Section 23: A Decisive Victory! Why Did This Happen?
By Gu Zhenren
February 9, 2013
The cultivation level of a Demonic Beast is the primary standard for gauging its strength. The higher the cultivation, the stronger the beast.
There are five major tiers: Lesser Beast, Lesser Demon, Great Demon, Spirit Monster, and Tribulation Demon.
A Lesser Beast’s cultivation ranges from 1 to 9 years, while a Lesser Demon’s ranges from 10 to 99 years.
Chu Yun publicly claimed his Demonic Beast was a mutated fire fox with 8 years of cultivation, placing it in the Lesser Beast tier.
However, Shu Da’s Sea Burst Crocodile had already passed the Lesser Demon Tribulation, possessing 15 years of cultivation and thus advancing to the Lesser Demon tier.
Each time a Demonic Beast undergoes a Demonic Tribulation, it experiences a qualitative improvement. Lesser Beasts facing Lesser Demons, and Great Demons facing Spirit Monsters, often lose their will to fight, conceding defeat before the battle even begins.
This natural phenomenon has been summarized by Beast Masters as “Tier Suppression.”
The existence of Tier Suppression holds significant importance for the reproduction and development of Demonic Beasts. It allows countless wild Demonic Beasts to preserve their lives when facing stronger opponents, leaving them with the possibility of future development.
However, to the three elders and others present, this Tier Suppression meant that regardless of how hard Chu Yun trained his fire fox, victory in this battle was highly unlikely.
“Tier Suppression, Tier Suppression…” Old Red Spear muttered, clearly unwilling to accept it.
Elder Qiao the Monkey King frowned and exclaimed with frustration, “Alas, if only we had known, my old brothers and I could have pooled money to buy Chu Yun some Disha Stone Coins!”
“Who could have imagined Madam Shu would be so treacherous! Look at her expression; she’s determined to win this assessment!” Old Fish King sighed.
The three elders turned their gaze towards Madam Shu. Seeing the smug smile on her lips and her condescending demeanor, they all snorted coldly, feeling not a shred of goodwill towards her.
Since Madam Shu married into the Shu Family and established the Ning Family shop on Shu Island, its numbers had nearly doubled almost every year. Madam Shu, in league with her family, colluded to suppress the purchase prices of raw materials from the islanders, exploiting cheap labor, withholding wages, and even engaging in forced sales.
Over the years, the Ning Family merchant group had plundered an immeasurable amount of wealth from Shu Island. One could only imagine the extent of their greed given Madam Shu’s current spending power.
The Altar Beast Master inwardly sighed, “Tier Suppression… the Sea Burst Crocodile has a massive advantage.”
He held little hope for Chu Yun. In his decades of experience, he had never encountered a case where someone overcame Tier Suppression through sheer determination.
Tier Suppression could halve the combat power of the weaker party, making the weak even weaker and the strong even stronger.
The surrounding crowd also sighed, universally believing the outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion.
“Indeed, Tier Suppression disregards a Demonic Beast’s grade. Even a Supreme grade Lesser Beast Sky Fox would be suppressed by a mid-grade Lesser Demon Martial Crab, its combat power instantly halved. However… my Sky Fox is also at the Lesser Demon level!”
Chu Yun’s expression remained calm, but inwardly he chuckled. His Sky Fox had successfully passed the Lesser Demon Tribulation at the time of hatching. To avoid causing a stir, Chu Yun had claimed it only had 8 years of cultivation.
Of everyone present, only he knew the truth.
Everyone else had been kept in the dark.
But it wasunderstandable; the truth was beyond anyone’s imagination. How rare and precious were Supreme grade Demonic Beasts? No one would have guessed that the mutated fire fox before them was, in fact, a Supreme grade Sky Fox!
They couldn’t imagine it, nor would they dare to consider it.
If it were a Lesser Beast tier Sky Fox facing a Lesser Demon tier Sea Burst Crocodile, Chu Yun would have had no way to win. The power gap would have been too great, rendering any strategy or tactic useless.
However, with a Lesser Demon tier Sky Fox facing a Sea Burst Crocodile of the same tier, with only a five-year difference in cultivation, if Chu Yun didn’t win, he would be letting down his past and present selves!
Therefore, under everyone’s stunned gazes, he decisively commanded, “Attack, Leap Technique!”
The Sky Fox let out a battle cry and sprinted like lightning, its four hooves pounding the ground as it charged towards the massive Sea Burst Crocodile.
“What, in this situation, Chu Yun is actually initiating an attack?” Old Red Spear was greatly surprised.
Elder Qiao the Monkey King’s eyes widened as he exclaimed, “Look, even if he loses the battle, he won’t lose his spirit! This kid, though he seems gentle normally, has the same bravery as the island master deep down!”
“Hmph, suicidal,” Madam Shu snorted contemptuously, a glint of malice in her eyes.
“You’re asking for death!” Shu Da’s face contorted in rage as he bellowed, “Sea Burst Crocodile, Water Bullet, blast it to smithereens!”
A mere fire fox daring to be so arrogant in front of my Sea Burst Crocodile.
Shu Da felt his dignity insulted, his volatile temper flaring up, unable to tolerate it!
*Bang!*
The Sea Burst Crocodile opened its maw and swiftly spat out a blue water bullet, hurtling towards the charging Sky Fox. The Sky Fox was already 5 years weaker than the Sea Burst Crocodile, and if this water bullet hit, it would surely inflict severe damage.
At this moment, time seemed to slow down. As the water bullet streaked towards its target, about to strike the Sky Fox—
“Heh heh heh.” Madam Shu could no longer contain herself and let out a laugh.
