Chapter 166 - What the Hell Do You Even Do?

One hour later.

The three of them arrived at "The Best Beast Taming Dojo in the City" by taxi, just in time to see Shen Wushuang leading the Special Training Class inside.

"Teacher Shen!"

Chen Shu called out at the top of his lungs.

Shen Wushuang, who'd been walking at the front, froze mid-step. His expression solidified.

A beat passed. He turned around slowly, a strained smile plastered across his face.

"Oh, Chen Shu! How come you're back so soon?"

Ever since Chen Shu had left, he'd come to realize that the Special Training Class was actually... easy to manage.

No troublemakers. No incidents. Every single student cultivating quietly and obediently.

Now THAT was the good life!

"My training's done, so naturally I came back."

Chen Shu flashed a wide grin and strolled right into the dojo.

"Excuse me, sir! You're on the blacklist. You'll need to pay the Risk Fee!"

The staff member at the entrance jolted and rushed forward to intercept him.

The investigation into the fire from two months ago had been wrapped up — turned out someone had been using inferior charcoal for a BBQ!

Now that the culprit had returned, the staff member desperately wished he'd just leave. The Risk Fee... honestly, they'd waive it if they could!

"Swipe away!"

Chen Shu whipped out a card with a flourish, then made his way to the front of the Special Training Class.

He clasped his hands behind his back and surveyed each of them.

More than a few averted their eyes. Despite two months apart, his aura of oppression hadn't faded one bit.

"Not bad! Not bad! You've all improved!"

Chen Shu wore a look of immense satisfaction.

Tang Lie and his crew, however, held their chins high with defiant expressions — they actually dared to meet Chen Shu's gaze head-on.

Meanwhile, Shen Wushuang was busy taking deep breaths, desperately consoling himself to accept the cruel reality of Chen Shu's return.

"Looks like someone doesn't respect their Class Monitor anymore!"

Chen Shu gave a calm nod. "Anyone who wants to challenge me — step forward!"

Thud-thud-thud!

In an instant, all nineteen members of the Special Training Class moved their feet in unison — every single one of them... stepped backward.

Leaving only Tang Lie's group standing in place...

Tang Lie and his three companions glanced around, and dark lines immediately formed across their foreheads.

The hell?! Were they THAT scared of him?!

"As expected of Young Master Tang!"

Chen Shu's gaze swept over, a warm and friendly smile on his face.

The moment they saw that familiar smile, Wang Yun and Hong Ming stepped backward almost on instinct.

Tang Lie's brow furrowed. "You two?!"

Dammit, they'd been running with him for years and didn't have an ounce of backbone?!

"Young Master Tang, we'll support you from BACK HERE!"

Wang Yun and Hong Ming genuinely couldn't help it — Chen Shu had left a deep, deep shadow on their psyche.

Now only Tang Lie and Du Long remained where they stood.

"Useless!"

Du Long barked a rebuke, then turned to Chen Shu. "Chen Shu, you really think I'm still afraid of you?!"

Thanks to his outstanding talent, he'd successfully broken through to Level 8 Beast Tamer!

Tang Lie let out a cold snort as well. "Today's the day you pay your debts!"

Just as the three of them faced off, Shen Wushuang recovered.

"Enough! What kind of spectacle are you making at the front entrance? Keep this up and I'm burying ALL of you!"

Shen Wushuang fixed his gaze on Chen Shu. "You broke through and came straight here to show off, didn't you?"

"Broke through?"

Tang Lie and Du Long's eyes went wide. Then their expressions shifted dramatically as the realization hit.

"You made Level 9 Beast Tamer?!"

In that instant, every pair of eyes in the class locked onto Chen Shu.

It was only December. In all of Nanjiang City, there probably wasn't a single senior who'd reached Level 9 Beast Tamer yet.

Chen Shu had pulled ahead. Again.

"Teacher Shen, it's not my fault — some people don't respect me! I've gotta defend my position as Class Monitor!"

Chen Shu flashed his teeth in a grin, then turned to face Tang Lie and Du Long.

"The weather's gotten a bit cold lately, don't you think?"

Du Long rubbed his arms and glanced at Tang Lie.

"Yeah, it's almost New Year's. Gotta bundle up. I'm wearing my down jacket tomorrow."

Despite the stiffness in their expressions, the two of them committed to the bit and delivered their lines all the way through, casually retreating back into the ranks of the Special Training Class as they spoke.

"..."

Chen Shu gave an approving nod. Their acting technique was bad, but their attitude was at least passable.

Knowing when to be afraid — that was the right call!

Both of them were Level 8 Beast Tamers. He didn't have much interest in bullying the weak anyway.

"Back to the training rooms!"

Shen Wushuang spoke up. There were still a few days until January — no time to waste on cultivation.

The group filed back one by one.

Just as Chen Shu was about to head in, Shen Wushuang stopped him.

"Chen Shu, let me check your backpack first."

Chen Shu's expression stiffened. "Teacher, that's really not necessary, is it?"

"VERY necessary!"

The entire Special Training Class turned around in unison and spoke as one.

If nobody checked, there was no way anyone could cultivate in peace.

Last time it was just a fire. What would it be this time?

A massive explosion? A toxic gas leak?

Chen Shu reluctantly handed over his bag.

"What the hell IS all this?!"

Shen Wushuang unzipped the bag and froze on the spot. The first thing that greeted his eyes was ten urea bags...

Then he pulled out a power drill. A blow dryer. A bag of seasoning. A counterweight. A bottle of unidentified green liquid...

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EVEN DO?!"

Shen Wushuang was completely stunned. Without having actually gone through Chen Shu's bag, there was simply no way anyone could've imagined it contained stuff this outrageous.

Chen Shu spread his palms, the picture of innocence. "A student!"

"You think someone who carries THIS stuff around is a STUDENT?!"

The rest of the Special Training Class stood frozen, a wave of relief washing over them. Thank god Shen Wushuang had insisted on the inspection.

Even Xu Xingxing and Xie Sunan hadn't known Chen Shu was packing stuff this absurd...

"I'm confiscating the bag. It stays in a storage locker outside. You are NOT bringing this in!"

Shen Wushuang didn't even want to dig any deeper — there were probably even more ridiculous things at the bottom.

"Come on, Teacher!"

Chen Shu's mouth twitched. "All of this stuff is perfectly legal!"

"Legal under WHAT law? Bandit law?!"

"..."

Shen Wushuang deposited the bag into a storage locker outside the facility.

Chen Shu let out a sigh. Without his backpack, his combat power dropped at least fifty percent!

The Special Training Class students arrived at the training rooms and quickly entered their cultivation states.

Chen Shu, with nothing to do, wandered around by himself. Didn't cultivate, didn't train — just... strolled.

Tang Lie and the others couldn't shake the feeling of dread, worried he'd seize the opportunity to get payback.

"Everyone, keep up the good work!"

Chen Shu walked to the front, cleared his throat, and began:

"I know I'm a Level 9 Beast Tamer now, but I, Chen Shu, can say with full responsibility — every last drop of Beast Taming Power was earned through my own hard work!"

"Even though I've reached Level 9, I will always remember..."

Chen Shu had gone full self-hype mode, giving an entire speech all by himself up at the front.

The best part? Every single sentence circled back to one singular theme: his Beast Tamer level!

As if terrified that someone, somewhere, might not yet know he was Level 9...

Everyone looked like they were deep in cultivation, but their faces kept twitching — clearly, they were barely holding it together!

Today was another day Chen Shu didn't qualify as human...