Chapter 129: Competition

Chapter 129: The Match

Before dawn, they quickly revised their plan.

Hua Guan would take the first slot, going up to bluff by challenging to a life-or-death match.

Cui Peng and Shang Yunduo, upon encountering evenly matched opponents, would pretend to want to challenge, but after someone else jumps in first, they act annoyed as if they were a step too slow.

The real goal—delay.

Drag it out until both sides had finished, and those who truly couldn't win had also gone up, then see if they could snatch a leftover slot.

A perfect plan... right?

It just really tested their acting skills.

Cui Peng scratched his head and muttered, "Might as well just fight."

Fight what?

Shang Yunduo didn't want to fight at all. Looking at the twenty-odd teams that had come, good grief, half were at the late Nourishing Spirit stage, and fewer than ten had cultivation levels close to his!

What was he even competing for?

If winning meant he'd directly get a Spirit Rhino, then it might be worth a try. But all he wanted were a few scales, and he wasn't even sure he'd get them—why risk his life?

He wasn't a real tiger anyway.

Even if he were, he wasn't stupid.

Shang Yunduo mustered all his acting prowess, ready to put on a good show.

Delay—he was definitely going to delay. Ideally, he wouldn't even get a chance to go up even after the top ten were selected.

As he was mentally preparing how to act, he suddenly sensed a very concealed Spiritual Sense sweep over him. Before he could trace it, a voice transmission came: "Shang Yunduo."

Senior!

Instinctively, he looked for where Pei Jie was, then realized that was wrong. Instead, he played along, turning his head as if he were sizing up all the demon cultivators competing.

No sign.

Hmm?

He looked back again, and heard Pei Jie's low chuckle in his mind: "I'm on the mountain behind you. Don't turn around. Relax, pretend to look around casually. Diagonally ahead to your left, the eighth team..."

The eighth team?

Black Abyss Clan?

Pei Jie's voice continued: "Have you had contact with them? They seem to be paying close attention to you and the Giant Tiger beside you."

Shang Yunduo: "Last night, I swept their cave with my spiritual sense and got driven out! Senior, the Spirit Rhinoceros Clan has two hostages—one dead, one escaped. Their Transformation stage cultivator is also missing, reportedly heading this way. Now the Tiger Clan, Blood Qilin Clan, and the Black Abyss Clan you mentioned all know about it. I'm not sure if other demon clans also know. They're not sure what the Spirit Rhinoceros Clan is up to, so they're planning to stay put and proceed with the match as usual. Core Formation cultivators will guard this place, and there might even be Transformation stage ones coming from outside. Be careful!"

"Got it. You be careful too."

Shang Yunduo: "Mm-hmm! Anyway, I have the lowest cultivation, so I'll just hide."

Since Pei Jie was safe and could still get through the fog, why was he running around?

Just watch the show!

Whatever happened, whoever won or lost, once the match ended and everyone left, the two of them could double back into the valley and slowly catch Spirit Rhinos.

Shang Yunduo's mood lightened, and he had to suppress a smile.

The sky behind the mountain was already growing pale.

Daylight was about to crest the ridge.

When the sunlight hit the tallest stone pillar in the valley, the match would officially begin.

Hua Guan stared toward the sun, slowly releasing his spiritual pressure.

Their immediate neighbors on both sides immediately wore sour expressions.

Shang Yunduo vaguely heard someone curse, "Is the Tiger Clan shameless, sending out the Giant Tiger Clan?"

"Aguan!"

The sun crossed the mountain range, not yet reaching the pillar, but Hua Guan had already leaped up onto the platform, steadying himself.

A demon cultivator half a step behind jumped onto a slightly lower platform, wearing a face full of defiance.

Hua Guan's spiritual power surged: "Life-or-death match."

That defiant demon cultivator instantly spun on the spot and—whoosh—ran away.

Shang Yunduo: "...A wise man!"

Cui Peng: "What?"

Shang Yunduo: "I said he's pretty smart. Knows he can't win, so he doesn't force it."

Cui Peng: "Hmph, of course. Our Tiger Clan..."

Shang Yunduo remembered the lines they'd made up that morning: "We'll take first place!"

Cui Peng paused, then remembered. Right, there was a line! "Second last time, first this time!"

The two of them exaggeratedly pumped their fists and shouted, "Tiger Clan!" "First!" "Tiger Clan!" "Mighty!" "Tiger Clan!" "Dominant!" "Tiger Clan!" "Who dares compete!"

All demon cultivators: "..."

The three Tiger Clan elders couldn't help but quirk their lips.

