"Xiao Ruan, eat this."
Xiao Ruan ate the Mini Fruit, and its size gradually decreased before finally returning to its original form.
"One was enough, the effect is quite good."
Of course, Xiao Ruan's size issue couldn't be entirely solved by Mini Fruits, as that would be too extravagant.
Li Cunxu only used it to temporarily address the size problem. He had already found a permanent solution to prevent Xiao Ruan from growing too large.
He planned to open an online toy store selling Winged Slimes, which had a good appearance. Naturally, to understand toy pricing, while browsing online toy stores, Li Cunxu came across a Slime Terrarium, a children's toy.
The Slime Terrarium was similar to an ant farm, with a size that could accommodate about eight footballs. Inside, there were artificial mountains and grass, along with several Mini Slimes the size of ping-pong balls hopping around and playing.
Li Cunxu noticed that the Mini Slimes in the Slime Terrarium had the Shrink skill.
By taming a Mini Slime and making it a member of the Soul Kingdom, then vigorously breeding the Mini Slime clan, by the end of the month, he could collect the Skill Experience Tax. This way, Xiao Ruan wouldn't need a Skill Seed to learn Shrink, and its skill proficiency wouldn't be low either.
Li Cunxu hugged Xiao Ruan, finding it a bit strenuous. Even though its size had decreased, its weight hadn't followed suit.
"It seems I still need to learn the 'Lightness' skill."
Lightness, a Black Iron-level skill, reduces body weight.
It is generally used by Pet Beasts that can fly in the sky, making their bodies lighter, reducing stamina consumption, and increasing speed.
The clear stream meandered quietly, like a jade ribbon, shimmering with a silvery glow under the sunlight.
The gentle water caressed the pebbles, producing a murmuring sound, which echoed clearly and peacefully across the open Ranch.
Li Cunxu, barefoot, raised a finger, and a Water Orb swirled above his fingertip. With a flick of his finger, the Water Orb struck the stream, causing a brief interruption in its flow.
Li Anle asked curiously, "How did you throw the Water Orb? I want to learn that too."
"This is the power of the Beast Taming Contract. A Beast Tamer can solidify one skill from their contracted Pet Beast and share its use."
"I remember you said that Beast Tamers can only cultivate spiritual power, not Spirit Energy. Without Spirit Energy, how can you release a Pet Beast's skill?" Li Anle tilted her head, puzzled.
"So I'm using the Pet Beast's Spirit Energy, which is Xiao Ruan's Spirit Energy."
"Oh, I see! Can you only solidify one? Can you solidify more?"
"You can't solidify more. Each contracted Pet Beast can only have one skill solidified."
"Then why did you choose to solidify Water Orb? It doesn't seem that powerful."
"When solidifying a skill, you don't necessarily choose the most powerful one, but the most practical one."
"Watch this."
Li Cunxu threw a stone straight up into the air. Just as it was about to hit him, a Water Orb deflected it.
"This is the Water Orb Shield."
He spread his fingers, condensing five Water Orbs. The orbs knocked the stone away, and the remaining four kept hitting the stone in mid-air.
"This is the Water Orb Barrage."
A Water Orb enveloped the stone, making it fly around in the air.
"This is Water Orb Manipulation. At a high level, you can use Water Orbs to control flying swords or even ride on them."
"There are no useless skills, only useless people. When a skill is mastered to its peak, even a Water Orb can slay a god."
Li Cunxu stood with his hands behind his back, five Water Orbs swirling around him.
The application of the Water Orbs actually came from a guide titled "108 Practical Tips for Water Orbs," developed by a player in his previous life.
The preliminary rounds of the Strongest Newcomer Cup in Pupil City had begun.
The competition was held in a spacious arena with multiple battlefields separated by iron fences, resembling a tennis training court where spectators could only watch through the fences.
As soon as a spiky-haired boy entered the arena, he boldly declared to Li Cunxu, "Bro, you're out of luck facing me."
"But you're also lucky, because you'll be the first to fall on my path to becoming the king. You'll be proud of it for the rest of your life."
The boy was brimming with inexplicable confidence.
Li Cunxu opened his mouth, unsure how to respond to such a confident young man.
The referee said expressionlessly, "Contestants, please take your positions."
Once Lin Fei walked to the opposite side, the referee announced, "This match will follow the standard one-on-one Beast Tamer rules. Beast Tamers can join the battle alongside their Pet Beasts. The match ends when a Beast Tamer is eliminated."
"Please summon your respective Pet Beasts."
Lin Fei shouted excitedly, "Mumu Wolf, come out!"
Li Cunxu narrowed his eyes. Mumu Wolf, a Pet Beast meticulously bred and cultivated by the Lin family, possessed excellent self-healing abilities, stamina, and speed.
Mumu Wolf was a standard for the Lin family, but not everyone could obtain one—only the most outstanding members of the family were granted this privilege.
"Xiao Ruan, come out!"
A Water Slime appeared on the battlefield, drawing the attention of the spectators outside the iron fence.
"Why is a Slime even on the battlefield?"
"Beast Tamers are getting weaker these days, generation after generation. This one has even resorted to contracting a Slime."
"Seriously, what was this kid thinking? Contracting a Slime is such a waste of a Contract Slot."
Li Anle retorted, "Xiao Ruan is not a waste!"
The spectators didn't bother arguing with her—what was the point of debating with a five or six-year-old child?
Lin Fei looked disappointed. "Bro, what are you doing? Contracting a Slime? I don't even feel like fighting you now."
"The first opponent I, the great Lin the King, defeat in my competitive career is a Slime? This will tarnish my reputation if word gets out."
Li Cunxu smiled without saying a word. What was the point of explaining? If he said his Slime was incredibly powerful, the other side wouldn't believe him anyway. It was better to let the facts speak for themselves.
Fortunately, Xiao Ruan could only understand his words and not what others were saying, or it might have been hurt and disheartened.
There was a bond between a Beast Tamer and their contracted Pet Beast. Even without learning beast language, a Beast Tamer could understand their Pet Beast's intentions, and the Pet Beast could understand the Tamer's words. However, others couldn't understand them.
The referee was also surprised to see the Water Slime appear, even forgetting to announce the start of the match.
He had seen many bizarre battles, but this one took the cake—a Slime on the battlefield?
Li Cunxu softly reminded him, "Referee, referee."
"Oh, right. Begin the match."
The referee snapped out of it and pressed the device on his arm. An invisible white light enveloped the battlefield.
The white light shield can block severe or fatal injuries, serving as a protective measure by the alliance for both competitors and their Pet Beasts to prevent fatalitie
s.
The white light originates from the power of the Old President's Pet Beast, the Undying Light Dragon, whose strength can be projected across various human territories.