Chapter 32 : On the Arena
The little white tiger valued her appearance greatly. After being pecked bald by the goose, she didn't want others to know when she went to the Spirit Beast Garden for medicine. For this inevitably difficult competition, she naturally refused to let others witness her predicament.
Therefore, when Yun Qingyue tactfully suggested that they should perhaps conceal their identities before entering the arena, she agreed without hesitation.
Yun Qingyue carried the little white tiger away from the arena. With her powerful Golden Core cultivator's divine sense, after confirming that no one was paying attention to the human and tiger, she turned into a street corner. The moment she turned, her appearance changed—her clear glass-like eyes turned pitch black, her high bridge nose flattened slightly, and all her features were adjusted. Though each change was small, combined they created an entirely new face.
Jiang Mo watched this transformation complete before her eyes. In the blink of an eye, the originally cold and stunning beauty had become indistinguishable from the crowd. She was still attractive, of course—the cultivation world rarely had ugly people—but she could no longer be called breathtaking.
Having changed her appearance, her clothing and attire naturally needed to change as well.
With a wave of her hand, the delicate dark patterns on Yun Qingyue's sleeves and hem disappeared. The blue robe remained blue, but without those many inconspicuous decorations, the entire garment seemed to become cheaper instantly. Finally, she put away her customary Frost-Blue Sword and replaced it with a standard sect sword from her storage ring. Now, no one would likely associate her with the Senior Sister of Mount Mingxia.
In the time it took to turn a corner, Senior Sister seemed to have become a different person, leaving the little white tiger dumbfounded. But it wasn't just Yun Qingyue who needed to change; the one who most needed to hide her identity was the white tiger.
Therefore, before the little white tiger could react, Yun Qingyue's hand swept past her body. Looking down, she saw that her white fur had turned completely black, with the black markings blending seamlessly... With just a wave of her hand, the little white tiger had been dyed all over, thoroughly transformed into a little black tiger.
Jiang Mo could hardly believe it. She moved closer to examine the fur on her body carefully. The coloration was not only uniform from head to tail, but it also gleamed in the sunlight, looking so genuine that it didn't seem dyed at all.
The sleek little black tiger couldn't help but marvel in amazement, then out of curiosity asked the system: "System, do you know how Senior Sister dyed me? So quickly—what method did she use? It's not just an illusion, is it? What if I end up in a miserable state on the arena and encounter someone with higher cultivation than Senior Sister? Would they see through my identity at a glance?"
The offline system had limited knowledge of this cultivation world. After hearing its host's questions, it could only scan her and answer: "I don't know, but it probably isn't an illusion. According to my scan, your fur is genuinely black now."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo felt somewhat reassured and didn't pursue the matter further. Her little black head nuzzled against Yun Qingyue's hand.
Yun Qingyue immediately knew that the little one hadn't changed her mind and still wanted to fight. She sighed, feeling helpless, and could only circle back to the beast combat arena.
The time the human and tiger had been away wasn't long, but the Flame Lion and Cloud-Splitting Leopard on the arena had already determined a winner. The Cloud-Splitting Leopard had won by a narrow margin and received the prize, but it wasn't much stronger than the Flame Lion. After that intense combat, it had depleted most of its spiritual energy. Therefore, the Cloud-Splitting Leopard's master didn't push further; after receiving the reward for this match, he simply left the arena to rest.
Currently on the arena were two entirely new spirit beasts, quite different from the previous feline animals. One was an Earth Bear, a bear-type earth-element spirit beast that not only looked bulky but also had astonishing defense. The opponent of this big clumsy bear was a small butterfly, appearing beautiful and magnificent, yet seemingly so fragile that one slap could kill it.
The little black tiger's paw twitched, probably due to the feline instinct of curiosity—seeing something flying made her want to reach out and catch it. However, this instinct was fleeting, and once she noticed it, she dutifully retracted her paw.
Yet the contrast between these two on the field seemed too stark, and could a butterfly really be on the beast combat arena?
Only Jiang Mo was puzzled, as the watching crowd showed no surprise at all about this scene, enthusiastically discussing only the outcome of the match. The reactions of the two spirit beasts' masters also differed—it was actually the Earth Bear's master who looked solemn.
