Starfiend Roc

Inside the private room.

"Sister Qin, your Chending has taken the stage!"

"Chending has real guts. The clearance battles have only just begun, yet he dared to step onto the arena and fight first."

"Chending has already broken through to the Spirit Source Realm, hasn't he? My Ying'er is still only at the ninth level of the Beast Pulse Realm."

"Don't be anxious, Sister. Within half a month, Ying'er will certainly cultivate to the Spirit Source Realm."

"These two children are so close. Once they enter the academy and cultivate together, childhood sweethearts progressing side by side in the bloom of youth—it truly makes one envious."

"Sister Qin is right. But Chending is so formidable; who would dare go up and become his opponent?"

As they chattered away, Madam Xue Lan, seated in the middle, raised her delicate brows and said, "We'll know once we watch."

Perhaps Li Tianming's companion beast rank had exceeded her expectations; her mood had not been very good ever since.

Because of that single remark, the atmosphere in the private room turned awkward, and none of the ladies quite dared to speak.

More importantly, they could not guess why Xue Lan was unhappy. They feared saying the wrong thing and upsetting her further.

Just then, under the ladies' watchful eyes, a youth in white appeared opposite Chending.

The white-clad youth was tall and agile, carrying the air of a jade-like gentleman on a country road, a peerless young master beneath heaven.

His eyes were deep yet calm, seeming to hold a maturity that did not match his age. The faint smile on his lips revealed the composure in his heart.

If there was anything unusual about him, it was the dense white bandages wrapped around his left hand, with a glove over his palm. That attire gave him a slightly sinister air.

"So that's Li Tianming!"

"He actually dared to challenge Chending... I remember Mu Wan had previously judged his realm to be the ninth level of the Beast Pulse Realm?"

"He's three or four years older than Chending, yet his cultivation is lower. Aside from his high-ranked companion beast, he is simply good for nothing."

"He actually dared to pick Chending as his opponent. Once Chending crushes him, he won't have the slightest chance to show himself."

"Right. At an age so close to being over the limit, he'll probably be eliminated outright."

"This little fellow really has a habit of choosing to ask for suffering." The ladies were astonished by Li Tianming's actions and began discussing it heatedly.

"Dear sisters, this is Ding'er's first time taking part in such an important battle. I'm still not sure how he'll perform," Chending's mother said.

"Sister Qin, stop being modest. Everyone knows your Ding'er has had Young Master Chen Yao's help and learned quite a few skills."

"Teaching a lecherous scoundrel a lesson will be as easy as turning over one's hand." The ladies laughed.

"That's right. Chending can teach someone with a crooked heart and improper intentions a lesson." Xue Lan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke with a smile.

This relaxed the ladies, and they began chatting and laughing again.

As they laughed and talked, the battle on the arena officially erupted!

The second stage of the clearance hall examination had only just begun. Many people were still watching from the sidelines, and those who dared go up immediately were undoubtedly brimming with confidence.

After all, everyone had to carefully choose an opponent, ensuring they would not suffer a miserable defeat while also displaying their talent and combat strength to the fullest.

At the same time, five arenas across the five great halls hosted five battles, but the one drawing the most attention was naturally the battle between Li Tianming and Chending!

"This shameless Li Tianming was already at the Spirit Source Realm three years ago. After returning three years later, he's still only in the Beast Pulse Realm. How humiliating."

"At his age, he should already be in an intermediate class, yet he's still here bullying someone younger."

"He must know he'll have trouble clearing the examination, so he chose Chending, who's in the Spirit Source Realm. Only by challenging the limit can he possibly catch an instructor's eye."

"I doubt it. Over the years, many people with his kind of thinking have ended up miserably defeated without showing anything at all."

"For clearance battles, it's best to choose an opponent with strength comparable to your own."

"Three years ago, he was already a scandal and a joke. Today, he still wants to make a fool of himself?"

That incident from back then had absolutely become the Flame Capital's favorite topic over tea and meals.

Li Tianming's clumsy and despicable role in that story had given people plenty to laugh about.

In people's hearts, he was like a toad trampled to death beneath a pair of swans.

Today, he had brought a sixth-order companion beast, like a toad that had stepped in dog shit and stumbled upon a divine weapon. But could that change the fact that he was a toad?

The answer was, of course: no.

Chending's companion beast had already made its appearance earlier. It was a high-grade fifth-order companion beast—the Starfiend Roc! A star-element avian companion beast.

The Starfiend Roc was enormous. When it spread its wings, points of light gleamed across its dark-purple feathers. Viewed from behind, it looked like a stretch of starry sky, resplendent and majestic.

By comparison, the Little Yellow Chick on Li Tianming's shoulder was yellow and tender, looking sweet and delicious.

If not for the starstone test, no one would have believed that the Little Yellow Chick was actually one rank higher than the Starfiend Roc.

"Let me ask you something first. Is your companion beast male or female?"

As Chending's gaze turned grim and he flexed every muscle in his body, preparing to kill Li Tianming with one punch, the Little Yellow Chick arrogantly asked first.

"Parroting others! What does it matter whether it's male or female?" Chending strode forward and threw a punch. Starlight blazed around his fist, and the divine force of that punch made the air tremble.

"If it's male, castrate it. If it's female... hehehe." The Little Yellow Chick planted its wings on its hips and revealed a lewd grin.

Hearing that, the Starfiend Roc was thoroughly displeased. It let out a piercing shriek, beat its wings, and charged in to kill.

