Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 263 The Trial of Steel! A Clash of Two Blades!
"If you ask me, we can't fight this guy head-on; we have to outsmart him."

The speaker was a tall, thin young man. He adjusted his glasses, the frames reflecting a thoughtful glint: "I recommend using a poison-type pet. First, use poison skills to weaken its condition, then keep attriting and wearing it down. That way, you'll have a better chance of winning."

Standing next to him was a burly man with prominent muscles. He shook his head and said, "No, it's at the third tier. Your pet beast definitely can't withstand a single blow."

"If you ask me, we should use a Rock-type pet."

After a brief pause, he slowly shared his thoughts with the people around him: "Some people online say that this guy only has two skills: steel blade and iron arm."

"Although the steel blade is strong, if your pet has strong enough defense, it can definitely withstand a few blows and then find a weakness to defeat it."

The bespectacled man shook his head and retorted, "No, I still think poison-type pets are more suitable."

The muscular man crossed his arms and snorted coldly, "Rock-type pet!"

"Poison!"

"Rock system!"

The argument between the two men escalated, when a long-haired young man suddenly interrupted them with a cold laugh: "As expected of naive students with absolutely no practical experience. Real combat is not as easy as you make it sound."

The two of them glared at each other, their faces full of dissatisfaction.

The long-haired youth smiled slightly, pointed to the steel-headed ground squirrel in the distance, and said in a calm voice, "No matter what countermeasures or tactics you devise, you can't avoid one thing—this guy is at the third tier."

"Any strategy or tactic that is not based on hard power is nonsense."

"Only a third-tier can contend with a third-tier."

The muscular man remained unconvinced, grumbling, "Everyone knows that, but where are there so many Tier 3 pets these days? Do you think Tier 3 pets are like cabbages growing on the roadside?"

Every beast tamer is well aware of the huge gap between strength levels, but since Consultant Chen has set up a test, and the opponent is a rare Tier 3 pet, most beast tamers are eager to witness the power of a Tier 3 pet and hone their skills.

Despite the warnings from the Beastmasters after each challenge against the Steel-Headed Groundhog, and despite the Steel-Headed Groundhog's formidable record frightening a group of hesitant Beastmasters, a small number of skeptical Beastmasters still come to Xuanhe Village every day to challenge the legendary Steel-Headed Groundhog.

This is the test of steel.

If I manage to pass the test, I can brag about it online for a while.

However, very few beast tamers possess third-tier pets; the vast majority of beast tamers are instantly killed in one hit.

The long-haired young man smiled without saying a word.

"This is what you are."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang in everyone's ears. They all turned around and saw a handsome young man with black hair.

A fire-breathing bird whose name he didn't recognize stood on his left shoulder, while an extremely rare twin flower concubine sat on his right shoulder. A majestic, piercing-eyed Wind-Gathering Hound lay at his feet, observing them with curious eyes.

Looking ahead, they could see Runrun Duck and Dian Dian Flying Cat sitting on the back of the Fallen Horned Beast, which made everyone even more puzzled.

With six pet animals by his side, what kind of wealthy family is this person?
The muscular man scratched his head, subconsciously sensing that the beast tamer before him was no ordinary person, so he obediently answered:

"Dude, you're probably here to test Consultant Chen too, right?"

"A test?" Chen Yuan frowned.

What test?

Seeing the confusion on Chen Yuan's face, the muscular man's mind raced, and he chuckled, "You've come all this way and you still don't know about this? That's quite strange."

He paused, then pointed to the farm in the distance: "You should know Consultant Chen, who's been all the rage lately, right? He lives on this farm."

"There is a steel-headed ground squirrel at the farm gate. Whoever can defeat it will pass the test and get the opportunity to communicate with Consultant Chen."

"Communication is fine, but if you're the first to pass the test, how long do you think you can brag about that?"

As he spoke, a smile appeared on the muscular man's face, as if he could already imagine the glory of being the first to pass the test.

Chen Yuan was speechless for a moment.

How could he, as the person involved, not know about this test?

Where did this rumor originate?

"Dude, I think your Wind-Gathering Hound is pretty strong. If you put in the effort, you might be able to beat that guy." The muscular man quickly encouraged Chen Yuan when he saw him remain silent.

It's embarrassing if one person gets one-shotted by a Steelhead Mole, but it doesn't matter if a group of people do it.

"Are you Consultant Chen?"

Before Chen Yuan could answer the muscular man, the long-haired youth beside him stared at Chen Yuan for a while, then suddenly frowned and spoke, his tone filled with uncertainty.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "I am Chen Yuan, come and chat with me."

