Central Square of the Grand Hall, Arena No. 19.

"Next match, Li Pu versus Ma He."

"Would both students please come on stage immediately."

A male instructor around 45 years old, with ordinary appearance, stood on the arena and loudly announced.

Unlike other arenas, the crowd of students was especially large beneath Arena No. 19.

"Wow! It's finally starting!"

"A clash of titans, it's really something to look forward to."

"Indeed, the first and second place in the race, it's surely going to be impressive."

"Just to be clear, they're tied for second."

"So what if they're tied? It's still not bad, alright?"

"Exactly, exactly, you talk as if your race ranking is splendid."

The list of matchups was drawn up yesterday, and in the first round, this match was the most anticipated by the newcomers.

So before it even began, many gathered here early.

Under the referee's direction, one male student quickly stepped onto the arena.

He was one of the four-man group who arrived just after Li Pu in the race, Ma He.

Ma He was not alone, he was accompanied by his summoned beast.

A beast head and human body in its non-battle form, a robust figure.

Usually, beasts that are half-human tend to have more appealing appearances, but this summoned beast was different.

Standing over two meters tall, its bulky physique was both fat and fleshy.

More importantly, the beast head was... a hippopotamus.

Such an appearance immediately sparked a wave of whispers among those around.

"He's one of those tied for second in the race?"

"What an ugly summoned beast..."

"Indeed, probably the ugliest beast I've ever seen."

"Don't underestimate it, recently Ma He has been undefeated in Wisdom Hall."

"... So you're saying this clumsy-looking beast belongs to the Wisdom category?"

"You truly can't judge a book by its cover, this is too misleading."

Many of these comments reached Ma He's ears, but he didn't care, as he had long become accustomed to them.

What does being ugly matter, as long as it's strong enough?

Don't be deceived by his appearance, as if he was only a support to Fu Erdai; in reality, it's merely because the fiery creature in the southern forest was more suitable as the main focus. In a different scenario, who's supporting who could be hard to tell.

However, Ma He stood on the arena for a while yet still saw no sign of Li Pu.

"Li Pu, please come to the stage immediately, or you will be deemed to have forfeited."

At this moment, the referee spoke again.

"Please wait a moment, perhaps he's encountered something!"

Wu Guinan in the audience below quickly stepped forward.

His mood at this moment was one of great anxiety.

However, he had no idea where Li Pu had gone.

Over the past two weeks, he and Li Pu had met only a handful of times.

Except for one instance where Li Pu came specially to repay money, Wu Guinan had only encountered him in the dormitory.

Most crucially, that guy didn't have a cell phone, so contacting him was impossible.

"Hmm."

However, the referee, hearing this, furrowed his brow: "Rules are rules, would you ask a monster to wait if you encounter it?"

"I'll say this one last time."

"Li Pu, please come to the stage immediately, or you will be deemed to have forfeited."

Thus, he issued the final ultimatum.

"No way, is Li Pu going to forfeit?"

"What a shame, I wanted to see what he looks like in person, he's rumored to be super handsome."

"Tsk, what a letdown."

"Maybe he ran into some trouble. I heard someone say he seems to be out of school every day."

"You unlucky mouth, hurry and knock on wood."

Everyone chimed in with their opinions, and some speculations suggested unfavorable events, which were quickly rebuffed by Wu Guinan.

"He's coming."

Fortunately, at this moment, a laid-back voice came through the crowd.

"Hmm?"

Due to the arena's elevation, the referee teacher was the first to see Li Pu's figure, causing him to furrow his brow in confusion.

Li Pu was dragging a large, unknown, plant-based monster corpse, limping towards the arena.

(I heard this guy can freely hunt at the southern gate, but...)

(What kind of monster is this?)

The referee also heard about Li Pu's situation, but his impression was that the southern forest didn't have a monster like this.

Its shape resembled a green water radish, but upon closer inspection, it had limbs and a head.

The key was its size, almost one-third the size of the arena.

Moreover, it wasn't clear if the body hadn't been properly cleaned or what, but as Li Pu dragged it, it left a trail of moisture on the ground.

"Wow, what kind of monster is that?"

"With such a big size, it must be powerful?"

"So the rumors are true, he really is hunting monsters!"

"This monster is so huge, I bet selling it at the trading post would fetch a good price."

While retreating to make way for Li Pu, everyone engaged in hushed conversations.

"You finally made it!"

Wu Guinan walked briskly to Li Pu's side, letting out a long breath.

"?, Why are you wearing a strange hat?"

However, Li Pu was distracted by Wu Guinan's bizarre headwear.

"What hat, this is the Rolling Turtle."

Wu Guinan spun the thing atop his head, revealing the Rolling Turtle's head.

It turned out the peculiar hat was the non-battle form of the Rolling Turtle, merely a miniature version of a turtle.

[Roll~]

The Rolling Turtle stretched its neck, greeting in a deep yet gentle tone.

[Grass...]

The large green radish that Li Pu was dragging twitched slightly.

"Ah?! This, this thing is..."

Wu Guinan was suddenly taken aback, words stuttered out.

"Li Pu?"

The referee approached the edge of the arena to inquire.

"Yes, sir."

Li Pu nodded in reply.

Although not very interested in the arena battle, he certainly didn't forget the time.

His tardiness was genuinely due to being delayed.

"You should store the monster carcass outside, not bring it into the hall."

The referee, receiving a response, furrowed his brow once more.

"Sir, this is my summoned beast."

Li Pu's answer surprised the referee.

"What?"

Ma He, hearing this, also showed a startled expression.

(Isn't his summoned beast supposed to be a grass man?)

(Did it turn into this now?)

(I hope it wasn't fed pig feed!)

Under his bewildered gaze, the enormous green radish clambered onto the arena.

Splish-splash...

Due to the arena edge's squeeze, a large puddle of water gushed down.

"Is your summoned beast...ready to fight?"

Even the referee couldn't help but question.

"Um..."

Li Pu was actually considering this issue.

[Grass... Caocao...]

The grass man gave a weak response.

"What did you say?"

Li Pu's face changed upon hearing this.

...

...

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