The discussion about the action plan concluded.
Lin Chuan, Li Zeyu, and Chen Yulu then went their separate ways.
This time,
having already learned the detailed information about the Terror Puppet, Lin Chuan no longer cautiously hid his tracks as before, but instead actively engaged the enemy.
Lin Chuan would even deliberately make loud noises to attract and gather the wandering Terror Puppets around him.
Knowing that the opponent had the Demon Attribute made things easier.
Higher-tier attributes do not have the balanced counter-relationships of the basic five-element attributes.
Whether higher-tier attributes counter each other usually depends on the difference in their energy levels, or perhaps 'resistance' is a more appropriate term to describe it.
For example, the Demon Attribute, being a pure mental attribute, and the Illusion Attribute, a pure spiritual attribute, are in a mutually resistant relationship.
When the Demon Attribute's energy is stronger, it's almost impossible to be affected by illusions; a powerful mind can resist all falsehoods.
And when the Illusion Attribute's energy is stronger, it's like someone wearing sunglasses to look at the sun; it can almost completely block the mental pollution brought by the Demon Attribute.
The main consciousness of the Terror Puppet was still sealed and had not awakened; the Demon Attribute energy possessed by its sub-consciousnesses, both in terms of energy level and quantity, was very low and weak, even weaker than the Illusion Attribute energy that Guoguo Sakura currently controlled.
Therefore, Lin Chuan found it exceptionally easy to deal with them.
By simply having Guoguo Sakura cover him with Healing Aroma, Lin Chuan could completely ignore the innate mental fear caused by the Demon Attribute.
At this point, when Lin Chuan looked at the Terror Puppet, he only felt that it was ugly-cute, and its strange, crawling movements on all fours were quite amusing.
It was no longer as terrifying as it had been.
As for its combat power...
With the influence of mental fear removed, and unable to cast skills, only capable of stiff, brute-force movements, Lin Chuan stated that he could solo a Terror Puppet with his personal close-combat weapon, a baseball bat. Dismantle its limbs, smash its head, and then add two stomps, and a Terror Puppet was taken care of.
Not to mention he still had Guoguo. A small mini Bomb Fruit could instantly kill a Terror Puppet. If he encountered a group, he would directly launch a cluster Bomb Fruit for carpet bombing.
Well, since it had come to this, Lin Chuan didn't plan to hide his trump cards anymore.
Even if other candidates saw that he possessed burst damage skills now, at this point in time, other candidates wouldn't have the time or opportunity to figure out how to specifically counter him.
Lin Chuan, working with Guoguo and Guoguo Sakura, continued to clear out the Terror Puppets.
At the same time, Lin Chuan was also pondering Chen Yulu's words from earlier.
What was the intention behind the questions in this Secret Realm Trial, this examination paper?
What kind of answers did the examiners hope to see?
Or rather, what kind of talents did the Star Rock Federation want to select through this trial?
The answer was actually not complicated.
As long as one could grasp this point, it would be easy to understand.
Just treat this Secret Realm Trial as a real disaster crisis.
When facing a real disaster crisis,
what kind of Beast Masters did the Star Rock Federation hope to see, and what kind of actions did they hope Beast Masters would take?
The answer was obvious.
The Star Rock Federation hoped to see Beast Masters who could cooperate and assist each other to overcome difficulties in times of crisis, not those who, despite having strength, would only look out for themselves, shirk responsibility, or even cause trouble. Want to compete? Compete all you want after the crisis is over!
"So, I've already told you the situation."
"The three of you are quite strong. Are you not planning to cooperate with me and Li Zeyu to fight the boss that comes next?"
Lin Chuan looked at the two male and one female candidates in front of him, speaking in a calm tone.
Twenty minutes ago.
Lin Chuan encountered these three and engaged in a wild battle with them, primarily initiated by the three of them.
Lin Chuan didn't recognize one of the males, but he did recognize the other male and female.
First was Wang Zhixian, who was eliminated by him in the first round of the Xiao Qingkong Cup, and whose spirit beast, Little Flame Fox, was traumatized by Guoguo Sakura.
The other female was Tao Mengmeng, whom he had been wary of before, whose spirit beast was the Wilderness Poison Spider that countered his Milk Shield Poison System. For this, Lin Chuan had specifically had Guoguo learn Sweet Fruit.
Lin Chuan was puzzled!
He had already built himself up as an extremely annoying, troublesome, and hard-to-deal-with opponent, with a super low cost-performance ratio for trying to take him on.
Why were people still targeting him? Shouldn't they be targeting Li Zeyu instead?
