Chapter 12 First Battle
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"If you can beat the opponent, I'll give you an extra meal!"
"Chirp!"
Upon hearing about the extra meal, Xiao Jiu perked up its ears, its scarlet eyes filled with fighting spirit.
Fired up!
In truth, whether it wins or not, Chen Mo planned to give Xiao Jiu an extra meal.
After all, as a "Big Burger Enthusiast," he needed to eat 20 burgers in a day, starting with 10 at lunch.
If Xiao Jiu lost, Chen Mo could simply say to eat more and win next time.
"Your Spiritual Beast is only an Awakened 6th Rank, right? My Thunder and Lightning Gourd isn't very precise in controlling its powers, so maybe we should just forget it?"
Wang Ping frowned at the Blazing Flame Fox.
In case the Thunder and Lightning Gourd unintentionally hit too hard and severely injured the Blazing Flame Fox, it wouldn't be good.
He wanted a well-matched duel.
"My Blazing Flame Fox has pretty good endurance; bring it on!"
Wang Ping glanced at Lin Lan, who lightly nodded in return.
Lin Lan knew that this Blazing Flame Fox could withstand Transcendent-level lightning attacks even before awakening, so now its lightning resistance should be even higher.
"Alright! You attack first then!"
Wang Ping offered courteously.
"Xiao Jiu, use Thunder Shadow followed by Thunderclaw!"
Chen Mo didn't hold back, directly commanding the Blazing Flame Fox to attack.
The Spirit Master and Spiritual Beast had a telepathic connection, and Xiao Jiu immediately understood Chen Mo's intention. Arcs of purple lightning danced between its claws, and its speed suddenly surged.
Seeing the Blazing Flame Fox charging towards him, the Thunder and Lightning Gourd used its electric field calmly.
Silver lightning erupted from the surface of the cyan gourd, covering the area around it with intersecting arcs of electricity.
This move was specifically designed to counter close-combat Spiritual Beasts. Although not very powerful, it was more than sufficient against an Awakened 6th Rank Blazing Flame Fox.
Wang Ping looked at the Blazing Flame Fox with some pride.
Now, do you want to keep "sticking" or retreat?
Seeing this, Chen Mo felt relieved—his opponent had indeed underestimated the situation.
On the field, the Blazing Flame Fox's speed did not slow down at all and quickly collided with the Thunder and Lightning Gourd's electric field.
Silver arcs struck the Blazing Flame Fox, but strangely, it seemed as though these arcs were absorbed, causing no damage at all!
"Dodge quickly!"
Seeing this, Wang Ping shouted urgently, but it was evidently too late!
The key feature of Thunderclaw was speed, and since the Thunder and Lightning Gourd did not choose to evade immediately, it was too late to escape now!
Purple lightning burst from the Blazing Flame Fox's claws and directly struck the Thunder and Lightning Gourd.
Zap!
As soon as the claws touched the Thunder and Lightning Gourd, the purple thunder exploded, producing a loud booming sound.
The Thunder and Lightning Gourd was knocked down from the sky.
With its proficient Thunderclaw enhanced by the "Thunderbolt King," Xiao Jiu's attack was as powerful as a full-force strike from an Awakened 9th Rank Spiritual Beast. Although it hadn't reached Transcendent strength, the Thunder and Lightning Gourd was fundamentally a high-attack, low-defense mage.
After taking the hit, the Thunder and Lightning Gourd did not immediately lose its combat ability, but its fighting power was greatly diminished after it got up.
Seeing Xiao Jiu pressing on for a follow-up strike with Thunderclaw, Wang Ping quickly admitted defeat.
"You made two mistakes. One was underestimating the Blazing Flame Fox, allowing it to close in. If you'd initially used thunder or chain lightning techniques, it wouldn't have had the chance to approach. The second was not retaliating with thunder techniques when you realized you couldn't dodge. At such a distance, you could have forced a mutual defeat scenario."
Lin Lan analyzed the battle for Wang Ping.
Wang Ping was somewhat frustrated.
Who could have predicted that this Blazing Flame Fox would be so resilient!
The Extraordinary Level electric field didn't even have any effect!
This Blazing Flame Fox must be cheating!
"How did you do it?"
Wang Ping asked Chen Mo, puzzled.
"My Spiritual Beast has a unique constitution with high immunity to electric techniques."
Chen Mo replied.
The "Thunderbolt King" entry allowed Xiao Jiu to be immune to 50% of electric technique damage, and combined with its tough skin and strong physique, the dissipated energy from the electric field barely posed a threat to Xiao Jiu.
"Jiu Bao, well done!"
Chen Mo extended his palm, high-fiving his little guy in celebration.
Winning against a Transcendent-level Spiritual Beast in the first battle was indeed something to be proud of.
While the battle did involve some cunning and the opponent's underestimation, a win is still a win.
Confidence and joy gleamed in Xiao Jiu's eyes.
Who would have thought that half a month ago, it was a weak existence that couldn't even release sparks, and now it could defeat a Spiritual Beast a whole rank stronger!
At this moment, the weekly challenge "Overcome the Odds" was marked as complete, a very useful entry, considering that future opponents would likely be higher level than Xiao Jiu.
Currently, Xiao Jiu could only equip three entries, and since "Thunderbolt King" needed to be equipped continually, only two entries could be used in battle at a time.
"Looks like I need to deconstruct some unnecessary entries and exchange them for a fixed entry."
Chen Mo thought to himself, and the little fox gently poked him with its paw.
"Chirp!" (Don't forget my extra meal!)
"Absolutely, today I'll take you for burgers—until you can't eat anymore!"
"Chirp!"
After stepping down, other students frequently glanced over at Chen Mo and the Blazing Flame Fox.
To win against a Transcendent 1st Level when only at Awakened 6th Level was truly remarkable!
After the practical class ended, the students dispersed, leaving only Chen Mo and She Pili.
She Pili, eyes closed, appeared to be sleeping, unbothered by the thunderous roars and flashes of light during the class.
Lin Lan, the senior brother instructing the class, also left immediately afterward, eager to report the Blazing Flame Fox's outstanding performance to his master.
The Blazing Flame Fox's lightning talent seemed even more frightening than previously thought by his master, and such a student should be brought under his wing soon, to become his junior disciple!
Once the junior disciple matured, there might be someone to replace him, freeing him from the burden of teaching all the time~
"Is this McDonald's delivery? Alright, just leave it at the door!"
Just as Chen Mo prepared to wake Senior Brother She, his phone vibrated—the ten burgers he ordered from McDonald's had arrived.
"The burgers are here."
"Chirp!"
The Blazing Flame Fox was full of excitement.
Because of its wandering childhood, Xiao Jiu wasn't picky about food.
Even though it was a foodie, it wasn't selective.
With burgers in hand, it transformed into a happy little eating fox, devouring the burgers.
Chen Mo wasn't worried that overeating would have any negative impact on the Blazing Flame Fox.
The daily training of a Spiritual Beast consumed a lot of energy, requiring ample supplements.
"Unfortunately, my savings are about to run out."
Ten burgers meant over 200 yuan gone, and Chen Mo glanced at his account balance—11,520 yuan.
Although the Entry Training Manual talent was great, these challenges either cost money or risked life.
Finding a way to make money quickly was essential!
He had to treat his grandmother's illness, too!
Of course, the more immediate concern was strengthening himself, rather than just saving money.
The cheapest medicine that could cure cancer was at least epic-level, costing over two million yuan.
This was an astronomical figure for him right now, and only by becoming a high-level Spirit Master could he quickly amass such wealth.
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