At Chu Yun's command, the Heavenly Fox circled around the Green Fang Snake. As it moved, it repeatedly opened its mouth and spat out Minor Pill Fire, each shot striking the Green Fang Snake with pinpoint accuracy.
The Green Fang Snake let out pained hisses as it was battered. Every Minor Pill Fire that slammed into it made its body shudder violently.
"How could this happen?!" Lady Shu's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Shu Er panicked too. He hadn't expected the opponent's counterattack to come so quickly!
He wanted to use poison spray and trade shots with the Heavenly Fox. But the situation had changed. The Green Fang Snake's demonic essence was probably less than a tenth of its opponent's!
He had used up too much. At last, he was tasting the bitter fruit of his earlier arrogance.
"Green Fang Snake, Grass Leaf Armor!" With no other choice, he decided to defend first.
Grass Leaf Armor was a defensive art similar to Red Lotus Armor. When the Green Fang Snake used it, a protective layer immediately appeared over its body. At a glance, it looked like a garment woven from countless green leaves.
Chu Yun sneered. "Stop dodging. Use Minor Pill Fire once every six breaths to suppress it."
The Green Fang Snake was focusing on defense, but that would only make its defeat come faster. It was exactly what Chu Yun wanted to see.
The Heavenly Fox stopped in its tracks, opened its mouth, and continuously fired Minor Pill Fire. The Green Fang Snake was completely suppressed and battered into dodging in every direction.
The Green Leaf Armor was quickly depleted. This time, the Green Fang Snake's demonic essence was completely exhausted too.
"Oh my, what a quick defeat! How could this happen?" someone in the crowd cried out.
"Is this the power of tactics?" someone mused.
"Not just that. The Fire Fox is a fire-element Demon Beast, which naturally counters the wood-element Green Fang Snake," another expert analyzed.
"So that's how it is." The crowd listened, suddenly enlightened. They all felt their trip had been worthwhile, having witnessed such an exciting battle. They'd have a whole month's worth of boasting to do after they got home.
The spectators were enjoying the spectacle, but those caught up in the battle felt their emotions surging even more fiercely.
"How could this happen? Why..." Lady Shu murmured, dazed, her mind completely blank.
She simply couldn't accept it.
"Chu Yun actually won!" The Three Elders looked at one another, all showing signs of excitement.
This was an unexpected delight!
"To win against a stronger opponent, Chu Yun pulled it off beautifully!" Old Fish King was filled with relief.
"The island lord has an heir! If he hears this news, just imagine how happy he'll be!" Old Monkey Qiao sighed with satisfaction.
The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master nodded too. Chu Yun had won this battle in spectacular fashion. His excellent tactics had showcased a Spirit Beast Master's intelligence.
"Now, I announce that the winner of the second trial is Chu Yun—"
"Wait, I haven't lost yet!" Hearing the Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master's announcement, Shu Er suddenly shuddered and snapped back to his senses. His face twisted, his eyes went bloodshot, and he shouted in protest.
"Still refusing to accept it? Has anger and humiliation clouded your mind?" Chu Yun watched coldly from the sidelines. He could tell at a glance what state Shu Er was in.
His mind had indeed been clouded.
He had swaggered and taunted at the start, only to suffer such a defeat in the end. Shu Er felt that Chu Yun had been leading him around by the nose the whole time. The stark contrast between his early confidence and his final failure made the humiliation even worse!
That immense humiliation turned into fury. Shu Er's head buzzed as he roared, "It's not over! It's not over! In a Demon Beast battle, the Spirit Beast Masters can join in too! Chu Yun, you dared to toy with me like this? You've got a lot of nerve! I'm going to tear you to pieces!"
As he spoke, he lunged at Chu Yun.
The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master was stunned. He wanted to stop this outrageous behavior, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.
What Shu Er said wasn't wrong. In a Demon Beast battle, the Spirit Beast Masters could join in as well. But Spirit Beast Masters were still human, and the human body was fragile, no match for a Demon Beast. They could easily suffer serious injuries or even die. That was why few youths chose to enter the fray themselves during the trial.
But in a real battle, people would use every means at their disposal. Targeting and killing the Spirit Beast Master was the most direct and effortless way to fight. Once the Spirit Beast Master died, the Demon Beast's threat was greatly reduced. Besides, many Spirit Beast Masters wielded Demon Weapons and were extremely capable in close combat.
So the coming-of-age trial had not forbidden Spirit Beast Masters from joining the battle themselves.
The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master had no grounds to stop Shu Er from entering the fray.
Seeing Shu Er charge at him like a madman, Chu Yun let out a cold snort and stopped the Heavenly Fox from trying to protect him.
"You overestimate yourself." He sneered. He waited until Shu Er reached him, then suddenly stepped forward and drove his right fist hard into Shu Er's stomach!
"Urgh—!"
Shu Er's body immediately doubled over like a shrimp, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. His face turned ashen, his mouth gaped open, and the tip of his tongue stuck out. His expression was frozen in startled disbelief, mingled with boundless pain.
He slowly crouched on the ground, his body trembling as cold sweat poured down him. He gasped for breath in great, heaving gulps.
His earlier frenzy had collapsed in an instant.
"With a body hollowed out by wine and women like yours, you still dared to come down here and fight? There's a limit to stupidity!" Chu Yun grinned, an inexplicable chill radiating from him. He suddenly raised his foot and kicked Shu Er straight in the front teeth.
With a dull thud, Shu Er was kicked into the air before slamming back onto the ground.
