"Class is finally over," Yan Xinliu said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Morning classes are done."
Liu Yi glanced at the time; it was already noon. "Where's the cafeteria?"
"Follow me," Yan Xinliu said, picking up Pipi. "Tianqi's cafeteria isn't bad, especially the spicy crispy bones on Mondays."
The two walked across the Central Plaza towards the cafeteria, located on the east side of the campus.
Along the way, many students cast curious glances at Liu Yi, their whispers incessant.
"Don't mind them," Yan Xinliu said, pushing up her glasses. "They'll get over it once the novelty wears off."
Tianqi's cafeteria was spacious and bright, divided into several sections.
Yan Xinliu led Liu Yi to the self-service area.
"Just take whatever you want, then swipe your card at the exit," Yan Xinliu explained. "Everyone's campus card, which is also their student ID, automatically gets recharged with 500 Yan Country Coins each month. You can add more if you need to."
Liu Yi chose spicy crispy bones, cold tossed lettuce, and big bone soup with crispy bones. She found a seat by the window, with Ziyue sitting beside her and Chiying coiled up in a corner of the table.
Yan Xinliu sat down opposite her with her tray. "Does your Moling Dragon need special food?"
"I feed them latent energy pills." Liu Yi placed the two plates she had just gotten in front of Ziyue and Chiying, then took out their respective latent energy pills from her bag and put them on the plates.
While eating her crispy bones, Liu Yi took out her phone to check messages.
【The Beautiful Master of Cute Shadow: Liu Yi! I saw the Beast Tamer Association's announcement! Your Moling Dragon is so cool! And Ziyue's evolved form is so beautiful! When can you bring them over for me to pet! ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ】
Next was a message from Huo Nanyun.
【Green Lamp with Clouds: Congratulations on discovering a new Dragon-type pet.】
Qi Zimeng's message was a barrage of emojis.
【Zimeng's Dream: Aaaah, a Dragon-type! It really is a Dragon-type! Liu Yi, you're amazing! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧】
Liu Yi replied to each message. Just as she put down her phone, a figure stood before her.
"Student Liu Yi!" Yin Huaixia exclaimed, holding a camera, her eyes sparkling. "Could I take a moment of your time? Your part is the only one missing for the new student special edition!"
Liu Yi glanced at the time. "Is half an hour enough?"
"More than enough!" Yin Huaixia immediately sat down beside her, pulling out a voice recorder and a notebook. "First question: As the Longwu High School Entrance Tournament Champion, what are your goals for the upcoming National High School League?"
Over the next twenty minutes, Liu Yi answered various questions about her competition experience, pet training, and general future direction. Yin Huaixia's questions were skillful, neither too personal nor failing to uncover interesting content.
"Last question." Yin Huaixia glanced at her notes. "As a 'star student' who caused a sensation immediately upon enrollment, is there anything you'd like to say to your classmates?"
Liu Yi thought for a moment. "Focus on your own path, and don't be swayed by others."
"Perfect!" Yin Huaixia put away her equipment. "Thank you for your cooperation; this issue of the school magazine will definitely be fantastic."
After lunch, Liu Yi bid farewell to Yan Xinliu and headed to the Tower of Trials with Ziyue and Chiying.
Compared to during the summer, two new electronic screens had been added outside the Tower of Trials. The left screen scrolled through the 【Challenge Rules】, while the right displayed real-time data for the 【Current Student Leaderboard】.
Liu Yi stood at the base of the tower, looking up at the leaderboard. At the very top, it boldly displayed:
【1. Third Year - Ouyang Qin - 35th Floor】
【2. Third Year - Li Chengying - 33rd Floor】
【3. Third Year - Gao Xue - 32nd Floor】
Most of the top ranks were held by third-year students.
Liu Yi withdrew her gaze and entered the Tower of Trials.
In the tower's lobby, several lines of students were already queuing at the front desk. Liu Yi chose a relatively shorter line, and it was soon her turn.
Staff member: "Name, student ID number."
"Liu Yi, TQ-0099-0001." Liu Yi handed over her Tower of Trials Challenge Card.
The staff member swiped the card, and the machine chimed "Ding." "Binding complete. This is your first challenge; do you need to know the rules?"
Liu Yi: "Everyone enters an independent space. Defeat the guardian or complete specific tasks to proceed to the next stage."
"Mostly correct." The staff member handed back the card. "A few additional points: First, any injuries your pets sustain in battles within the tower are real, so please proceed within your capabilities. Second, after every five floors cleared, you can choose to enter a rest area. Third, you can abandon the challenge at any time."
The staff member pointed to the room behind them. "Swipe your Challenge Card on the detector, then stand on the circular platform. It will automatically transport you to the challenge floor. First-time challengers start from the first floor."
Liu Yi entered the room. After swiping her card, she stepped onto the platform with Ziyue and Chiying.
The circular platform lit up with white light. When their vision returned, they found themselves in a pure white space.
【Challenger: Liu Yi (First Year Class A-1)】
【Current Highest Record Floor: None】
【Number of Pets Detected: 2】
【Please select pet to deploy】
Liu Yi: "Ziyue."
Ziyue immediately leaped in front of Liu Yi, her purple eyes sparkling with fighting spirit.
【Pet to Deploy Confirmed: Silver Snow Fox】
At this moment, an Electric Mouse appeared in the center of the space.
【First Floor Guardian: Electric Mouse (Junior stage 10%)】
【Challenge Objective: Defeat the Guardian】
【Additional Challenge: Fastest Breakthrough Record - Current Record Holder: Ouyang Qin - Steel-Armored Bear - 5 seconds】
"Junior stage 10%..." Liu Yi repeated softly. "Does that refer to 10% of its latent energy?"
In that case, the first floor would be relatively easy.
Liu Yi: "Ice Blade."
Ziyue didn't even need to move. Seven Ice Blades instantly materialized, striking the Electric Mouse quickly and precisely.
The latter didn't even have time to react before being instantly defeated.
【Challenge Successful! Time taken: 2 seconds】
【Update Fastest Breakthrough Record?】
"Yes."
【Record Updated: Liu Yi - Silver Snow Fox - 2 seconds】
【Please select: 1. Enter the next floor 2. Challenge this floor again】
Liu Yi didn't choose immediately; instead, she pondered for a moment.
Since the initial difficulty was relatively simple and each floor had a record, why not try having both pets participate in the challenge?
Challenging the Tower of Trials was also a form of training.
She selected "Challenge this floor again," then switched her pet to deploy to Chiying.
Chiying moved in front of Liu Yi, its crimson eyes observing the reappearing Electric Mouse.
"Chiying, Poison Fang."
Chiying swiftly attacked, its Poison Fang accurately biting the Electric Mouse's neck.
Soon, the Electric Mouse collapsed, its body tinged with the purple of poison.
【Challenge Successful! Time taken: 3 seconds】
【Current Floor Fastest Breakthrough Record Holders: Liu Yi - Silver Snow Fox - 2 seconds; Moling Dragon - 3 seconds】
It turned out that when challenging with different pets, the system would record each pet's best performance separately.
Liu Yi nodded thoughtfully, feeling that two or three seconds was likely the limit, as the timer probably started the moment she gave the command.
This time, she directly selected "Enter the next floor."
Rate on N.U.
