Near Arena No. 2, several students gathered together, quietly pointing at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Fu Erdai not far away.

"Did you see that? Just now, his summoned beast instantly killed the opponent."

"If I remember correctly, he was the second place in the race two weeks ago, right?"

"Yes, this guy is called Fu Erdai, and he truly is a rich second generation."

"I've heard of him too. Rumor has it that he, like Li Pu, has already been authorized to enter and exit the South Gate alone. A few days ago, he single-handedly completed a kill on an E-level LV5 magical beast!"

"That's impressive!"

"Also, I accidentally overheard the judge teacher's murmurs, saying his summoned beast has already reached LV6."

"No wonder the judge teacher paused the arena and went to report!"

"My gosh, LV6?!"

"How was this cultivated?"

"We're doomed, others are richer and work harder than us."

Though their voices were soft, they still drifted over faintly.

Listening quietly, Ma He had only one reaction, which was frustration.

Why is it that when it comes to Fu Erdai, people only talk about second place in the race and skip the matter of ties?

If it weren't for the fact that their relationship was really good, he might have just walked away right then.

"How was it?"

Fu Erdai, with a small red grasshopper perched on his shoulder, suddenly asked without context.

But Ma He knew what the other was asking; he was inquiring about the strength of Li Pu who just defeated him.

At this moment, he looked at his friend, whose sitting posture and expression seemed utterly exhausted.

Especially those dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days and nights.

In reality, Ma He knew that the other really hadn't rested for several days.

Had he not become a summoner and gained a slight boost in physical condition, an ordinary person probably couldn't withstand it.

He could tell that Fu Erdai had a bit of an obsession with Li Pu.

The specific reason was unknown.

He only knew that after the race, whether on the second or third day, this guy suddenly became more diligent and proactive than before.

After gaining permission to leave school, he almost spent all his time in the southern forest.

Engaging in numerous battles with magical beasts to promote the growth of his summoned beast.

"Hard to say."

Recalling the battle earlier, he shook his head with a slightly grim expression.

Originally, Ma He wasn't too concerned about Li Pu's scarecrow; he was even a bit expectant upon seeing the battle roster.

If he could eliminate Fu Erdai's target, it would be something to boast about.

But unexpectedly...

Afterward, Ma He meticulously recounted the battle between the hippo and the scarecrow.

"If I had to personally speculate, I feel that scarecrow must have some skill to enhance itself."

"Otherwise, there's really no explaining why mere fists could topple the hippo."

Finally, Ma He voiced his conclusion.

Fu Erdai fell into thought after hearing it.

"Do you think there's such a possibility?"

After pondering for a while, he slowly raised his head: "Perhaps it's... level dominance?"

"Hmm? Level dominance?"

Ma He was first taken aback, then suddenly raised his tone and repeated: "Level dominance?!"

Truth be told, after being reminded this way, he felt it indeed could be the case!

If it truly was level dominance, it would explain why the hippo couldn't knock the opponent over, and the opponent's straw punches could easily crack the hippo's shell.

"But if it's level dominance... how many levels does that scarecrow have?"

Yet upon careful thought, Ma He felt it wasn't quite right.

Yesterday his hippo had PKed Fu Erdai's fire cricket, one LV3 against one LV6.

The fire cricket's level was twice that of the hippo, but there wasn't any dominance situation.

Even with both sides going all out, the hippo managed to hold out for a few minutes against the fire cricket.

"It's possible his scarecrow's level is higher than my fire cricket."

When Fu Erdai said this, his face was somewhat heavy, meanwhile his heart secretly praised Li Pu.

He now understood why the three department heads suddenly increased the rewards for the first and second places.

It seemed the announcement timing was shortly after their battle ended.

"I don't think so, right?"

Yet Ma He was somewhat unwilling to believe.

To know the details of Fu Erdai's fire cricket, he had somewhat understood them.

Not only did he supply top-notch materials daily, but he also had someone from outside the school bring in a few skills.

One of these was indeed a cultivation-type skill.

It allows fire-type summoned beasts to slightly speed up nutrient digestion into battle power through combat, a genuine D+ grade skill.

You see, his cultivation materials were already superior to other students', and coupled with the passive skill for cultivation acceleration, plus relentless combat, it finally brought the fire cricket up to LV6 in a short time.

With such prerequisites, it's hard for him to believe the scarecrow's level could be higher than the fire cricket.

"It's okay, even if that scarecrow's level is higher, it doesn't pose a problem."

"The fire cricket's attribute field should definitely dominate, and its attack method also restrains plant types.

"So your fire cricket is completely a natural counter to his scarecrow."

Seeing his friend's serious expression, Ma He reassured him to relax.

"You do have a point."

Hearing this, Fu Erdai's demeanor finally relaxed a bit.

"Moreover, I don't believe his scarecrow could level up any higher; my fire cricket is just inches away from reaching LV7."

"When that time comes, victory will surely be ours, right fire cricket?"

[Cricket! You cricket!]

The small red grasshopper on his shoulder used a peculiar chirp to respond.

"I'm going to nap for a bit; shout me awake when it's my turn."

"Thank you."

After saying that, he closed his eyes for a nap.

...

The subsequent matches for Li Pu went smoothly.

The opponents he encountered later were not as strong as Ma He.

The scarecrow elegantly dealt with them using a series of exquisite kicks and stomps.

And although Wu Guinan faced a tough battle, he managed to advance by a narrow margin.

After half a day, there were less than 100 contestants left.

Upon reaching this stage, the convention center also received updates in renovation.

Several life department teachers' earth and stone summoned beasts merged all the arenas together, forming a single arena about the size of a football field.

The arena even simulated a natural environment, creating diverse terrains including mountains and water.

And the first match on the new arena happened to feature Fu Erdai.

"Look, it's that guy with the blonde hair and blue eyes!"

Upon seeing Fu Erdai, Wu Guinan immediately alerted Li Pu.

"So it's him, just right for observation."

Li Pu had been at Arena No. 19 before; this was his first chance to watch Fu Erdai's fight.

...

...

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