BOOM—
An eerie green light illuminated the underground cavern, sending waves of scorching heat rolling outwards.
Fly once again deftly dodged the attack.
Dean Sterling was using his Jadefire Dove to conduct a pre-competition training session with him.
Through repeated probes, Fly discovered that this Jadefire Dove was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.
The temperature of those eerie green flames seemed significantly higher than ordinary fire. Several times, even after Fly had clearly dodged the main attack, he could still feel the searing heat wave wash over him as the flames passed by.
Even more terrifying was that these green flames seemed to possess a "burn-to-completion" attribute; if even a speck landed on something, the fire would not extinguish until the object was reduced to absolute ash.
At one point, while evading an attack, Fly's sleeve had accidentally brushed against a small ember.
At first, he just slapped at the burning spot, thinking he could pat it out like a normal flame.
However, the pale green fire was like magic; even a tiny spark was impossible to extinguish easily.
The fire spread rapidly, its speed and intensity astonishing Fly.
Left with no choice, he had to use his Husk Puppet Skill to molt and escape the flames' entanglement. The shed "skin" was quickly incinerated to ash by the intense green fire.
"Is this the gap between a genius and an ordinary person?" Watching the exchange between Fly and Dean Sterling, Leo couldn't help but feel his eyes burn with envy.
At this rate, Fly probably doesn't even need to take the entrance exams; he'll likely be fast-tracked straight into one of The Tulip League's Eight Elite Universities.
It wasn't just Leo; 'Emperor' Valerius's pupils also constricted slightly.
For his entire life, he had been the genius, the top student in the eyes of his teachers and classmates.
His general studies scores were outstanding, and his path of martial cultivation had been exceptionally smooth.
A true winner in life.
But now, watching Fly move so fluidly, almost effortlessly, under Dean Sterling's assault, Valerius truly felt the gap.
For a freshman who had just become a Beast Warrior, the most terrifying thing wasn't their current strength, but their inhuman rate of progress.
For any other Beast Warrior, achieving a noticeable increase in strength every month was already enough to be labeled a "monster."
But Fly? He was taking a new step almost every day. You could never predict what level he would have reached the next time you saw him.
"Fly, your progress is truly astonishing," Dean Sterling finally said with a sigh. "Let's call it a day."
He ceased his attacks. Fly also relaxed his stance, patting the dust from his now disheveled clothes.
Just now, although Dean Sterling had intentionally suppressed his power, every single strike had been meticulously calculated. The intensity of each attack was calibrated to sit precisely on the borderline between a level-two and a level-three Beast Warrior; an ordinary level-two warrior would have been unable to dodge them. His goal was to see just how well Fly had mastered his new compound eye ability.
The result? Fly had avoided nearly every single attack. While many of the dodges were clumsy and narrow, he had, nonetheless, successfully evaded them.
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This was more than enough to prove that he had grasped the fundamentals of using his compound eyes in combat.
"Fly, you've really worked hard," Dean Sterling said, walking over and patting his shoulder.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
If this kid had the family background of someone like Jett, he might truly be invincible.
Perhaps a person's destiny was set from the moment of their birth.
The children of the wealthy could rely on family resources to grow continuously, even if their talent was mediocre. But a child from an ordinary family like Fly, his potential would likely be capped by his financial limitations.
"Fly, how much money have you spent on body tempering since you enrolled?" Dean Sterling asked.
"Hm?" The question caught Fly off guard.
Body tempering, as the name implied, was the process of using medicinal supplements to refine and strengthen the body, achieving a qualitative transformation.
Generally, there were two methods: gentle and fierce. The gentle method involved infusing potions into a bath, allowing the medicinal properties to slowly seep into the body, gradually enhancing one's constitution. This method was mild and placed no burden on the body, but its effects were slow.
