19: Chapter 19 I told you long ago, he's different.

The training room during the lunch break was livelier than usual.

This spacious area could serve as both a training ground and a proper battle arena at any time.

The bureau actually encouraged appropriate sparring between staff, believing it helped maintain combat skills, identify weaknesses, and improve coordination.

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Unfortunately, grassroots work was busy and trivial, so few staff members were willing to spend time sweating in the training room, let alone engage in a duel that required more energy and focus.

But today was different.

When Lin Chen and Li Heng walked into the training room one after another, the news spread through the small Beast Control Bureau building like it had wings.

In this world, beast battles were always eye-catching, especially a rookie duel where both sides were Apprentice Beastmasters.

Consequently, the heavy soundproof door of the training room was frequently pushed open and closed.

Staff members walked in in groups of two or three, carrying unfinished lunch boxes; some leaned against equipment by the wall, some sat cross-legged directly on the mats at the edge of the arena, and others stood in a corner with a good view, holding thermos cups.

At one side of the arena.

Li Heng looked at Lin Chen directly ahead, curled his lips into a smile, and raised his hand to give a crisp snap of his fingers.

“Brother Chen, watch closely! This is my partner.”

Communicating with his mind to the beast space, a white summoning light quickly emerged in front of him.

As the light dissipated, a beast that wasn't particularly huge but had a sturdy build and was full of power appeared in the arena.

This beast was nearly two meters tall, its body covered in pieces of sharp-edged, dark gray, thick carapace.

The joints of the carapace showed a rough texture, giving off a matte finish under the bright lights of the training room, providing a sense of extreme durability.

Its limbs were short and powerful, with broad claws firmly gripping the ground.

Its head was triangular with a pointed snout, and a pair of yellow eyes were set in sockets like stone helmets, their gaze steady.

Its tail wasn't long, but the end was enlarged into a round rock mass covered in fine protrusions, looking like a natural stone hammer.

Lin Chen's gaze quickly swept over this beast, and the relevant knowledge in his mind was immediately recalled.

Species Name: Stone Armor Lizard

Attribute: Rock

Species Level: High-level Transcendent.

“Rock-type, High-level Transcendent.” Lin Chen's eyes flickered slightly as he thought to himself.

The Stone Armor Lizard's attribute had a clear advantage over the Flame Claw Beast, and its species level was also higher. Achieving victory at the same rank would definitely not be easy.

But he had to complete this mission.

As these thoughts flashed by, Lin Chen shifted his focus and summoned the Flame Claw Beast.

“Gagu~”

The Flame Claw Beast made a proud entrance, the fur on its neck bristling slightly. Its dark green eyes stared intently at the Stone Armor Lizard opposite it, and a low growl issued from its throat.

Immediately after, it turned to look at Lin Chen, extended its claws, and made a throat-slitting gesture: “Gagu?”

Lin Chen shook his head.

The Flame Claw Beast nodded understandingly; this meant the Beast Tamer wanted it to spare the opponent's life.

The light from the ceiling lamps of the training room spilled down evenly, illuminating the temporary battle area as bright as day, and also lighting up the focused and determined faces of the two Apprentice Beastmasters at either end of the field.

Zhang Zhi was mixed in the crowd, and the low-voiced discussions of his colleagues reached his ears:

“Director Li is certainly generous. This is a High-level Transcendent Stone Armor Lizard; I remember the market price is at least 150,000 yuan.”

“More than that.”

“Rock against fire, high-level against mid-level; the Flame Claw Beast is in danger.”

“As long as the level of the two Beast Tamers isn't too far apart, the Stone Armor Lizard is bound to win.”

Listening to these discussions, Zhang Zhi's gaze swept back and forth between the Stone Armor Lizard and the Flame Claw Beast, quickly weighing the situation in his mind.

He admitted that Lin Chen's psychological quality and command awareness far exceeded that of an average newcomer, but as far as the beast itself was concerned, the Flame Claw Beast was at too much of a disadvantage.

The Stone Armor Lizard's defense was right there; whether the Flame Claw Beast's fire could effectively break through its defense was a big question.