"Damn, such a rough voice—it's male too! Getting your sex wrong is your original sin! Li Tianming, get him!" the Little Yellow Chick commanded.

Other people had beastmasters commanding their companion beasts, but it looked more like a beastmaster itself.

"Aren't you my mount?" Li Tianming asked with a smile.

"Wishful thinking. You're my mount," the Little Yellow Chick declared smugly.

Before the battle had even begun, they still dared to joke around so casually. This made Chending's rage blaze to the heavens.

The punch in his hand was an initial-grade source-level battle art called the Star-Rushing Fist. One punch rushed toward the stars and shook all four directions!

He was confident that one punch would send Li Tianming flying, teaching him a lesson while earning himself direct entry into Yanhuang Academy.

The instant the Star-Rushing Fist struck Li Tianming, the figure before him actually transformed into a blur of flame.

For a dazed moment, Chending even thought Li Tianming had been scattered apart by his blow.

"What kind of Spirit Source Realm are you? You're so slow." The sudden voice by his ear gave him an intensely ominous premonition!

Chending spun around and threw another punch, but Li Tianming's body once more scattered into a fiery afterimage.

Only then did he see fiery afterimages flickering everywhere across the arena. Each one could burn for several breaths!

Speed was Chending's weakness. For a time, he could not even determine Li Tianming's position.

"This is definitely a mid-grade source-level battle art!"

Chending suddenly remembered that Li Tianming had obtained four battle arts at the Stellar Heavenly Palace that day, and that place sold only source-level battle arts!

His heart trembled. Could Li Tianming have learned a mid-grade source-level battle art in only a few days?

One had to know that he had honed the Star-Rushing Fist for an entire month!

He had no time to be shocked, because Li Tianming was incredibly agile. The moment Chending charged straight ahead, Li Tianming crossed past him.

In the next instant, Li Tianming and his companion beast, the Blazing Firebird, simultaneously used the Flaming Shadow Lost Step and entangled his Starfiend Roc!

"Take one move from your father—the Netherfire Ghost Claw!" The Little Yellow Chick's use of the Flaming Shadow Lost Step was even more terrifying.

Its body was tiny, not even as large as the Starfiend Roc's beak, making it all the more elusive and unpredictable.

Over the past few days, Li Tianming had mainly focused his efforts on the Nine Thunderbolt Whips and the Flaming Shadow Lost Step. He had not yet dabbled in the Netherfire Ghost Claw.

However, the Little Yellow Chick had already achieved results in both the Netherfire Ghost Claw and the Flaming Shadow Lost Step.

It was a Primordial Chaos Giant Beast. Even with its bloodline shackles, its talent for cultivating Beast Arts surpassed that of every companion beast by a vast margin.

Do not be fooled by its tiny claws. With the force of that claw strike, it could tear apart even an iron wall.

Coupled with the Flaming Shadow Lost Step, it flashed and appeared at the Starfiend Roc's chest, directly gouging out a chunk of flesh!

The Starfiend Roc was actually extremely powerful, possessing Spirit Source Realm strength, but unfortunately, it was too enormous and happened to be countered by the Little Yellow Chick.

Amid the Flaming Shadow Lost Step, it simply could not catch the Little Yellow Chick. More importantly, Li Tianming had now passed Chending and was also targeting the Starfiend Roc!

There was an old saying: in the Beast Pulse Realm, a beastmaster and companion beast had comparable strength.

But upon reaching the Spirit Source Realm, companion beasts became stronger than beastmasters.

That was because companion beasts in the Spirit Source Realm possessed "Spirit Source Divine Abilities."

These were bloodline divine abilities distinct from battle arts, seized from "ferocious beasts."

Once a companion beast unleashed a Spirit Source Divine Ability, if it struck its target, the battle would become very difficult to fight.

Thus, Li Tianming and the Little Yellow Chick relied on their advantage in speed and footwork from the very beginning, directly targeting the Starfiend Roc!

His right hand drew out the Thunderfire Chain taken from Liu Qianyang. Spiritual fire burned along the chain, while spiritual lightning coiled around it.

Li Tianming had studied the Nine Thunderbolt Whips for some time. Though he could not yet perform many of its moves, it should be enough for this battle.

Using a chain in place of a long whip would only make the Nine Thunderbolt Whips more powerful!

Whoosh!

At the instant the Little Yellow Chick attacked with the Netherfire Ghost Claw, the first whip of Li Tianming's Nine Thunderbolt Whips tore through the sky and lashed directly across the Starfiend Roc's back!

Their Beast Essence was only at the eighth level of the Beast Pulse Realm, but the Eternal Purgatory Beast Origin was incomparably blazing.

The mid-grade source-level battle art unleashed its utmost might in their hands. Combined with their instant pincer assault, the Starfiend Roc could not block it at all.

In a brief span of time, Li Tianming and the Little Yellow Chick used the Thunderfire Chain and the Netherfire Ghost Claw to inflict severe injuries on the Starfiend Roc, directly establishing their advantage.

Li Tianming had indeed used all his strength. After all, he was fighting across a major realm.

Chending was no good-for-nothing. If Li Tianming underestimated him, the one defeated would be himself.

With such a huge disadvantage in age, if he could not defeat Chending, which instructor would dare accept him!

When Chending looked back, he immediately ground his teeth in fury and charged back to kill.

Li Tianming had already wounded the Starfiend Roc, so he directly intercepted Chending.

Amid flashing fiery afterimages, the Thunderfire Chain descended from the heavens like lightning flashing and thunder roaring, lashing madly toward Chending!