Upon hearing this, everyone froze on the spot.

The long-haired youth confirmed his suspicions and quickly caught up with Chen Yuan, saying with delight, "Advisor Chen, I didn't expect it to really be you."

He came from out of town and had never seen the Big Wind Cup before. In addition, no photos of Chen Yuan appeared in the overwhelming news reports, so he did not know what he looked like.

Fortunately, he had caught a glimpse of a poster about Chen Yuan on his way here and had a vague recollection of him, which is how he recognized him.

"Advisor Chen, I heard you've gone into the mountains?" The long-haired young man asked, suppressing his turbulent emotions.

"Hmm." Chen Yuan nodded, then looked at Tie Touwa not far away and muttered, "I didn't expect such a surprise as soon as I came back."

"Crack."

Upon seeing Chen Yuan and his friends in the distance, Tie Touwa stepped out of the shadows, his expression serious, and nodded slightly.

Report to the farmer: everything is normal on the farm; no one has broken in so far.

"Advisor Chen, I'll go first." The long-haired youth's gaze sharpened as he saw the Iron-Headed Kid appear, and he spoke up decisively.

Chen Yuan glanced at the calm-looking Iron-Headed Kid, then at the expectant long-haired youth, and slowly nodded: "Okay."

While in the mysterious forest, notifications of obtaining the source point would ring out from morning till night, but since the little guys were left to roam freely, Chen Yuan naturally assumed it was their doing.

But now it seems that this is not the case.

Looking at the increasingly sharp twin blades on Ironhead's body, Chen Yuan could imagine how many battles it had gone through in the past few days.

However, Ironhead was not harmed, and in addition, he could obtain Source Points to hone his skills, so Chen Yuan was happy to do so.

Although he still did not know who had spread the word about the test.

The long-haired youth, his face full of anticipation, stood directly opposite the Iron-Headed Kid. He exhaled sharply, adjusted his breathing, and smiled brightly: "Advisor Chen, I am Zhang Bai from Binhai City. It is a great honor to have the opportunity to fight against you."

As he spoke, he ran his fingertips through his long hair, his voice rising, "Please enlighten me."

Chen Yuan did not respond, but Tie Touwa slowly nodded: "Click."

For a moment, the initially surprised crowd collected their thoughts and began to watch the battle intently.

On the field,
Once the battle began, Zhang Bai immediately suppressed his smile, his eyes sharp as knives, his long hair fluttering in the wind: "Zhan Tie Dou Ao, come out."

A dazzling white summoning array appeared in front of him, accompanied by a piercing clanging sound, and a huge bluish-gray crayfish slowly appeared.

The Iron-Cleaving Turtle is relatively slender, but it has a pair of incredibly large pincers that spark like welding arcs when they open and close.

"ga"

Runrun Duck, who was watching from the sidelines, trembled and retreated repeatedly when it saw the large pincers of the Iron-Chopping Turtle.

If these pliers grab my neck, I'll definitely die, right?
"Zhan Tie Dou Ao." Chen Yuan squinted at the pet beast he was seeing for the first time and softly uttered its name.

Zhan Tie Dou Ao is a steel-type pet beast with a bad temper. It is prone to starting fights and is known as one of the most difficult pet beasts to raise.

Its pride lies in the pair of large pincers on its chest, which can easily cut through steel and shatter mountains and rocks.

Moreover, this guy's strength is clearly remarkable, and his attack style is very similar to Iron Head Boy's. It seems that Iron Head Boy has met his match this time.

"Crack."

Ironhead remained calm as always. It stared quietly at the Iron-Cutting Ao and slowly raised the twin blades in front of it.

It is ready for a fierce battle.

"Steel Blade." Zhang Bai's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly issued the attack command.

The Iron-Cleaving Turtle lunged forward, covering several meters in an instant, and as it approached the Iron-Headed Boy, it swung its giant pincers, their cold light flashing, and cleaved vertically downwards!

A cold wind howled, and a glint of cold light flashed. The battle-hardened Ironhead was prepared. He raised his twin blades and exerted force with all his might!

In an instant, the giant pincers and the sharp blades collided, accompanied by a piercing metallic noise and sparks flying.

The two pets were locked in a stalemate, their eyes meeting, and for a moment they were at an impasse.

In just the first round of combat, everyone could see Zhan Tie Dou Ao's strength.

It is also of the third order.

The muscular man and the bespectacled man suddenly realized what was going on.

No wonder this flamboyant long-haired youth was so arrogant before. With a third-tier pet beast in his hand, he certainly had the right to look down on everyone.

