Level six Roar...
A flicker of surprise crossed Ling Fei's eyes, but more than that, she felt a deep sense of relief and pride.
The last time she'd seen Gun Gun, his Roar skill was still at level five. For a beast at the Foundation Establishment stage to reach that level was already astonishing.
And now, after just a short time apart, it had advanced another level?
Sure, Yun Jin's attentive care must have played a part. But Gun Gun himself must have poured in countless hours of effort. No matter how skilled a beastmaster was, a beast couldn't grow stronger from nothing. This was the result of constant training, little by little.
Gun Gun, that strong-willed child, was finally shining in his own right.
Level six Roar was terrifyingly overbearing.
The sound burst forth in tangible vortexes. The Misty Butterfly, which had been gliding and weaving through the air, was immediately swept into the vortex, caught mid-movement and exposed in midair. A moment later, it plummeted to the ground.
Han Xiaoyu's face changed slightly.
He stared at Gun Gun in disbelief.
This, this Iron-Eating Beast, wasn't it supposed to be a useless creature with no talent whatsoever?
Back when it was under his command, it had tried hard—yes—but that effort had yielded nothing. It was better off not trying at all!
And now, this very same failure had used a basic Roar skill to ground his Misty Butterfly?
Gun Gun let out another roar, as if releasing all the frustration it had buried over time. It rose to its full height, eyes wide, throat rumbling with rage.
Almost like it was asking:
"I've become this strong now. So back then... was the problem really me?"
Han Xiaoyu's expression soured, but there was no time to dwell on the past. Though the Misty Butterfly was dazed from the roar, it recovered quickly and flew back to Han Xiaoyu's side.
"Misty Butterfly, this time, we strike together," Han Xiaoyu gritted his teeth. "Go. Use Paralysis Powder."
No matter how powerful that Iron-Eating Beast was, it was still in the Foundation Establishment stage. There was no way he and the Misty Butterfly couldn't defeat it.
If they actually lost...
Just thinking about the mocking gazes he'd face from the others made Han Xiaoyu's body tremble.
No.
He could not lose.
If he lost to Yun Jin, fine. That was expected.
But to lose to one of Yun Jin's beasts?
Absolutely not!
The Misty Butterfly reentered the fray, this time shielding itself with its wings, forming an oval around its body to defend against Roar. Even if Gun Gun used that skill again, it would be able to keep its balance within the vortex.
But Gun Gun didn't move this time. He simply stood there as the Misty Butterfly flew directly toward him. Everything went smoothly. The Paralysis Powder was launched, streaking straight toward Gun Gun's face.
Just as the powder was about to strike, Han Xiaoyu seized the opening and sprang into action. His longsword gleamed coldly. Almost at the same instant, he thrust it at Gun Gun's head.
In Gun Gun's previously innocent eyes, there was now a faint glimmer of mockery.
Han Xiaoyu hesitated.
The blade was nearly upon him, yet this Iron-Eating Beast made no move to dodge?
Was it insane?
Though his thoughts wavered for a moment, Han Xiaoyu still committed fully, driving the sword home.
"What's wrong with that Iron-Eating Beast? Did it get scared stiff?"
"It's seriously going to take two full-power attacks from Golden Core cultivators head-on?"
"Crazy!"
Some spectators couldn't even bear to watch and shut their eyes tight.
Yun Jin looked up at Gun Gun on the platform, a smile curling at her lips.
"This little guy still had a flair for the dramatic.:
"So this is the fighting tactic you two came up with?" Yun Jin turned to Huan Huan, a hint of amusement in her voice.
Huan Huan beamed with pride. "Big Brother said so himself! You gotta suppress before you show off, or it won't have shock value! We even rehearsed last night! Just wait, Master, we've got more surprises in store!"
Yun Jin hadn't interfered with their plans yesterday. Now, her curiosity was piqued.
There was more?
Just as Han Xiaoyu's sword was about to strike Gun Gun—
In the next instant—
A suit of armor materialized around Gun Gun's body. Starting from his head, the armor spread out swiftly, encasing him completely in a metallic shell.
Han Xiaoyu's full-powered sword struck the armor, letting out a crisp clang.
The force rebounded, sending Han Xiaoyu flying backward until he crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
The helmet opened, revealing Gun Gun's smug little face.
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow.
So far, nothing too strange.
With the armor's support, Gun Gun's defense was already nearly unbeatable.
This didn't count as a surprise, did it?
Then suddenly—
Gun Gun raised a single finger in the air with exaggerated arrogance. The armor on his body turned fiery red, with flame-like patterns glowing faintly on the surface.
"Master, look! Isn't it cool, isn't it cool!" Huan Huan cheered excitedly.
Yun Jin: "…"
A… flaming panda?
But it wasn't over.
Gun Gun raised a second finger. The armor's color shifted again, this time becoming ocean-blue with rolling waves etched into it.
Yun Jin: "…"
An ice-blue panda?
And then, right before Yun Jin's stunned eyes, Gun Gun raised a third finger. His armor transformed once more, changing both color and pattern.
Right there on the platform, in front of a full audience, Gun Gun was doing a full-on transformation show. He even started busting out some weird dance moves, shaking his butt while changing outfits, each move more exaggerated than the last.
"Little Junior Sister... he really is your beast," Yue Zhao murmured in disbelief.
Si Wanning nodded furiously.
There was no way this Iron-Eating Beast didn't belong to Yun Jin.
They were a perfect match—two attention hogs cut from the same cloth.
Yun Jin was completely dazed.
Even when the system started awarding Emotional Value points, she couldn't process it fast enough.
No way. There's no way she ever acted like this when being flashy... right?
Watching Gun Gun shake his butt like that on the platform, Yun Jin covered her eyes.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Seeing Yun Jin's expression, Yue Zhao and the others burst into laughter.
Now she probably understood a little of what they felt back then!
On the stage, Gun Gun was still having the time of his life. He suddenly snapped his fingers in Huan Huan's direction.
Huan Huan whipped out a sound-recording stone from who-knows-where and started playing it.
The beat-heavy music filled the air, and Yun Jin almost collapsed.
"This... was way too much. Wasn't this the same track Senior Brother had played before? When had Gun Gun recorded it?"
With the music on, Gun Gun's dancing grew even wilder.
His armor lit up like a disco ball, cycling through red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—an entire light show on its own.
At first, the audience just stared in confusion.
But somehow...
Watching the way that Iron-Eating Beast twisted and grooved, their hips began to sway too, completely involuntarily...
If Gun Gun could speak, Yun Jin had no doubt he'd break out into a rap right on the spot.
"Master, surprised? Bet you didn't expect that!" Huan Huan said smugly. Look at their creativity—top-notch!
Yun Jin: "…"
She wanted to run.
But there was no escape...