Sunset Warrior Chant - Chapter 36 - Outranking the Magical Beasts

Yu An finally realized that Wang Tianhao was a cunning scoundrel. He had been thoroughly duped, and now deeply regretted his impulsive decision to entrust the lives of the little white cat and Alixin to such a man. At the tournament arena, no one dared to challenge Wang Tianhao to a duel. His few words had misled Yu An, and now it was too late. Wang Tianhao was a prominent figure in Kur City; no matter how tyrannical, the Beast Arena would still show him respect. Yu An, just a nobody, found that no one would listen to him.

Wang Tianhao chased after Alixin and the little white cat, running backwards around the Beast Arena, lap after lap, relentlessly pursuing them while commanding the Wind Leopard to block them at the original spot.

The little white cat and Alixin were in peril, unable to withstand Wang Tianhao’s level 6 strength nor the Wind Leopard’s ferocious attacks. Each encounter with the Wind Leopard heading straight for them spelled danger. Eventually, the two little ones were bound to tire, which worried Yu An and Fu Qiruo immensely.

Yu An said, “If they keep running in the original direction and complete five laps, the race will be over, win or lose, and the Beast Arena can then clear the field.” Yu Fei remarked, “Wang Tianhao is well-prepared; he won’t let them run straight. They can only keep running like this since they can’t beat him.” Fu Qiruo added, “Now, all we can do is watch and see what happens.”

As Alixin and the little white cat fled for their lives, they sped up significantly. At their first encounter with the Wind Leopard, they split up; the little white cat took the left side of the track, brushing past the stone wall, while Alixin went right. The Wind Leopard’s bulky body attempted to block Alixin, but Alixin dodged swiftly, easily shaking off the Wind Leopard. However, in these brief moments, Wang Tianhao had closed in on them.

Another lap down, and Alixin easily dodged the Wind Leopard again. The little white cat shot five Light Feather Arrows at the Wind Leopard, which opened its huge mouth and let out a muffled roar, astonishingly blowing the small Light Feather Arrows off course. The little white cat seemed to fall into an air vortex as the Wind Leopard unleashed a level 4 wind magic, “Tornado.”

Using a tornado to deal with the little white cat seemed like overkill. With no other choice, the little white cat retreated over ten meters along the airflow, then immediately leaped to the left front while launching five Light Feather Arrows at the Wind Leopard. As the Wind Leopard moved to block to the left, the little white cat darted to an open space on the right. The Wind Leopard leaped but missed, letting out a furious roar. Just as it was about to pursue the little white cat, Alixin, who had been running ahead, circled back and dropped several Spatial Blades on the Wind Leopard’s nose. Being a level 2 magical beast, Alixin could not inflict serious damage with the Spatial Blades, especially since the Wind Leopard was on guard; the wounds were merely superficial. However, the Wind Leopard was caught off-guard and now sported several bloody marks on its nose, its eyes flashing with a deadly light, as if about to shoot fire.

Alixin had injured the Wind Leopard’s nose and swiftly took off again. The Wind Leopard leaped to chase after Alixin, but Wang Tianhao shouted, “Little Leopard, stay put! They can’t escape this cage anyway.” Wang Tianhao dodged past the Wind Leopard and chased after Alixin.

From the stands, Yu An yelled at Wang Tianhao, “Young Master Wang, a grown man racing two small creatures, isn’t that beneath your dignity?”

Wang Tianhao replied, “I haven’t had the chance for months. I’m quite enjoying this rare interest today; it’s quite exhilarating.”

Yu An tried to embarrass Wang Tianhao or provoke him into quitting, but Wang Tianhao, clearly more adept, was not taking the bait, leaving Yu An speechless.

After another couple of laps, with the Wind Leopard’s interference, Wang Tianhao was gradually closing in on the little white cat. Catching Alixin was not easy, but catching the little white cat was still hundreds of meters away, and not just a matter of one or two laps. The son of Lord Wang of Kur City, running in circles chasing two small beasts, had made several laps without success. With hundreds of eyes watching from the stands, Wang Tianhao’s face turned red. He had always done as he pleased, never expecting such embarrassment. He could not help but yell at the Wind Leopard, “You eat so much pork every day, can’t you even block two beasts? Make sure to corner these two little animals in the next lap!”

