Mu Yunyao

Han Changming looked toward Han Dehai and asked, "Thirteenth Uncle, would you like to come with us?"

"I have no interest. You two go ahead on your own. Changjiong, keep an eye on Changming; there are many things he doesn't understand yet."

"Understood, Thirteenth Uncle."

Han Changjiong readily agreed and led Han Changming away.

Han Changjiong made a purchase, then headed straight for the Hundred Beasts Palace.

As soon as they neared the Hundred Beasts Palace, they heard the roars of large spirit beasts.

The main hall of the Hundred Beasts Palace was very spacious, with a bluestone corridor on both the left and right sides; the roar of spirit beasts could be heard from the left corridor from time to time.

The stone walls on both sides were carved with numerous spirit beast patterns, which looked incredibly lifelike.

In the center of the hall was a bluestone counter, with over a dozen cultivators crowded in front of it, shouting to place their bets.

Han Changming was bewildered, following Han Changjiong as he pushed forward.

Han Changjiong held a paper bag full of steamed buns in his left hand, while his right hand grabbed a bun and stuffed it into his mouth.

He was rather plump, and he kept pushing forward, forcing his way to the front of the counter.

"Make way, make way, I want to place a bet."

"Which two spirit beasts are fighting today? What are the odds?" Han Changjiong asked after swallowing the bun in his mouth.

"The Green Water Crocodile versus the Fire Carp Beast. The odds are one-to-one, with a maximum individual bet of one thousand spirit stones."

Han Changjiong looked at Han Changming and asked, "Ninth Brother, do you want to play a little? A small wager is just for fun."

Han Changming thought for a moment, shook his head, and declined.

Spirit stones were not easy to earn, and his grandfather had always taught him to be frugal and manage the household well, rather than being extravagant and wasteful.

Han Changjiong did not force him, instead taking out twenty spirit stones and placing them on the counter. "I bet on the Fire Carp Beast to win, twenty spirit stones."

The attendant collected the spirit stones and handed Han Changjiong a cyan token. The front had the small characters "Twenty" written on it, while the back bore the large characters "Hundred Beasts."

Han Changjiong put away the token and led Han Changming toward the corridor on the right.

After passing through a long corridor, a spacious and bright hall appeared before them, bustling with noise and excitement.

In the center of the hall was a bluestone platform over a hundred feet wide, surrounded by hundreds of stone chairs, most of which were already occupied.

Han Changjiong and Han Changming sat in the front rows so they could see clearly.

According to Han Changjiong, the Hundred Beasts Palace held a beast fight every so often, allowing cultivators to place bets.

The Hundred Beasts Palace did this to encourage cultivators to raise their own spirit beasts; after watching the fights, many cultivators would go on to buy one.

As time passed, more and more cultivators walked in, gathering in small groups to discuss which spirit beast would emerge victorious.

Han Changming carefully noted that most of the surrounding cultivators had spirit beast bags hanging from their waists.

"Seventh Brother, have you tamed a spirit beast?" Han Changming suddenly remembered something and asked curiously.

"I raised a first-rank low-grade Mountain Pushing Beast. This guy eats more than I do; if it weren't for the fact that it's quite sturdy, I would have stopped raising it long ago." Han Changjiong patted the spirit beast bag at his waist and said somewhat indistinctly.

Han Changming glanced at Han Changjiong's bulging belly, feeling curious about what kind of spirit beast could eat more than Han Changjiong.

Not long after, a loud sound of a bronze gong rang out, and a white-robed old man in his early fifties walked onto the bluestone platform. He had the cultivation of the eighth level of Qi Refining.

The white-robed old man cupped his hands toward the cultivators present and said with a smile, "I am Xu Yuan, and I will be presiding over this beast fight. Without further ado, let the contestants take the stage."

