The most open area in Cloud Peak was undoubtedly Le Dayuan’s crystal weapon testing ground.
Upon hearing the news, Cloud Peak’s core members all gathered, and Le Dayuan and Liu Zhengyuan also arrived with a few assistants to join in the excitement. Among them were the Treant and the now two-meter-tall Death King Tree.
Of course, Yangos, sensing Ye Zhongming’s return, flew back from the nearby mountains, ending his brief but enjoyable days of bullying the local wildlife.
At this moment, the male and female mutated lifeforms in the mountains wept tears of joy, thanking the heavens.
“Hey, Little Tiger, you’re not blind anymore, huh? Those eyes look pretty good. Let Grandpa Dragon take a look.”
As soon as Yangos landed, he arrogantly called out to Little Tiger, who was beaming with pride.
This guy’s strength had grown significantly after not seeing each other for a while. His dragon scales had become denser, and he had even picked up a strange, mixed-accented Mandarin.
Without waiting for a response, his large dragon eyes shifted to the increasingly delicate Death King Tree. He clicked his tongue and said, “Little Death, you gave up such a good body for what? What’s so great about having two legs like these ugly creatures? If you had kept your original form, we could have had a passionate plant-beast romance, a love story for the ages! We could have even had a little dragon, a perfect combination of fire and wood elements!”
“Get lost.”
The onlookers found this amusing but didn’t say anything. After all, both Yangos and the King of Trees were level eight and among the most powerful at that level. In all of Cloud Peak, only Ye Zhongming, Liu Zhengyuan, and Le Dayuan could suppress them. Even Xia Bai, the leader of the female guards, and Park Xiuying, who possessed the Three-Nosed Elephant, could only speak to them as equals. Others, like Xia Lei, could barely get a word in. These two creatures simply ignored everyone else.
Yangos might tease Little Tiger, but that was because Little Tiger was the type to joke around, even with an evil dragon like him. They were familiar with each other, so the evil dragon tolerated it. Anyone else would have been ignored.
“Let’s meet the new friend to avoid any misunderstandings.”
Ye Zhongming motioned for Yangos to step aside and signaled Xia Bai to summon Jiu Bao. When everyone saw another level-eight lifeform, they immediately started asking questions. Xiao Min, acting as Xia Bai’s spokesperson, explained the situation.
Upon hearing that Xia Bai had acquired another level-eight battle beast with such terrifying abilities, everyone was envious and jealous.
Yangos watched coldly from the side, silently deciding it was best not to provoke this icy woman anymore. He had always felt she was dangerous, and now that she had a level-eight helper, even if it wasn’t as strong as him, her overall strength had undoubtedly surpassed his. This didn’t even account for the female guards, who, despite their small numbers, were capable of challenging level-eight lifeforms.
Despite his arrogance, Yangos knew better than anyone how to weigh the pros and cons.
“Sister Red, Jiu Bao’s abilities were sealed by its previous owner. Although its body has changed since becoming Xia Bai’s battle beast, I’m unsure if those abilities have fully recovered. Could you take some time to examine it and see if there are any issues?”
“Oh? Really?” Liu Zhenghong’s interest was piqued. She circled the giant earthworm twice before agreeing.
Another living level-eight lifeform to experiment on—Liu Zhenghong was thrilled. She even started wondering if, like regular earthworms, this giant one could split into two independent beings. Would that mean an extra level eight?
Feeling uneasy under Liu Zhenghong’s gaze and surrounded by a group of level-eight lifeforms, Jiu Bao curled up into a ball and hid behind Xia Bai.
“Here, this is for you.”
Since Le Dayuan and Liu Zhenghong were present, Shengyuan was bound to show up. Ye Zhongming handed the traditional shield to his brother from two lifetimes. Everyone else’s eyes turned green with envy.
Purple grade, and a set of two at that!
As Shengyuan held the shield, he immediately felt a surge of immense energy emanating from it. Listening to Ye Zhongming explain the shield’s abilities, his blood boiled excitedly.
“Thanks, brother.”
Sheng Yuan’s gratitude was silent; his lips pressed together as he uttered just two words.
Yangos felt a pang of resentment. Did this mean there was yet another person in Cloud Peak he couldn’t mess with?
“Alright, let’s test your skills now.”
Ye Zhongming turned to the star of the day.
Little Tiger, who had started to calm down after the excitement of seeing Jiu Bao and the purple shields, was once again brimming with enthusiasm.
“I need someone to help me demonstrate my first ability,” Xiao Hu said. Immediately, Shengyuan, who had just received the purple shields, stepped forward.
Since it was a skill test, Sheng Yuan’s sick defense made him the most suitable candidate.
“Heh, Brother Shengyuan, you’d better be careful.”
Little Tiger drew his blue Horse Slashing Blade and watched Sheng Yuan enter combat mode. Everyone around them focused intently.
“Watch me! Here I come!”
Xiao Hu shouted and raised his long blade.
As the blade descended, everyone could tell that this wasn’t Little Tiger’s full strength—it was much slower than his usual attacks.
It’s just a test; he’s not going all out, they thought.
But soon, they noticed that Shengyuan wasn’t reacting, allowing the blade to fall unimpeded.
What’s going on?
However, no one intervened, knowing that Little Tiger would surely control the situation and prevent Sheng Yuan from gettinghurt.
When the blade was about to reach Shengyuan’s head, the man, as steady as a mountain, raised his shield to block the strike.
“Paralysis?”
Shengyuan lowered his shield and looked at Little Tiger in surprise.
Xiao Hu laughed. “Authority’s Gaze!”
This ability wasn’t complicated. When Little Tiger activated the skill, it would interfere with the agility of the target he was focusing on.
If the target was facing Little Tiger and their eyes met, the target would suffer the most severe agility interference—complete paralysis. Depending on the difference in mental energy and evolution level between the two, the paralysis could last from 0.1 to 5 seconds.
If the target was facing Little Tiger but not making eye contact, the agility interference would result in slowed movement. Again, depending on the difference, the speed reduction could range from 80% to 10%.
If the target had their back to Little Tiger, they would be inflicted with a badly injured state, increasing the damage they took by 10% to 50% for a certain period. The duration of the state and the extent of the damage increase were still influenced by the difference in evolution level and mental energy.