Perhaps guessing that the little tiger cub lacked experience, the considerate Senior Sister once again provided commentary: "The two spirit beasts on the arena, one is an Earth Bear with thick defense, specializing in earth magic. The other is a Phantom Butterfly, a rare illusion-type spirit beast that excels in creating hallucinations. This one's bloodline seems impure, and its techniques are unknown, but high-level Phantom Butterflies are difficult for even Spirit Division cultivators to guard against."
Illusion-type spirit beasts differed from the common five-element spirit beasts; their attacks were more unpredictable. If caught in an illusion, one might live or die at the opponent's whim. But if not entrapped by the illusion, the inherently fragile illusion-type spirit beasts often couldn't withstand their opponent's attacks.
For instance, with these two before them, if the Earth Bear wasn't deceived by the illusion, it could kill the small butterfly with one paw.
Because of these two extreme possibilities, the crowd below the arena grew even more excited. The match on the arena didn't take long; as soon as the referee gave the signal, the two spirit beasts began employing their techniques.
The Earth Bear's master, aware of the Phantom Butterfly's power, ordered it to charge first, hoping to kill the opponent with one strike before the butterfly could use its abilities. This beast tamer clearly understood his spirit beast well, as the Earth Bear's charging speed completely contradicted its bulky appearance. It ran swiftly and charged fiercely, reaching the Phantom Butterfly's vicinity almost in the blink of an eye.
But it was still too late, because the Phantom Butterfly wove illusions faster than the Earth Bear could charge. Just as the Earth Bear reached it, the small butterfly fluttered its wings, scattering invisible scales. The charging Earth Bear immediately became confused.
How formidable!
Jiang Mo marveled, just about to see how the legendary illusions defeated opponents, when she noticed the Phantom Butterfly's master suddenly move. Before anyone could react, a golden staff abruptly appeared in his hands. He then leaped high, holding the staff with both hands, and heavily struck the unsuspecting Earth Bear on the head.
With a loud "clang," everyone in the audience couldn't help but wince, feeling as if their own heads hurt in sympathy.
The Earth Bear on the arena indeed couldn't withstand the blow. Trapped in an illusion, it hadn't raised any defenses, and even with its naturally tough body, that staff strike nearly scattered its brains.
Visibly, a large lump swelled on its head.
Then the Earth Bear swayed and collapsed with a "thud," raising a cloud of dust.
Only now did the Earth Bear's master recover from the earlier shock. He stared in disbelief at his opponent holding the golden staff, then at his poor unconscious spirit beast, and finally became furious: "You cheated! We were clearly competing in beast taming and beast combat. Using your Phantom Butterfly was one thing, but how dare you personally attack my spirit beast?!"
The Phantom Butterfly's master beckoned, and the beautiful butterfly obediently landed on top of his staff. He nonchalantly refuted: "What beast taming and beast combat? Aren't competitions ultimately between people? Since this is a contest between you and me, why can't I intervene?" After speaking, he stretched out his hand to tease the butterfly, casting a casual glance at his opponent: "You could have done the same. If you had helped your Earth Bear defeat my Phantom Butterfly first, it wouldn't have been in trouble, would it?"
Was this sophistry? It didn't seem so, at least the statement "competitions are ultimately between people" hit the core of the matter. The Earth Bear's master found himself unable to refute for a moment and could only turn red-faced to seek the referee's judgment.
The beast arena's referee had apparently never encountered such a situation and scratched his head for a while before deciding to declare the Phantom Butterfly the winner—after all, in cultivators' competitions, the outcome was what mattered. Although the Phantom Butterfly's master's intervention was unexpected, however this human and beast pair coordinated, they had defeated their opponent. His actions couldn't be called cheating, so naturally, they were the winners.
In the referee's words: "Although we're competing in beast combat, what's most important is the victory of the person, not the beast. If a beast tamer is strong enough to roll up his sleeves and defeat the opponent himself, no one can object if he brings his spirit beast to the arena just for a stroll."
This reasoning was sound, and so the outcome of this match was decided.
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The little black tiger and Yun Qingyue watched seven or eight consecutive matches from below the arena without finding an opportunity to participate. The reason was simple: these seven or eight beast battles were almost all between Foundation Establishment level combatants, without encountering a single Qi Refinement level spirit beast. Naturally, Jiang Mo didn't want to go up just to be humiliated.
This suited Yun Qingyue just fine.