"Would Zhan Tie Dou Ao be a match for Steel-Headed Groundhog?"

For a moment, everyone looked on with anticipation.

"Crack."

Seeing that its opponent could withstand half of its strength, Ironhead was surprised. But with its friends and the farmer watching it, a thought flashed through its mind and it decided to increase its strength.

Let's use 70% of our strength first. *Crack!*

The sharp blade flashed with a cold light, and the Iron-Headed Kid suddenly exerted his strength, immediately breaking the previous stalemate.

The Iron-Headed Ao suddenly felt a tremendous force crushing it, the powerful force making its body tremble. Then, its giant pincers were knocked back by the sharp blade. It knew something was wrong and quickly jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the Iron-Headed Boy's second attack.

Seeing this, Zhang Bai frowned slightly: "They're no match in terms of strength?"

His Iron-Slaying Fierce Turtle was carefully bred, and with its unique racial advantages, few pet beasts could face it head-on when it swung its giant pincers.

However, this steel-headed gopher is clearly more powerful in direct combat.

According to his understanding, Steelheaded Gopher wasn't even contracted by Consultant Chen.

To be trained to this level without a contract, Consultant Chen is indeed one of the most powerful beast tamers of our time.

Thoughts flashed by, and Zhang Bai's eyes lit up as an idea arose: "Slay Iron and Fight the Giant Tortoise, Cleave Steel with a Whirlwind Slash."

With renewed vigor, Zhan Tie Dou Ao swung its pincers back and forth, causing its body to spin rapidly.

The speed increased rapidly, and a fierce gust of wind rose up, sweeping up the surrounding snow and gravel, and snapping dead trees within a radius of several meters in half.

Steel Spinning Slash is a high-powered steel-type move that attacks the opponent by rapidly spinning its two pincers in a cross pattern.

The fierce wind lashed against my body.

At this moment, Zhan Tie Dou Ao seemed to transform into a graceful dancer, its body spinning at high speed, its giant pincers swung in afterimages, rapidly approaching with a sharp aura.

"ga"

Upon seeing this terrifying scene, Runrun Duck and Dian Dian Flying Cat simultaneously hid behind Chen Yuan, each clinging to one of his thighs.

How scary!
Won't it overturn the farm?

"Ow~"

Cola casually waved its paw.

Cola, I'm here, who can turn the farm upside down?
"Crack."

Seeing the sudden attack sweeping in, Iron-Headed Boy remained unmoved.

It stood still, closed its eyes, and raised the sharp blade in front of it, the sunlight shining on its dark gray body.

Chen Yuan glanced at Tie Touwa in surprise and muttered, "This guy is getting better and better at pretending."

Ironhead has gradually transformed from being taciturn to someone who is now prone to showing off.

"Kick!"

Ironhead Boy opened his sharp eyes and slashed his blade down at the rapidly spinning Iron-Cutting Ao in front of him.

In an instant, a cold light burst forth, a streak of cold light swept forward from the blade, accompanied by a sharp aura, suddenly moving forward and stirring up a fierce gale along the way. The momentum was enormous and the scene was shocking, plowing deep furrows into the snow layer wherever it passed.

The blade flashed out, cleaving through the swirling snow and bringing the approaching Iron-Cutting Ao to a halt.

For a long time,

Ironhead stood still, sheathing his sword, his gaze indifferent. A snowflake drifted down and landed on his shoulder.

"Crack."

Tie Touwa didn't even glance at Zhan Tie Dou Ao, but nodded slightly to the farm owner, then turned around and returned to the gate, seemingly unconcerned about winning or losing the battle.

But when it stood at the gate again, the iron-chopping tortoise swayed in the swirling snow and then collapsed headfirst into the thick snow.

In that instant, an eerie silence fell over the farm, and pairs of eyes stared intently at Tie Touwa.

"Quack quack!"

The eerie silence was broken by the quacking of ducks. Runrun Duck emerged from behind Chen Yuan, swaggered up to Tie Touwa, patted the latter's shoulder with its wing, and grinned wildly.

Ironhead, if any bad guys show up in the future, I'll leave everything to you.

Duck, I'll just hide behind you!
"Crack."

Iron-Headed Kid nodded slightly, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Ow"

Cola recalled the scene from just now, and his eyes gradually became serious.

It actually sensed a hint of danger.

Could it be that Ironhead's strength has already approached mine?

Chen Yuan was equally surprised: "This..."

Did Ironhead Kid really get a cheat code?

The power of this steel blade is outrageous. Could it be that focusing on one skill is really useful?

