C38 Earth Demonic Bear

Lie Xue strode onto the Beast Battling Platform with confidence. Xing Ma? He couldn't recall ever hearing the name. Probably just some minor scion from an unremarkable family.

In reality, Xing Ma was the son of Ma Fu, a man of considerable wealth in Green-mount Town. Ma Fu had exhausted his resources to secure a Bloodline Spirit Talisman and a Demonic Pet for his son, all in the hopes of elevating their family's status.

Merchants like Ma Fu were not uncommon; they all shared the dream of their sons making a name for themselves, being chosen, and leaping into prominence. Respect was reserved for families with a powerful Demonic Pet Master at the helm.

"Once both competitors are ready, summon your Demonic Pets!" announced the Demonic Pet Master, who then activated the energy shield around the Beast Battling Platform and slowly exited the arena.

Lie Xue cast a contemptuous glance at Xing Ma, who looked somewhat fearful, and summoned with disdain, "Crimson Leopard!"

With a flash from the Magic Array, a sleek and muscular crimson leopard Demonic Beast, three meters in length and 1.8 meters tall, materialized.

This Bronze Grade 2 Crimson Leopard instantly fixed its gaze on the human across from it.

Meanwhile, Xing Ma, in a panic, called out, "Quicksand Mouse, come forth!"

A plump mouse, no bigger than a rabbit, appeared on the ground, fearfully eyeing the opposing leopard. It was so terrified that it instinctively tried to scurry behind Xing Ma, eliciting a wave of laughter from the spectators.

"Crimson Leopard, Extreme Shadow Charge!" Lie Xue commanded.

The Crimson Leopard dashed forward, reaching Xing Ma's side in a blur.

In a terrified shout, Xing Ma ordered, "Quicksand Mouse, Quicksand Cave!"

The mouse frantically began to burrow, creating a five-meter radius of quicksand around the entrance. The ground softened, causing the Crimson Leopard's limbs to plunge into the earth.

Lie Xue let out a cold laugh and commanded, "Crimson Leopard, Tail Whip!"

The Crimson Leopard swiftly pivoted, its long tail lashing out like a whip, striking the Quicksand Mouse and sending it flying across the platform, where it lay twitching.

"Quicksand Mouse!" cried Xing Ma, his formation in disarray, his fear mounting.

The referee, at a loss for words, announced, "The Quicksand Mouse is no longer able to fight. Lie Xue wins. Xing Ma, please bring out your second Demonic Pet."

"I... I don't have a second Demonic Pet," Xing Ma murmured, his face etched with disappointment.

"In that case, I declare Lie Xue the victor. The winner may return to the platform, and the defeated must exit the arena!"

As Lie Xue claimed an effortless victory in the first round, the crowd erupted with cheers for him and disdain for Xing Ma, whose father was nearly dying of embarrassment in the throng, looking on at his son with a crestfallen gaze.

"Next up, the second round: Lin Qingwen versus Pang Guang!"

Representing the Lin Family, Lin Qingwen was no amateur. His Demonic Pet caught Chen Wu's attention.

[Creature]: Thunder Wolf

[Attribute]: Beast, Thunder

[Type]: Unevolved

[Skill]: Thunderbolt Charge, Crack Claw, Bite

[Potential Growth]: High-grade Bronze

[Bloodline]: None

[Level]: Bronze Grade 3

[Status]: Healthy

True to the Lin Family's reputation, their first combatant was a rare Bronze Grade 3 Thunder Wolf. The Thunder Wolf had the same potential as the Snow Wolf, but its explosive power surpassed that of the Blood Wolf. Additionally, its Thunder Power could temporarily paralyze an opponent, making it one of the strongest Demonic Beasts for a Grade 1 Demonic Pet Master.

The Lin Family certainly didn't hold back!

As anticipated, Pang Guang was a significant step up from Xing Ma, tenaciously holding his ground. Yet his Grade 2 Wood Monkey lacked agility and strength on the Beast Battling Platform, serving merely as a target and was quickly defeated.

