Mu Yunyao

Han Changming looked at Han Dehai and asked, "Thirteenth Uncle, do you want to come with us?"

"I'm not interested. You go on your own. Changjiong, keep an eye on Changming. He doesn't know how a lot of things work."

"Got it, Thirteenth Uncle."

Han Changjiong readily agreed and led Han Changming away.

Han Changjiong bought some food and 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 passageway on either side. Roars from spirit beasts occasionally echoed from the passage on the left.

The stone walls on both sides were carved with countless spirit beasts, every detail lifelike.

In the center of the hall stood a bluestone counter. More than a dozen cultivators crowded in front of it, shouting out their bets.

Han Changming was utterly confused as he followed Han Changjiong forward.

Han Changjiong cradled a paper bag full of buns in his left arm and grabbed one with his right, stuffing it into his mouth.

He was rather fat and kept pushing forward, forcing his way to the counter.

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

"Which two kinds of spirit beasts are fighting today? What are the odds?" Han Changjiong swallowed his mouthful of bun and asked.

"The Green Water Crocodile and the Fire Carp Beast are fighting. The odds are one to one, and the maximum bet per person is a thousand spirit stones."

Han Changjiong looked at Han Changming and asked, "Ninth Brother, want to try your luck? A little gambling is a pleasant diversion."

Han Changming thought it over, then shook his head and declined.

Spirit stones were hard to earn. His grandfather had always taught him to manage the household frugally and avoid extravagance.

Han Changjiong didn't press him. He took out twenty spirit stones, set them on the counter, and said, "I bet on the Fire Carp Beast to win. Twenty spirit stones."

The attendant pocketed the spirit stones and handed Han Changjiong a cyan token. The front bore the two small characters "twenty," while the back bore the two large characters "Hundred Beasts."

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

After walking through a long passage, they emerged into a spacious, brightly lit hall, bustling with noise and excitement.

At the center of the hall stood a bluestone platform more than a hundred zhang across, surrounded by several hundred stone seats, nearly half of them occupied.

Han Changjiong and Han Changming sat near the front, where they could see everything clearly.

According to Han Changjiong, the Hundred Beasts Palace held beast fights from time to time, and cultivators could place bets.

The Hundred Beasts Palace did this to encourage cultivators to raise spirit beasts. After watching the fights, quite a few cultivators would go buy one.

As time passed, more and more cultivators filed in. They gathered in groups of two or three, discussing which spirit beast would win.

Han Changming carefully noticed that most of the cultivators around them had Spirit Beast Bags hanging at their waists.

"Seventh Brother, do you raise a spirit beast?" Han Changming suddenly thought of something and asked curiously.

"I raise a first-tier low-grade Mountain Pushing Beast. That thing eats even more than I do. If it weren't so tough, I'd have stopped raising it ages ago." Han Changjiong patted the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist and replied somewhat indistinctly.

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

Before long, a tremendous gong rang out. A white-robed old man in his early fifties stepped onto the bluestone platform. He was at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

The old man cupped his fists toward the cultivators present and said with a smile, "This old man is Xu Yuan, and I'll be presiding over today's beast fight. Without further ado, let the contestants come forward."

A young woman in a red dress, barely in her twenties, and a burly man in a yellow robe stepped onto the bluestone fighting platform. The young woman had delicate features, skin fair as snow, and bright, lively eyes. A rare trace of heroic spirit for a woman showed between her brows, and a peach blossom emblem adorned her clothes.

"Oh, she's from the Mu Clan of Peach Blossom Island. This should be a good show."

Han Changjiong stuffed a bun into his mouth and said excitedly.

"The Mu Clan of Peach Blossom Island?" Han Changming asked in surprise, taking another look at the young woman in red.

There were many cultivating clans in the Red Algae Sea. The Mu Clan of Peach Blossom Island was among the more famous ones. One of the Mu Clan's female members was the wife of the Azure Cloud Sect's leader, and the Mu Clan had a very good relationship with the sect. It was said that the Mu Clan alone had as many as eight Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"I was wondering who it was! So it's Mu Yunyao, one of the Three Talents of the Mu Clan. Now this should be a good show."

Someone called out the young woman's name.

"Mu Yunyao! One of the Three Talents of the Mu Clan!"

Han Changming silently committed the name to memory. Every cultivating clan had outstanding young members. To encourage their people to cultivate diligently, clans gave them nicknames. The Han Clan, for instance, had its Three Heroes. They were the clan's key cultivation prospects, with decent aptitude and relatively quick progress. They didn't have to go out and work; they could stay in Red Shrimp Island and cultivate in peace, with the clan providing all the cultivation resources they needed.

Mu Yunyao and the man in the yellow robe each released their spirit beasts. Mu Yunyao's beast resembled a carp, but had four legs beneath its belly. It was bright red all over, with scales the size of palms covering its body.

The burly man's spirit beast was a green crocodile about a zhang long. Its jade-green eyes darted about as it fixed its gaze on the Fire Carp Beast opposite it.

"Let the beast fight begin!"

A pale blue barrier appeared out of nowhere, enclosing the platform. The two spirit beasts began battling onstage.

The Green Water Crocodile's tail was packed with power. It opened its huge jaws and spat out more than a dozen blue water bolts, which struck the Fire Carp Beast without leaving so much as a scratch.

The Fire Carp Beast let out a strange cry and spewed a thick stream of red flames, which struck the Green Water Crocodile and engulfed its body.

Normally, water overcame fire, but a raging fire could overcome water, too.

Both the Green Water Crocodile and the Fire Carp Beast were first-tier mid-grade spirit beasts. At first, they were evenly matched, but as time passed, the Fire Carp Beast gradually gained the upper hand. Its red flames enveloped the Green Water Crocodile, and their scorching heat left the crocodile in unbearable pain.

The Fire Carp Beast opened its huge jaws, revealing rows of sharp teeth, with strands of saliva stretching between them.

The Fire Carp Beast let out a strange cry and pounced on the Green Water Crocodile.

The Green Water Crocodile was clearly no match for the Fire Carp Beast. Before long, it was covered in wounds.

"Stop, stop! I surrender, Fairy Mu!" the man in the yellow robe cried hastily. Losing the match would cost him only a few dozen spirit stones, but if his spirit beast died, he'd lose a hundred or more.

At those words, Mu Yunyao's lips curled slightly into a smile.

The Fire Carp Beast immediately let go and retreated to the side.

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

"Heh heh, I made twenty spirit stones. Now I can buy lots more buns." Han Changjiong sounded delighted.

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

Han Changjiong had done nothing and made twenty spirit stones. Han Changming couldn't deny that he regretted not betting.