A young girl in a red dress in her early twenties and a burly man in a yellow robe stepped onto the bluestone arena. The girl in the red dress had delicate features, skin as white as snow, and bright, intelligent eyes. There was a rare heroic spirit between her brows, and her clothes bore a peach blossom pattern.

"Oh? It's a disciple of the Mu Clan from Peach Blossom Island. This will be interesting to watch."

Han Changjiong stuffed a bun into his mouth and said with some excitement.

"The Mu Clan of Peach Blossom Island?" Han Changming was a bit surprised and took another look at the girl in the red dress.

There were many cultivation families in the Red Algae Sea, and the Mu Clan of Peach Blossom Island was a relatively famous one. A female member of the Mu Clan was the wife of the Azure Cloud Sect leader, and the relationship between the Mu Clan and the Azure Cloud Sect was quite good. It was said that the Mu Clan alone had as many as eight Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"I was wondering who it was! It turns out to be Mu Yunyao of the Mu Clan's Three Beauties. Now we're in for a good show."

Someone called out the name of the girl in the red dress.

"Mu Yunyao! One of the Mu Clan's Three Beauties!"

Han Changming silently noted the name. Every cultivation family had outstanding disciples. To encourage their own to cultivate diligently, families would give them nicknames. For instance, the Han Clan had the "Three Heroes." The Han Clan's Three Heroes were the focus of the family's cultivation efforts; they had good aptitude and fast cultivation speeds, so they didn't need to go out to handle chores. They could stay on Red Shrimp Island to cultivate in peace, with all necessary resources provided by the family.

Mu Yunyao and the burly man in the yellow robe released their respective spirit beasts. Mu Yunyao's spirit beast looked like a carp but had four limbs under its belly; it was entirely crimson and covered in red scales the size of a palm.

The burly man's spirit beast was a green crocodile about a zhang long, its emerald eyes darting around as it stared fixedly at the Fire Carp Beast opposite it.

"The beast fight begins."

A pale cyan light barrier appeared out of thin air, covering the arena, and the two spirit beasts began to grapple on the platform.

The Green Water Crocodile's tail was full of power; it opened its bloody maw and spat out a dozen blue water arrows, which struck the Fire Carp Beast without leaving a single scratch.

The Fire Carp Beast let out a strange roar and spat out a thick stream of crimson flames, which struck the Green Water Crocodile, engulfing its body in fire.

Normally, water overcomes fire, but a powerful enough fire can also overcome water.

Both the Green Water Crocodile and the Fire Carp Beast were first-rank mid-grade spirit beasts. At first, they were evenly matched, but as time passed, the Fire Carp Beast gradually gained the upper hand. The crimson flames it spat out covered the Green Water Crocodile, and the high temperature of the fire caused the crocodile unbearable pain.

The Fire Carp Beast opened its blood-red maw, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth connected by strands of viscous saliva.

The Fire Carp Beast let out a strange roar and lunged at the Green Water Crocodile.

The Green Water Crocodile was clearly no match for the Fire Carp Beast, and before long, its body was covered in wounds.

"Stop, please stop! I concede, Fairy Mu." The man in the yellow robe hurriedly admitted defeat; losing the match only meant losing a few dozen spirit stones, but if his spirit beast died, it would be a loss of over a hundred.

Hearing this, the corners of Mu Yunyao's mouth curled up into a smile.

The Fire Carp Beast immediately released its grip and retreated to the side.

"The Fire Carp Beast wins," Xu Yuan announced loudly, dispelling the barrier as Mu Yunyao and the man in the yellow robe recalled their spirit beasts.

"Hehe, I earned twenty spirit stones; I can buy plenty of steamed buns with that," Han Changjiong said with some excitement.

Han Changming asked curiously, "Seventh Brother, did you know the Fire Carp Beast would win?"

Han Changjiong had earned twenty spirit stones without doing a thing, and it would be a lie to say Han Changming didn't feel a twinge of regret.

Work has been busy and updates are unstable, my apologies.