Shu Er's Tragedy Too, Mastering the Whole Situation!

Shu Er gave a sinister laugh. "You're really getting ahead of yourself, aren't you? A mere fledgling beast dares to challenge this young master's sixteen-year cultivation Green Fang Snake? You're courting death! Green Fang Snake, Venom Spit!"

The Green Fang Snake, now six feet long, coiled into a defensive formation. Upon hearing Shu Er's command, it immediately opened its maw and sprayed a stream of emerald-green venom.

"Dodge it, use the Leaping Technique," Chu Yun commanded.

The venom spit was fast, almost on par with the Minor Pill Fire, but its flight speed was the slowest among water bullets and pill fires. Chu Yun's Heavenly Fox could dodge the rapid-fire water bullets from a Martial Dao Crab with fifty-six years of cultivation; dodging venom was child's play.

The Heavenly Fox moved like white snow dancing in the wind, drifting around the perimeter of the battlefield with effortless ease, dodging the venom attacks time and again.

Wu Datou smiled to himself. Recalling the sparring sessions Chu Yun had requested, he finally understood: Chu Yun had already predicted today's duel and made preparations long ago.

The Three Elders nodded repeatedly, pleasantly surprised to see that the Heavenly Fox's Leaping Technique had reached such a profound level in just three short days. Dodging this venom was clearly no problem at all.

Lady Shu's expression was grim, her brows knit with tension. Unconsciously, she had risen from her chair and walked to the very edge of the battlefield.

Victory, it must be a victory! Chu Yun already took first place in the first assessment. If he takes first in the second, there will be no need to even hold the third!

She clenched her fists tightly. She had waited, hoped, and endured for decades, finally seeing a chance for her son to get ahead.

If he can win this fight, it will be a draw, and we can drag the results to the third round! Lady Shu silently bolstered her own resolve. Shu Er was her final hope.

Shu Er sneered incessantly at Chu Yun. "Coward, is that all you can do—run away?"

"If you've got guts, come at me! Come on, let's see if I don't poison you to death." He made no effort to hide his hostility; in his eyes, he had completely suppressed Chu Yun. His Green Fang Snake had forced the Heavenly Fox into a frantic retreat, leaving it with no room to counterattack.

"You're too green, Chu Yun. You actually want to fight me? Beast duels aren't just about the beasts themselves; they're about financial power! Hahaha, do you even have Ascension Essence Pills? You were probably thrilled just to get a single Foundation Strengthening Pill from me. I've used ten Ascension Essence Pills, and every single one is worth more than your Foundation Strengthening Pill!"

"And look at this." He patted the Immortal Pouch at his waist and said smugly, "An Immortal Pouch, do you have one? You don't even have a pouch to carry your beast! You wretch, what do you have to fight me with?"

"Stop struggling and surrender. I don't want to waste my precious time here with you." Shu Er didn't even look at him directly, his arrogance like that of a strutting rooster.

The surrounding crowd began to murmur.

"This little brat Shu Er is pathetic. He's got a bit of money and he's already acting so insufferable!"

"Disgusting, it's truly disgusting to listen to. Is this little thing really the Island Master's biological son?"

"People always say Lady Shu treats the Island Master's adopted son with such cruelty. I didn't believe it before, but now it seems it's true."

"Sigh, it's truly hard on Young Master Chu Yun. To have a stepmother and brother like that, it's a pity he's had to endure for so many years!"

The Three Elders also wore grim faces; Shu Er was too arrogant, and it was truly an eyesore.

Wu Datou remained expressionless, though he quietly shifted a few steps further away from Lady Shu.

Lady Shu's face turned frosty as she listened. She knew her reputation on Shu Family Island was already lacking. Once this duel ended and the spectators returned home, she feared the news would spread across the entire island.

But what does that matter? It's just a reputation. I don't need a reputation; I only need Shu Er to take first place and be admitted to the Heavenly Song Academy!

Her focus was entirely consumed by the battle before her; everything else was a trivial detail not worth her concern.

Shu Er continued his provocations, but Chu Yun remained smiling, turning a deaf ear to his words. In his heart, Shu Er was nothing more than a clown. A clown's clamoring only invited ridicule.

Chu Yun's temperament had long been tempered to be clear and steady; the insults of a jumping clown couldn't stir even a ripple in his heart.

"Venom Spit is also a Dao technique; it consumes quite a bit of beast essence. Compared to the Leaping Technique, it consumes far more. At this rate, the first one to collapse will definitely be Shu Er."

Old Red Spear suddenly laughed and spoke up.

The other two elders felt the same.

Old Fish King watched Chu Yun in the arena and sighed with emotion: "I'm finding this kid Chu Yun more and more extraordinary! Look at how calm and composed he is; he must have realized this too. He's trying to win through a war of attrition, overcoming the strong with the weak."

Old Monkey Qiao couldn't help but raise his brows, his expression as proud as if he were hearing someone praise his own grandson. He said happily: "Old Fish King, you're talking nonsense! Chu Yun is the Island Master's son, of course he's extraordinary. Shu Er, hehe, is no match for Chu Yun."

