Chapter Eight: The Top Ten

The collision sent both monsters flying. The little tiger quickly shook its head and scrambled to its feet, unharmed except for a sore face from hitting the ground. The swallow monster, however, was not so lucky; a long gash ran from its head down its left wing, left by the little tiger’s claws. The swallow tried to flutter its wings and take off, but the pain sent it crashing right back down. The outcome was clear. Cheng Yuan looked at the chubby boy and smiled, his expression unmistakable: I’ve won.

The chubby boy realized the situation as well. He carefully picked up the swallow from the battlefield and said, "I concede." Cheng Yuan gathered the little tiger into his arms. "We won again." Seeing Cheng Yuan’s happy face, the little tiger reached out a paw and batted him on the cheek, lifting its head and letting out a few calls.

Cheng Yuan brushed the paw aside and took the little tiger to a quieter spot to wait for the next match. But what he didn’t know was that the appearance of the Golden Armor skill had already drawn the attention of some of the repeat students and, more importantly, the teachers.

From this battle, Cheng Yuan had realized a flaw in the little tiger’s fighting style: it had no ranged or anti-air capabilities. If it came up against something like a Blazing Cloud Lark, a type of long-range aerial bomber, it would stand no chance.

How to deal with this? As an adult-tier beast, there were plenty of countermeasures and skills—ranged attacks, aerial leaps, and so on—but for a cub, these were far too difficult. Cheng Yuan looked at the skill panel: run, scratch, bite—all close combat. That left only the Tiger’s Roar. Its advanced version, Thunderous Tiger’s Roar, was a common wild tiger skill for dealing with non-flying monsters; at its strongest, it could electrocute airborne foes from afar, or at least paralyze them and bring them crashing down.

For now, though, there was only Tiger’s Roar, which caused fear and weakening. In practice, fear usually just froze the opponent, while weakening reduced their damage—a reliable effect. Reducing enemy damage was simply damage mitigation, and in combination with Golden Armor, Cheng Yuan realized the White Tiger’s skill set was essentially that of a frontal warrior.

Suddenly, Cheng Yuan understood the true logic of the mighty White Tiger in battle: close-quarters combat. If the enemy wouldn’t engage up close, it would drag them down and force them into melee, where it excelled. This explained why wild monsters fought so differently from domestic ones. Humans coordinated with their beasts and filled in each other’s weaknesses, but wild monsters only played to their own strengths and found their own ways to patch their shortcomings. If a beast couldn’t fly, it would find a way to bring its enemy to the ground, rather than relying on others to cover for it.

That’s why the tactical diversity and combat strength of wild monsters far surpassed their domesticated peers. The idea of dragging the opponent into your own area of expertise was a revelation for Cheng Yuan.

He sat quietly for a while, pondering the next phase of training. He decided to focus on Tiger’s Roar, followed by the attack skills of scratch and bite, and finally running. The Golden Armor had too long a casting time—half an hour to prepare—so he’d leave that aside for now.

Just as he finalized his plan, the second match was announced. Cheng Yuan took the little tiger to the stage. This time, the opponent was an Iron-Clawed Tabby, leading to a cat-versus-cat fight. But with just one blow, the outcome was decided. The Tabby’s slap merely made the little tiger lose a few hairs, but the little tiger’s swipe left several claw marks on the Tabby’s face.

Subsequent matches were against a ground chicken, a turtle, and even a lion cub—resulting in a classic lion-vs-tiger showdown. Now, in the great hall, only ten contenders remained. Of these, six were repeat students guaranteed to advance, while four others, including Cheng Yuan, waited for the next draw. When the matchups were announced, Cheng Yuan looked at Wang Ningning—she was his next opponent.

There were five battle arenas, and Cheng Yuan and Wang Ningning were assigned to the fifth. As they arrived, Cheng Yuan said, "I’m here." Wang Ningning crossed her arms. "Let’s battle, then." The Blazing Armored Turtle had barely taken any damage—its defense remained unbroken. Wang Ningning shouted at her turtle, "Fire Pattern, Withdraw!"

In the next instant, the Blazing Armored Turtle tucked in its head and limbs, transforming into a flaming shell. Cheng Yuan decided to test its toughness. "Run up and scratch it." The little tiger’s paw barely touched the shell before it recoiled from the searing heat. The little tiger called out to Cheng Yuan, "It’s so hot." Cheng Yuan thought for a moment. The last turtle they’d faced had water attributes, so the little tiger’s attacks had worked with its armor-piercing abilities. But this Blazing Armored Turtle had a countering attribute, and its fighting style was also a direct counter.

This was a tough one. Cheng Yuan considered and said, "Use Tiger’s Roar." The little tiger immediately bellowed at the Blazing Armored Turtle. But to be honest, the sound was anything but intimidating—it actually sounded rather cute, more like a cat hissing than a tiger’s roar. After a few calls, the flames weakened, but Wang Ningning remained unconcerned. Her strategy was defense and counterattack; once the moment was right, the turtle’s hooked beak would deal a devastating blow.

The little tiger glanced at Cheng Yuan, its eyes seeming to say, "It’s not working." Cheng Yuan replied, "Keep using Tiger’s Roar. Wait for the right moment—hit it when you see an opening." Both Cheng Yuan and Wang Ningning had the same thought, though neither spoke it aloud. Seeing their opponent’s unguarded expression, both smiled confidently.

The onlookers outside the arena couldn’t help but note how similar their smiles were—no wonder they were childhood friends. A few minutes later, the Blazing Armored Turtle’s flames suddenly went out. Cheng Yuan seized the moment. "Go scratch it!"

The little tiger stopped roaring and pounced, swiping with its claws. Sharp tiger claws met the hard shell, but in the next instant, the tiger was bounced back, and flames erupted once more.

Startled, the little tiger retreated a few steps. The attack had done no real damage, but Cheng Yuan noticed a brief gleam on the little tiger’s paw—an indication that the honing talent had been triggered. He decided that if the next attack still couldn’t break through the defense, he would concede without wasting any more time.

On the other side, Wang Ningning let out a sigh of relief. The fear effect from Tiger’s Roar had been triggered, which was a bit unsettling; in a turn-based game, it would mean losing a turn. Fortunately, the Blazing Armored Turtle’s defense held strong. Now, all she had to do was wait for Cheng Yuan’s side to show a weakness.