A sense of dread spread through the crowd. Though they were beast tamers, they had rarely witnessed a contracted beast die on the spot. What kind of power was this, what kind of skill?
What level of contracted beast skills could a beast in its forties possess?
Besides their surprise at Lu Fei defeating Man Shan's [Thunder Cloud Leopard], the crowd was more inclined to question how he had accomplished it.
They didn't believe Lu Fei's strength alone could bring a battle to such a state!
After a long silence, Man Shan suddenly strode forward to Lu Fei.
"You bastard! What underhanded methods did you use!"
Lu Fei took a few steps back. Sensing the ill intent, he saw no need to maintain politeness.
"What does Senior Brother mean by that?"
Man Shan snorted in disbelief.
"Don't you know? With your strength, what right do you have to defeat me!"
Lu Fei chuckled.
"Since it's a beast taming battle, there are winners and losers. Even if you, Senior Brother Man Shan, were confident of an unchallenged victory, you should accept the outcome."
Man Shan gnashed his teeth in anger.
"I am a senior beast tamer, and you are merely a freshman in your second year. You dare to talk to me about qualifications?"
Lu Fei smirked provocatively.
"With so many eyes watching, Senior Brother, do you intend to renege on your bet?"
"Besides, you call yourself a senior beast tamer. Isn't losing to me embarrassing? What are you still showing off for?"
"You!"
Man Shan, exasperated, roared, "Kid! Do you dare to fight me again!"
Lu Fei flicked his head, saying calmly, "You want to fight just because you say so? Then I'd lose a lot of face."
"Enough."
As the two argued, a cold shout interrupted them.
Lei Mang, with his golden-yellow hair, first looked at Man Shan. "You, step down. The previous battle was indeed a loss for you."
"I!"
Man Shan was unconvinced, but upon Lei Mang's glare, he could only retreat grudgingly.
Lei Mang then turned to Lu Fei, smiling. "Junior Brother Lu Fei is truly formidable. I am all too familiar with Man Shan's strength, and you managed to defeat him."
Lu Fei replied humbly, "Just good luck. Senior Brother Man Shan was careless, and I happened to find an opening."
Lei Mang remained noncommittal, naturally not believing such a claim.
Lei Mang let out a dry chuckle. "Junior Brother Lu Fei, you arrived late and might not know what assessment is being conducted here today. But you've already won a match, so I should make things clear to you."
Lu Fei did not interrupt, as he was quite interested in direct advancement.
"We are selecting contestants for the regional competition. Ten people will be chosen, but nine spots have already been confirmed. The condition for obtaining this last spot is to win two out of three matches against us."
"Junior Brother Lu Fei has already won one match. If you win one more, you can secure this spot. What do you think, Junior Brother Lu Fei?"
Lu Fei scratched his head and pondered for a moment.
"Then who else do I need to fight?"
Lei Mang replied without hesitation.
"How about a match with me?"
Lu Fei sighed inwardly. If he didn't fight this match today, it would be difficult to extricate himself. However, he also knew that he would soon have little interaction with these people, so leaving behind some stories wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Alright, then let's have a match."
Amidst the sound of a muffled, wild gust of wind, a crisp clatter suddenly rang out.
A contracted beast, entirely ice-crystal colored, walked out from the corridor.
An ice-attribute contracted beast, the [Ice Beast]!
Countless sharp ice blades materialized abruptly above the Tie Tou Wa's head.
The blade tips pointed downwards.
The gleaming edges exuded a chilling sharpness.
The next second.
The dense ice blades moved as one, pouring down like a waterfall, striking the Tie Tou Wa from above.
Icefall!
Seeing the perilous situation, Tie Tou Wa tried to dodge.
However, its body, already affected by the chill, had become incredibly stiff. In its haste, it was unable to evade.
In just a blink of an eye.
Tie Tou Wa was submerged by countless ice blades.
Chii!
Chii Chii!
The sounds of ice blades cutting flesh were incessant!
Even though Tie Tou Wa had undergone training and its hardened form made it tough-skinned, under the continuous assault of the ice blades, numerous ghastly wounds quickly appeared on its body.
Before the blood could flow out, it was frozen by the piercing cold.
In an instant.
Tie Tou Wa sustained no minor injuries.
Watching this scene, the surrounding spectators simultaneously widened their mouths in astonishment.
They were completely stunned by the lightning-fast combat prowess displayed by Lei Mang!
It seemed Senior Brother Lei Mang was no longer holding back!
"Too powerful!"
"Such skillful beast taming!"
"The rumors seem true; Senior Brother Lei Mang is nearing the threshold of becoming a top-tier beast tamer!"
Exclamations of awe erupted from all sides.
Lu Fei's expression began to turn serious. The opponent had struck first, and the rapid succession of attacks left Lu Fei struggling to keep up.
But he had evidently anticipated this situation.
He had encountered too many such opponents in the dark rankings!
One had to consider that the [Ice Beast] before him was likely far stronger than Tie Tou Wa in terms of combat power.
Coupled with the blizzard's reinforcement of skills, the Icefall possessing such might was not surprising.
Not far away.
Lei Mang's expression was playful, showing no joy of gaining points. In his eyes, this was a perfectly normal occurrence.
"Junior Brother, if you don't make a move soon, you'll lose."
"Show me your true strength, Senior Brother!"
Lei Mang's smirking expression made Lu Fei feel disgusted. Compared to Man Shan, this fellow was clearly far more hypocritical.
"Tie Tou Wa!"
"Grab this [Ice Beast]'s leg!"
Suddenly, Tie Tou Wa's speed exploded. It charged forward into the blizzard, the snowflakes cutting its skin like blades, but Tie Tou Wa didn't retreat. It charged headfirst.
"Lu Fei is too impulsive! How can he match the [Ice Beast]'s speed in this snow and ice!"
"Alas, a sophomore, still lacking combat experience!"
In an instant, to the onlookers, the difference in their strength was evident.