“Damn it!” The three elders’ eyes widened, their hearts leaping into their throats.
Everyone focused their attention on the Sky Fox, none noticing the smile playing on Chu Yun’s lips.
Anyone else would have been panicking and shouting to dodge by now. But he didn’t. He firmly believed in the Sky Fox’s spiritual intelligence, trusting it could evade the attack on its own.
“Sky Fox, oh Sky Fox!” he cried out in his heart—
“Rise in this battle! Show your glory, reap honor. You were born to live under the gaze of awe and admiration. In my past life, I failed you. But in this life, let us join hands, change our fate, and defy the world!”
Who could comprehend the turmoil in Chu Yun’s heart at this moment?
No one in this world could understand his feelings!
The pent-up grievances of countless years, the unspoken sorrow of countless years, the bittersweet experiences of countless years, the frustrations and regrets of countless years… all of it seemed to find an outlet at this very moment!
At this very moment, like a celestial river cascading down—
Find release.
“Charge, Sky Fox! Charge into the future, destiny, change begins now!”
As if hearing Chu Yun’s silent call, the Sky Fox’s speed increased!
Like a streak of white light, it made a slight turn and easily brushed past the blue water bullet.
Gasps of surprise erupted.
“Such speed! How can it be so fast?” Shu Da was shocked, his eyes wide. He quickly roared, “Water Bullet, shoot! Shoot! Shoot!”
“A foolish command. While the Water Bullet is more powerful than the Lesser Fireball, its firing speed is lower. How can a Water Bullet stop my Sky Fox!” Chu Yun sneered inwardly. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. The moment he entered combat, he transformed into a different person.
Sharp and imposing, like a drawn sword, he was blindingly brilliant.
As expected, the Sky Fox skillfully dodged the water bullet with a few nimble turns. It then darted towards the Sea Burst Crocodile.
The Sea Burst Crocodile roared, its massive mouth opening as a new water bullet began to form within it.
Chu Yun’s eyes lit up. An opportunity!
“Aim for its mouth and unleash your Lesser Fireball.”
As the command was given, almost before the words left his mouth, the Sky Fox, with remarkable intelligence, opened its own maw and spat out a fireball. The fireball precisely landed in the Sea Burst Crocodile’s gaping mouth. Water and fire, unable to coexist, immediately caused an explosion.
*Bang!*
After the explosion, the Sea Burst Crocodile fell backward, its limbs twitching, black smoke billowing from its mouth. It had fainted on the spot!
The entire venue fell silent.
Everyone was stunned.
Only Chu Yun remained calm and collected. He gently called out, and the Sky Fox returned to his feet, yipping playfully as if seeking praise, its black, gemstone-like eyes showing a hint of pride.
“Well done,” Chu Yun praised without reservation, scratching the Sky Fox’s small head. The beast’s eyes narrowed in joy, its fluffy white tail swaying leisurely behind it.
“H-how could this happen? Sea Burst Crocodile, get up, you lazy beast!” Shu Da roared at the fallen Sea Burst Crocodile, his face filled with disbelief.
The Sea Burst Crocodile remained unresponsive, black smoke still trickling from its mouth.
The surrounding crowd finally came to their senses and erupted in an uproar.
“I… I just saw that fire fox defeat the Sea Burst Crocodile with a single blow?!” someone yelled in disbelief.
“The Sea Burst Crocodile was too arrogant, readying its Water Bullet right in front of its opponent. As a result, both the Water Bullet and the Lesser Fireball detonated inside it,” someone analyzed calmly.
Many nodded in agreement.
Others expressed confusion, “Strange, why is that fire fox still full of energy? It’s as if Tier Suppression doesn’t exist.”
Suddenly, the crowd was abuzz with discussion, showing immense interest in this unexpected battle.
Madam Shu’s face turned ashen.
Pale and devoid of color, all blood had drained from her face.
Her body stiffened, like a wooden figurine carved to match the rosewood chair. Her eyes were vacant, unable to comprehend, truly unable to comprehend!
The situation had been so favorable, but it had suddenly changed. It had changed so much that she was utterly bewildered.
One moment, she had almost seen the water bullet strike the Sky Fox’s tiny body. The next moment, the towering Sea Burst Crocodile lay defeated.
And once it fell, it never got back up.
“Why? Why did this happen?!” Madam Shu cried out in her heart. Why had this thing happened? It was the complete opposite of her expectations!
She could not accept this reality.
But reality was reality, after all. Even the most bizarre event, as long as it had truly occurred, was the best proof in the world.
“The first match, Chu Yun’s fire fox wins! Next, the second match, Chu Yun versus Shu Er.” At this point, the Altar Beast Master finally reacted. The words he spoke sounded unbelievable even to himself.
That mutated fire fox had actually won?
Why had this happened?
Even this experienced Altar Beast Master was filled with questions at this moment. But it was not the time to dwell on them; the assessment had to continue.
Shu Er stepped down from the stage.
Madam Shu trembled all over, as if grasping at the last straw. She shrieked and stood up, her composure completely gone, “Shu Er, my good son! Defeat Chu Yun for me!”
“Naturally!” Shu Er declared arrogantly, casting a dismissive glance at Chu Yun. His attitude was even more haughty than Shu Da’s. “You got lucky and took down Shu Da. Hmph, your good luck ends here!! Who do you think you are? I, Shu Er, will defeat you today in front of mother. Green Fang Snake, come out!”
Chu Yun rubbed his nose, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. “Don’t you think that sounds a little familiar? It sounds like something Shu Da just said?”
