The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 41

The day of Qingshan Sect’s preliminary selection finally arrived. The weather was bright and sunny. When Duanmu Ya dragged Yi Xian to the dueling grounds, she saw a crowd so large that it was impossible to tell one person from another.

Duanmu Ya stood on tiptoe. “So many people.”

Yi Xian was pushed forward by the crowd, surrounded by the constant buzz of voices. Everyone was discussing which peak would win the most coveted spots, and as expected, most placed their bets on Mingwang Peak.

“Senior Sister Xie Ying will be participating, right? The beast tamers she leads will definitely take a good number of spots. Looks like Mingwang Peak will take the top place again this year.”

“Of course.”

“Every time we’ve gone up against Dongsheng Academy or Haishi Academy, Mingwang Peak has always come out on top. Hopefully, they’ll drive those beastmen off our territory.”

…

Duanmu Ya asked, “Where’s the place Nian Yunyin mentioned?”

Yi Xian identified each peak by their clothing. Yundan Peak wore white with vibrant green accents full of life. Blazing Flame Peak wore festive red on white. Mingwang Peak’s robes shone a brilliant gold like sunlight. According to what she had heard, the array masters belonged to Tianji Peak, wearing white with deep blue trim.

“Over there.”

“So many people.”

The three of them gathered. Nian Yunyin glanced at the two of them. “I thought you might have chickened out.”

Duanmu Ya shot back, “Who’s chickening out? Whoever does is a little mutt. Besides, this is only the preliminary screening. After this, there’s the first round, the second round, then the finals. You have to pass every stage. Miss one, and you’re out.”

Nian Yunyin replied, “Exactly. So you should go back. This place isn’t for you.”

Duanmu Ya stomped her foot. “This place isn’t for me? Is it for you then? You’re an array master, and I’m an alchemist. We both need beast tamers for protection. I really don’t get why you insist on entering the secret realm.”

Nian Yunyin crossed her arms and scoffed. “There are treasures in the secret realm. Who wouldn’t be tempted? Go ahead, ask anyone here.”

Yi Xian remained unmoved. “Xiao Ya, go back and wait for news.”

Duanmu Ya instantly quieted down and responded with a reluctant “okay.” She took three steps and turned back each time. “Yi Xian, don’t overdo it. If things get too dangerous, let’s just back out. Survival is the most important thing.”

Yi Xian could not help but smile. “I know my limits. Now go back.”

Nian Yunyin chuckled beside her. “Whoever chickens out is a little mutt. From now on, your name will be Duanmu Little Mutt.”

Thankfully, Duanmu Ya was too far to hear. Otherwise, she would have come back to fight Nian Yunyin on the spot. Yi Xian sighed. “Do you have any updates?”

Nian Yunyin pointed with her lips. “The rules will be announced soon.”

As expected, they didn’t wait long before the rules echoed clearly in everyone’s mind. Though the field was still noisy, the voice cut through it all with clarity, drowning out the chaos.

“Fifty participants in a free-for-all. The last ten standing will advance to the next day’s first round. Those who withdraw or are eliminated mid-battle will not qualify for any further matches.”

Yi Xian muttered, “A free-for-all?”

Nian Yunyin furrowed her brow. “Brutal and straightforward.”

Yi Xian soon witnessed just how brutal it was. Fifty people battled in a designated area. The scene was utter chaos. Someone would kick from behind, then that person would retaliate against the wrong target, having no idea who had started it.

People were constantly getting kicked out of the ring. The numbers dropped quickly. Some participants caught on and started forming groups to gang up on others. Eventually, it came down to just ten people left. Those ten would proceed to the next round.

Nian Yunyin asked, “See the pattern?”

Yi Xian nodded. “Lone fighters get eliminated easily. Even if someone manages to last until there are only about ten left, the rest will gang up to take them down. Unless you’re powerful enough to make everyone afraid, you’re out.”

Nian Yunyin said, “So?”

Yi Xian grinned. “We have to work together.”

Group after group was screened in fifties. By the time the sun was high, only a small portion had been eliminated. Yi Xian scanned the crowded field, thinking quickly. Soon, she and Nian Yunyin stood in the ring.

Yi Xian did not hesitate. As soon as she entered, she summoned Little Pony, openly declaring herself as a support-type light beast tamer. This display of weakness was meant to lure others into underestimating her.

Nian Yunyin took cover behind Yi Xian. The two positioned themselves at the edge of the ring, staying within the elimination boundary to test its limits.

“Don’t blame me. We’re all just doing what we have to.”

