Ch. 220 - Ground Smooth by Evil Forces

"Young Master Tang, don't be reckless!"

Wang Yun immediately grabbed hold of him and spoke up:

"He's been ruling Second High for over half a year! Back in January at the Spirit Fighting Arena, even that S-rank Contract Spirit nearly got beaten to death..."

Hong Ming was beside them too, trying nonstop to talk him down. The pressure Chen Shu had put on them last semester was just too overwhelming.

Of course, neither of them was primarily concerned about Tang Lie.

They were worried about getting targeted themselves. They couldn't afford to provoke the Nanjiang Bandit...

"This..."

Tang Lie sobered up instantly. Back then, Xia Yan had a Level 9 S-rank Contract Spirit, and he'd still gotten dragged around like a ragdoll!

His Wind Runner Beast might have broken through to Level 9, but it absolutely couldn't compare to an S-rank Contract Spirit.

Recalling everything that had happened before, he grew indecisive.

It was starting to feel like he'd made a terrible mistake...

"Hey! Are we fighting or not? Quit dithering!"

Chen Shu's face was pure impatience. His Slime hadn't seen combat in ages -- this was the perfect chance to see how much it'd improved over winter break.

Back in early February, he'd blown up the Alternate Dimension and gained a 5% boost to all attributes. On top of that, the potions Sis Fang Si had given him added another 10%.

The already overpowered Slime could now absolutely steamroll anything at the same level.

"Fine, let's fight!"

Tang Lie hesitated for a long while before finally gritting his teeth and deciding to go through with it.

He'd already talked the talk. The least he could do was put on some kind of show.

Otherwise, wouldn't he have even less standing in the Special Training Class?

"But let's get one thing straight first! We're classmates -- this stays at first contact only!"

"..."

Tang Lie's words were basically a white flag.

One second ago you were talking tough, and now you're already backing down?

Not only was he short -- he wasn't even fierce. [1]

"Teacher Shen, you be the referee!"

Tang Lie had abandoned all concern for his dignity. His eyes carried a look of pleading as he gazed toward Shen Wushuang.

With Teacher Shen here, Chen Shu probably wouldn't slaughter my Contract Spirit...

Chen Shu's lips curled. You little shit -- pretty clever, aren't you?

Sure, Tang Lie had lost face. But now he at least had a safety net -- no catastrophic outcome possible. This was basically a risk-free attempt.

If he managed to win, he'd instantly rise up in the class and take Chen Shu's position.

Even if he lost, there wouldn't be any serious consequences.

"Then we'll keep it to first contact!"

Shen Wushuang nodded. He was equally curious to see the combat power of Chen Shu's Slime.

At the very least, it would prove his own judgment hadn't been off.

"Bring it!"

Chen Shu walked to the front of the classroom and summoned his Golden Slime.

Boom!

The Slime activated Gigantification immediately, its body expanding to eight times its base size in an instant!

"Goo-gii!"

A thirty-meter Golden Slime materialized. Its enormous eyes were mind-numbingly adorable, yet it radiated suffocating pressure.

When it sat on you, there was nothing adorable about it...

"What the actual fuck!"

Tang Lie's eyes bulged. His mind reeled with violent tremors, and for a brief moment, he genuinely considered ending it all.

Last semester, the damn thing was only twenty meters.

Now it'd shot straight up to thirty?!

Was this thing inflatable? How the hell did it balloon that fast?

Shen Wushuang also swallowed hard in secret.

It was only a Level 9 Contract Spirit -- did this follow any scientific principles at all?

The moment the Slime appeared, the entire class sank into a long, heavy silence.

Something that massive... could any of them really match it?

Then, as one, their gazes shifted -- turning toward Tang Lie. Their eyes were full of mourning...

Picking a fight on the first day back. Now that was a true warrior!

Du Long, in particular, was flooded with gratitude and admiration.

He'd also reached Level 9 Beast Tamer. If Tang Lie hadn't stepped up first, he would have been the one challenging Chen Shu directly.

"Young Master Tang, where's your Wind Runner Beast?"

Chen Shu's lips curled into a smile. Gigantification had hit Level 4, capable of expanding his body to eight times its base size, and he'd never gotten to test it in real combat.

"Teacher Shen..."

Tang Lie looked toward Shen Wushuang, eyes brimming with silent pleading.

"I'm watching. Go ahead and start!"

Shen Wushuang spoke reassuringly: "Relax -- our school's medical office is top-notch!"

"Ha... ha..."