Alixin laughed, “It’s all the same, how can a dumb Wind Leopard easily stop me?” As he spoke, he was already nearing the Wind Leopard, which still didn’t take it seriously. The little white cat, closely following behind, now sprang towards the direction of the stone wall, still trying to circumvent it from the side.

During this encounter, the Wind Leopard stood immobile between the stone wall and the magic barrier, seemingly no longer preparing to dart in for a block. As the little white cat approached within a hundred meters, the Wind Leopard suddenly crouched low. Onlookers watched as it fiercely poised to pounce, only to see it open its mouth wide and let out a ferocious roar. The track in front of the Wind Leopard trembled, the magic barrier on the left side flickered incessantly, and a whirlwind suddenly arose. The track was engulfed in flying sand and stones, mixed with flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, causing the spectators’ feet to shake uncontrollably and the crystal windows to hum with a buzzing sound, surpassing the violent struggle of the Arrow Snake moments ago.

Amidst the astonishment of the crowd in the stands, a loud voice declared, “How can such disturbances occur in a level 4 magical beasts tournament arena? Upgrade and strengthen the magic formation immediately to protect the crystal windows.” “Yes, Arena Master!” someone responded.

Fu Qiruo, seeing the speaker, noted a man over fifty with a commanding presence and an air of effortless dignity, who looked anything but ordinary. Sensing that this man might be the Beast Arena master, Fu Qiruo thought to speak with him, hoping to spare Alixin and the little white cat from a deadly fate.

“Excuse me, sir, are you the Beast Arena master? My friend’s magical beasts are competing, and Wang Tianhao is playing dirty, trying to kill two small magical beasts. Can you save them?”

“I am Qin Yang, the Beast Arena master. This is a martial tournament arena, and the arena master does not interfere, even if Young Master Wang does something over the line-it is considered within the bounds of reason.”

“But this is a magical beast competition, not a human one. What honor is there for Wang Tianhao, a level 6 mage, to bully the weak?”

“Arena rules dictate that once the martial contest begins, everything inside and outside the arena is completely isolated. Any interference would disgrace the reputation of the Beast Arena.”

Fu Qiruo observed the injury of the Arrow Snake within the arena, and no one in the stands showed sympathy; instead, they were all excited. If Alixin were to die, it would be no more significant than an ant’s death, merely adding to the spectacle. The indifference to the death or injury of magical beasts in the tournament, as stated by the arena master, meant Alixin likely had no chance of survival.

In the midst of the arena, as the Wind Leopard unleashed its power, the little white cat saw the whirlwind howling through the air, which seemed to be torn apart. A surging wave of wind magic energy quickly converged from all directions, leaving no gaps above, below, or to the sides. With nowhere to hide and overwhelmed by fear, how could it possibly outrun this onslaught?

Upon seeing the storm approaching, Alixin squeaked and turned to run, only to come rushing back moments later. He was repelled by Wang Tianhao’s use of earth magic. Helpless, Alixin’s light body stopped for only a few seconds before Wang Tianhao caught up. A barrage of Stone Rain ensued, and Alixin, dodging left and right, was finally knocked down, buried under a pile of sand and stones.

The little white cat, bracing itself with the Glowing Silk Shield, boldly charged into the storm. While the shield could neutralize fierce magical attacks, it proved ineffective against the robust wind, barely protecting its fur without injury. After pushing forward more than twenty meters, the little white cat was blown back by the storm. Wang Tianhao unleashed another Stone Rain, hitting the unsteady little white cat, which, amid “puff puff” sounds, finally fell to the ground. Though unharmed, the little white cat was in pain and scurried around wildly. Wang Tianhao sneered, “No matter how clever the animal, how can it escape the palm of my hand?”

