Chu Chen went to the kitchen to borrow some bandages and wrapped Lei Yao's hands.
Chu Chen reported on the situation with the Gale Dog to Liu Yong, since even a dog's head had some value. Fortunately, his luck was good, and he found a Wind Element Star Core in the Gale Dog's head.
This Wind Element Star Core's value was equivalent to several Gale Dogs. Not only was he not punished, but he also received a reward of five hundred Alliance Coins.
The Star Core contained not only abundant Star Power but also extremely rich Elemental Power.
The Star Core can serve many purposes, such as refining Elixir Pills, engraving Arrays, or acting as Source Energy for weapons.
However, obtaining a Star Core is not easy, as not every Star Beast contains one. The probability of it being bred is about one percent.
But this probability is generally averaged across everyone. A lucky person might get a Star Core by killing a few Star Beasts, while an unlucky one might not find one even after killing hundreds.
Of course, some Star Beasts with relatively strong power in the same rank have a higher probability of breeding a Star Core.
Chu Chen's job was simple; he just needed to slaughter the Star Beasts that needed to be processed and leave the rest to others.
Chu Chen understood this was Father Wang's care for him, and he would remember this kindness, promising to repay it a hundredfold in the future.
After agreeing with Liu Yong to work the next evening, he hurried home.
Lei Yao's hands were injured, making it unsuitable for him to continue cultivation today, so he decided to meditate at home. Since talent was lacking, he would make up for it with hard work.
In a blink, it was the morning of the next day.
Chu Chen arrived at school and found that students in his grade were enthusiastically discussing the Guardian Beasts they had just contracted with.
He didn't pay much attention to this and went straight back to his class, where the discussion was even more intense.
With some helplessness, Chu Chen could only put down his books and join in.
There's some truth to the saying, "If you can't beat them, join them."
Through chatting, Chu Chen learned that about seventy people had awakened a Yellow Rank or higher Cultivation Talent this time. Most were Yellow Rank, eight were Green Rank, none were Cyan Rank, and only one was Blue Rank: Zhang Yuyan, whose talent was overwhelmingly dominant.
As for the contracted Guardian Beasts, there was a wide variety. It was said that families of students who reached the Yellow Rank spared no effort in their cultivation, with some even selling their houses just to allow their child to contract a high-quality Guardian Beast.
Pity the hearts of parents in the world; no parent wants their child to lose at the starting line.
From what he heard, Lei Yao's quality among the senior students was considered slightly above average. However, Lei Yao possessed dual rare attributes, far surpassing its quality, making entry into the Elite Class likely.
"Quiet down, it's time for class," Chen Qian clapped her hands and said loudly.
Following her words, everyone returned to their seats.
After taking a count and seeing all the students were present, Chen Qian began speaking: "Before class, there's an announcement. The slots for the Elite Class have come out, with a total of thirty students."
The class immediately burst into an uproar following Chen Qian's announcement.
There are eight classes in the senior year with about fifty students each, meaning over four hundred students were competing for these thirty slots, with odds less than one in ten. Moreover, past years had forty slots, so reducing it by ten naturally stirred dissatisfaction among the students.
Seeing this, Chen Qian added: "I know the competition is intense this time, but the school will increase the resources for the Elite Class this year. Compared to previous years, the resources will be more than double, and the higher the ranking in the Elite Class, the more cultivation resources you will receive."
The students' exclamations grew even louder.
Chu Chen examined the spinning pen in his hand, thoughts racing through his mind.
The changes to the Elite Class seem tailored for someone, but it doesn't affect him and might actually benefit him.
The relaxed and enjoyable learning atmosphere ended with the setting sun.
After bidding farewell to his classmates, Chu Chen headed straight to Food is Heaven.
The amount of work today was similar to yesterday; over twenty Star Beasts met their end under Lei Yao's iron fists.
However, Chu Chen left a Fourth Rank Slave Level Fire Feather Chicken for Lei Yao to battle.
