Chapter 67: Instant Defeat Upon Entering the Arena
“Roar.”
As soon as they entered the Beast Arena, the Beast Tamer sent by the Xinhui Construction Group immediately summoned his beast.
A beast nearly three meters tall, with a mane flourishing around its neck—the Lion-Tiger Beast.
“Shi Lei, a member of the Xinhui Construction Group’s Security Department, also a Black Iron Hunter of the Hunter Guild, owns an adult Lion-Tiger Beast. He has participated in five arena duels, with a record of four wins and one loss.”
Watching the bald, burly man summon his beast, Zhou Ming silently recited the intel Wang Yan had gathered.
“Ironfang Hound?”
When Zhou Ming saw He Yong summon his beast, he was momentarily speechless. With such strength, he still dared to take money to enter the arena?
This kind of Ferocious Beast was, of course, not unfamiliar to Zhou Ming. The Boss of the Dog’s Home used an Ironfang Hound as his own beast.
Back then, his predecessor had been filled with envy the first time he saw one.
But to the current Zhou Ming, the Ironfang Hound had no praiseworthy quality other than its sharp teeth. It was among the lower ranks of low-tier Ferocious Beasts, surviving in the wilderness by hunting mutated animals.
Of course, throughout the history of the Blue Star Alliance, there had been Beast Tamers of humble origins who achieved great success relying on their Ironfang Hounds.
But without exception, those Beast Tamers had battled endlessly in the wilderness with their beasts, feeding them the flesh and blood of Ferocious Beasts, allowing their Ironfang Hounds to evolve beyond their kin.
As for the He Yong before him—let alone hunting in the wilderness—Zhou Ming even doubted whether this Ironfang Hound had ever killed a single mutated animal.
“The arena duel officially begins.”
Seeing that both sides had summoned their beasts, Lin Feibao’s rough voice echoed again.
“Roar.”
As the duel started, the opponent directly controlled his Lion-Tiger Beast to lunge toward the Ironfang Hound. With a violent roar filled with fury, it aimed to crush the Ironfang Hound’s momentum and instantly kill it.
“Bang.”
“Howl, howl…”
Just as expected, overwhelmed by sheer force, the Ironfang Hound was slapped away by the Lion-Tiger Beast’s claw.
“Wait!”
When the Lion-Tiger Beast opened its blood-stained jaws, about to instantly kill his beast, He Yong—who had been putting on airs earlier—hurriedly shouted.
“I surrender!”
Under Shi Lei’s control, the Lion-Tiger Beast immediately stopped—not because he didn’t want to show dominance, but because attacking after surrender would count as a foul, costing him the match.
“Your beast isn’t even on par with the mutated animals of the wilderness. Truly disappointing.”
At He Yong’s and his beast’s performance, Shi Lei didn’t even have the mood to mock them.
It was like an adult defeating a child—too embarrassing to even mention.
Ignoring He Yong, Shi Lei looked up at the platform where Zhou Ming and the others were seated and shouted,
“Who’s next? I’ll take you all on today—saves me the trouble of wasting time.”
It wasn’t arrogance—it was the gap in strength.
“Zhou Ming, are you confident? If not, let’s just give up,” said Wang Tiezhu, his face showing a hint of discouragement.
After all, even if Zhou Ming won, Wang Yan wouldn’t be able to win the second round—his beast hadn’t even reached adulthood.
“Zhou Ming, don’t force yourself,” Wang Yan urged. He had invited Zhou Ming here only to try their luck.
But after seeing the opponent’s beast strength, he didn’t want his brother to take unnecessary risks.
“Uncle Wang, Wang Yan, don’t worry.”
Since he had decided to come, Zhou Ming had no intention of backing down. Some matters weren’t as simple as they appeared on the surface.
After reassuring the Wang father and son, Zhou Ming walked directly into the arena.
When he passed by He Yong—whose face had turned pale as he recalled his beast into his Beast Space—
“Spit out what you’ve eaten.”
Zhou Ming said quietly before walking past him, not even bothering to glance at his reaction.
“A young brat? But my instincts tell me you’re far stronger than that guy. I hope you can entertain me,” said Shi Lei as he watched Zhou Ming approach. He truly lived up to his reputation as a capable fighter, showing the composure of a seasoned combatant.
“As you wish.”
Inkband appeared on Zhou Ming’s right arm. Its two dark-golden, bean-sized eyes gleamed as they fixed upon the Lion-Tiger Beast ahead.
On the platform, Wang Tiezhu turned to Wang Yan and asked, “That’s Zhou Ming’s beast? Why is it so small?”
“I don’t know either. But Zhou Ming said his beast is a venomous snake—it probably fights using poison,” Wang Yan replied uncertainly.
“Bah, even the smallest Ferocious Beast is bigger than a regular mutated animal. I bet that’s just a common mutated snake. It wouldn’t even fill the Lion-Tiger Beast’s teeth gap.”
He Yong, still bitter from Zhou Ming’s earlier remark, sneered.
“Begin.”
Before Wang Yan could respond, Lin Feibao’s voice announced the start of the duel.
Wang Yan had no choice but to focus his attention on the arena.
Neither side gave verbal commands; both controlled their beasts directly through their Spiritual Threads.
At the speed of Ferocious Beasts, the time needed for a verbal command was enough for several attacks—and shouting would only tip off the opponent’s intentions.
In the wilderness, there wasn’t even time for summoning; real Beast Tamer combat was often about who fired first with a gun.
After all, battles to the death weren’t games—there were no rules. The goal was simply to eliminate the opponent.
Inside the arena, Inkband was completely unfazed by the Lion-Tiger Beast’s ferocity. Using its small size to its advantage, it swiftly dodged each strike.
Zhou Ming didn’t waste its stamina—every movement was calculated, as if it were dancing upon the edge of a blade, narrowly slipping past danger each time.
“Roar!”
Seeing this slippery, eel-like creature, the Lion-Tiger Beast grew furious, but under its master’s command, it could only continue its relentless assault.
The opponent had likely realized Inkband specialized in venom, so he didn’t dare let his beast bite directly. Instead, he used powerful claw strikes to prevent close contact, wary of giving Inkband a chance to inject venom.
“As expected of a Beast Tamer forged in the wilderness,” Zhou Ming silently evaluated as he watched the intense battle unfold.
Though the situation wasn’t as one-sided as Shi Lei had expected, he didn’t grow anxious nor feel humiliated.
Instead, he continued driving his beast with straightforward, efficient attacks—draining Inkband’s stamina and restricting its movement space.
A few times, he even had his beast suddenly burst forth in speed to catch Inkband off guard.
Unfortunately for him, while he analyzed Inkband’s speed and reactions, he had also forced his own beast into a predictable attack rhythm.
Having grasped the opponent’s pattern, Zhou Ming decided it was time to end it.
In the arena, the Lion-Tiger Beast cornered Inkband.
With a powerful leap, it pounced—its raised claws ready to tear Inkband in two.