Ch. 223 - Persist! Stir Up Trouble! Persistently Stir Up Trouble!

"Goo-gii..."

The Slime unleashed another Deterrent Roar, directly stunning every Contract Spirit on the field.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several more Contract Spirits were sent flying. Not a shred of resistance.

"It's finally my turn!"

Jiang Tian's eyes blazed with confidence. Above them, his Storm Thunder Bird erupted with the radiance of raw skill power.

On the tips of its talons, a sphere of lightning the size of a soccer ball materialized.

Cyan light spiraled around the orb -- a dual wind-lightning attribute skill!

BOOM!

In an instant, the cyan lightning ball shot forward like a teleportation, leaving absolutely no time to dodge.

The Slime took the hit dead-on. Its skin tore, and colorless blood splattered everywhere.

After all, this was a top-tier A-rank Contract Spirit. Through sheer skill power alone, it could breach the Slime's defense.

But that was all it could do!

Golden light erupted from the Slime's body, blinding in its intensity.

Tyrant Body activated -- complete immunity to the lightning ball's paralysis effect.

"Goo-gii!"

The Slime shifted into flight mode and began targeting the airborne Contract Spirits.

Unmatched size. Despairing speed. Unyielding defense. It was an aerial aircraft carrier, ramming into whatever it saw. [2]

"It's invincible..."

A wave of despair washed over the crowd.

Every student here had earned their place in the Special Training Class. They were the best among their peers.

Against a genius, they could still put up a fight.

But against someone running hacks -- how were they supposed to compete?

There was simply no way!

"We give up..."

Wang Feng closed his eyes, having already accepted reality.

He was genuinely stunned.

Last year, you could argue Chen Shu had won thanks to a level advantage in Beast Taming.

But now the class had a full five Level 9 A-rank Contract Spirits -- and they'd still been demolished.

This was a pure difference in power!

Why was a Slime this strong? And not just strong -- strong to an absurd degree?

Everyone shared the same question.

Whether it was Wang Feng or Fang Si, neither could make sense of it. Couldn't make sense of it at all...

Insane base stats, terrifying skill levels, a perfectly synergized skill set, and the divine skill Gigantification on top -- together, they'd created the current unstoppable Poop Monster!

Wang Feng spoke up. "I have a question!"

The battle on the arena platform had already ended. Every Contract Spirit in their class had sustained heavy injuries.

All eyes turned toward Chen Shu, searching for an answer.

"You want to know the secret to my success?"

Chen Shu recalled his Golden Slime, his expression perfectly composed. The outcome had been well within his expectations.

As things stood, the Slime could reliably beat S-rank Contract Spirits -- barring some hard counter specifically designed to shut it down.

Chen Shu crossed his arms, surveyed the crowd, and spoke deliberately:

"I believe the key to success comes down to three points!"

Everyone leaned in, hanging on every word. Hateful as Chen Shu was, his formula for success was worth studying.

"Point one: Persist!"

The crowd nodded in agreement, deeply moved. They hadn't expected Chen Shu to be so diligent.

"Point two: Stir up trouble!" [3]

"???"

Eyes went wide across the room. How the hell did THAT count as a success tip?!

Chen Shu flashed a grin and continued:

"Point three: Persistently stir up trouble!"

"......"

"......"

Dead silence. So he'd been screwing with them this entire time?

Setting aside point one, what the hell did the other two have to do with success?!

Chen Shu saw the skepticism in their eyes and couldn't help but shake his head.

Telling the truth these days and not a single person believed you!

His combat ability -- every last drop of it -- had been built through stirring up trouble, one incident at a time...

"Sis Fang Si, let's go. We've got the next school to hit!"

Chen Shu turned to leave, then paused and looked back.

"Remember -- surrender the moment you see Nanjiang Second High's team. Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you! First place is mine!"

At those words, fists clenched across the room.

Chen Shu was unbelievably arrogant!

But when they thought about his actual strength, a deep helplessness settled into their bones.

"Is Chen Shu truly my lifelong sworn nemesis...!"