When that red-haired kid had made up those lines in the morning, they thought it was a mess. But now hearing it shouted... hmm! The Tiger Clan needed this kind of intimidating spirit! Spirit!!

Other demon clans: "..."

The Blood Qilin Clan let out a low "tsk." "I really want to go up there and take them down a notch."

"What 'Tiger Clan first'? When have they ever been first? Shameless."

On the other side, the Black Abyss Clan was naturally displeased too. "Elder, should we..."

"No, it's just one slot."

Other demon clans were also displeased, but... just one slot...

The young demon cultivators, itching for a fight, were held back by their own elders, especially those whose strength clearly fell short of Hua Guan's but couldn't stand the tiger clan's boasting and wanted to go up and put them in their place.

The juniors were too hot-headed, but the elders had to stay calm—this was a win-or-lose match, not a life-or-death one!

Hua Guan leisurely scanned his surroundings, and when he saw those who looked disgruntled, he deliberately released his spiritual pressure on them, making them uneasy.

If anyone was foolish enough to come, he hoped they were the dumb and weak ones, so he could easily win three rounds.

His gaze swept to the Blood Qilin Clan, and he arched an eyebrow at them challengingly.

Of course, if the Blood Qilin Clan dared to come, he wouldn't mind changing his plans and taking the fight early.

The three Blood Qilin cultivators at the Nourishing Spirit stage: "Elder!"

Sha Feng twirled the gourd in his hand, "Don't rush. The tiger clan is straightforward and foolish, nothing to fear. Don't ruin the big plan. Once things settle down, you'll have plenty of chances to spar."

"Yes."

The three Blood Qilin members then glanced toward the Black Abyss Clan. The fools from the tiger clan were one thing, but the Black Abyss Clan...

If there was a chance...

Some wanted to charge but were pulled back, others felt their strength inadequate and wanted to wait. For a moment, no one actually stepped up to challenge.

The demon cultivators who didn't know the truth were puzzled, looking at the triumphant tiger clan, then at the quiet Blood Qilin Clan. They exchanged glances, all of them confused.

What was happening this year?

Had all the hotheads mellowed out?

In any case, since no one else was stepping forward, there must be a problem. There were ten spots, so no rush.

Time slowly passed, and the more time passed, the more nervous Shang Yunduo became. When a full fifteen minutes had passed and Hua Guan actually came down safely, he breathed a sigh of relief. Great! They had secured one spot without him and Cui Peng having to fight!

Only Hua Guan looked a bit regretful, disappointed that he hadn't had a proper fight.

His reluctance to come down actually made the other demon tribes grow suspicious. Having taken second place last time, it seemed the tiger clan was truly prepared to go for the top spot this time!

Who would be the next to go up?

The Stone Goat Clan cultivators on the platform were inwardly shocked.

What was going on?

It wasn't that the Stone Goat Clan was weak; they were a herbivorous tribe, but both their physique and spells were formidable, always strong contenders for the top ten. However, in previous years, the tribes that charged ahead were the more aggressive ones. What was happening this year?

The demon cultivators scanned the tribe's caves of those that had won first place before, and finally landed on the tiger clan, who looked ready to jump for joy. Why were those fools from the tiger clan the only ones acting normally?

Another elder from the Blood Qilin Clan asked quietly, "Could they know something too?"

Sha Feng said, "Hard to say."

As they spoke, another demon tribe had already sent someone to step up.

Elder Yanhu's laughter abruptly stopped. He shot a strange look at the Black Abyss Clan, "Those blind fools are definitely not normal."

Other demon cultivators also found the Black Abyss Clan odd.

The Black Abyss Clan... they really didn't like fighting for first place, not even top three. But they loved to fight the herbivorous demon tribes! The Stone Goat Clan had gone up, and they actually let someone else take the opportunity!

"Sigh..." Elder Juhu clicked his tongue in regret, turning to Shang Yunduo and Cui Peng, "I told you to go up, but you didn't. See, it was a good opportunity, and it's still a win-or-lose match, but someone else snatched it up!"

Shang Yunduo: "..."

That wasn't the plan!

And that guy on the platform was the one-eyed beast he saw yesterday, even bulkier than Hua Guan!

His cultivation was clearly on par with Hua Guan's. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to go up second. Sure, the Stone Goat Clan didn't eat meat, and a win-or-lose match didn't risk death, so it was a good chance to train...

But training didn't mean going up to get a beating!

His senior didn't train him by making him jump tiers to fight fifth- or sixth-order beasts. Could they be more sensible?

