Chapter 34: The Contest Begins!
The third-order competition had already begun as Tang San queued up to register. Being short in stature and surrounded by taller folks, he couldn't see what was happening inside. However, he could hear the cheers and the heavy sounds of collision.
The tournament was fast-paced, with participants accelerating, clashing, and colliding to determine the victor. The winners could then choose whether to proceed to the next round.
Despite the numerous vassals and demons registering, the process was surprisingly quick. When Tang San's turn came, he couldn't help but be speechless.
The registration method was almost too simple. There were number plates on the table, indicating the order. Contestants just needed to pick up a number plate to enter the competition. No further registration was required.
After all, this was just a recreational contest among the demons, limited to those below the sixth order, so naturally, there weren't many rules in place. There wasn't even a staff member present at the place for collecting number plates—anyone could just take one.
The only hard rule was that once you had a number plate, you had to go directly to the queue on the other side. In other words, once you took a number plate, you had to enter the ring. There was no backing out.
The Kali Guards responsible for maintaining order couldn't help but chuckle when they saw Tang San, a small-statured human child, also picking up a number plate. Yet, no one stopped him.
Tang San didn’t have to ask to know what they were thinking—the Kali Guards were waiting to see him get battered and broken in the collision.
The demons were all extremely tall, and as they surrounded him, his view was blocked all around. These demons didn't even notice the human vassal, who was less than 1.3 meters tall; their gaze simply didn't reach that low.
Peeking through the crowd, Tang San looked toward the Collision Contest arena.
The third-order competition was still in full swing.
The ground was already stained with the blood of an unknown race. A collision had just ended, involving a demon, less than two meters tall, clearly from the Berserk Bear clan. It seemed that it was a young one. Its opponent was a lizard-like creature.
As the two collided, the lizard suddenly dipped down, swiftly turning around, and its tail swept toward the feet of the Berserk Bear.
However, the Berserk Bear leaped up when it entered the collision zone, fiercely kicking the lizard with its hind legs and sending it flying out of the ring. It crashed near the spectators and was only stopped by the barrier of the Kali Guards.
From the sound of the crash, it was obvious that the lizard had suffered a good number of fractures. At the same time, the surrounding demons, especially those from the Berserk Bear clan, cheered loudly.
The victor is king—that was the only thing demon clans believed in.
This seemingly small bear demon was truly formidable, not just in strength but also in skill. In the following rounds, whether it was a direct confrontation or tactical use of skills, it won by a landslide.
Tang San noticed that the young Berserk Bear's innate ability seemed akin to an explosion of fury. Whenever it exerted its full strength, its body would swell, its fur bristle, and its power visibly increase. Its brown eyes would also turn red.
When they collided head-on, a porcupine-like demon was sent flying by a shoulder charge. Although the porcupine's tusks left two wounds on the bear, it was clear that the spiky demon was outmatched in strength.
The young Berserk Bear, though only at the third order, had combat power that was no less than that of the fourth order. This disparity between cultivation order and combat power showcased the diversity of talents among different demon species.
This contest was Tang San's first encounter with many types of demons. He carefully observed the abilities of each demon, memorizing their characteristics and analyzing whether these abilities could be helpful to him.
He now had a good understanding of how the Mysterious Heaven Technique processed the bloodlines of the demons in this world. But one thing he had been unable to determine was how many bloodlines he could accumulate. In other words, how many demon bloodline imprints could his Mysterious Heaven Technique preserve? Was there a limit? And if there was, would that limit increase with his cultivation?
Currently, he has only two transformations: Wind Wolf and Flash Leopard. The abilities they brought him were Wind Blade and Leopard Flash.
Both abilities were extremely useful, one for speed enhancement and the other for ranged attack. Provided they could be continuously improved, they would be useful for a long time. He indeed believed there had to be a limit to the number of abilities he could absorb. However, he was uncertain of the exact number. He had a vague hypothesis but needed experimentation to prove his guess was correct.
The final victor of the third order was this young Berserk Bear. After defeating ten opponents, it roared continuously in the center of the arena. Ultimately, it chose a fire naturae coin, an earth naturae coin, and ten aetherhorn coins as its reward.
The Berserk Bear hosting the collision contest lifted the young bear high overhead and stood in the center of the arena, roaring.
"This is my son, my son! Do you see? My son, the first of the third order! Roar!"
The cheers and roars seemed to make the earth tremble. The vassal races dared not make a sound in the face of such a spectacle, even trembling in fear.
Almost all the vassal races participating in the contest were in the third-order matches. Tang San saw at least seven severely injured contestants, with two of them in such critical condition that their survival was uncertain.
After the third-order contest ended, it was time for the fourth-order showdown.
A robust porcupine demon slowly entered the arena. Its body was covered in iron-black fur, and its head was huge. As it stood about two meters tall, its broad back displayed its astonishing strength. Two thick tusks protruded from its lips, and it roared ferociously.
The Porcupine Clan possessed two rare innate abilities. Indeed, not all demon races had just one natural ability.
Wang Yanfeng had told him that having multiple abilities didn't necessarily mean greater strength. However, the top-order demons and nymphs typically possessed numerous abilities.
The porcupine's innate abilities were a speed charge and back spikes.
The porcupine demons had spikes on their back that could be launched outward.The stronger the porcupine, the more spikes they had on their back. As for the charge, that was pretty self-explanatory.
This fourth-order porcupine had eight spikes on its back. As it took its position on one side of the arena, the eight spikes slowly rose, angling forward, and its back tensed as if it was ready to launch them at any moment.
Tang San had no interest in the porcupine Clan's innate abilities. He had no desire to become a porcupine, whether it involved charging or back spikes.
The fourth-order porcupine's opponent was a Flash Leopard, and this was Tang San's first time seeing a member of the Flash Leopard Clan in today's collision contest. There had been no Flash Leopards in the third-order contest.
Flash Leopards excelled in speed, not head-on collisions, which was why they hadn't appeared in the earlier matches.
The fourth-order Flash Leopard that appeared stood at about the same height as the porcupine, but it was far more slender. It was not particularly imposing, but its narrowed eyes shimmered with a sinister light, and its fangs protruded downward. Its rather lean body was brimming with well-toned muscles, displaying a robust vitality.
"Begin!" With the roar of the Berserk Bear hosting the competition, both sides simultaneously launched their attacks from opposite ends.
The Flash Leopard's speed was ridiculous. It charged at its opponent like lightning, almost instantly reaching the collision zone.
Launching a frenzied charge in turn, the porcupine unleashed all eight spikes from its back without reservation.
When the porcupine demon launched its back spikes, Tang San couldn't help but look at it with newfound respect.
The spikes shot by the porcupine were not aimed at the leopard demon but in other directions. Yet, these eight spikes blocked all possible escape routes for the Flash Leopard.
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