Jiang Tian murmured, gazing at the two retreating silhouettes.

The class turned to look at him, expressions tinged with something difficult to name.

Bro... a "sworn nemesis" requires both sides to be roughly matched, with a back-and-forth rivalry. The guy genuinely never put you in his eyes...

Chen Shu and Fang Si proceeded to visit the remaining schools. The results, naturally, held no surprises.

Every school had assumed Chen Shu was done for, since they'd all caught up in Beast Taming levels.

And yet the gap between them had only grown wider...

This round of challenges came and went quietly, without alerting any media.

But every senior in Nanjiang City felt that helplessness -- despair, even.

When the gap was this enormous, they didn't even have the motivation to chase anymore.

Meanwhile, a brand-new world-class mystery had appeared:

Why was an F-rank Slime this strong?

A week passed in a blink.

Nobody knew that Chen Shu had already decided the outcome of the Beast Taming Competition long ago.

The much-anticipated tournament was going to be nothing but piss-break moments...

Nighttime.

"Sis Fang Si, the Beast Taming Competition is tomorrow. You coming?"

On the rooftop of their apartment building, the trio had set up a BBQ grill and were feasting away.

"I'm heading back to the Capital tomorrow. School's starting!"

Fang Si said. She was a Dragon Guard, sure, but she was also a student at Huaxia Academy. Staying in the Capital let her handle both.

Chen Shu turned to his friend. "Dali, what about you?"

Zhang Dali said: "I'm heading back tomorrow too. Classes start in a couple of days!"

"Then just go back when classes actually start," Chen Shu said. "Tomorrow's my moment to shine -- you're not gonna come watch?"

"You think I don't know? You already dealt with every other school this past week!"

Zhang Dali pursed his lips. He'd known about their bandit campaign all along.

"You're not even curious about the audience's faces?"

Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. Everyone was expecting a fierce showdown -- only to get a wave of instant surrenders.

The crowd's expressions were going to be priceless.

"Just film it for me!"

Zhang Dali said: "You really think I'm dumb? If I head back with Sis Fang Si, I save a train ticket!"

"......"

Chen Shu's mouth twitched. So it was about saving money?

The three chatted idly, but there wasn't much real sadness.

After all, it wouldn't be long before Chen Shu headed to Huaxia Academy himself.

Over the course of the week, Fang Si had formed a clear impression of Chen Shu's strength.

Two words summed it up: absurd.

Even at the peak of her own past abilities, she would've lost. If she'd gone up against Chen Shu, the outcome would've been a guaranteed defeat.

The trio ate and drank until they passed out right there on the rooftop.

Early the next morning.

Chen Shu was fast asleep, but some sixth sense prickled at the edge of his awareness. His eyes snapped open.

Zhang Dali and Fang Si were creeping toward him, each clutching a urea bag, evil grins plastered across their faces.

Just as the bag was about to come down over his head --

Chen Shu rolled sideways, narrowly dodging the seal...

"What the hell?! What are you two doing?!"

Chen Shu broke out in a cold sweat. He'd nearly capsized in the gutter.

[2] "Aerial aircraft carrier" (空中航母): In Chinese internet culture, 航母 (aircraft carrier) became a byword for something overwhelmingly large and unstoppable after China's first carrier, Liaoning, debuted in 2012 and spawned a viral meme ("Carrier Style"). Calling the Slime an "aerial aircraft carrier" is both literally descriptive -- a 30-meter flying object that rams into things -- and the author reaching for the most grandiose comparison imaginable for what started as an F-rank slime.

[3] "Stir up trouble" (搞事/搞事情): A major Chinese internet catchphrase from 2016, popularized by actor Chen He on the reality show Running Man (奔跑吧兄弟), where he repeatedly cried "Don't stir up trouble!" (不要搞事情!) at provocative tasks. The phrase swept Weibo and WeChat as shorthand for any deliberate provocation. Chen Shu's three-point formula -- (1) Persist, (2) Cause trouble, (3) Persistently cause trouble -- parodies earnest motivational speeches while revealing that his entire power growth genuinely came from relentlessly picking fights.