Before the sun rose, the plan was to stall and only look for an opportunity at the ninth or tenth spot. How could they have already forgotten that once the match started?

Now he deeply suspected that although the tiger clan was strong, they often failed to get a high rank because of bad tactics—they just got too excited!

Which elder who wanted to win would encourage their members to fight a clearly stronger opponent?

Elder Juhu: "Next time there's a good opportunity, you two jump at the chance!"

Shang Yunduo: "..."

No way was he going up!

But watching the match on the platform, he understood why everyone was watching from caves in the cliff.

When demon tribes went all out, it was brutal.

Midway through, both contestants had shifted to their beast forms. The Stone Goat Clan member looked more like a sheep, but enormous, with fur like a waterfall and horns like scythes gleaming in the light, leaping lightly across the stone pillars. When it kicked off the mountain walls, it broke off huge rocks. Its opponent looked somewhat like a fox, with wings on its back, using speed to find the Stone Goat's blind spots, snapping at it when it wasn't looking. But unfortunately, the Stone Goat's light brown fur was incredibly thick, and several bites failed to break through the hide.

Shang Yunduo couldn't help wondering how he would fight.

He wanted to send Pei Jie a voice transmission, but Pei Jie was no longer in his original position, probably using the opportunity while everyone was focused on the match to look for the inner valley entrance.

Another bite failed, and the Stone Goat kicked back at him.

Several watching tigers let out a laugh.

Elder Yanhu: "How do you fight that?"

Cui Peng: "You have to bite the neck, right?"

Hua Guan: "Yeah, the neck's the only spot."

Elder Juhu asked Shang Yunduo: "What do you think?"

"Uh..." Shang Yunduo thought, not exactly. You're too stuck on your species' instincts. In animal vs. animal combat, you could also go for the hindquarters...

Of course, he didn't have that skill.

If it were him, in this environment, he would first try his fire arrows to see if they could penetrate the fur. If even those failed, he would use the Startle Kill Tune to disrupt its mind, at least distract it, and then look for an opening. Preferably, he would attack from the belly with a weapon. For him, he didn't really mind, as long as he could get close, he had a chance to deal internal damage.

He had to hit the right spots. If the fur was too thick, even with his Body Tempering technique using internal force, some force might be absorbed. The head...

No, he had to watch out for those horns.

After a moment's thought, Shang Yunduo said, "What about trying to get under its belly?"

"Huh..." Hua Guan thought carefully. "You two could give it a shot."

His beast form was similar to the stone antelope's, so instead of going for its belly, he might as well pounce and bite its neck.

Cui Peng also shook his head. "I'd rather find a chance to knock him down."

Rock tigers were naturally blessed with tough hide and solid muscles; with the right angle, they could even shatter rock. As long as he found an opening, he could ram into one of the stone antelope's legs and use the momentum to topple it, giving him an opportunity at either the belly or neck.

Of course, this was a purely strength-based approach.

Battles among demon cultivators weren't just wild animal fights; they also involved spells and spiritual power.

Either way, it was a better choice than attacking from the stone antelope's blind spot, because the stone antelope knew its own weaknesses better than anyone. Its thickest defenses were deliberately placed as bait in that very blind spot. Besides, its spells were also far stronger than his opponent's.

The demon cultivator trying to attack the blind spot was caught by tree vines that shot up from the stone pillars. Vine thorns stabbed toward his neck and eyes.

"I give up!"

The stone antelope retracted its vines and kicked him off.

First round: Stone Antelope Clan wins.

In the second round, the new demon cultivator, as Cui Peng had suggested, hardened his body with stone and charged at the stone antelope's left front leg. But the stone antelope wasn't an easy target either; it blocked with tree vines. Although it was forced into a half-crouch, it took advantage of the close range to impale the opponent with a hard wooden spike.

Still the stone antelope won.

When this match ended, the tallest stone pillar had been snapped off, crashing into another one beside it, nearly piercing a nearby cave dwelling.

Shang Yunduo watched in awe.

They had thought of a tactic, but the opponent had a counter. So tenacious!

But before the defeated demon cultivator could return to his cave, the Black Abyss Clan had already jumped onto the stage.

Round three.

Shang Yunduo heard clear booing.

Author's note:

Yunduo: At this moment, let's create a few idioms—

Demon cultivators' meeting—everyone looks like an idiot

Tiger cultivator planning—they forget as soon as they turn around

Rushing into life-and-death matches—either extremely strong or all bluff

Big and little babies, Happy National Day! Happy holidays! [fireworks]