And once the Stone Armor Lizard got close, with the Flame Claw Beast's build, it would be hard to face that terrifying impact and that hammer-like tail head-on.

“What do you think, Little Zhang?”

Old Liu, who was slowly drinking tea nearby, suddenly spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Zhang Zhi's ears. “Can the newcomer you're rooting for win?”

Zhang Zhi pursed his lips, his expression somewhat hesitant. In the end, he shook his head and said in a low voice:

“Hard to say.”

“Ah Chen's character and command are indeed impeccable, but the Stone Armor Lizard's advantages are too obvious. As long as Li Heng doesn't make a low-level mistake and plays it steady, it'll be too difficult for the Flame Claw Beast to win.”

“Is that so?”

Old Liu gave a non-committal smile, blew on the tea leaves at the rim of his cup, and intentionally teased, “But he's different.”

Zhang Zhi's mouth twitched.

He knew Old Liu was taking the opportunity to tease him for praising Lin Chen yesterday.

On the field, the battle had already begun.

Li Heng took the initiative, his command clear: “Stone Armor Lizard, use Rough Skin!”

“Roar~”

Accompanied by a low roar, the stone carapace on the Stone Armor Lizard's body took on a deeper luster. The surface texture seemed to come alive at this moment, squirming slightly and becoming denser and harder.

Its defense was further enhanced under the effect of the skill.

“Flame Claw Beast, Flame Breath Bullet!”

At the same moment, Lin Chen's thought emerged, letting the Flame Claw Beast test the waters first.

“Gagu!”

The Flame Claw Beast's chest puffed out, and a solid orange-red fireball shot out rapidly, cutting through the air and blasting straight toward the front of the Stone Armor Lizard with a scorching air wave!

Facing the incoming fireball, the Stone Armor Lizard did not dodge. It even lowered its head slightly, pointing its hardest back carapace toward the direction of the attack.

Bang!

The fireball smashed solidly into the center of the Stone Armor Lizard's back carapace. The fire exploded, and heat waves spread in all directions.

But when the dust cleared, the Stone Armor Lizard's body only shook slightly. A palm-sized charred mark was left where it was hit, and the carapace was slightly hot.

But forget about being broken; there wasn't even a visible crack.

“As expected, it's no use...”

“That defense is too tough!”

“The power of the Flame Claw Beast's flames looks decent, but it can't break through.”

A wave of disappointed sighs and expected whispers echoed from the sidelines.

“Rock Slide!”

Li Heng seized the opportunity to follow up, waving his finger.

The Stone Armor Lizard's thick tail, accompanied by the sound of heavy wind, slammed violently into the ground beside it!

Boom!

The specially made floor of the training room shook slightly, and the ground in front of it suddenly cracked. Several rocks with sharp edges and varying sizes were controlled by an invisible force, bursting out from the ground and hurtling toward the Flame Claw Beast!

The coverage was quite wide, blocking the Flame Claw Beast's space to dodge left or right.

Facing the incoming flying stones, Lin Chen's gaze remained unchanged: “Sharp Claws, shatter them!”

A fierce light flashed in the Flame Claw Beast's eyes. Instead of retreating, it charged forward half a step and swung its claws in a cross!

The tips of its claws were instantly covered by a solid, pale white light, drawing several sharp cold glints!

Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!

The incoming rocks were like fragile tofu in front of the incomparably sharp claw glints, easily sliced and smashed, turning into countless stone fragments that pitter-pattered down.

The Flame Claw Beast's figure emerged from the flying stone chips, unscathed, its momentum even stronger: “Gagu!”

“Nice!”

Someone on the sidelines couldn't help but low-voice their praise.

But at the very moment the Flame Claw Beast shattered the last rock, a sharp light flashed in Li Heng's eyes as he seized this fleeting opportunity: “Now, charge!”

“Roar!”

The Stone Armor Lizard let out a dull roar like a rolling boulder, and its thick, powerful limbs slammed against the ground.

Its body, far larger than the Flame Claw Beast's, erupted with a starting speed that didn't match its size. Like a heavy tank at full throttle, it crashed forward toward the Flame Claw Beast!