In such competitions, Yun Qingyue had certainly participated in her early years, though in sword combat, where she had undoubtedly defeated her opponents and even clinched the top position. Back then, she was spirited and fearless. But now, to take the little tiger cub onto the beast combat arena, she truly lacked any confidence. Would she have to learn from the Phantom Butterfly's master and personally defeat the opponent?
But if so, she would be the one taking action, and what would be the point of the little white tiger competing?
Yun Qingyue believed that the battle-loving little white tiger certainly wouldn't want her to intervene. That being the case, she needed to find a weaker opponent to prevent the frail little tiger cub from meeting defeat and getting hurt, for which she would be responsible.
Jiang Mo didn't know Yun Qingyue's thoughts; otherwise, she would definitely have clung to her leg, begging her to take action—she wasn't battle-loving at all, truly. If not for the system's meddling, she would certainly have behaved herself and not caused trouble.
Wouldn't it have been nicer to just stand below the arena, munching on snacks and watching the show?
Unfortunately, the earlier spiritual connection wasn't evident at this moment, and Yun Qingyue didn't understand the little black tiger's internal struggle. So the human and tiger could only continue waiting until the ninth match, when they finally saw a Qi Refinement level spirit beast enter the arena.
But before Jiang Mo could get excited, she heard Yun Qingyue say: "That's a spirit beast at the peak of Qi Refinement, just one step away from Foundation Establishment."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo instantly deflated, because the peak of Qi Refinement meant level 20. Although she had also pill-popped her way to level 20, her combat power had hardly received any boost—it was just the basic power that came with her level. Compared to these spirit beasts that fought constantly, she probably couldn't win. Thinking of this, she once again opened her character panel—
[Host: Jiang Mo
Race: White Tiger
Profession: Divine Beast
Level: 20
Combat Power: 2621495
Experience: 2520089/2621440
Points: 104
Potential: ∞
Skills: Blood Inheritance (Not Activated)]
After being pecked bald by the Red-Crowned Goose, Jiang Mo had reflected deeply on her experience and had been even more diligent in consuming pills these past few days, now just one step away from Foundation Establishment. Originally, she had planned to casually take a few pills today, advance to Foundation Establishment, and surprise Senior Sister, but now she didn't dare act rashly—what if she accidentally advanced to Foundation Establishment now? Wouldn't the system's temporary task require her to defeat at least a Foundation Establishment level spirit beast?
Defeating a Foundation Establishment level spirit beast compared to a Qi Refinement level one was more than ten times harder, yet the experience and points would be reduced to one-tenth. Only a fool would do such a thing!
Jiang Mo withdrew her paw that had been itching to take pills, and glanced at the arena again, discovering that the opponent of the peak Qi Refinement level spirit beast was actually a Foundation Establishment level beast. Cross-level challenges offered doubled rewards, but crossing levels was exceedingly difficult.
Indeed, although the battle on the arena was spectacular, the peak Qi Refinement level beast still lost in the end.
Jiang Mo looked at the Foundation Establishment level beast reclaiming the arena, sighed, and leaned listlessly against Senior Sister's arm.
Yun Qingyue noticed the little black tiger's low spirits and could guess she was growing impatient with waiting, so she consoled her: "It's alright, let's wait a bit longer. In competitions like this, the rewards for Qi Refinement level are minimal, so most are reluctant to participate."
Wasn't that the truth? The only Qi Refinement level participant faced a Foundation Establishment opponent, clearly aiming for the doubled reward.
Just waiting for an opponent, Jiang Mo felt her patience nearly exhausted. At that moment, a young man suddenly leaped onto the arena with a Wind Speed Wolf at his feet. The wolf looked majestic but its aura was much weaker than Foundation Establishment level.
After ascending the arena, the young man bowed to those below: "This humble one is a newcomer who only wishes to gain experience by competing with opponents of the same level. I hope the seniors won't fault me. After one match, regardless of victory or defeat, I will leave the arena."
He was a wandering cultivator, and the Qi Refinement level Wind Speed Wolf wasn't a precious spirit beast. He might have just wanted to see the difference between wandering cultivators and sect disciples. Having stated his intentions clearly upon entering the arena and adopting a sufficiently humble attitude, cultivators of higher levels naturally wouldn't come forward to challenge him.
Yun Qingyue, looking at the Wind Speed Wolf on the arena that was only at Qi Refinement fifth layer, hesitated but still didn't go up—perhaps this was the weakest opponent available, but with the young man having spoken thus, she felt somewhat embarrassed to step up.