The fierce method was to directly ingest the finished pills or elixirs. This method produced fast results, but the side effects were also significant. Overdosing could easily damage one's foundation, affecting their future cultivation path. The Student Council's enforcer, Marshall, was a prime example.
Fly thought.
"I haven't, Vic," Fly replied. "I haven't spent any money on medicinal aids. Aside from my living expenses, what little money I have all went to buying Skills. Where would I get the money for body tempering?"
His answer left Dean Sterling stunned. Even with all his experience, he had never seen a Beast Warrior who, without any medicinal supplements, could progress so rapidly relying on cultivation alone.
After a long pause, Dean Sterling finally said slowly, "Even so, Fly, with the Freshman Invitational coming up, it would be best for you to use some supplements to temper your body."
In the Dean's eyes, Fly was already progressing at lightning speed through normal training. If he were to add medicinal conditioning on top of that, the results would be unimaginable.
Hearing this, Fly's composure instantly broke. He immediately held out his hand. "Ahem, Vic, you know the deal..."
He had known about body tempering for a long time, but had been unable to practice it due to his lack of funds. Now that the Dean had brought it up himself, wouldn't it be a crime not to "scam" him a little?
But just then, 'Emperor' Valerius suddenly stepped forward.
"Fly, here are six thousand credits. And one Grade-Two Aqua-Marrow Cleansing Pill."
'Emperor' Valerius took out his phone and transferred the money and the pill to Fly.
This left Fly completely astonished. He never expected Valerius to be so generous.
Six thousand credits was already a huge sum for Fly. And a Grade-Two Aqua-Marrow Cleansing Pill was a resource he wouldn't have even dared to dream about before.
In this world, Beast Warriors were divided into ten levels based on strength, and the medicinal resources that aided their cultivation were similarly divided into ten grades.
Each grade of pill corresponded to the same level of Beast Warrior. Consuming a pill of a lower grade would have negligible effect. Consuming one of a higher grade would often exceed the body's limit, causing it to explode. Even if one survived, the overload would often leave behind permanent side effects.
This Grade-Two Aqua-Marrow Cleansing Pill was the perfect supplement for Fly's current level: a level-two Beast Warrior.
An average Grade-Two pill often sold for over ten thousand credits on the market—almost equivalent to Fly's entire living expenses for a year. He hadn't even considered buying supplements until now.
"As expected of the 'handsome and kind-hearted' Young Master Valerius. Fly offers his sincerest thanks." Fly clasped his hands and gave Valerius a deep bow.
"Hmph. Don't flatter yourself. I wasn't trying to help you!" 'Emperor' Valerius turned his head, his tone stiff.
"I just don't want to see my rival fall behind because of something as trivial as money."
"This isn't a gift from me. Consider it an investment."
"When your financial situation improves, I expect to be paid back, with interest."
'Emperor' Valerius said, looking somewhat unnatural.
He had indeed felt some animosity towards Fly at first, but there was no real grudge between them. It had just been a momentary lapse in his own composure.
Once he got over it, he realized he didn't hate Fly; on the contrary, he rather admired him.
Secondly...
There was Fly's astonishing talent and strength.
Fly was the most talented Beast Warrior 'Emperor' Valerius had ever met.
As the second son of the Tarantino family, he was destined to take charge of the family one day. Faced with a young Beast Warrior of infinite potential like Fly, building an alliance was far better than making an enemy.
'Emperor' Valerius thought.
"Don't worry, Brother Valerius," Fly said, clasping his hands with a look of utmost sincerity. "For the help you've given me, I will definitely repay you tenfold in the future."
Dean Sterling watched this exchange from the side, a gratified smile spreading across his face.
Fly and 'Emperor' Valerius were not only the strongest Beast Warriors in the freshman year, but also Star City High's best hope for the upcoming university entrance exams.
The Dean, of course, hoped they could get along and help each other.
He had been worried that the bad blood from their Martial Trials match would permanently damage their relationship. Now, it seemed, his worries had been unfounded.
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