Alixin’s condition buried in the sand was unknown, and the little white cat had no escape. Suddenly, Fu Qiruo felt a sourness in his nose, unable to bear hearing the little white cat’s screeches, and thought about closing his eyes. The Wind Leopard opened its mouth and roared again, intensifying the storm on the track with thunderous sounds of lightning. Slowly, the Wind Leopard advanced, preparing to join Wang Tianhao in cornering the little white cat. At this point, everyone believed the little white cat had no chance of survival, and some even speculated how Wang Tianhao might torment it, ready to watch the spectacle unfold.

Fu Qiruo looked at the storm unleashed by the Wind Leopard and felt a surge of joy. The magic used by the Wind Leopard was the wind magic spell “Storm Spell.” A level 5 spell, the Storm Spell would not be of particular note if it were level 4, 3, or even 2, but its classification as level 5 was extraordinary. How could level 5 magic appear in a level 4 magical beast? Could it be that the Wind Leopard has reached level 5?

So, if a level 5 magical beast participates in a level 4 competition, would that be a violation? Yet, how could the appraiser have identified the Wind Leopard as a level 4 magical beast? Could it be that the appraiser was bribed by Wang Tianhao?

Beast Arena regulations state that if an advanced magical beast is disguised as a low-level magical beast for competition, it will be banned for life, and the beast’s owner will also be fined. Fu Qiruo recalled what the beautiful host had mentioned and immediately shouted, “That Wind Leopard used the Storm Spell, which only a level 5 magical beast can cast. This is supposed to be a level 4 magical beast competition!”

Upon hearing this, Arena Master Qin Yang was surprised and exclaimed, “This Wind Leopard is indeed a level 5 magical beast. Who allowed it to enter a level 4 competition? Where is the appraiser?” An attendant nearby said, “The old man just clocked out.”

“The competition ends here!” Qin Yang called out, and his voice echoed throughout the Beast Arena, the reverberations within the giant cage subsiding the storm’s roar, leaving Fu Qiruo and Yu An standing by, trembling with shock. Qin Yang’s shout displayed immense strength, revealing him to be a powerful swordsman.

Wang Tianhao, puzzled by Qin Yang’s statement, said, “There’s no reason for interference from the tournament arena in a martial contest. Does Arena Master Qin no longer wish to do business?” As he spoke, he intensified his attacks on the little white cat with repeated casts of the Flying Rock Spell, making the cat dodge in an increasingly pitiful manner.

“Young Master Wang, your magical beast almost broke my magic formation just now. You know very well what level it is, so why persist in this absurd argument?”

“This was the result of your appraiser’s judgment. I had no idea my little leopard had advanced to level 5.”

“No high-level beasts are allowed in lower-level competitions. That’s a rule set by the Beast Arena. If the appraiser’s failing eyesight led to a misjudgment, I will make it right. But you brought a level 5 beast into the competition, clearly disregarding the rules of the Beast Arena. Considering you are Lord Wang’s son, I will overlook this matter out of respect for him.”

“Fine! Fine! Fine!” Wang Tianhao slowly spat out each word, launching an attack at the little white cat with each utterance, until finally, a blast of sand and stones hit the cat, which cried out in pain and collapsed on the ground motionless. The Wind Leopard approached the little white cat, raising a large paw to step on it, but Yu An, seeing the impending strike, cried out, “Move away!” However, the little white cat lay on the ground, unable to move.

Unexpectedly, Wang Tianhao called out, “Hold on, we’ll leave some face for Grand Arena Master Qin. If we want revenge on this beast, there will be other opportunities! Withdraw!” The Wind Leopard reluctantly moved its foot away, stepping several meters to the side, causing the track to thunder with the impact.

Suddenly, sand and stones nearby burst into the air as Alixin emerged from the ground, appearing dozens of meters away in a flash. Fu Qiruo, seeing Alixin, exclaimed joyfully, “So you weren’t hurt!” Alixin playfully responded, “I was just playing hide and seek with them.”