"Let's begin!"
As soon as Yun Xianhe gave the signal, both he and Chen Yue summoned their bronze-grade contract books.
With a flash of light, their beasts appeared before them.
Buster was as noble as ever. His soft fur shimmered with a faint golden glow, and the golden halo at the end of his tail flickered like fireflies.
On the other hand, the Torrent Frog didn't look much different from an ordinary frog—except that it was several times larger, nearly the size of Buster. Its strong legs radiated power, and its entire body gleamed with a greenish-blue sheen.
Chen Yue, out of habit, didn't make the first move. He preferred a more conservative approach and waited for his opponent to initiate the tempo.
Since they were using the high school-style battle method, the Torrent Frog was the first to attack with Waterball Technique.
But to Chen Yue's surprise, its first strike wasn't aimed at Buster—it was aimed at him!
"Holy crap!"
Fortunately, Chen Yue was on guard. With a swift dodge, he narrowly avoided the attack.
But the Waterball barrage didn't stop—it kept firing at him.
Luckily, Waterball Technique wasn't a rapid-fire skill, so Chen Yue had some breathing room.
Still, he wasn't about to sit back and do nothing. Buster had already launched a counterattack.
With a flash, Buster dashed in close to Yun Xianhe and swiped at him with Light Claw.
Yun Xianhe dodged quickly, avoiding the blow.
But Buster wasn't going to give up so easily—he kept pressuring, seeking every opportunity to strike.
Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded on the field: both beasts were attacking the opposing beastmasters directly.
Meanwhile, Chen Yue and Yun Xianhe had to evade while simultaneously directing their beasts.
That was exactly Yun Xianhe's intention—only through this kind of training could a beastmaster's abilities truly improve.
Originally, Yun Xianhe had planned to ambush Chen Yue to get back at him for their earlier match. But he hadn't expected Chen Yue's reflexes to be so quick, ruining his plan.
Time passed as they continued fighting. Eventually, both called a halt at the same time.
After all, bronze-level beastmasters had limited stamina, and the continuous dodging and multitasking were exhausting.
However, Chen Yue still had energy to spare. Thanks to his breathing technique training over the past few days, he was inching closer to the silver level, and the benefits were already showing.
But Yun Xianhe didn't know this. He simply believed they were equally matched and that his previous loss was just due to a slight misstep.
The two said little and used breathing techniques to recover. Once their energy was restored, they resumed sparring.
As they continued, Chen Yue became more adept and noticed his energy consumption gradually decreasing.
Still, he hid his progress and matched Yun Xianhe's pace, knowing full well that the other boy only wanted to spar to eventually defeat him.
If Chen Yue wanted to keep milking money from this rich brat, then holding back a little was necessary.
Finally, after several rounds, Yun Xianhe called it quits—not because of exhaustion, but for the sake of his allowance.
"That's it for today. I've sent the payment. Check your account. I won't see you out."
He walked away, thinking he looked cool.
Chen Yue didn't mind. He just checked his balance with a grin.
"Heh… I spent a ton helping Buster grow quickly these past few days. Nice to recoup some of it now."
His balance had been over 500,000, but after buying materials, he'd used up 300,000, leaving only 200,000. With the recent 10,000 payment, it now stood at 210,000 again.
That might not seem like much, but this was a steady income. Yun Xianhe had already booked him for daily sparring. In a month, that would add up nicely.
Just as he was leaving, Chen Yue received a message from Zhang Liang:
"Meet me—I have something to tell you."
"Must've successfully evolved. Geez, what's with the mystery…"
Chen Yue muttered, but he was genuinely happy for his brother.
Since it was late, he arranged to meet Zhang Liang the next day and left the rich district.
"Xiaoyue, you're back! Come sit—dinner's ready!"
The table was filled with all of Chen Yue's favorite dishes. His mom called him over with a warm smile.
His dad came out of the room, eyes tired but full of care.
"You must be busy studying for the college entrance exams. Make sure to rest. If you need money, just ask us, okay?"
Feeling the warmth of home again, Chen Yue treasured it more than ever.
"Dad, you need to take care of yourself too—don't wear yourself out."
Chen's dad nodded silently. Though he didn't say much, the fatigue in his eyes said it all.
Chen Yue guessed it was work-related, but since his father didn't bring it up, he didn't ask further.
After all, he was still a student preparing for the college entrance exams—his top priority was getting into a good university.
"By the way, Xiaoyue, have you thought about what university you want to go to?"
His dad asked with concern.
Truth be told, Chen Yue hadn't given it much thought. Ever since crossing over into this world, he'd been focused on money and training, and had overlooked this major question.
"Hmm… at the very least, I want to get into the Top Ten. Of course, if I can make it into the top two—either Capital or Magic City University—even better."
The "Top Ten" referred to the ten most prestigious universities in the country. Among them, Capital University and Magic City University were the cream of the crop.
They had long histories and massive influence—but also extremely high entry requirements.
For example, out of a total score of 500:
Regular colleges required 300+
Top Ten universities needed 400+
Capital and Magic City universities demanded a whopping 450+
And that threshold increased every few years. Getting in was no easy feat.
His parents were momentarily stunned but quickly looked proud.
"Do your best—we'll support you no matter what!"
Both of them placed their hands over Chen Yue's, smiling at him. That moment filled Chen Yue with resolve.
And this decision wasn't made lightly—his OP talent and growing resources gave him the confidence to reach for the top.