Chapter 95

Chapter 95

A youth stepped up, taking a position on the other side of the massive stone. He casually handed a salt coin to the beastman in charge of the event. The youth was of average height and build, not particularly burly, seeming to stand little chance against the burly man.

The overseer took hold of each competitor's hand. Raising their hands together, he shouted, "Begin!"

Instantly, both transformed into their Beast Forms. The burly man became a giant rhinoceros, while the youth...

Turned out to be an adorable giant blue-furred Puffbird!

A surprised murmur rippled through the crowd. A winged beastman participating in a contest like this? He was at a huge disadvantage! That puffbird's salt coin was as good as gone.

The little arctic fox, however, was instantly captivated by the puffbird's beauty. The bird's plumage shifted in a mesmerizing gradient from head to tail: a deep, ocean blue at the crown, shifting to indigo at the neck, then gray-blue over the shoulders and back, transitioning to azure, and finally a sky-blue hue at the tail feathers. What a dreamlike Beast Form!

With a loud *thud*, the two giant beastmen lunged into action.

The giant rhinoceros pressed its front legs against the stone, its powerful hind legs providing the drive as its stout legs pushed the rock toward the puffbird's side.

The puffbird beat its wings, its claws sinking like iron talons deep into the stone's surface. It held remarkably steady, letting out a low growl and pushing the stone back to its original position. Its body low to the ground, it was clear the puffbird wasn't relying on brute force alone; it had its own technique.

The stone scraped against the ground, forced to shift slightly back and forth by the opposing forces. This match was much more exciting to watch than the earlier ones, and the spectators held their breath, watching intently to see who would win.

However, this stalemate was clearly unacceptable to the giant rhinoceros. With a sudden, powerful shove, it forcefully drove the stone toward the puffbird's side.

This was the moment!

The puffbird suddenly released its pressure. The rhinoceros, caught in its own powerful lunge, stumbled off-balance for a split second due to its massive size and momentum. The puffbird seized this fleeting opportunity! Its claws remained firmly embedded in the stone as it spread its wings to their fullest extent. It gathered all its strength, heaving with its whole body and flapping its wings furiously!

A powerful gust of wind erupted from the puffbird's wings, whipping up gravel from the ground and also... lifting a little arctic fox.

The little fox, watching raptly, realized what was coming too late. The gust from the giant bird's sudden wingbeat swept the little fox right off the black lion cub's back.

This familiar feeling... The little fox was sent tumbling through the air. He even had time in that instant to recall a similar past experience, though the airflow from Brother A Yu's wings back then hadn't been this strong.

"Tuan Tuan!"

"Tuan Zai!"

Everything happened too fast. The little fox felt he was only in the air for a second before a pair of hands caught him steadily.

"Well, well, where did this little cub fall from?"

"Looks like you're mine now." The voice held a teasing tone, but a rough, large hand gently patted the little cub's back in reassurance, calming his fright.

The crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause—the puffbird had won.

"Brilliant!"

"Incredible! I misjudged him earlier!"

Amid the noisy cheers, the little fox shook his head, his claws clutching at the fur clothing of his "savior" as he stood up within the person's arm.

The person before him wore a fur hat that obscured most of his face, but one could vaguely make out smiling eyes and... wrinkles at their corners. For some reason, this person's embrace held a strange sense of security.

"Th-thank you," the little fox stammered, spitting out sand and thanking the beastman.

But then the man lifted the little fox, looking him over left and right with clear satisfaction. "Such a pretty little arctic fox. Why not come with me?"

He could take him back as a playmate for his own cub. Besides, if his own cub could take human form, he'd probably look just like this, right?

"Tuan Zai, are you alright!" Bing Qiu and the little black lion, jostled by the cheering crowd, finally made their way to the little fox's side.

Bing Qiu immediately reached out and took the little fox back. The man, seemingly careful not to hurt the cub, quickly released his hold.

As Bing Qiu arrived, he vaguely caught the tail end of the phrase "come with me." He promptly hugged the little fox tightly to his chest, shielding him from others.

Bing Qiu eyed the person with the obscured face warily and said, "Thank you!" before stomping off angrily.

If it weren't for the fact that this person had caught Xue Tuan, upon hearing him suggest taking his brother away, Bing Qiu considered it quite an achievement that he managed not to rush forward and bite him.

The man chuckled, not bothering to argue with a cub, but watched Bing Qiu's retreating back thoughtfully.

Bing Qiu brought the little fox back to their previous spot just in time to see the rhinoceros beastman leave the arena dejectedly. The overseer continued, "Any more challengers!"

The little fox asked the little black lion beside him, "Zhong Yan, do you want to go?" He had noticed Zhong Yan looking eager from the start; he probably really wanted to give it a try.

"I'll go."

Before the little black lion could reply, someone else had already stepped into the center of the arena—it was the man with the fur hat!

Bing Qiu pursed his lips, secretly hoping this person would lose.

Overseer: "Very well, very well. What forms will you two use for the match?"

"I'll use human form. You choose whatever you like," said the man with the fur hat. His statement immediately sparked hushed discussions among the onlookers, many calling him arrogant. How could human form compare to Beast Form?

The puffbird beastman was named Shao Shao, newly adult. Logically, since his opponent chose human form, he should also use human form for fairness. However, he really wanted that "divine herb" to bring back and try for the cubs in his tribe.

Besides, since the other party didn't mind him using Beast Form, his chances of winning would be greater that way!

