Zhou Lu had arrived fairly early. There were only around ten people ahead of him.
He sat in the waiting area, watching the exam footage being livestreamed on the screen.
At the end of every month, the Explorer Association published the list of Beast Tamers who had obtained Exploration Permits that month. The battle recordings from their exams were released alongside it.
However, these official policy-driven announcements generally did not attract much attention. The view counts on such videos were not even a fraction of those for an ordinary Beast Taming match.
This time, for the grass-type special session, Beast Tamers had to face a Tier 1 Red-tailed Fox.
Though they were both Tier 1, a Red-tailed Fox was an entirely different matter from a chipmunk.
As one of the most mainstream fire-type spirit beasts today, the Red-tailed Fox was powerful and elegant. Even without learning any additional skills, it had secured its place among the mainstream with its Racial Skill, Flame Dash, alone.
Coupled with looks that surpassed most spirit beasts, it was extremely popular among Beast Tamers.
The Red-tailed Fox designated as the target this time was a level 15 Tier 1 spirit beast, a medium-strength spirit beast one could encounter in a C-Class Secret Realm.
Under the Growth Projection classification, levels 0 through 9 were unevolved ordinary creatures; levels 10 through 19 were Tier 1 spirit beasts in the Metamorphosis Stage; levels 20 through 49 were Tier 2 spirit beasts in the Growth Stage; and level 50 marked a Tier 3 spirit beast.
Generally speaking, the further one went, the more levels evolution required.
And levels could not be piled up through materials alone. If evolving and advancing in rank tested a Beast Tamer's ability to gather materials and intelligence, then leveling up tested a Beast Tamer's ability to nurture their spirit pet.
Zhou Lu had come to take the Exploration Permit exam right after finishing his own exam, so he had not had time to run a Growth Projection for Huohuo. Still, he estimated that Huohuo definitely was not level 15 yet.
As they spoke, a new round of exams began on the big screen.
The exam site was located within a simulated secret realm. The Red-tailed Fox's elegant form darted swiftly through a forest of red-leafed trees.
This red-leaf forest was advantageous terrain for the Red-tailed Fox.
The red-leaf maples were rich in oil, and the fallen maple leaves could expand both the range and power of the Red-tailed Fox's fire skills.
The Beast Tamer's objective was simple: defeat the Red-tailed Fox.
Using a grass-type spirit beast to fight the Red-tailed Fox on its advantageous terrain was clearly unwise.
The Beast Tamer undergoing the assessment understood that as well, so he immediately took out a strip of jerky to lure the Red-tailed Fox out of the red-leaf forest.
But although the Red-tailed Fox in the exam area had no Beast Tamer beside it, it was still a contracted spirit pet. Ordinary jerky held limited appeal for it.
There was no helping it. To protect the candidates' safety, the association could not possibly release an actual wild spirit beast into the exam. All the spirit beasts used were contracted spirit pets. Their owners kept watch over the exam grounds at all times and would immediately recall their own spirit pets if anything dangerous happened.
That Beast Tamer clearly had not expected the Red-tailed Fox to be utterly unmoved by the jerky, and he immediately grew anxious.
Red-tailed Foxes were famously fast. He did not dare let either himself or his spirit pet draw its attention, and so the situation fell into a deadlock.
As the end of the exam drew closer, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and have his spirit pet use Entangling Vines to provoke the Red-tailed Fox.
But that was absolutely not a wise move.
Red-tailed Foxes were extremely sensitive to spiritual energy, especially fluctuations of grass-type power.
Thus, the moment his spirit pet released its skill, the Red-tailed Fox easily burned through the vines and locked onto the Beast Tamer's position.
Not good! I have to run!
But by the time that thought arose, it was already too late. A red blur flashed past, and the Red-tailed Fox was already in his face.
The exam had failed.
Watching the senior student's dejected expression, Zhou Lu pondered, The key to this exam is really how to draw the Red-tailed Fox's aggro.
While ensuring his own safety, he needed to lure the Red-tailed Fox into terrain favorable to himself.
Among the exam scenarios was a grassland that amplified grass-type abilities. But honestly, in a grass-versus-fire battle, even with terrain amplification, the double-damage boost from elemental restraint was not something a Tier 1 spirit beast could easily overcome.
Moreover, that grassland was some distance from the red-leaf forest—farther even than the maximum distance Huohuo's current Vine Step could reach.
Zhou Lu did not think that, at Huohuo's current speed, it could make it to the grassland in time after attracting the Red-tailed Fox.
This terrain was prepared for high-speed grass-type spirit beasts.
The assessments moved very quickly.
After all, among this batch of third-year students, those who truly had Beast Taming talent or family backing had already obtained their C-Class Exploration Permits last year.
Beast Tamer was one of the few professions in this era that could enable someone to leap across social classes. Precisely because of that, it was also the cruelest profession.
Only true geniuses could carve out a place for themselves in the Beast Taming Academy through hard work alone, without family backing.
Over the course of two hours, aside from students who had forced their way through the exam using their spirit pets' level advantage, very few had passed.
Zhou Lu had also spotted some issues.
They were working hard, but their efforts were pointed entirely in the wrong direction.
Beast Tamer battles, especially battles in the wild, were never so rigid. Why were they so stubbornly hung up on that jerky? Could it be they had all bought it from the same shop?
Just as Zhou Lu was grumbling inwardly, the broadcast called out his number.
It was his turn.
"Huohuo, get ready to go on." Zhou Lu looked at Huohuo beside him.
Huohuo promptly climbed into Zhou Lu's arms.
(≧w≦)
Upon entering the preparation room, the staff member at the door first handed Zhou Lu a safety-related document.
"If you encounter any danger, don't force yourself. Press the wristband immediately." The staff member opened the door and instructed Zhou Lu, "Our Beast Tamer will recall the Red-tailed Fox at once."
"Understood." Zhou Lu nodded.
Beyond the door stood a crumbling, collapsed building.
Looking out from the spawn point, the red-leaf forest where the Red-tailed Fox was located was not far away.
Huohuo seemed extremely nervous.
It had always feared fire the most, yet now it had to face a fire-type spirit beast head-on.
Vines continuously plunged into its flowerpot, bringing out a little transparent Sticky Slime.
This was Sticky Baby's Sticky Slime, which Huohuo had deliberately squeezed out of Sticky Baby.
Sticky Baby's Sticky Slime was not only incredibly adhesive, but its fireproof properties were also first-rate.
Daub, daub.
Huohuo used its vines to smear the Sticky Slime all over its body, then stretched out a vine and patted Zhou Lu's leg.
Master, do you want some?
Looking at the Sticky Slime on Huohuo's vine, Zhou Lu did not know whether to laugh or cry. "No need. I don't want to turn into a bald man."
Huohuo had fuzz that could resist some of the stickiness, but he did not.
Seeing its master refuse, Huohuo disappointedly swayed its leaves.
"Alright, Huohuo." Zhou Lu pointed toward the lake beside the red-leaf forest and said, "You go there first and prepare. I'll go pull the monster."
After a pause, he pointed at Huohuo's vines. "Wrap one vine around my waist. The moment I give the command, pull me back."
With that, he crouched low and headed toward the red-leaf forest.
First update... Three updates today. Please keep reading!
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