Jiang Qing’s familiar senior Xu Weiran.
Xu Weiran suddenly saw her and greeted her warmly.
She smiled back.
Among the freshmen, only a few advanced.
Wen Zhuxi is one of them, and the rest are Meng Yanlang, Zhao Peng, and her.
Among the fifty people who advanced, there was no one with a lower level than her.
The noise in the training ground died down briefly after the barrier dissipated, and was immediately replaced by more complex discussions.
Fifty students who successfully advanced stood in the center of the venue with their respective spirit beasts. The invisible level symbols were like halos hanging overhead, showing everyone's strength nakedly in front of everyone.
For a moment, everyone's eyes fell on Jiang Qing.
Of course...Zhu Tianba at her feet was also being scrutinized.
The dazzling "Human Rank Level 2" above Jiang Qing's head and the equally eye-catching "Mortal Rank Level 2" at Zhu Tianba's feet, against the backdrop of the surrounding "Earth Rank Early Stage", "Earth Rank Middle Stage" and even a few scattered "Earth Rank Late Stage" glows, appear particularly abrupt and eye-catching.
Class discrimination has always been serious in this world, and Jiang Qing has experienced it countless times before.
The shock in everyone's eyes was barely concealed.
"Am I seeing right? Human rank level two? Ordinary spiritual pet? How did she get into the top fifty?"
"Ha, I must have been lucky. I hid in some corner and didn't get hit, right?"
"That's normal. In a chaotic fight, there are always some who slip through the net. The second level is where the true strength is tested."
Except for a few classes in the Combat Department and her former classmates, most of them did not know Jiang Qing.
Everyone had already foreseen her elimination.
Jiang Qing could clearly feel the change in the temperature of those eyes, which quickly changed from initial surprise to disdain and rejection.
She straightened her back, her face expressionless, but having heard the same words so many times, her hands at her sides inevitably clenched slightly.
Zhu Tianba seemed to have sensed the malice around him. He stopped lying down to rest and tried to stand up. His small body was tense and a low, warning "kang kang" sound came from his throat. His round amber eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, especially those who showed obvious hostility.
"Quiet!" the guard presiding over the selection shouted sharply, his voice imbued with energy, suppressing the noise in the arena. "The first round is over, proving you are worthy of standing here. Luck is also a factor of strength. Next is the second round, a one-on-one elimination match. The rules are simple: draw lots to determine the opponent, the winner advances, the loser is eliminated, and this continues until the final four are determined!"
He pointed to a huge screen that had appeared out of thin air on one side of the field. The names of the fifty students who had advanced to the next round began to scroll rapidly on it. "Now, let's start the drawing of lots!"
The light screen flickered, and the names were paired up.
Jiang Qing's eyes quickly scanned the light curtain, looking for her name. The first match was hers.
[First match: Combat Department, Jiang Qing, versus Combat Department, Luo Zhen.]
As soon as the host finished the announcement, she followed the gazes of the people in the same row and saw a burly, fleshy third-year student grinning with a cruel smile, his eyes fixed on Jiang Qing like a venomous snake.
The mark on his head clearly read "Earth Stage Early Stage", and crawling beside him was a spirit beast covered with dark red scales, shaped like a pangolin but with sharp fangs.
The Earth Fire Mountain-Drilling Beast, at the peak of the mortal class, has the attributes of fire and earth. It is known for its strong defense and ability to spit out scorching magma. It is one of the types of opponents that a small and weak spirit beast like Zhu Tianba hates the most.
Jiang Qing could even hear Luo Zhen grinning.
"Hehe, I'm lucky." Luo Zhen clenched his fists, making a crackling sound, and strode towards a designated battle waiting area with the Earthfire Sandshrew. He hooked his finger at Jiang Qing provocatively, "Little sister, bring your little suckling pig over here! I'll 'gently' send you off."
The discussions around became louder, with a sense of schadenfreude from those who were watching a good show.
"Luo Zhen, the third-year combat student? He's known for his ruthless nature. The magma breath of his Earth Fire Mountain Beast can burn through the defenses of even ordinary Earth-level spirit beasts!"
"It's over, it's over. She's really in trouble this year. I'm afraid her little pig will be roasted into a suckling pig."
Zhao Peng also came over at this time.
"Your luck is so bad, why did it have to be him?" Zhao Peng clicked his tongue.
Jiang Qing looked at the top of Luo Zhen's head.
Early stage of Earth level, peak of Mortal level.
It's similar to the style of Zhao Peng, Xu Weiran and others. She has challenged them before.
Jiang Qing said calmly, "It's okay."
Zhao Peng knew at a glance that Jiang Qing had not yet realized how powerful Luo Zhen was. He decided to have a good talk with her before she went on stage so that Jiang Qing could be prepared in advance.
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