"Oh ho, the first place has finally changed hands."

Inside the central monitoring room, five professional Beast Tamers were enjoying the air conditioning, commenting on the real-time scores.

They weren't directly responsible for security work; generally, the security companies handled rescuing the examinees.

"Looks like they hunted five long-thorned wild boars. Good grief, seems like a very energetic Beast Tamer and pet combination."

After a brief comment, they changed the subject, not paying too much attention to the change. After all, only a few hours had passed, and the examination wasn't ending anytime soon…

…

Professional Beast Tamers were undoubtedly Beast Tamers with transcendent-level pets. However, those security personnel who hadn't passed the professional assessment might also possess transcendent-level combat power.

For a Beast Tamer, reaching level two in the Beast Taming Space, with the space crystal wall turning from colorless to gray, and the pet's growth level reaching transcendent-level, were the basic conditions for participating in the professional assessment.

The so-called professional Beast Tamers were the elite selected from those who met these conditions. They had to excel in theoretical knowledge, wilderness survival, and combat ability.

Therefore, those Beast Tamers who were qualified to participate in the professional assessment but failed weren't necessarily as useless as most apprentice Beast Tamers. The title of "quasi-professional Beast Tamer" was more suitable for them than "apprentice."

Yan Qi, one of the security personnel this time, was such a quasi-professional Beast Tamer. His level was high enough, and his pet's level was also high enough, but he just couldn't pass the professional assessment, unable to outcompete others, which led to him not getting the certificate.

Yan Qi was a native of Pingcheng. His initial pet was an Iron-eating Beast. He had studied at the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall, the Iron-eating Beast headquarters, and thus had a decent understanding of Iron-eating Beasts.

From the moment he saw Shi Yu's Iron-eating Beast's performance through the monitor, he realized that Shi Yu and Eleven were not simple.

Having stayed at the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall for so long, he had never seen an Iron-eating Beast in its infancy mastering hardening at the proficient level. It was outrageous.

You know, his Iron-eating Beast was already transcendent-level, having been raised for five or six years… and its hardening proficiency level had only just recently reached the proficient level.

In short, Shi Yu was definitely not simple. Out of curiosity, during his shift break, he used his personal phone to call the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall and found the Hall Master Lin, who was teaching students there.

"Master Lin, do you still remember me? I'm Xiao Qi, that Yan Qi nicknamed Little Bear."

The voice on the other end of the phone said, "That Little Bear Yan Qi who participated in the professional assessment for two years without passing and went to work for a security company?"

That stung.

Yan Qi said with a wry smile, "Sorry, I've brought shame to our Zhushi Martial Arts Hall…"

"Master Lin, I'm currently responsible for security work at the Tianmang Mountain Training Base and encountered a very interesting Beast Tamer."

"His Iron-eating Beast is only about two years old, but it has mastered hardening at the proficient level. It's outrageous. Is he a new junior disciple of our Zhushi Martial Arts Hall?"

"I really don't have any impression, and I haven't heard anyone mention it, so I called to ask you. By the way, his name is Shi Yu."

Zhushi Martial Arts Hall.

Inside a very elegant room with mountains and water, a middle-aged man with a meticulous expression was slightly silent.

An Iron-eating Beast around two years old, proficient-level hardening?

Was this Yan Qi sure he wasn't joking? How was this possible?

It could be said that all the Iron-eating Beasts in Icefield City came from the Tiezhu Breeding Base. If there was such a talented Iron-eating Beast, he couldn't possibly not know.

"What did you say his name was?"

"Shi Yu, his name is Shi Yu."

Shi Yu!

"Is it him?" Lin Hongnian recalled the visit of Dr. Lu from Gudu University to the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall a few days ago.

The other party seemed to have said that he was entrusting himself to help train a distant relative… that relative was named Shi Yu?

Because Shi Yu's initial pet was an Iron-eating Beast, he had sought him out.

Moreover, he had taken a high-level resource obtained from the ruins as a reward.

Regarding this Shi Yu, Lin Hongnian also investigated the pet collection situation at the Tiezhu Breeding Base. The result of the investigation was… Shi Yu's information was very ordinary. The pet was bought with a loan, and he was a native of Pingcheng. He had no idea how Shi Yu got involved with Lu Qingyi, who was considered a prodigy across the country.

However, he couldn't refuse Dr. Lu's favor, especially since the other party had given a valuable reward.

"The Iron-eating Beast that this Shi Yu received is clearly only a little over a year old, and he hasn't even had it for a month, right?"

"Proficient-level hardening?" Lin Hongnian found the blind spot, his expression becoming serious.

"Was it Dr. Lu who helped him cultivate it using special methods?"

Otherwise, Lin Hongnian couldn't imagine how an apprentice Beast Tamer could cultivate an Iron-eating Beast cub's racial skill to the proficient level in such a short period of time…

Perhaps Lu Qingyi gave Shi Yu some rare cultivation resources.

"Master Lin, Master Lin…" Noticing that there had been no sound on the other end of the phone for a long time, Yan Qi spoke again.

"Yan Qi, are you saying that Shi Yu is currently training at Tianmang Mountain?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I understand."