Moreover, he was now openly using Bomb Fruit without hiding it. These three had no reason to be blind and not see it, right? If they couldn't see it, they could at least hear the explosions, right?
Targeting him, trying to take him on, clearly carried a higher risk. The cost-performance ratio of risk versus reward was even lower.
Was this a grudge against him, or what?
Lin Chuan thought to himself, he had been minding his own business and hadn't provoked any enemies.
After battling Lin Chuan for nearly twenty minutes, cornering him in a dead end of the town, and feeling confident of victory, the three finally had the inclination to talk to Lin Chuan.
Wang Zhixian stepped forward and said:
"Lin Chuan, we are very grateful that you told us this information, letting us know that we will face at least a Tier 3 Demon Attribute demon beast."
"But this doesn't change our minds, or rather, it strengthens our resolve."
"Instead of fighting a Tier 3 Demon Attribute boss that is basically impossible to defeat, it's better to defeat and eliminate you here."
"We've thoroughly studied you. Our combination of three is precisely designed to counter you."
"Originally, we didn't plan to target you so early; we intended to deal with you at the very end of the Secret Realm assessment. After all, you're a tough nut to crack, and taking you on prematurely isn't worth it."
"But! We heard that you, Lin Chuan, have been acting as a doctor in this Secret Realm assessment, treating other candidates' spirit beasts? And collecting score beads as payment?"
"Then you must have accumulated a lot of score beads, right? Let me guess, how many? Three thousand, four thousand, or have you already exceeded ten thousand?"
Alright, hearing this, Lin Chuan understood why he was being targeted.
So, it was a case of 'a man's wealth is his own ruin'.
It turned out that through his continuous paid treatments, he had unknowingly become a big fat sheep.
His 'hard nut to crack' persona had become more cost-effective to take on by force.
Among the three, the other male spoke:
"As long as we defeat and eliminate you, Lin Chuan, and take your score beads, it will certainly be enough for the three of us to share and obtain high scores far beyond our own normal level."
"As for the Tier 3 Demon Attribute demon beast you mentioned, Lin Chuan, it's simply impossible for us to resist. Instead of confronting it head-on, it's better to hide. This town isn't that big, but it's not small either. We can just play hide-and-seek with it later."
"Even a Tier 3 Demon Attribute demon beast can't catch everyone. Maybe we'll be lucky and just make it through the remaining time?"
"If that happens, we'll have a bright future!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuan fell silent, then scoffed.
A bright future? When you chose this path, a dark future was already destined.
Lin Chuan gazed at Wang Zhixian, then at Tao Mengmeng, and finally, he looked at the candidate he didn't recognize.
One couldn't say that the choice of the three in front of him was wrong.
This was also one of the solutions to this Secret Realm Trial.
If they followed their method,
and truly defeated him, Lin Chuan, took all the score beads from him, and then found a place to hide, avoiding the Tier 3 Demon Attribute demon beast that would awaken later,
it was indeed possible for them to survive for 48 hours, pass the trial, and thus obtain high scores exceeding their normal levels.
But!
This was clearly not the answer the examiners, who designed this examination paper and constructed this Secret Realm Trial space, hoped to see.
"You're so sure you've got me?"
Facing the encirclement, Lin Chuan remained calm and composed, lightly retorting with a question.
Wang Zhixian's eyelid twitched. Lin Chuan's composure made him uneasy.
However, Wang Zhixian quickly calmed down, dismissing Lin Chuan's composure as a bluff.
"It's nighttime now, so your two Flower Leaf Leaves' Photosynthesis is basically ineffective, and your recovery ability is reduced by at least 50%."
"Tao Mengmeng's Wilderness Poison Spider can effectively limit your recovery, and my Little Flame Fox also has enough burst damage to break through your shield wall."
"And this one, student Wang Li, his spirit beast has purification skills, which might counter your Poison Powder."
"Your trump card, the Bomb Fruit, certainly gave us a scare, but the three of us have a total of seven spirit beasts. Even if you have a burst skill like Bomb Fruit, you won't be able to handle them all."
"How do you expect to win against us?"
Wang Zhixian said. What he described was precisely their combined combat strategy.
In just twenty minutes, they had forced Lin Chuan into a dead end of the town and surrounded him.
At this moment, Tao Mengmeng, the cold, aloof young woman who had been silent until now, as if everyone owed her millions, spoke up:
"Lin Chuan, we are not insatiably greedy people, nor do we wish to make an enemy of a genius like you."
"If you voluntarily hand over the score beads on you, not even all of them, just 1000 points for each of us three will suffice. I believe as a battlefield doctor, you certainly have them."
"In that case, we will retreat."