This Fire Feather Chicken was in good condition, likely having been delivered today.
The battle lasted nearly a quarter of an hour before ending, and Lei Yao let out a frustrated roar at the now-lifeless Fire Feather Chicken.
The Fire Feather Chicken was a Fire Attribute Star Beast, of ordinary Lower Grade, and had pathetically low Six Dimension growth potential. It could be considered classic "Battle Five Trash," posing no threat to Lei Yao, and unworthy even for gaining battle experience.
Yet, it persisted in battle for a whole quarter of an hour.
The reason was simple; this Fire Feather Chicken had a brief flying capability, making it untouchable for Lei Yao until it exhausted itself, allowing Lei Yao to defeat it.
This battle yielded nothing for Lei Yao, but Chu Chen learned a great deal.
Through this battle, he realized Lei Yao lacked long-range attack methods. If it encountered such opponents in the Elite Class assessments, it would only be on the receiving end.
The Thunder Ape species possessed four skills: Lightning Fist, Thunderbolt Fist, Thunder Armor, and Thunder Blade. Lei Yao had already self-mastered the first two, both for melee combat.
Guardian Beast skills also have levels.
Lightning Fist emphasizes speed, whereas Thunderbolt Fist focuses on power.
Thunder Armor is a defense skill, spreading the Thunder Element over its body to form armor, offering not only decent defense but also retaining the paralyzing and burning effects of the Thunder Element.
In some sense, Thunder Armor is a skill that combines defense and control, and it's the hardest to master among the four.
Thunder Blade is the Thunder Ape's only long-range attack skill, with power comparable to Thunderbolt Fist and speed rivaling Lightning Fist. However, its only drawback is its significant Star Power consumption.
There are only two ways to acquire Thunder Armor and Thunder Blade.
The first way is for the Guardian Beast to comprehend them on its own, though this method is uncertain. Higher quality in the Guardian Beast increases the likelihood of mastering skills, but the time required is unpredictable—maybe a day, a week, a month, or even longer.
The second way is to learn at a Daoist School. Every city has many Daoist Schools of various sizes, where one can not only learn Guardian Beast skills but also cultivate, battle, and exchange insights.
Thunder Blade is a skill Lei Yao must master, and relying on luck isn't feasible, so he plans to have Lei Yao learn it at a Daoist School.
However, before that, he needs to deliberate carefully. Time is tight, and he can't afford to waste it, plus he lacks the money for trial and error.
Chu Chen shook his head helplessly, setting aside the idea of finding a Daoist School for now.
He delved his mind into his Slaughter Atlas and noticed the Slaughter Value had reached one hundred and thirty-seven points.
With the Slaughter Value over a hundred, he intended to try adding points to his talent.
Chu Chen concentrated his mind on the "+" behind Heaven Rewards Diligence.
The "+" emitted a golden glow, but it vanished in an instant.
Chu Chen was stunned, rubbing his eyes with disbelief.
"Could I have been mistaken..." he murmured to himself when suddenly the Slaughter Atlas radiated a brilliant golden gleam.
The golden light soared skyward, piercing into his Soul Sea, instantly turning it into a sea of gold.
Chu Chen felt his entire body immersed in this golden sea, waves of tingling sensation flowing through him, nearly inducing a moan of comfort.
This sensation lasted only a few seconds before fading away, as did the glaring golden light.
Chu Chen wasted no time checking his Slaughter Atlas, seeing the F-level behind Heaven Rewards Diligence transformed into E-level, he couldn't suppress his expression of joy.
He immediately sat cross-legged and began cultivating the Wave Meditation Technique.
Moments later, Chu Chen suddenly opened his eyes, filled with delight in his gaze.
With Heaven Rewards Diligence evolving into E-level, his cultivation speed increased by a full 30%, making its effect comparable to a First-Grade Star Power Pill.
Combining the two, he was confident he could break through to the Fifth Rank Soul Pupil within three days.