Twisted up like a shrimp, he shook violently and clutched his mouth as he screamed. Blood streamed through the gaps between his fingers.
"You hit me? You actually dared to hit me? You're dead! You're dead!" His face was full of disbelief, and his voice trembled as he continued to shout threats.
Chu Yun walked toward him. Shu Er looked panicked and scraped backward across the ground with his feet.
"Didn't you call me a coward and a spineless weakling? Didn't you want to fight me? Well, here I am." Chu Yun smiled faintly as he walked up to Shu Er, clenched his right fist, raised it high, and brought it down!
Thud.
Shu Er had been struggling to get up, but now his body seemed to have been struck by a heavy hammer. His head slammed into the ground, and his teeth sprayed across the floor with a burst of blood.
"Look at you. Aren't you loaded? Is all that money any use against my fists?" Chu Yun stopped punching and started using his feet.
He kicked down hard, like he was striking a worn-out drum.
Shu Er spat blood. His body curled up reflexively, but his eyes stayed fixed on Chu Yun, brimming with murderous intent. He opened his mouth, about to spit out a threat, but Chu Yun raised his foot and kicked him in the forehead.
Thud.
His head met the ground again. The dull impact made everyone standing nearby shudder.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Let go of my son! Chu Yun, I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" Lady Shu finally snapped out of her shock. Seeing Shu Er in such a miserable state, she screamed like a madwoman.
"I'll never let you off! Never!" With Chu Yun's foot pinning his head to the ground, Shu Er's eyes were bloodshot with shame. Since birth, he'd lived in luxury. When had he ever suffered such humiliation, such a vicious beating?
Humiliation and fury burned through his heart like flames.
He felt as if he were about to explode!
"I'm looking forward to it. I really am." Chu Yun sneered. His voice was slow, but his hands and feet weren't—they were only getting faster.
A brutal beating!
Fists and feet rained down on Shu Er like a hail of spears and arrows.
Shu Er screamed again and again as he curled into himself, instinctively wrapping his arms tightly around his head.
"Get in there! All of you, save my son and kill Chu Yun!" Lady Shu had been driven mad with rage. Her two sons had been the apple of her eye since the day they were born. Now, watching Shu Er howl as he was brutally beaten, she felt as if her heart were being torn apart.
The four Spirit Beast Masters beside her stirred, ready to charge into the arena.
"Outrageous! This is the Earth Altar, the coming-of-age trial! Anyone who dares disrupt it commits a grave offense and will be exiled!" The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master glared at them, his aura surging.
"Hmph! Four Ning Family lackeys, and you dare act arrogantly on Shu Family Island!" Old Red Spear and the other two elders stepped forward as well, their killing intent surging.
These four Spirit Beast Masters were Lady Shu's trusted bodyguards, brought with her when she married into the family. Even the island lord, Shu Tianhao, could not command them. They obeyed only Lady Shu.
Lady Shu wanted Chu Yun dead, so that was an order they had to carry out.
But now, they stood frozen in place, making no move to go any further.
Unfortunately, the odds were against them!
The Three Elders were veteran military men, decisive and battle-hardened. They were not to be underestimated. And, most importantly, there was the Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master!
What was an Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master?
Nearly every island in the All-Star Archipelago had an Earth Altar. Enshrined within each Earth Altar was a Demon Beast of astonishing cultivation, used to protect the entire island from invasion. The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master presided over the altar and had some authority to command that Demon Beast!
It could be said that the Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master held the most powerful defensive force on all of Shu Family Island in his hands!
Who would dare challenge such power?
The four Spirit Beast Masters didn't dare. Faced with a choice between obeying an order and keeping their lives, they wisely chose life.
The atmosphere froze, and silence fell over the crowd watching the battle. Many islanders fixed the four Spirit Beast Masters with hostile stares.
Only Shu Er's screams still rang through the air. Chu Yun didn't even glance this way and continued beating him.
Lady Shu's face turned ashen and her eyes blazed. She struggled to hold on to a shred of clarity.
"Enough, Chu Yun, you little beast! Stop this at once!" she shrieked, completely hysterical.
Chu Yun really did stop. He turned toward Lady Shu and smiled. His lips were red, his teeth white, and his smile shone like sunlight.
"Just because you said that, I'd already decided to stop. Ah, what a pity!" Before his words had even faded, he grabbed Shu Er by the arm, pulled it straight, raised his foot, and kicked him in the elbow joint.
A sharp crack rang out. Shu Er threw back his head and let out a scream that shook heaven and earth.
The pain cut to the bone.
His left arm had been kicked cleanly in two by Chu Yun. A chalk-white bone end protruded from his flesh, exposed and horrifying to look at.
"Guh... guh..." Lady Shu pointed at Chu Yun, trembling violently. She wanted to speak, but it was as if someone had a hand around her throat. All she could make were strange sounds.
"How does it feel?" Chu Yun smiled again.
For a moment, not only Lady Shu but even the onlookers felt their hearts skip a beat.
The people of Shu Family Island were renowned for their ferocious courage. But after seeing Chu Yun inflict such ruthless punishment with a smile on his face, they all felt a chill. They saw this thirteen-year-old boy, who looked so bright and sunny, in a completely new light—and felt a hint of fear they could barely detect.
Shu Er's screams abruptly stopped. The pain had exceeded what he could bear. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
The Earth Altar Spirit Beast Master immediately shouted, "Shu Er is unconscious! Chu Yun wins this battle! With two victories, Chu Yun becomes the winner of the second trial—"
"First place!"