After a moment's hesitation, Shao Shao finally said to the overseer, "I... I'll also use human form..."

The man with the fur hat had intended not to use Beast Form to bully a junior; he hadn't expected the other to choose human form as well.

"I don't mean to look down on you. It's just that I'm so much older; I don't want to take advantage."

Shao Shao looked at his opponent—tall, robust, and powerfully built. If not for the grayish-white hair and wrinkles on his face, one might think he was in his prime.

Since the other had made such a concession, and Shao Shao himself preferred Beast Form, he said, "Alright then, I won't stand on ceremony."

With the overseer's command, a new round began!

"Tuan Zai, who do you think will win?" Bing Qiu held the little fox securely, determined to stay vigilant against any sudden wing flaps from that puffbird that might blow his Tuan Zai away again.

In the arena, the man with the fur hat lowered his head, sinking his weight and stabilizing his stance, his arms braced against the massive stone. The muscles in his thighs bulged, his feet planted firmly.

The next moment, the stone emitted a dull thud, shifting a hand's breadth before beginning to move steadily and evenly toward the line on the puffbird's side.

"The puffbird is going to lose..." the little fox said. For those who understood the tactics, the puffbird's strategy from the previous round wasn't unbeatable: either possess overwhelming power to defeat him before he could repeat his tactic, or compete in endurance, waiting motionless until the opponent tired before making a move.

Watching the stone inch closer and closer to his side, the puffbird grew anxious. He lowered his center of gravity even further, his feathers ruffling as his wings once again stirred up a gust of wind.

But it was too late. The stone scraped and grated against the ground all the way until it was pushed past the line on the puffbird's side.

The match was decided.

"Whoa—" The crowd erupted, bursting into thunderous applause.

"A human form beat a beast form! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Now that's something I've never seen!"

"Are they faking it?"

"What's in it for them to fake it for us?"

The crowd erupted into heated discussion. Meanwhile, the beastman with the hat went to retrieve his headwear, which had been blown off by the airflow earlier, and shook Shaoshao's hand when he approached.

Shaoshao was thoroughly convinced. If even his beast form couldn't win, what else was there to say? It was a shame he couldn't get that "sacred herb."

It was truly impressive, a clean and decisive victory. However, the little snow fox felt that if his dads were here, they would definitely achieve the same result!

"Zhong Yan, you go now, don't wait any longer!" The little snow fox had a hunch this would be the final match.

"Alright," the little black lion responded and walked toward the center of the arena.

"Um... excuse me, did I accidentally blow you away earlier?"

The little snow fox turned his head and saw that Shaoshao had come over to stand beside him and Bing Qiu.

Shaoshao stood there looking apologetic. Hearing that he had almost blown a little cub away had really frightened him. Thankfully, the little cub was unharmed.

The little snow fox stared at Shaoshao with sparkling eyes. It was a puffbird! How the little snow fox wished Shaoshao would transform back into his beast form so he could ruffle his fur. That would make him accept the apology completely.

But it wasn't intentional, and since he couldn't see the beast form, the little snow fox was a little disappointed. "It's fine, it's not your fault."

Seeing Shaoshao's good attitude, Bing Qiu didn't say anything either and continued watching the black lion's match in the arena.

Shaoshao didn't leave. He really wanted to hold the little snow fox who had been staring at him. His eyes were so beautiful! And his whole body was snow-white, as if shimmering with light!

Unfortunately, his older brother was holding him so tightly; he probably wouldn't get the chance...

Just as Shaoshao was about to look away, he suddenly noticed the satchel Bing Qiu was carrying. What was it made of? He had never seen anything like it. Squinting, Shaoshao leaned in closer, wanting to touch it. The crowd suddenly gasped, and Shaoshao immediately turned his attention back to the match.

"You're asking me to use my beast form? Didn't you see the previous match?" The beastman with the hat looked incredulously at the black lion before him.

It was already embarrassing enough to compete against a cub. If it weren't for wanting to obtain the "sacred herb," he wouldn't have participated in this kind of event.

Moreover, unless he was mistaken, this cub looked like he was barely on the cusp of adulthood at most. Where did he get the confidence to ask him to use his beast form?

Facing the adult beastman who seemed about to laugh in disbelief, the little black lion remained unmoved and calmly nodded. "Yes."

"You couldn't possibly... think I'm easy to pick on because I'm old, could you?" The beastman with the hat, having traveled extensively for years, had never encountered anything so bizarre: he was being looked down upon by a cub?

The little black lion didn't bother to explain. He hadn't been called a "monster" for nothing since childhood. Aside from Little Dumpling's two dads, in terms of pure strength, no one in their Mountain Water Tribe was stronger than him.

So the little black lion naturally figured that if his opponent didn't use his beast form, he would be taking advantage.

The beastman with the hat gave up on polite persuasion. In an instant, he transformed into a giant gray fox!

The gray fox was massive, its long fur seeming to shimmer with a gray halo under the sunlight. Only a patch of missing fur on its forehead marred the beauty of its coat.

The giant gray fox raised a huge paw, pointing at the cub before him. In a deep, resonant voice, he said, "If you can last two breaths, I'll consider it your win."

Down below, Bing Qiu was suddenly stunned. This gray fox...

Wasn't this his grandfather, whom he hadn't seen for nearly two years?!

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Author's Note: Thank you, treasures, for the nutrient solution [heart]