"Understood? So is he a disciple of our Zhushi Martial Arts Hall or not…"

Lin Hongnian said, "Not yet, but he might be in the future. By the way, since his Iron-eating Beast's hardening has reached the proficient level and he's also at Tianmang Mountain, and you're there too, guide him to the Cishan area. Let him focus on training there, even if it's to lay the groundwork for learning the martial arts hall's skills in advance."

"Ah?" Yan Qi hadn't reacted yet.

Damn it, what's going on? He's going to be taught the martial arts hall's secret techniques before even entering? He was jealous…

…

Safety Zone.

Shi Yu ate a packet of self-heating instant noodles and two sausages, which was barely enough to keep him from being hungry.

He planned to rest for a while before heading straight to the Cishan area to play with the electric slime.

As for the five long-thorned wild boars, he finally didn't have to drag them around anymore. He could just leave them here.

"Shi Yu."

While Shi Yu was quietly meditating and resting in the corner of the shed, the security personnel who had registered his points earlier came over again.

"What is it?"

Shi Yu opened his eyes and turned to look at the other person.

Yan Qi chuckled and said, "It's nothing, just getting acquainted. My name is Yan Qi."

"Are you planning to continue hunting this afternoon?"

Shi Yu nodded.

"Then I suggest you go to the Cishan area. There's a kind of electric ore there, which is considered a level one energy iron ore resource and is one of the Iron-eating Beast's diets."

"Electric iron ore?" Shi Yu recalled. It did seem to be a recommended food in the Iron-eating Beast cultivation manual, but the priority wasn't very high.

Compared to iron bamboo, it didn't have much of an effect on hardening skills or its own growth. At most, it just filled it up.

"Come with me."

Yan Qi called out to Shi Yu, intending to go to a relatively open space to talk.

"What does this guy want?" Shi Yu was stunned and followed, deciding to see what the security personnel was up to.

"I'm actually a disciple of the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall, and my initial pet is also an Iron-eating Beast. By the way, do you know what the two great mysteries of the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall are?"

After leaving the shed, Yan Qi spoke.

"I remember, it's a skill called Thunder Palm and a skill called Cannon Fist, right?" Shi Yu recalled.

So this guy is a disciple of the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall… No wonder he's so interested in me and my Iron-eating Beast.

The Iron-eating Beasts taught by the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall are known for their ability to master fire and lightning. The signature skills are the Thunder Palm and Cannon Fist. Shi Yu was certainly clear about this, since he would have to go to the martial arts hall to learn them later.

"Yes, it's Thunder Palm and Cannon Fist. With special cultivation methods, Iron-eating Beasts have a chance to awaken and control fire and lightning."

"For example, to control lightning, one of the basics is that the Iron-eating Beast needs to eat some metallic minerals with electrical properties, like electric ore."

"Why are you telling me this?"

If a pet wants to master skills outside of its race, it has to undergo targeted cultivation. Food is a very important part of it. Shi Yu was also clear about this.

However, just eating electric ore is definitely not enough. Otherwise, it wouldn't become the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall's exclusive skill secret.

Even if it's not as complicated as the way the Green Cotton Bug evolves into the Goddess Butterfly, one kind of food couldn't be enough.

"I heard from Master Lin of the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall that you might be going to the martial arts hall to study in the future, so I'm just saying hello in advance."

"The minimum requirement for eating electric ore is that the Iron-eating Beast's hardening reaches the skilled level. Your Iron-eating Beast's hardening is already at the proficient level, so it definitely won't be a problem to perfectly absorb the nutrients of the electric ore."

"If you plan to enter the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall to study in the future, the Cishan area at Tianmang Mountain is actually the most suitable training environment for you right now. There are many electric ores there, and there are many lightning-type creatures…"

"Eating electric ore and constantly being attacked by lightning is actually the basic training for mastering the Thunder Palm skill. You can consider getting in touch with it in advance."

[Skill]: Thunder Palm

[Skill Level]: Intermediate

[Introduction]: A lightning-type skill that gathers high-intensity current on the palm, making the palm like a sharp blade with extremely strong penetrating power, with a paralyzing effect.

Yan Qi said with a smile, but sighed in his heart, because his Iron-eating Beast was already transcendent-level, but it hadn't successfully mastered Thunder Palm. It could only surround its palm with insignificant small currents, which couldn't form a skill at all.

If he could master Thunder Palm, he would have passed the professional assessment long ago.

Thunder Palm alone was powerful enough. If it was a combination skill of hardening and Thunder Palm… the power, Yan Qi yearned for it.

"Is that so, thank you."

Shi Yu didn't expect that he would already have a martial arts hall disciple recognize him before he even visited the Zhushi Martial Arts Hall.

Was this considered Hall Master Lin's first lesson to him?

He originally planned to go to the Cishan area to copy the Multiplication skill. Now it seemed that there were other reasons why he had to go.

When it came to eating… Shi Yu felt that the electric ore in the Cishan area shouldn't even think about being exchanged for points. If Eleven's actual combat and training intensity were too high next, all of it would probably end up in Eleven's stomach in these three days.