Zeng Tian's confidence had not come from thin air. Half a year had passed since the Scarlet King told him about the gathering of Ferocious Beasts.
During that half year, Zeng Tian's level had risen only modestly, from level 51 to level 53, but he had made considerable breakthroughs with his moves.
Not only had his proficiency with moves he already knew, such as Terrifying Growl and Fire Blast, improved dramatically, but he had also learned several heavyweight moves.
The first was Flare Blitz, one of the strongest physical Fire-type moves. Its power was beyond question.
What was more, Zeng Tian had incorporated Flame Charge, Fire Punch, Fire Claw, and other moves into Flare Blitz, bringing qualitative improvements to its power, speed, and flexibility alike.
The only pity was that Zeng Tian had not managed to solve Flare Blitz's recoil problem.
On the contrary, boosted by Flame Charge's extreme speed, Flare Blitz inflicted even more terrifying damage, but its recoil had grown stronger too.
To put it bluntly, a single collision using Flare Blitz was enough to cost Zeng Tian half his life.
As such, unless he was fighting for his life, Zeng Tian would not use this move. After all, he had yet to learn any recovery moves.
The second move was Hurricane.
One must not forget that although Zeng Tian had consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fruit and the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Grass, evolving his Ability from Blaze into Deep Crimson Blaze, he was still a Fire- and Flying-type Pokémon.
As a result, he learned Flying-type moves extremely quickly as well.
He had trained Flying-type moves such as Air Slash, Wing Attack, Aerial Ace, and Air Slash to above lv8, a level of proficiency more than sufficient for combat.
To avoid wasting Deep Crimson Blaze's fifty-percent damage boost, he had added fire to all these Flying-type moves, fusing them with Fire-type moves and transforming them into combined Flying- and Fire-type attacks.
Of these combination moves, the one Zeng Tian was most satisfied with was Heat Wave Storm, formed by merging Heat Wave and Hurricane.
Compared with Flare Blitz, which wounded the enemy a thousand times only to wound himself five hundred, Heat Wave Storm not only dealt high damage over a wide area but also had no side effects whatsoever.
If he had to name a flaw, the only thing that could count as one was its relatively heavy consumption of energy and stamina. Even so, as a trump card, its flaws could not dim its brilliance.
Besides those two powerful moves, Zeng Tian had made one other tremendous gain in his repertoire.
It was Sunny Day, which he had only learned yesterday!
This was the foundation of Zeng Tian's confidence. With Sunny Day, he could negate the effects of his opponent's domain and even bring about another qualitative leap in his own combat strength.
Thus, although Zeng Tian was only level 53, his actual combat strength had already surpassed the Scarlet King's and reached a terrifying degree.
Passing through the dense woods surrounding the Lake of Life and feeling the aura of life grow ever richer, they finally reached the lake.
The Lake of Life was as tranquil as Zeng Tian remembered from his last visit. Its pale green waters shimmered with a soft green glow, radiating a rich aura of life that refreshed the heart and soul.
The only difference was a long black table beside the Lake of Life, with several figures of differing appearances seated around it.
At the head of the table, naturally, sat Di Tian, dressed in a black outer robe patterned with gold.
Di Tian's eyes were lowered, his hands resting on the armrests of his chair. Though he said nothing, he exuded an overwhelming majesty that made even the surrounding air seem somewhat gloomier.
Seated to Di Tian's left was a stunningly beautiful, slender woman in an aqua-green dress.
Her long emerald-green hair hung loose, and a pair of emerald-green wings on her back seemed carved from gemstones, dazzling with brilliant colors and brimming with life. Her emerald eyes gazed at Di Tian, a trace of tenderness faintly showing within them.
Opposite her sat a middle-aged man with a gloomy face, whose entire presence gave off a somber air that made others deeply uncomfortable.
Next in line was a burly man with knotted muscles. His right hand in particular was absurdly powerful, and his fingers kept tapping against the tabletop, betraying obvious impatience.
Opposite him sat a square-faced, red-haired middle-aged man in a fiery red robe. Zeng Tian sensed something distinctly familiar about him.
At the very end sat a bewitchingly beautiful woman with purple eyes, purple hair, and an excellent figure. Her clothing resembled armor, giving her the air of a valkyrie.
A purplish-black scale grew on the woman's forehead, rippling with layer upon layer of purple halos that flowed naturally over the top of her head.
The arrival of Zeng Tian and the Auspicious Beast naturally drew everyone's attention. The red-haired middle-aged man immediately smiled and beckoned to them, calling, "Auspicious Beast, Zeng Tian, you're here. Sit over here."
As he spoke, the red-haired middle-aged man pointed to the seat beside him.
Zeng Tian went to the indicated seat, set his tail to one side, and sat down.
Meanwhile, the Auspicious Beast was also about to sit beside Zeng Tian, but before she had taken more than a few steps, the alluring purple-haired woman caught hold of her.
"Little Auspicious Beast, it's been so long!"
The alluring purple-haired woman was about to reach out and pat the Auspicious Beast's head, but the Auspicious Beast easily dodged her hand.
After escaping the purple-haired woman's clutches, the Auspicious Beast said indignantly, "Zi JI, how many times have I told you not to call me Little Auspicious Beast? And don't touch my head!"
"All right, all right, Little Auspicious Beast!"
Zi JI agreed with a smile, yet a hint of surprise flickered in her eyes.
When did the Auspicious Beast become so strong? Not only could she dodge my hand, but I could barely hold on to her just now.
Meanwhile, after sitting down, Zeng Tian looked the red-haired middle-aged man over and asked with a somewhat odd expression, "You're... the Scarlet King?"
"What, don't recognize me?"
The Scarlet King smoothed his hair and smiled.
Zeng Tian shook his head. "It's not that. I've just never seen your human form before. I thought you didn't know how."
Hearing this, the Scarlet King smiled. "Once Soul Beasts reach two hundred thousand years, they gain the ability to assume human form. It's just that taking human form affects our strength, which is why I never did it.
"Although your aptitude for learning skills is exceptionally high, you should brush up on common knowledge like this too, so you don't make a fool of yourself later."
Smack!
Just as Zeng Tian and the Scarlet King were enjoying their conversation, the sound of a palm striking the table suddenly rang out.
Immediately afterward, Xiong Jun roared furiously, "Scarlet King, you've gone too far! This gathering is so important, yet you brought along a junior with only ten thousand years of cultivation!"
The Auspicious Beast was the Star Dou Great Forest's lucky mascot, wielding the power of its fate and fortune. Her presence not only doubled the growth rate of the forest's Soul Beasts but also greatly benefited Ferocious Beasts when they faced their tribulations.
Thus, Xiong Jun had no objection to her presence at the gathering of Ferocious Beasts.
But what right did this Charmander, barely over ten thousand years old, have to be here?