Regardless, she was already at the Golden Core realm, and the little tiger cub, weak as she was, was nearly at Foundation Establishment. Going up to "bully" someone wasn't appropriate.
But Jiang Mo couldn't care less about all this. She had already had the system scan, and this Wind Speed Wolf was actually the weakest spirit beast around the entire beast arena. If she missed this opportunity, there might not be another.
Besides, what was wrong with Qi Refinement fifth layer? If there weren't any Qi Refinement first layer participants, she would have gladly bullied those at Qi Refinement first layer!
Thinking this, the little black tiger excitedly patted Yun Qingyue's hand, indicating she could go up now.
Yun Qingyue's gaze wavered, partly because she didn't want to use her level advantage to "bully" a wandering cultivator, and partly because she feared the little weakling tiger was too weak. If she couldn't even defeat this Wind Speed Wolf once on the arena, it would be too embarrassing.
However, with Yun Qingyue and the little black tiger not stepping up, surprisingly, no one else did either.
The young man on the arena waited but no one came forward, so he could only bow again: "This humble one dares to request a match with a cultivator of the same level."
Still, no one went up, as everyone felt going up would be bullying him, so this previously bustling beast arena suddenly went quiet. Finally, seeing that Yun Qingyue really wasn't moving, Jiang Mo struggled out of her arms and actively leaped onto the arena—she was probably the first spirit beast to leave her "master" and voluntarily enter the arena.
The young man opposite was startled by this, and Yun Qingyue below the arena could no longer remain indifferent. While inwardly thankful she had disguised herself early so no one could recognize her as the Senior Sister of Mount Mingxia, she reluctantly followed onto the arena.
Seeing the little black tiger's master appear, the young man put aside his surprise and peered at the little black tiger's cultivation level.
Yun Qingyue hurriedly spoke first: "My spirit beast is barely a month old. Though her cultivation is high, she's not skilled in actual combat. Her impulsive ascent to the arena is merely due to her curiosity, not intentionally targeting you or for any other reason. Please forgive the intrusion."
Understood—just a cub with high cultivation level but little practical use. It was like a newborn lion unable to defeat a zebra. Although zebras had always been on lions' menu, a cub was still a cub. It wouldn't receive automatic submission from a zebra just because it was a lion—of course, in the cultivation world, there was one exception: bloodline suppression.
For instance, divine beasts like the Jianbing, even as newborn cubs, could suppress beast types with higher cultivation realms. Unless there was a difference as vast as between Nascent Soul and Fusion or Grand Achievement, beast types generally had little resistance against her.
But Jiang Mo, who had soul-transmigrated into this body, was clearly a fake—not only was she unexpectedly weak, but she also lacked bloodline suppression—if Divine Lord Zhiming hadn't personally verified her, even the Sect Leader of Xuanqing Sect might not have recognized her as Jianbing, and might have thought she was just some random tiger with albinism, growing white fur that resembled Jianbing.
In any case, after hearing Yun Qingyue's explanation, the young man accepted it well.
Although the little black tiger before him had higher cultivation than the Wind Speed Wolf, she was just a cub, neither aspect matching his expected opponent. But besides this little black tiger who had voluntarily ascended the arena, there were no other opponents, were there?
Thus, neither side objected, each taking position at a corner of the arena, ready to begin the fight.
With the referee's signal, the Wind Speed Wolf charged toward Jiang Mo. Its speed was indeed swift, worthy of the name "Wind Speed," nearly reaching Jiang Mo in the blink of an eye. Jiang Mo could even see the sharp wolf teeth in its open mouth.
The little black tiger's fur instantly bristled. Perhaps fortunately, feline animals were agile enough, and her first reaction to danger wasn't to freeze but to flee. So at that critical moment, the little black tiger nimbly dodged, narrowly avoiding the Wolf's bite. Then, as if by instinct, the little black tiger extended her paw, with sharp claws aimed at the wolf's belly.
For wolves, with copper heads, iron bones, and tofu waists, the waist and belly had always been their weaknesses, and this Wind Speed Wolf was no exception. However, precisely because the waist and belly were vulnerable, they often guarded them closely.
Just as the little black tiger's paw approached the wolf's belly, the Wind Speed Wolf twisted its body and turned its head, not only avoiding the tiger's paw but also spitting a wind blade at her from its open mouth. If Jiang Mo hadn't retracted her paw quickly, she would have been bleeding on the spot. Even so, the tip of her claw was shaved off by the wind blade, like getting a free nail trim.
