2026-11-13 03:40:55
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190: The Price of the Hidden Card
The quarter-challenge had begun, and the arena no longer felt like a stage. Every contestant left in the stands sat a little straighter, because one mistake now meant the end of a journey."Our first quarter-challenge battle!" the announcer cried. "A Li of Pai Zhua Sect against Han Yue of Luowu Sect!"A Li stepped onto the platform, his right hand still wrapped in cloth. Han Yue waited across from him in pale blue robes, her short black hair barely stirring in the wind, her pale eyes fixed on him. She carried no weapon."Did you forget something?" A Li asked, glancing at her empty hands."I don't need one.""Begin!"A Li lunged, wrapped hand reaching for her shoulder, but the air shifted around him before he arrived. Frost crept beneath his boots, and the stone fractured into floating shards of ice. He leapt to escape, which was exactly what she wanted. Two of her fingers rose, and the shards shot upward, closing in from every side. He twisted in midair and smashed two aside with his
189: The Fire That Whispers
The arena was still smoking from the last match when the announcer called the next pair."Ken of Seven Peaks Academy against Bai Shen of Pai Zhua Sect!"Ken rose from his seat. Lin Tao twisted around at once."You're up. Don't let that Pai Zhua fellow embarrass us.""Embarrass us?" Zhou Peng snorted. "Ken could win this with his eyes closed.""Then he'd miss the good part, where he gets to hit someone," Lin Tao said.Mei Xue didn't laugh. "Be careful. We haven't seen Bai Shen fight yet, and men who hide their abilities usually have a reason.""I'll be careful," Ken said, and meant it, though his pulse was already quickening.Bai Shen waited on the platform, broad-shouldered, a dark-green alligator tattoo coiling from his neck to his left wrist. He grinned as Ken approached."You're the one who beat Wei Tian, aren't you? Let's see if the stories are true.""Come and find out.""Begin!"Bai Shen's spiritual beast burst into being behind him, a massive alligator with ridged black scales
188: Rewind the Fight, Rule the Flame
The announcement of the new restriction had barely finished echoing when the arena erupted. Some contestants cheered. Others shouted that the officials were changing the rules far too late.Ken ignored the noise. He was more interested in what the rule revealed."Personal combat alongside beast cooperation," Mei Xue repeated. "That changes how half of these contestants will fight.""Especially the ones who hide behind their beasts," Zhou Peng said."I told you," Lin Tao groaned, "my entire strategy is standing very still behind something large.""Then stand behind it more bravely," Ken said."Next battle! Maya of Vermillion Sect against Jiû Wei of Qilin Sect!"A young woman walked onto the platform in crimson robes with green embroidery on the sleeves, her black hair tied back, her face unnervingly calm."Maya?" Lin Tao muttered. "I haven't seen her fight yet.""Nobody has," Mei Xue said.From the opposite entrance came Jiû Wei, tall and golden-eyed, white hair falling past his should
187: Break the Formation, Beat the Beast Ban
Ken stood beside Lin Tao and the others, watching the arena settle after Lila's victory. Around them, contestants from the five sects muttered about upcoming matches, hunting for weaknesses in people they hadn't faced yet."Pai Zhua has another one coming up," Lin Tao said.A broad-shouldered young man climbed onto the platform, iron rings clamped around both wrists."Contestant Suzuki of Pai Zhua Sect!"A slender young man with pale blue eyes and a silver staff across his back followed him up."Contestant Kidas of Luowu Sect!"Suzuki looked him over and grinned. "You're smaller than I expected."Kidas drew his staff without hurry. "And you're louder than I expected."Laughter rippled through the stands. The referee's hand dropped.Kidas struck the ground, and thin silver lines raced across the stone, knitting into a pattern beneath Suzuki's boots. They flashed. Wind blades burst upward from every direction.Suzuki crossed his arms. The iron rings flared outward into a heavy barrier.
186: The Distance Between Champions
The roots finished what the mud had started. Lu's beast thrashed against a dozen dark tendrils, then went still, and the examiner's hand cut the air."Winner, Kuali!"Ken watched Kuali stroll back to his sect's area as if he'd just finished a pleasant walk. 'He never moved. He never even sweated.'"That Devil Bean is a nightmare," Zhou Peng said."Worse the longer it runs," Mei Xue added. "Once the roots cover the floor, you're fighting on its terms.""So you break the main body before it settles in," Ken said. "But that takes speed and power at the same time."Lin Tao spread his arms. "Then someone rushes in and smashes it. Easy.""Easy until the roots catch your ankles.""I wouldn't let them.""That's what Lu said," Zhou Peng muttered. "Probably.""Lu didn't have my legs.""Lu didn't have your mouth either, and look how that helped him."Ken pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. 'Five more minutes of this, and I'll personally feed him to the Devil Bean.' Still, the bickerin
185: Roots Beneath the Roar
BOOOOOONG!The bell rolled across the grounds, and thousands of spectators erupted. Banners from the five sects snapped in the wind above formations that glowed like captured lightning. Ken felt the noise in his ribs. 'So this is the stage. Everything we trained for starts here.'"Welcome to the Seven Peaks Young Beastmaster Competition!" the chief examiner boomed through the amplification formation. "Contestants will fight through elimination battles. Those who show sufficient ability advance. Those who do not, go home."Lin Tao rubbed his hands together, grinning. "Finally! I've been waiting for this since breakfast.""You've been complaining about breakfast since breakfast," Zhou Peng said."That's because the porridge was an insult.""Try not to get eliminated in your first match. It would be embarrassing to lose to a bowl of porridge's worst enemy.""That doesn't even make sense!""Neither does your confidence."Mei Xue ignored them both, her eyes sweeping the arena. "Stop bicker
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