Tang Lie let out a hollow laugh. What he was worried about was his Contract Spirit not surviving long enough to see the goddamn medical office!

He drew a deep breath, steadied himself, and summoned his own Contract Spirit.

The Wind Runner Beast wasn't large. Compared to the Slime, it was the runt of runts.

Screee!

It let out a sharp cry and turned its gaze toward Tang Lie. Its eyes were filled with doubt about its entire beast existence.

You're not asking me to ram into that mountain, are you?

If you want me dead, just say so -- no need to be roundabout about it...

Shen Wushuang officially declared: "Begin!"

The moment his words landed, the Slime's enormous maw yawned open and it let out a roar:

"Goo-gii!"

Adorable as the sound was, the Wind Runner Beast collapsed into a stunned daze...

Chen Shu had successfully repelled the Beast Tide at the start of the month, which not only earned him a massive amount of Beast Taming Power but also leveled up his Deterrent Roar by one.

A Level 2 Deterrent Roar was enough to stun a same-rank Contract Spirit for a meaningful duration.

The Slime's eyes went wide. It activated Violent Sit-Kill.

That horrifying body launched into the air. Every head in the class tilted upward -- as if gazing up at a god...'s bowel movement.

BOOM!

The Wind Runner Beast was instantly flattened under its backside. It didn't even manage a single dying cry.

The fight had just begun, but it was already over...

"I yield! I yield!"

Tang Lie shouted immediately, eyes full of panic.

On the sparring platform, the Slime was wiggling its rear end, clearly grinding the Wind Runner Beast further into the floor.

"Enough! Chen Shu!"

Shen Wushuang called out at once.

If the Slime kept sitting any longer, the Wind Runner Beast might actually die on the spot.

Nobody could handle something that massive.

Chen Shu's lips curled into a smile as he asked: "Young Master Tang, still want to join the Beast Taming competition?"

Tang Lie replied with utmost sincerity: "I think Xia Bing is absolutely the right choice. Anyone who disagrees -- I'll fight them personally!"

What could he do? His Contract Spirit's life was literally in someone else's hands...

Survival first. No shame in that!

It had to be said -- ever since joining the Special Training Class, Tang Lie's face-changing skill had probably maxed out.

"Very good!"

Chen Shu smiled and recalled the Golden Slime.

The Wind Runner Beast lay there like a dead dog, its body completely flattened. It looked like a pressed specimen...

Only the faintest wheeze of breath proved it was still alive...

Chen Shu's gaze swept over the class below as he spoke:

"Anyone else have objections? Happy to settle them all at once!"

Not a soul made a sound. With a thirty-meter Slime parked right there, who'd dare object?

"Du Long, you looked a little unconvinced just now, didn't you?"

Du Long's heart jolted violently. He instantly plastered on a full smile and spoke:

"Unconvinced? Impossible! Whatever the captain says, I'm the first to support!"

He'd also reached Level 9 Beast Tamer, sure -- but his Earth Sub-dragon genuinely couldn't win this fight!

The entire class fell silent. Those called geniuses -- Tang Lie and Du Long -- were no longer arrogant. Their sharp edges had been ground smooth by evil forces... [4]

A perfectly good institution of learning -- how the hell had it produced a bandit...

"That's settled, then!"

Chen Shu nodded and said: "Your attitude -- uncle is very satisfied!"

[1] "Not only short, but not fierce either" (不但短小，而且不精悍): A deliberate demolition of the idiom 短小精悍 (duan xiao jing han), which means "short but formidable" -- compact and capable. The narrator breaks the idiom apart: 短小 (short) stays, but 精悍 (formidable) gets negated. In Chinese slang, 短小不精悍 is also a well-known anatomical double-entendre about male inadequacy. The narrator is simultaneously calling Tang Lie's bravado impotent and his courage undersized.

[4] "Ground smooth by evil forces" (被恶势力磨平了棱角): Double reference. "磨平棱角" (grinding down sharp edges) traces to a viral clip from Douyu streamer Li Gan (~2016), founder of the "Abstract Studio" subculture, who drunkenly lamented that society was slowly grinding away his brilliance and fighting spirit -- the phrase became widely mocked as absurd self-aggrandizement. "恶势力" (evil forces) is official legal terminology from China's 2018-2021 "Sweep Black and Remove Evil" anti-crime campaign, further popularized by the 2023 hit drama 狂飙 (The Knockout). The narrator applies organized-crime vocabulary to a high schooler who just sat on someone's pet -- deadpan genre comedy.