It didn't hurt, of course, but Jiang Mo was somewhat stunned—for beasts, the most important weapons were claws and teeth, so unlike human nails, beasts' claws and teeth were generally very hard. But now, she had effortlessly had her nail clipped by a Wind Speed Wolf of lower level. She really wanted to ask the system, had she overdosed on pills and developed osteoporosis?!
The little black tiger felt entirely out of sorts, but with the battle ongoing, there was no time for wild speculation. Having witnessed the Wind Speed Wolf's prowess, when it pounced on her again, the little black tiger instinctively tucked her tail, feeling fearful.
Yun Qingyue, watching from the side, frowned deeply, and sure enough, the little black tiger was soon injured.
The Wind Speed Wolf excelled in speed. At the same Qi Refinement level, facing it head-on might be manageable, but once fear set in and evasion became the strategy, it was hard to outpace it. Moreover, wolves were naturally cruel and cunning; it would test your limits bit by bit, leaving you covered in wounds before you completely lost, until the final killing blow.
By now, the little black tiger had injuries on her back, legs, and even tail, and she was panicking—after all, she had originally been just a girl with no physical strength, and fighting beasts was truly her first time. If she could have boldly won, that would have been fine, but once at a disadvantage, her mindset easily collapsed, even with the system cheering her on.
Am I going to be killed by a wolf?!
Jiang Mo was internally panicked and despairing, beginning to regret why she had taken on this task, while simultaneously hoping Yun Qingyue would quickly call "surrender"—she couldn't defeat this wolf, truly, and the wounds on her body were so painful, much more painful than being pecked by the goose.
The little black tiger's eyes were teary, and she didn't dare to look back at Yun Qingyue, fearing that in the moment she turned her head, the Wind Speed Wolf would bite her neck.
But Yun Qingyue didn't call "surrender," she just stood there watching, hard and cold as if indifferent to Jiang Mo's life or death. In contrast, the young man opposite, seeing this scene, became hesitant, fearing his Wind Speed Wolf might actually kill someone else's spirit beast, and he couldn't afford compensation—look at this little black tiger, just a month old and nearly at Foundation Establishment. Though currently weak, her potential was certainly far higher than his Wind Speed Wolf.
Just as the young man hesitantly opened his mouth to call a stop, the Wind Speed Wolf attacking the little black tiger suddenly paused. Originally, the little black tiger had been beaten miserably and was nearly crying, but this didn't mean she was willing to be beaten like this.
Seeing the Wind Speed Wolf suddenly stop, the little black tiger instantly felt rage rising and courage growing, pouncing like a hungry tiger.
For any animal, the throat was a vital area. The little black tiger bared her tiger teeth and bit down on the Wind Speed Wolf's throat. By the time the Wind Speed Wolf recovered after that pause and struggled to counterattack, the little black tiger had clenched her jaws and refused to let go.
The smell of blood filled her mouth—wolf blood mixed with her own from injuries.
But Jiang Mo had grown fierce at this moment, golden tiger eyes showing killing intent for the first time, as if it was to the death.
Yet this was ultimately just a competition. Seeing both spirit beasts seriously injured, with blood spattered across the entire arena, especially with his Wind Speed Wolf's neck nearly bitten through, the young man hurriedly conceded.
By this time, Jiang Mo's vision was darkening, and she could no longer hear the young man's voice. The system, not expecting things to escalate to this point, circled around her anxiously, crying: "Host, Host, quick, let go, you've won..."
But it was useless; the little black tiger still bit firmly on the Wind Speed Wolf's throat, refusing to release.
Until Yun Qingyue stepped forward, embraced her, and placed her hand by her mouth: "That's enough, you've won, please let go."
Those hands, warm and soft, seemed to instantly pull Jiang Mo out of that desperate and fierce state. She dazedly released her grip, blinked her eyes, and finally saw the scene before her clearly.
Golden tiger eyes welled up with tears, and coupled with the wounds all over her body, the entire tiger looked pitifully miserable. But before Jiang Mo could nuzzle against Yun Qingyue for comfort, her vision darkened, and she fainted.
Yun Qingyue picked up the little black tiger, nodded to the young man, and glanced at the referee. The referee returned her glance, as if the two had a tacit understanding, but neither said anything. Yun Qingyue simply carried the little black tiger and left.