Summoning his second Demonic Pet, a Fire Leopard Cat with limited potential, Pang Guang found himself outmatched in a head-to-head confrontation, utterly dominated by Lin Qingwen.

...

Chen Wu watched intently, aware of his unique advantage and secret weapon: the system's ability to scan a Demonic Pet's information. He could ascertain not only the strength of an opponent's Demonic Pet but also each of its skills. This knowledge gave Chen Wu a strategic edge, and perhaps more crucially, he could discern the Potential Growth of every Demonic Pet.

The potential growth of a Demonic Pet is not only determined by its fixed species but also by the quality of its genes. Take Chen Wu's Little Flame Firefox, for example. While an average Firefox might only have the potential of High-grade Bronze, Chen Wu's Little Flame Firefox is a cub of the Three-tailed Firefox, placing it at the Silver Level. Yet, its true potential is not apparent at first glance, as the Little Flame Firefox will only develop additional tails like its sire upon maturing into a full-fledged Three-tailed Firefox.

Typically, one would only discover such potential after forming a contract with the Demonic Pet or by using a special Bloodline Spirit Talisman to detect the Demonic Pet's Bloodline Talent, which requires a drop of the pet's blood for testing.

Consequently, it's a challenge for the average person to contract with a powerful Demonic Pet. Even with the assistance of elders in capturing the pets, many families struggle to discern the quality of a Demonic Pet's talent.

Chen Wu, however, has a knack for easily finding Demonic Pets with formidable talents.

"The next match on the Beast Battling Platform: Lee Dong versus Chen Wu!"

Instantly, the crowd's attention converged on the two competitors. The Master of Lee Family displayed a hint of anxiety, clearly considering Chen Wu a significant threat to his son.

Chen Wu, an unknown contender with no background, piqued the interest of the seated family masters, including the black-clad Zhifazhe and Mayor Shan Liyuan. They were still impressed by Chen Wu's previous feat of defeating Hu Wang, who was of a higher level. Now, they were eager to see if this young upstart could outmatch the scions of these well-established families.

"Haha, Chen Wu, I didn't expect us to actually become adversaries. But this is good; I've heard you're quite strong. I, Lee Dong, don't consider myself inferior to anyone else. I won't easily relinquish my spot to you!" Lee Dong declared with a laugh.

Chen Wu simply nodded in response, choosing to remain silent.

"Contestants, prepare your Demonic Pets!" the judge announced, giving them a brief look before swiftly exiting the platform.

"I won't hold back. If I lose to you, I'll be relegated to the substitute matches!" Lee Dong added, his determination clear.

With roughly fifteen participants but only five spots available, the competition was fierce. After a round of matches, one lucky contestant would bypass the elimination and advance directly. Eventually, seven would move forward, but since this number was insufficient for the next round, one more would be selected from the defeated to round out the group to eight. From there, they would battle until only four remained, and finally, the strongest among the defeated would be chosen to claim the last available spot.

These were the rules of the selection competition.

Sadly, neither contestant was fortunate enough to receive a bye.

Lee Dong quickly began his summoning.

"Come forth, Earth Demonic Bear!"

A formidable Demonic Beast emerged, standing three meters tall and solid as a wall. Its black fur and fierce eyes exuded a sense of power and volatility.

"Roar!"

With a stomp of its paw, the Earth Demonic Bear made the ground shudder.

The youths observing the battle wore grave expressions, aware of the Earth Demonic Bear's immense strength. With its raw power, it could even rival a Grade 4 Demonic Beast!

No one was eager to clash with Lee Dong directly.

Yet, at that moment, they watched the two on the Beast Battling Platform with a sense of schadenfreude, secretly hoping for a double knockout.

[Creature]: Earth Demonic Bear

[Attributes]: Beast

[Type]: Unevolved

[Skills]: Earth Splitting, Berserk, Crack Claw

[Potential]: High-grade Bronze

[Bloodline]: None

[Level]: Bronze Grade 3

[Status]: Excited