At this moment, the rock carapace all over its body lit up slightly, boosting the impact force to the limit.

If this hit landed, the Flame Claw Beast's defense would definitely suffer heavy damage.

“It's over!”

“This offensive is quite smooth. Director Li must have helped train it a lot at home, right?”

Seeing the Stone Armor Lizard charging toward it, Lin Chen's expression remained unchanged as a thought surfaced: “Small Explosion.”

It was time to test the performance of this Mid-level skill in actual combat.

“Gagu~”

The Flame Claw Beast took a deep breath, its chest puffing up high at a visible rate. In the depths of its throat, an extremely condensed fire light rapidly gathered and compressed, emitting a terrifyingly high temperature that made one's scalp tingle, scorching the air around its mouth until it was distorted.

“Still want to use Flame Breath Bullet?”

Seeing this, Li Heng shook his head: “Brother Chen, Flame Breath Bullet is useless against the Stone Armor Lizard...”

But the next moment, his voice came to an abrupt halt.

“GAGU!!!”

As the Flame Claw Beast opened its mouth, an orange flame erupted violently!

It was no longer the previous fireball, but an orange pillar of fire carrying scorching high temperatures.

The moment the fire pillar left its mouth, it even let out an extremely sharp scream. The recoil caused the Flame Claw Beast's upper body to lean back involuntarily.

At such a close distance and such a high speed, the Stone Armor Lizard had no time to make any effective evasion or defensive moves!

At this moment, it only saw orange light sweeping toward it, followed by an indescribable impact force slamming solidly into its chest and abdomen!

BOOM!!!

An explosion several times more violent than the [Flame Breath Bullet] suddenly echoed through the training room. Orange flames and shockwaves mixed together, completely swallowing the Stone Armor Lizard within.

“Stone Armor Lizard!!” Li Heng's exclamation was drowned out by the explosion.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Stone Armor Lizard was actually blown off the ground and sent flying backward!

Its proud, thick rock carapace suddenly showed dense cracks like a spider's web, and the smell of scorched earth and shattered rock instantly filled the air.

The Stone Armor Lizard drew an arc in the air and crashed heavily onto the ground seven or eight meters away, rolling a few more times before stopping.

It struggled to stand up, but the carapace on its chest and abdomen was shattered. The intense pain and the impact of the explosion made it dizzy and its limbs weak. After trying several times, it could only stand shakily in place.

Although it could still stand, it was only one step away from collapsing completely.

For a moment, the perimeter of the arena fell silent.

What was going on?

The smile on Li Heng's face had long since frozen. He first looked at the Stone Armor Lizard, which had almost lost its ability to fight, then at the Flame Claw Beast opposite it, and said in a dry voice:

“Brother Chen, isn't the power of your Flame Breath Bullet a bit unreasonable?”

Lin Chen smiled and said, “No, it's not Flame Breath Bullet; it's a Mid-level skill this little fellow learned yesterday.”

He looked at the Flame Claw Beast, whose head was lifting higher and higher, and coughed lightly, his tone a bit unnatural:

“This guy seems to be a genius. It learned this skill without me even realizing it. I call it Small Explosion.”

For a moment, everyone stared straight at the Flame Claw Beast.

As everyone knew, Mid-level skills were standard for beasts at the Elite Level. It was extremely difficult for Awakening level and Transcendent beasts to learn them.

Moreover, this was a Tier 1 beast that had just been contracted.

Being able to self-learn a never-before-heard Mid-level skill in such a short time could only mean one thing—this Flame Claw Beast was indeed a genius.

In the crowd,

Zhang Zhi opened his mouth but didn't speak for a long time. He turned his head to look at Old Liu, who was equally full of amazement.

Old Liu happened to look back, and the two of them met eyes.

The next moment, Old Liu gently blew on his tea and pretended to be calm, saying, “Hmph, making a fuss over nothing. You young people just haven't seen a truly talented beast.”

After a pause, he added another sentence: “I told you he was different.”

Zhang Zhi's eyes widened.

Hey, hey, hey, I'm clearly the one who said that first!