Chapter Fifteen

Wang Ningning instinctively retorted, "I won't admit defeat." But then, glancing at the little tiger, her confidence wavered. She quickly thought of something and said, "My little turtle has the advantage over you. Size doesn't matter." Cheng Yuan shrugged, showing a look of indifference. This attitude made Wang Ningning grit her teeth, then she suddenly said, "I admit you're strong, but if I reveal the news that there will be rewards for the end-of-month exam, I wonder how you would handle it."

Cheng Yuan gave Wang Ningning a curious look. "Joking around is fine. Other than those six repeat students I can't defeat, the rewards only require being in the top ten. Both you and I will make it, so whatever."

For Cheng Yuan, striving for the top was pointless—he couldn't beat those in the top six, and his seventh place was already set in stone. He couldn't even find the motivation to work harder. Wang Ningning glanced at Cheng Yuan, then at the little tiger basking contentedly. These two, human and beast, showed not a hint of competitive spirit, yet they were still stronger than herself and the little turtle. It was simply unreasonable.

Wang Ningning said, "After this monthly exam, the top ten students will be led by a teacher into a dungeon at Xichuan University." Cheng Yuan paused, then relaxed even more. For him, making the top ten was effortless. He asked casually, "What kind of dungeon?"

"It's called 'The Secret of the Fisherman.' I checked the official website of Xichuan University—it's a newly developed dungeon. Success depends entirely on luck, and the rules are strict: no King-tier trainers allowed. So they simply opened it up to local high schools instead," Wang Ningning explained.

Cheng Yuan nodded—no wonder. Xichuan University, as a key provincial institution, couldn't compare to the capital's school but was still an elite gathering place. It wasn't unusual for repeat students to aspire to enroll there. In such a school, after just a month or two, King-tier monsters would already appear. If they didn't allow King-tier trainers, the dungeon would be of little use to the university.

Cheng Yuan took out his phone and checked the official website. The first restriction for the dungeon was clear: no King-tier trainers or monsters. But Cheng Yuan's focus was on the monsters inside; there were at least three adult-level monsters.

Golden Dragon Carp, Boxing Shrimp, Zhemeng Catfish... quite a few, actually. Then Cheng Yuan noticed something. "It doesn't say you can't form a contract with the monsters inside."

Wang Ningning smiled faintly. "You figured it out."

The dungeon's rewards were straightforward—no one cared how many monsters you killed. With teachers supervising, and all the monsters being aquatic, adult monsters dragged onto land were easy prey. In the water, they might pull at your fishing hook, but once ashore, their fate was sealed. That was the truth of adult aquatic monsters.

Moreover, the very name of the dungeon revealed the theme: fishing, not diving in to battle aquatic monsters. The dungeon's danger was quite low. Some aquatic dungeons were as formidable as the end of the world, but this one was as relaxing as a retirement home.

Cheng Yuan considered it. The dungeon posed little danger, teachers would be present, and the rewards depended entirely on one's own luck. If he was lucky, he could secure a fine monster and a pile of monster meat. Most monsters gained energy by hunting and eating other monsters, thus growing stronger. With monster meat, the little tiger could level up even faster. For now, the tiger's main source of energy was milk.

At this thought, Cheng Yuan began to look forward to it. Then he asked, "This monthly exam doesn't involve several rounds of battles, does it?"

Wang Ningning shook her head. "There are only ten arenas this time. The top ten each guard an arena, letting others challenge them."

Cheng Yuan frowned. "What if we get stuck in a gauntlet?"

Cubs had limited stamina. Even if the little tiger could swat down each opponent, with over three hundred challengers, it would be enough to exhaust him.

Wang Ningning rolled her eyes. "It's not that troublesome. Each defender only has to battle ten times in one afternoon. If you survive, you've succeeded. After that, the exam rankings have nothing to do with us."

Cheng Yuan nodded. That was indeed much easier.

He spent a while browsing Xichuan University's website. The dungeon would open on October 1st. "Next Monday—pretty soon."

Wang Ningning was eager, ready to seize her chance in this luck-based dungeon, hoping for a windfall that would allow her to surpass Cheng Yuan. Before graduation, she wanted to prove the advantage of being born a day earlier and, ideally, make him address her as "big sister."

Though she had never achieved this goal since childhood, and every time she brought it up, Cheng Yuan wouldn't even bother to bet with her.

Soon, the time for the monthly exam arrived. Cheng Yuan sat atop the arena, the little tiger proudly flicking its tail as it circled the platform.

Cheng Yuan yawned. After an hour, no one had challenged him. Next door, Wang Ningning had already finished her ten matches and was drinking a soda, preparing her shopping list for the dungeon.

The students below looked at the little tiger, then at the six repeat students who were also unchallenged. The other three had already finished and left the arena. There was no way to beat the repeat students; Cheng Yuan was the only chance. However, his little tiger was obviously at a much higher level, and after seeing his battle with Wang Ningning, everyone understood that Cheng Yuan was a tough opponent. Now, he was even stronger—a clear number one below the repeat students.

At last, someone couldn't resist. Compared to those six "cheaters," Cheng Yuan was the only opportunity. With his monster, Gale Giant Eagle, Zhao Yu stepped onto the arena.

Cheng Yuan immediately stood up, excited that after such a long wait, someone had finally arrived. Zhao Yu raised his hand, and the black giant eagle soared high into the air. Cheng Yuan glanced up and sighed. Why fly so high?

Looking at the eagle circling near the auditorium ceiling, Cheng Yuan gestured and said, "Use Tiger's Roar Thunderclap, and finish the rest yourself."

The little tiger opened its mouth and looked up at the giant eagle. In the next moment, Tiger's Roar Thunderclap struck the circling eagle precisely. The eagle's body trembled and immediately began a freefall.

Zhao Yu didn't hesitate and turned to the teacher. "I concede."

He had gambled that the little tiger's Tiger's Roar Thunderclap, known for its low accuracy, would sap its stamina, giving him a chance to win. But he hadn't expected that since the time the little tiger had missed a paper ball with that skill, Cheng Yuan had specifically trained it. Now, Tiger's Roar Thunderclap was at level five, with terrifying accuracy. Within fifteen meters, the little tiger could use its innate soundwave talent to hit precisely and trigger fear, weakening, and paralysis all at once.

At twenty meters, though, it lost effectiveness—perhaps the skill wasn't high enough yet. At that distance, Tiger's Roar Thunderclap would be little more than a loud noise. But with the auditorium ceiling at most fifteen meters high, it was just enough.