At this point, Tao Mengmeng paused slightly, then continued:
"Lin Chuan, don't blame us. The Secret Realm Trial is just like this."
"Those who reveal their trump cards early and are powerful will be targeted by everyone. I hope you can understand that we are targeting you only for our own future. I came from a small mountain village, and I hope to become a Professional Beast Master to improve my rural background and bring more Beast Master resources to it."
Lin Chuan remained silent upon hearing this.
He knew that Tao Mengmeng was not lying; Tan Yan had already investigated Tao Mengmeng's information and provided it to him, so he knew that Tao Mengmeng was the hope of her entire village.
But!
Who wasn't striving for their own future, their own dreams?
Just as Tao Mengmeng said, the rules of the Secret Realm Trial were like this.
Lin Chuan smiled.
"Do you really think you've got me cornered? You think you've forced me into a dead end, making it impossible for me to escape, but have you ever considered that this might have been intentional on my part? You've forced me into a dead end, but that also means you've forced yourselves into one. You've surrounded me, but couldn't it also be that I've surrounded you? I don't have much ability to pursue, I was even afraid you'd run away!"
That's why, hiding your trump cards is really, really important!
If he had revealed his trump cards earlier, there would probably be more than just these three people surrounding him now, and they would certainly have formulated even more meticulous and targeted tactics.
But now, unfortunately, he had hidden his trump card, and this trump card was enough to derail their targeting plan.
"Hmm, I can understand that the Secret Realm Trial has such rules."
"But, when you target others, please also be prepared mentally for failure and being counterattacked and eliminated."
"Student Tao Mengmeng, I return your words to you."
"I hope you don't blame me either. You have your dreams, you want a better future, and you target me, I understand."
"However, I also have my ideals. Everyone is competing and striving for their own future."
"To be frank with you."
"This path of mine, you cannot walk! So please, find another path to achieve your dreams."
Lin Chuan said indifferently.
Then, his lips moved slightly, and Lin Chuan uttered two indifferent words.
"Clear the field."
The reason Lin Chuan allowed these three to force him into this dead end was also because he hoped that other candidates wouldn't see what was about to happen.
Guoguo instantly jumped up, and Guoguo Sakura also moved to the side.
Like building blocks stacked one on top of another, Guoguo stood on Guoguo Sakura's head, pressing down the flowers on Guoguo Sakura's head.
At the same time, Guoguo Sakura raised her two small chubby hands.
Assistance!
Pale green Wood Attribute energy surged wildly, flowing from Guoguo Sakura's body into Guoguo's body.
Guoguo concentrated all its spirit and energy, yelling 'Yi ya ya' loudly.
Between its chubby hands, a jade green, peach-shaped energy orb suddenly appeared.
Under Guoguo's condensation, it grew larger and larger.
Finally, Guoguo could only hold it above its head. The jade green peach, as large as a basketball, emitted a terrifying, suffocating brilliance.
At this moment, the three people and their total of seven spirit beasts surrounding Lin Chuan were all dumbfounded.
Gulp, Wang Zhixian swallowed hard.
"Uh, student Lin Chuan, I was just kidding with you."
"We're willing to team up with you to fight the boss."
Lin Chuan said nothing, taking a step back.
At the same time, the vine armor on his body rapidly spread. Under Guoguo Sakura's will control, it transformed from a half-body armor, convenient for movement, into a full-body armor with maximum defense and impact resistance.
Then, Lin Chuan made a 'shooting' gesture forward.
Guoguo immediately pushed the enhanced Bomb Fruit forward.
The basketball-sized jade green peach energy orb thus landed among the three people and seven spirit beasts.
Boom!
The earth shook, and dust and stones flew everywhere.
A surging energy burst swept away everything around.
The jade green light illuminated the night, and fortunately, this was a dead end of the town, so not many people saw it.
Half a minute later, everything returned to calm.
Lin Chuan looked at the large pit in front of him, at least three meters in radius, with nothing left inside.
Presumably, before the enhanced Bomb Fruit explosion caused damage, these three had already been teleported out of the Secret Realm.
This meant that their Secret Realm assessment ended here; they were eliminated.
They chose a not-so-correct answer, at least an answer the examiners did not want to see.
Not cooperating to fight the disaster, but rather hiding and surviving.
Fortunately, this was just a trial, merely an exam. The Beastmaster Association wouldn't pursue it, but they also wouldn't give hidden points or good reviews.
If this were a real crisis or disaster, and they still acted this way,
knowing the dangerous situation, not helping but causing trouble, then just see if the Beastmaster Association would settle accounts with them later.
Well, that was that.
The key was! They actually treated him as a fat sheep and chose to target him.
With this, could they still have a bright future?
Dream on!