"The key is his beast, the Fire Fox; it has mutated too severely. It actually ignores the effects of rank suppression. That's why he has the capital to stall like this. Sigh, I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse. Although a mutated Fire Fox has such excellent aptitude, it won't go far."

Old Red Spear sighed. They all attributed the Heavenly Fox's unique performance to "mutation."

Mutated beasts truly could not be judged by common standards.

They would never imagine that the Fire Fox before them was a peerless-grade beast. No one would even consider such a thing. In their minds, a peerless-grade beast was a one-in-a-million treasure, something one might never see in a lifetime. At best, it was something heard of in legends, far too distant from their world.

Moreover, even peerless-grade beasts were supposed to be subject to rank suppression.

At this moment, few could see the direction of the battle. Aside from the Three Elders with their wealth of combat experience, only Wu Datou, the Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master, and a few others caught on.

One of the four Spirit Beast Masters guarding Lady Shu secretly frowned. He wanted to speak up and offer a warning, but after seeing Lady Shu's expression, he wisely decided against it.

Lady Shu's eyes were shining, her breathing rapid. She had seen hope—true hope!

The scene of the Green Fang Snake forcing the Heavenly Fox to scramble in all directions was deeply etched into her mind. She was not a Spirit Beast Master, so naturally, she lacked the insight to see how the battle was truly unfolding.

All she saw was the Green Fang Snake holding the upper hand, with the Heavenly Fox on the verge of defeat.

Her heart pounded, and a look of expectation filled her face.

There is hope, there is still hope! she screamed internally.

"There is no hope left, you've already lost!" Shu Er also clamored. He squinted at Chu Yun, looking at him as if he were a servant, an ant.

Chu Yun remained light and breezy, ignoring him completely. His gaze rested on the arena, but his thoughts had drifted far away.

I will definitely take first place in this assessment. Even if I come in last in the third, I will still emerge victorious. It can be said that admission to the Heavenly Song Academy is already a foregone conclusion. The Heavenly Song Academy will be a major boost to my grand plan; it is crucial. However, the Heavenly Fox's cultivation is a bit low... After this battle, I will head back into the island's forest to properly improve its cultivation.

Becoming first was already a certainty. Chu Yun had already seized control of this small battlefield, though few among those present could see it.

Sure enough, as the battle progressed, Shu Er's expression began to shift.

He could clearly feel that his Green Fang Snake was tiring, its demon essence severely depleted. In contrast, the opponent's Fire Fox remained lively, its combat strength perfectly preserved.

This is bad. He narrowed his eyes, finally realizing something was amiss, and issued a new command: "Green Fang Snake, use Slithering Technique, get close to the target, and then spray your venom."

Chu Yun smiled, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes: Realizing it now, isn't it a bit too late?

The Green Fang Snake retracted its snake formation, its emerald body winding and slithering as it lunged toward the Heavenly Fox.

The Heavenly Fox, having received no new orders from its master, naturally followed the previous instruction to evade, continuing to dodge using the Leaping Technique. It jumped and repositioned constantly; the Green Fang Snake slithered for quite a while, yet it failed to close the distance.

The circular combat arena on the Earth Altar had no theoretical blind spots. The Heavenly Fox utilized this to perfection.

After a moment, Shu Er's face turned livid, and he roared, "Chu Yun, you coward, do you dare to stop and fight me head-on?"

Chu Yun sneered and remained silent.

After another moment, with the battle still making no progress, Shu Er became exasperated and bellowed, "Chu Yun, you spineless thing, what's the point of just running away? If you're a man, turn around and fight me!"

Chu Yun remained unmoved.

Lady Shu was also dissatisfied and clamored, "Running away won't solve anything. Chu Yun, stop stalling. Your defeat is already set; no matter how you struggle, it's all in vain."

Among the onlookers, some were growing bored and chimed in, "That's right, turn around and fight. Running away won't lead to victory; this is truly tedious to watch."

"Hmph, what do you ignorant children know? This is tactics! A war of attrition, understand? Whose consumption is greater? The longer this drags on, the more favorable it is for the Fire Fox. Stop shouting nonsense and embarrassing my Shu Family Island!" an expert who understood the situation retorted.

One word stirred up a thousand waves.

It was as if a window paper had been poked through, instantly enlightening many people.

In fact, the state of the battle had become almost clear by this point. The Fire Fox's advantage was gradually revealing itself.

"Oh, I see it now. What a great tactic! A war of attrition, winning against the strong with the weak—truly remarkable!" someone exclaimed, slapping their head.

"I was wondering why the situation felt so strange. So that's it!" someone else slapped their thigh.

Of course, there were still those who didn't understand, but they dared not speak up now. The tide of public opinion had shifted, and it was better to keep quiet than to reveal one's ignorance.

Lady Shu wore a look of disbelief.

"That can't be! What kind of eyes do you all have? It's clearly my son's Green Fang Snake that holds the upper hand!" she turned back and retorted loudly.

Immediately, she heard someone in the surrounding crowd sneer, "Upper hand? Lady Shu, look back at the battlefield again—who holds the upper hand?"

Lady Shu looked back, and she was instantly shaken to her core, left gaping and staring in disbelief at the scene unfolding on the battlefield.

The Heavenly Fox's counterattack had already begun!