In any case, this is a good thing. With Tie Touwa around, the farm's safety level will increase, and I can travel to other places with more peace of mind.

"Just as I thought." Seeing Zhan Tie Dou Ao lying unconscious on the ground, Zhang Bai's expression was surprisingly calm. "It seems our training is still insufficient."

"Six hours of rest a day is indeed too long and too lax."

"When we get back, let's change the training time to twenty hours."

Upon hearing this, the others immediately felt ashamed.

Twenty hours?
Does this guy have ten livers?
Indeed, after becoming beast tamers, their energy and stamina increase significantly, and they can still be full of energy even if they only sleep five or six hours a day.

But, isn't a training session of up to twenty hours a bit exaggerated?

"Advisor Chen." After muttering to himself, Zhang Bai retracted his Iron-Cut Fighting Turtle, strode up to Chen Yuan, and said with a look of sincere admiration, "Your Steel-Headed Groundhog is as powerful as the rumors say."

After saying that, he glanced at the Wind-Gathering Hound beside Chen Yuan and the Fire-Breathing Bird on his shoulder, his eyes flashing with fighting spirit: "If there is a chance next time, I hope to see your full strength."

"You're already very impressive," Chen Yuan replied with a smile, his tone gentle. "I look forward to your next challenge."

After a brief pause, he looked at everyone and said, "Come in and have a seat."

Leading everyone into the farm, as rows of tall fruit trees came into view, exclamations of amazement rose and fell:

"So many spiritual plants. Consultant Chen is indeed as skilled at cultivating spiritual plants as reported."

"Advisor Chen is too comprehensive."

Exclamations of praise rang in his ears, but Chen Yuan was already used to it. He smiled and asked, "Where did this so-called test come from?"

"Hey, doesn't Consultant Chen know?" The muscular man looked surprised, then belatedly realized, "Could this be a misunderstanding?"

Zhang Bai said, "It's a rumor circulating online, but I don't know who it is specifically about."

The others nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's what everyone's saying, so we just followed suit."

Chen Yuan nodded helplessly: "It's alright, but there really isn't much of a test. The Steel-Headed Gopher is just responsible for guarding the gate."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bai's expression froze.

He couldn't even defeat the guard beast at the gate; it seems he needs to increase his training time.

Twenty-one hours, I guess.

Upon entering the courtyard, the group chatted for a while, and Chen Yuan then realized that they were all students from various Beast Taming Academyes.

Except for Zhang Bai.

This beast tamer comes from Binhai City, which is over a thousand kilometers away from Qin Province.

"It was a coincidence that I came to Qin Province this time. A distant relative passed away here, so I came with my parents to pay my respects and also to gain experience in the Qinling Mountains." Zhang Bai, with his long hair and strong artistic aura, said, "I just happened to hear about Consultant Chen's matter, so I came to join in the fun."

Chen Yuan remained noncommittal, but asked curiously, "Was this Iron-Slaying Frog a contracted in Binhai City?"

“Yes.” Zhang Bai nodded, and then continued the conversation, “After the spiritual energy revival, the tidal movements at the seaside are more frequent, and all kinds of pets will be swept ashore.”

"This is how the contract for 'Zhan Tie Dou Ao' was made."

Chen Yuan immediately became interested.

He has never been to the seaside since he was a child. If he has the opportunity, he must go once and see the pets that are completely different from those inland.

What will those whales, which were already enormous before the revival of spiritual energy, look like after they evolve?
Zhang Bai took the opportunity to exchange contact information with Chen Yuan and smiled slightly: "Advisor Chen, I have a ship in Binhai City. When you have the chance to come here, be sure to let me know."

"I'll take you out to sea."

After chatting for a while, everyone said their goodbyes. Chen Yuan then dialed Zhou Xu's number: "Brother Zhou, I learned a very important piece of information from Qing Po about those sleeping gods."

Three minutes later, Zhou Xu appeared at the farm gate.

Chen Yuan asked in confusion, "Brother Zhou, are you in Xuanhe Village?"

Zhou Xu explained, "Advisor Chen, I was worried that these beast tamers would cause trouble while you were in the mountains these past few days, so I decided to stay in Xuanhe Village. That way, I can step in and resolve any issues that may arise."

Chen Yuan felt a warmth in his heart and then got to the point: "This matter is very important, so I didn't mention it on the phone."

"Qingpo has awakened some of its memories of Qingcang; it seems to know the locations where the other deities sleep, specifically where..."

That night, the Eastern Beast Tamer Association issued multiple instructions to its branches in various regions.

(End of this chapter)