Ch. 232 - Judge by the Actual Product

"A Golden Slime?!"

Ten thousand people rose from their seats in one motion. Mouths gaped. Eyes were wide with disbelief.

It wasn't that they had never seen a large Contract Spirit before. It was that they had never seen anything this large.

A Level 9 Contract Spirit, clocking in at a staggering thirty meters. It moved like a living fortress.

Was that even legal?!

"Its aura is incredible. There's no way this is still an F-rank Contract Spirit!"

"Holy hell, turns out textbook knowledge is all bullshit. You have to judge by the actual product!"

The audience broke into chatter, pulling out their phones to capture this freak of nature on film.

Up in one of the Spirit Fighting Arena's private boxes, the middle-aged man who had just stepped off the stage shot to his feet. Shock filled his eyes.

He was a Gold-rank Beast Tamer. His combat experience was vast, and his mastery of Beast Taming theory was second to none.

But the more he knew, the more he understood what the Slime below meant.

It had shattered centuries of entrenched thinking. Textbooks would have to be rewritten.

"Minister, is that really a Slime?"

The man beside him asked, his eyes full of confusion.

"Golden Slimes come in two types -- one with a Light attribute talent, one with a Defensive attribute talent. That one is clearly Defensive, and body size is its primary attribute. A normal Level 9 Defensive-type Slime is about two meters. That one is thirty meters. They're not even the same species anymore."

The middle-aged man kept his voice low. "Unless I'm wrong, it has a Gigantification Divine Skill -- and a very high-level one at that."

To be fifteen times larger than others of its kind, the Gigantification skill would need to be at least Level 8.

"That's impossible. Level 8 Gigantification -- so you're telling me its tamer was still Level 1 when it first comprehended a Divine Skill, and then, somehow, every single time that tamer ranked up, Gigantification leveled up right alongside it?"

He rejected his own reasoning even as he stated it.

Even for a Gold-rank Beast Tamer, the cause was completely beyond anyone's ability to guess. No Slime specialist on the planet could have figured it out either.

The System's power was not something ordinary mortals could fathom.

"Little Xia Yan, you were looking pretty confident back there. Where's your Contract Spirit?"

Chen Shu stood with his arms crossed, a smile on his face, deeply satisfied with the shock the Slime had delivered.

S-rank, A-rank, whatever. Step aside. None of you can even compare.

This moment was not just playing out for the ten thousand people in the arena. Through Nancang Provincial TV and online livestreams, it was broadcasting across the entire province.

All of Nancang Province had just seen a Slime that defied every textbook ever written.

So Slimes could be this strong?

While the crowd was still reeling, Chen Shu felt a familiar jolt. Options appeared before his eyes.

[Option 1: Reach the top sixteen in the Provincial Competition!]Completion reward: Large amount of Beast Taming Power

[Option 2: Reach the top eight in the Provincial Competition!]Completion reward: Violent Sit-Kill +1

[Option 3: Reach the top four in the Provincial Competition!]Completion reward: Slime gains one Bloodline Evolution opportunity

[Option 4: Finish last in the Provincial Competition!]Completion reward: Earn the title "Reverse Champion." Equip effect: Receive the contempt of Nanjiang City's citizens

Chen Shu's cheek twitched. Option 4's reward was completely useless.

As if the people of Nanjiang City weren't already going to look down on him without the title equipped...

Option 3, though. That one made his heart stir.

The last time a Bloodline Evolution option had appeared, the task was to defeat Shen Wushuang -- basically stage a coup and take over as homeroom teacher. That was basically impossible.

But now? Just reach the top four.

"Just top four?"

Chen Shu rubbed his chin. If the requirement had been first place, he would have thought it perfectly reasonable. But the System had suddenly switched to easy mode, and he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it.

While he was puzzling it over, Daxing City's team stood there visibly hesitating.

"Do we... fight?"

The other two teammates looked at Xia Yan, completely at a loss.

The Slime's sheer presence was suffocating.

"We fight. Take out the other two first, then surround that poop monster!"

Xia Yan gritted his teeth and summoned his Contract Spirit.

ROAR!

The Inferno Raging Tiger burst onto the field. Its S-rank aura swept outward, radiating power.

"Urp.~~"

It reared back to let out a sky-splitting roar -- and then it saw the Golden Slime. The fearsome cry died in its throat, replaced by a strangled noise of pure dread.

Why is it even bigger than last time?

Its enormous eyes filled with deep, deep confusion -- and something darker. A terror that came from the bottom of its gut.

"ROAR!"

The Inferno Raging Tiger turned and let out a different roar, this one aimed up at Xia Yan. Its eyes were full of fear. It looked like it wanted to just run.

I'm not human, but you really are a dog, you know that?!

How is anyone supposed to fight this?!

The last time the Inferno Raging Tiger had been steamrolled by the Slime, its obedience rating had taken a major hit.

If it happened again today, there was a very real chance Xia Yan's performance on the College Entrance Exam would be affected.

"Is that really an S-rank Contract Spirit?"

The audience watched with their jaws on the floor.

"A S-rank tiger-type spirit, and it looks like... a kitten?"

"I think it's been traumatized into submission..."

Xia Yan gave a look, and his other two teammates summoned their spirits immediately.

A snow-white Extreme Ice Bird appeared, its wings beating out ripples of frost that spread in all directions.

The other one was a Wood Elemental -- also A-rank, by its potential rating.

Inferno Raging Tiger as the main attacker. Extreme Ice Bird as a controller. Wood Elemental as a healer. A perfect composition.

Daxing City had clearly fielded a powerful team.

It was just a shame they had drawn Chen Shu in the very first round.

"Goo-gii..."

The Slime let out a sudden snarl. Deterrent Roar burst forth, and in one sweep, it locked down all three Contract Spirits.

"Are you kidding me -- another sucker punch?!"

Xia Yan's stomach sank.

The match had technically already started. But because Xia Bing and Xu Xiaoyu had not summoned their spirits, Daxing City's team had instinctively waited. They had been baited into a one-sided opening.

Chen Shu was not about to let an opening like that go to waste. The Slime launched into Charge at once.

A thunderous boom rolled across the arena as the distance between them closed in an instant.

"Goo-gii..."

Then the Slime leapt into the air and came crashing down with Violent Sit-Kill. Its target: the Wood Elemental.

The entire arena's gaze snapped to the Slime. Every camera in the building swung its lens toward it.

"Not good!"

The Beast Tamer with the Wood Elemental felt their heart drop.

At that exact moment, Deterrent Roar's effect wore off.

The Wood Elemental blinked -- and all it saw was an enormous backside bearing straight down.

Then came a devastating crash.

BOOM!

The Slime slammed down and pinned the Wood Elemental flat. It activated Invincible Press Press Press, sealing off every active skill the Wood Elemental had.

"I'm done!"

The Beast Tamer's face went white. With their spirit's healing skills locked down, all they could do was sit there and take hits.

"Goo-gii!"

The Slime's body began rolling in tight circles -- over and over, grinding the Wood Elemental into the platform.