Three days later, in the early morning,
Chen Shu lay on the bed, bored. Uncharacteristically, he didn't sleep in.
In fact, he hadn't been sleeping well lately. The infrared rays outside were a bit glaring…
Now, he admitted that his psychological resilience was a bit lacking…
Just then, Chen Shu's phone rang.
"Hello, Chen Shu, what's your situation?"
Five hundred meters away from the wooden house, A Liang and the others looked terrified, not daring to approach.
"It's nothing, Teacher Liu is thoughtful enough to worry about the poor lighting in my room!"
Chen Shu smiled, but his eyes held a trace of melancholy.
"Poor lighting?!"
The corners of A Liang's and the other two's mouths twitched. They wondered if they were using sniper rifles to supplement the light!
"The loser's bracket matches start today, aren't you coming to watch?"
"No, I need to train my psychological resilience!"
"..."
A Liang and the others silently gave a thumbs-up. As expected of the Nanjiang Marauder!
...
Another half a month passed.
The loser's bracket matches for the Silver division had concluded.
Ji Feng eventually fought his way out of the eight contestants, but he still had a long road ahead to contend for third place, and he couldn't afford to lose even once more.
Now, it was time for the quarterfinals!
Thousands of people surrounded the central arena on Sacred Beast Island, murmuring amongst themselves, creating a fervent atmosphere.
Today's matches would determine the top four spots, naturally drawing immense anticipation!
Most importantly, the first match of the day was Chen Shu versus Wang Sheng!
Both possessed astonishing talent and the ability to contend for the championship, naturally attracting countless spectators.
The entire nation had also been waiting for the matches to begin, with heated discussions online.
"Finally, we get to see the Nanjiang Marauder! I can't wait!"
"Do you think he'll pull out the urea bag again? That's a soul-crushing blow!"
"That depends on whether Wang Sheng is asking for trouble..."
At this moment, Chen Shu had already arrived at the arena, a look of excitement in his eyes.
The organizers had deliberately scheduled him for the first match to maximize the hype for the quarterfinals!
"Esteemed audience! Today we will witness the long-awaited quarterfinals!"
The host stepped onto the arena, introducing the basic profiles of the two contestants.
"Chen Shu, the Nanjiang Marauder, I'm sure you all have a clear understanding of him!"
"But I still need to clarify, the previous urea bag incident was purely for show, please do not take it seriously!"
The crowd below looked on with strange expressions, their gazes all directed at Shi Ziming.
"What are you looking at? I cooperated with him intentionally back then! The smell of urea was really overwhelming!"
Shi Ziming made a deep breathing motion, appearing to be willing.
"..."
The crowd's mouths twitched. They sighed, realizing how much Young Master Shi had changed.
His bottom line had probably sunk as low as it could possibly go…
"Most of you probably favor Chen Shu, but personally, I believe the outcome is not certain. Today's opponent for the Marauder is not to be underestimated!"
The host smiled and then introduced Wang Sheng's information:
"Wang Sheng, the heir of the Kingly Beast Tamer's lineage, not only possesses astonishing talent but also comes from a prosperous family. The cultivation of his three contracted spirits has reached its peak!"
"He even eliminated the genius Ji Feng!"
Chen Shu below also wore a serious expression. Facing Wang Sheng was indeed a tough battle!
He took a deep breath, tidied his clothes, and prepared to step onto the stage.
At this moment, Wang Sheng also walked over, but his eyes were filled with vigilance.
"I didn't expect this battle to arrive so quickly!"
A hint of excitement flickered in Wang Sheng's eyes. He had been holding a grudge since being beaten so badly by Chen Shu.
He admitted that his physical prowess couldn't compare, but in a battle of contracted spirits, he was determined to win!
"I also didn't expect your path to the competition to end so soon!"
Chen Shu smiled, his every move exuding confidence.
"Let me ask a question first!"
A hint of wariness appeared in Wang Sheng's eyes as he said,
"You won't pull out the urea bag later, will you?"
"What are you talking about?"
Chen Shu grinned and said, "Am I that kind of person?"
"Shi Ziming requested it himself at the time, and out of a helpful spirit, I merely assisted him."
"Heh heh..."
Wang Sheng chuckled in agreement and said, "You go on stage first, I'll follow behind you!"
Chen Shu shook his head, sighed, and said,
"Has the trust between people and marauders been lost like this?"
"..."
Before long, both had arrived at their respective combat positions, ready to commence today's match!
"I declare, the match begins!"
Wang Sheng immediately summoned his three contracted spirits.
Three SS-grade fire-attribute contracted spirits appeared. Even without releasing any skills, the temperature on the stage continued to rise.
"Your contracted spirits are good, but compared to mine, there's still a certain gap!"
Chen Shu smiled and summoned his own contracted spirits.
Boom!
The giant slime landed heavily, causing the arena to tremble. Its presence was undeniably extraordinary!
But in the next second, Xiao Huang began to roll freely.
It was like an uncontrolled giant yellow ball…
"Hmm?"
Chen Shu was slightly taken aback, feeling that something was subtly wrong.
But he remained outwardly calm, smiling and saying,
"Roll, my slime!"
The crowd below had their mouths twitch.
Acting strange right from the start, as expected of a marauder's contracted spirit…
As time slowly passed, Xiao Huang's rolling continued unabated, like a perpetual motion machine.
The spectators were beginning to yawn, urging the host to start the match.
"Alright, classmate Chen Shu, is our opening act perhaps..."
The host reminded him.
Chen Shu hadn't summoned his other two contracted spirits, causing the match to be delayed.
"Almost there, don't rush!"
Chen Shu said with a smile, but he was panicking internally.
Good heavens! Xiao Huang was out of control!
Another ten minutes passed.
"Chen Pi!"
Liu Feng finally couldn't stand it, stepping onto the stage and glaring at Chen Shu.
What was he doing, putting on a show?
Seeing this, Chen Shu realized he could no longer hide it and said,
"Teacher, my… my contracted spirit is experiencing some issues…"
"Hmm?"
Liu Feng frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
"It seems to be a bit uncontrollable…"
"Uncontrollable?"
Chen Qinghai also ascended, simultaneously activating the arena's protective shield.
"Old Ye, take a look!"
Liu Feng's eyes were filled with concern. Could it be some residual effect from the previous King-level Beast Tamer?
Ye Yu nodded, summoned a contracted spirit, and began to examine the slime's condition.
After a while, his expression turned strange, finding it hard to believe as he said,
"This thing seems to be on the verge of a bloodline evolution…"