CHAPTER 351: CHAPTER 295: SHADOW TRIAL, BEGIN!

"Thank you."

Qian Rui thanked the blue-haired young man, then took out some medicine from his backpack and carefully applied it to the Iron-Backed Turtle.

"Ho ho!"

At the same time, a white Blade Tooth Sea Lion with a pair of saber teeth beside Qian Rui emitted a blue glow.

This was another one of Qian Rui’s Spiritual Beasts.

Water slowly washed over the shell of the Iron-Backed Turtle, starting to heal its wounds.

The Blade Tooth Sea Lion’s eyes were filled with distress and self-blame.

The recent attack by the Frog Cavalry had caused significant damage to the Iron-Backed Turtle, but it had endured the pain without crying out.

"Iron-Back, I’m sorry you had to suffer."

"Ss ka~"

The Iron-Backed Turtle shook its head smiling, then patted its chest with its claws.

It indicated that it didn’t mind and that these small injuries were nothing.

Qian Rui fell silent, feeling inexplicably suffocated inside.

His Iron-Backed Turtle was a bit too sensible.

After finishing applying the medicine to the Iron-Backed Turtle, Qian Rui glanced at his account balance: 584200.

For an ordinary person, this might be a large sum, but for a Spirit Master, it’s only enough to buy one rare resource.

"Almost there, just another two and a half years and I should have gathered enough money."

Qian Rui grew up in an orphanage without parents. Fortunately, his talent for spirit-controlling was good, and he awakened his ’Spiritual Space’ in his first year of high school, becoming an Apprentice Spirit Master.

With the help of the "Dongxia Aid Policy for Impoverished Spirit Masters," he successfully obtained a small sea lion with not so high talent.

"From now on, let’s work hard together!"

"Ho ho!"

In the winter afternoon of his first year, he and the small sea lion signed a contract.

For the first time, the lonely boy felt the presence of a "family member."

Although the small sea lion’s talent was lacking, diligence can make up for its weakness. With the relentless efforts of one person and one beast, by his third year of high school, the sea lion had advanced to Transcendent and evolved into a Blade Tooth Sea Lion.

With the Blade Tooth Sea Lion, Qian Rui made a spectacular mark on the Spirit Master college entrance exam, becoming one of the few students from his school admitted to Shenghai City Spirit University, and he scored the highest in the combat division!

With the scholarships from the school and education bureau, he contracted a second Spiritual Beast, the Iron-Backed Turtle.

At that moment, he and his Blade Tooth Sea Lion felt exuberant, as if the future was already in their grasp.

After entering university, he and the Blade Tooth Sea Lion continued to work very hard.

However, they soon desperately discovered—

Even though their training time was already 2, even 3 times that of others!

The gap was still widening.

That’s because Qian Rui’s classmate’s Spiritual Beasts not only had much higher talent than the small sea lion, but also used many more resources and treasures.

Some things cannot simply be compensated by hard work.

For instance, one’s original family, or talent.

Thus, during the first summer break in university, to earn money for more precious resources, he followed a coral-collecting team from Initial City to a place in the Penglai Sea Domain called Coral Sea to collect colorful coral.

These colorful corals were great as decorative items and also food for some High-level Spiritual Beasts, fetching high prices.

However, misfortune tends to strike those already burdened with hardship.

Fate has a way of making fools of people.

They were very unfortunate to encounter a school of ferocious, bloodthirsty Blade Tooth Sharks.

The Blade Tooth Sharks are a kind of ferocious bloodthirsty Spiritual Beast, keen on attacking creatures weaker than themselves.

Qian Rui’s coral-collecting group was surrounded and attacked by a school of Blade Tooth Sharks.

Soon, the nearby sea turned red with blood, which made the Blade Tooth Sharks even more frenzied.

The Blade Tooth Sea Lion continuously protected Qian Rui and the Iron-Backed Turtle (which had not yet advanced to Transcendent) nearby, having to face several Blade Tooth Sharks’ attacks simultaneously.

Before long, the Blade Tooth Sea Lion was covered in wounds, some so severe that bones were exposed.

But it did not step back.

Not until a High-level Spirit Master patrolling nearby came and dispersed the Blade Tooth Sharks.

After landing, looking at the mangled Blade Tooth Sea Lion, he wept bitterly.

Fortunately, the Blade Tooth Sea Lion was quite lucky because help arrived in time—it barely managed to survive, but it was also left with many nearly incurable internal injuries.

Forget fighting, even strenuous movement caused great pain throughout its body, and could even result in fainting or death.

To fully heal, it would require the help of at least a Monarch Level Spiritual Beast or the use of epic-level medications.

After checking, Qian Rui found that the potions needed to heal the Blade Tooth Sea Lion were expensive, the cheapest costing 2.5 million—truly a daunting figure for a poor student.

Thus, thereafter he worked tirelessly to earn money.

Besides practicing with other students, he also delivered food on campus, did others’ homework, making no less than three thousand yuan a day.

He wasn’t someone who gave up easily.

Qian Rui sighed, when suddenly a familiar voice reached his ears, interrupting his thoughts.

"Qian Rui, Qian Rui! Look at this!"

A 160 cm tall, 160 kg heavy boy came over—it was his roommate, Wang Bo.

Wang Bo put his phone in front of Qian Rui, which was playing a video.

The video showed a white-haired Blazing Flame Fox, elegantly finishing its breakfast and walking through an old city district.

The Spirit Master filmed the video apparently to record his Spiritual Beast’s daily life.

As for why the Blazing Flame Fox’s fur was white, Qian Rui had already gotten used to seeing such oddities.