Chapter Four: First Encounter

Arriving at Arena Number Eight, Cheng Yuan was scheduled for the second round. The first round featured an iron-clawed tabby cat against a yellow mongrel dog—a true rural cat-and-dog showdown. Both cubs were novices, clumsily pawing at each other, exchanging kitten punches and barks. After a while, the cat, tail held high, emerged victorious. As the feline won, everyone present watched with no surprise as it visibly grew a little—an evident sign of leveling up. For monsters, fighting and feeding were the mainstream routes to growth.

In the second round, Cheng Yuan stepped onto the stage. His opponent was a socially anxious girl with a single ponytail draped over one shoulder. Her monster was a round, chubby panda. The two adorable creatures stared blankly at each other. “Is this a cuteness contest or a showdown of national treasures?” someone quipped. Monster cubs at this stage all shared that trait: no concept of combat, no inclination to attack, and often wouldn’t move unless commanded—especially those with potential at king-tier or above, where the phenomenon was even more pronounced.

Cheng Yuan glanced at his helpless opponent and sighed. This was a battle arena, not a showcase for charm. “Gold Element Enchantment—Sharpen Claws,” he ordered, signaling the official start of combat. The little tiger immediately began scraping its claws against the ground, golden light quickly shimmering around its paws.

The teachers observing below seemed a little surprised and jotted notes in their booklets. Soon, the little tiger looked up at Cheng Yuan and called out, “What next?” The question echoed in Cheng Yuan’s mind, catching him off guard. “You’re done already?” “Of course.” “Scratch it with your claws.” After this brief exchange, the little tiger started toward the panda.

At this point, the tiger cub had no real sense of battle and wasn’t even aware it was in a fight. On the other side, the socially anxious girl, seeing the tiger with glowing golden paws advancing on her panda, seemed to break through some inner barrier and shouted, “Panda, use Fist Aura!” The panda, previously sitting on the ground, glanced at its master, who was gasping for breath. Then, a white stream of energy began swirling around its paw, growing thicker.

Cheng Yuan observed the aura, which was already as thick as a finger and still expanding. Fist Aura was a non-elemental reinforcement skill, similar to Gold Element Enchantment, but of a higher grade—under equal conditions, it could easily overpower the latter. However, the little tiger possessed two reinforcement skills on its paws. Yet in battle, one does not wait for the opponent to finish charging up. “Run over and scratch its face,” Cheng Yuan instructed.

Hearing Cheng Yuan’s command in front of so many people startled An Keyan, the shy girl. She realized she couldn’t continue like this; the steady glow on the tiger’s claws meant it was already fully strengthened, while her own panda hadn’t even finished preparing its fist. She needed to act first. As the little tiger bounced toward the panda, An Keyan mentally calculated the distance and, just as the tiger reached the panda’s side, shouted, “Panda, Cannon Punch!”

The panda immediately swung a paw at the little tiger, knocking it down with a single blow before the tiger could react. Stunned by the sudden hit, the little tiger’s eyes welled with tears, and it started wailing.

Seeing the fallen, crying tiger, and with no further orders from An Keyan, the panda hesitated, softly calling out as if to comfort the cub. Cheng Yuan felt a bit exasperated, hearing the little tiger’s voice in his mind: “Waaah, I got hit! Where’s mom? Something hit me!” Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Cheng Yuan said, “Stop crying and scratch its face.”

The little tiger glanced at the panda, closed its eyes, and swiped. There was a strange sensation, followed by a sharp cry. The tiger opened its eyes to find the panda clutching its own, having just been scratched. The tiger’s strike had been gentle, so the panda hadn’t bothered to dodge, but the blow sliced through as easily as tofu.

Stunned, the little tiger found the smell of blood both foreign and oddly familiar—not unpleasant. The sudden attack startled the audience; in the previous cat-and-dog bout, neither side had actually drawn blood. This was like a wolf biting a husky among a group of playful huskies.

The panda, covering its eyes, whimpered at An Keyan, who immediately conceded, “We surrender!” The teachers rushed onto the field to take the panda away. In truth, An Keyan could have delayed a little, but with an eye injury, further delay could have meant blindness. Though the light of evolution could heal such wounds, there was always a risk; what if the panda’s evolutionary path included blindness? If that happened, both eyes could be lost.

Cheng Yuan walked onto the field, picked up the little tiger, and gently stroked its chin. “You’re amazing—truly the most formidable little tiger in our family.” At the praise, the tiger licked Cheng Yuan’s neck and called out, “I’m the best! I’ll protect you from now on.” “Alright,” Cheng Yuan replied.

He left the arena with his little tiger and headed to Arena Number One to watch the earlier matches of the repeat students. If Cheng Yuan’s battle was child’s play, these veterans’ matches were true contests of strength—bare-knuckled, no holds barred.

Dragons and raptors clashed in the sky, each striving to gain the advantage for a diving attack. The limited space meant only one could reach the higher altitude first. In the end, the raptor, with superior speed, soared above and dove like a black bolt of lightning, talons poised, sending the dragon crashing to the ground.

A gaping wound opened on the dragon’s belly as it hit the earth, raising clouds of dust. “As expected, I still can’t beat you in the air—but no matter. Blaze, use Flamethrower!” A pillar of fire burst through the haze, aiming straight for the raptor above. On the other side, a bespectacled boy pushed up his glasses. “Betty, dodge and use Multi-Wind Blades.”

The giant eagle shifted elegantly, skimming past the fire column. In its beak, azure energy gathered, and within a second, three-meter-long wind blades shot out like machine-gun fire. The teachers watching nodded in satisfaction.

It was a scene straight out of a fantasy film, and Cheng Yuan was utterly engrossed. Just then, he heard the little tiger’s voice: “They’re incredible! Will I ever be that strong?” Noticing the cub’s rapt gaze, Cheng Yuan reached out to rub its small head. “I believe in you. One day, you’ll surpass them all.” Remembering that the little tiger had just won a battle, Cheng Yuan realized its stats must have changed and decided to take a look.