“I really don’t want to fight.”

“How about this? Just jump out and eliminate yourselves.”

Even before the match officially began, a faint murderous atmosphere had already spread. Yi Xian sensed someone in the corner was staring at her and Nian Yunyin. It was a short man with a cold, sinister gaze. He looked like trouble.

With a signal from Yi Xian, Little Pony shot a burst of light into the center of the ring. Amplified by the noon sun, it was so bright no one could keep their eyes open. Like a flare, it triggered the chaos to begin.

Yi Xian shielded Nian Yunyin as they moved toward a corner, colliding with many others along the way. The beast tamers in the arena unleashed all kinds of techniques. Wooden vines, ice spikes, earthen shields, and water orbs like hidden weapons came from every direction, making them impossible to defend against completely.

Within moments, Yi Xian was riddled with wounds. She didn’t even have time to heal herself.

“Move three steps to the right.”

“Damn it.”

Yi Xian swore as she stepped left instead and ran straight into a fifth-stage earth-rank beast tamer’s fourth-level water-type phantom beast. It was fiercely blowing bubbles. But these were no ordinary bubbles. Yi Xian had just seen someone get caught in one, their body slowly enveloped before being rolled out of the ring.

Flustered, Yi Xian wished she had eight arms. She fended off the bubbles with light energy while Little Pony stayed up front, using waves of holy light to blind the others.

“Ow! Boss, why’d you hit me with an ice spike?”

“Sorry, couldn’t see.”

“Hey! My leg! Why’d you stab me?”

“Mistook you for someone else.”

…

“Three steps forward.”

Yi Xian still couldn’t take down the water beast. A bubble nearly touched her when she reacted instinctively. Using her spatial power, she grabbed a hapless participant and shoved them in her place. The bubble wrapped around them and rolled them out of the ring. Only after that did the bubble burst.

“Damn! Someone get rid of that annoying light beast tamer. I’m going blind.”

“I can’t see!”

“Where are they?”

“Together now!”

Yi Xian hadn’t expected Little Pony’s holy light would attract this much hatred. The others, who had been scrambling blindly, suddenly united against her.

“Hurry.”

“Six steps to the left.”

Yi Xian sensed a chilling breeze to her side and narrowly avoided it. A blade the size of her own glided past her waist. She recognized the attacker. It was the short man she had seen earlier.

Yi Xian touched the spot and found her hand soaked in bl00d.

“Will you leave on your own, or shall I make you?”

“An assassin?”

Forced to retreat, Yi Xian bumped into Nian Yunyin behind her. She quickly made up her mind and rushed forward again. “Hurry up. I can’t hold out much longer.”

“Almost ready.”

Yi Xian knew from experience that Nian Yunyin rarely joked outside of teasing Duanmu Ya. Otherwise, she might have thought those two words were just toying with her.

Almost ready? How was that almost ready?

She was fighting off three people alone.

“Two more stragglers.”

“Behind her, that’s someone from Tianji Peak. Quick! Get them both out!”

Five or six opponents launched their skills at once. A barrage of techniques hurtled toward her. Yi Xian barely had time to charge up light orbs in both hands. She took multiple hits while also trying to fend off the shadowy little man.

At this rate, even if she wasn’t knocked out, she would be worn down to death.

Then an idea came to her. “Only ten people will remain. Are you sure that if you knock us out, you’ll be among them?”

“If you side with us, and this array holds, no one else can break it. Then we can all stay in. Are you really sure you want to pick the wrong side?”

“We can offer you a promise. Can the others?”

Her words shook their confidence. Their attacks slowed, giving her a chance to breathe. But just then, that same dagger came from the side. She dodged it, but the man changed angles and struck at Nian Yunyin.

Without hesitation, Yi Xian threw herself in the way.

The blade sank deep into her body.

Nian Yunyin grabbed her shoulder. “Take three steps back.”

Yi Xian’s heart leapt. Is it done?! She feigned defeat, took two steps back, then kicked the short man away and stepped into place.

A gentle light rose. A circular energy shield formed, protecting the two of them.

Those who had been attacking them stared in disbelief. When they tried to strike again, their techniques were deflected by the soft glow.

Seeing they were safe, Yi Xian collapsed to the ground.

Nian Yunyin saw her covered in bl00d. “They can’t break my array for now. Heal yourself quickly.”

Yi Xian glanced around. Half the participants were still in the field. She groaned, “Only half eliminated? Feels like it’s been forever.”

Nian Yunyin pulled out the dagger lodged in Yi Xian’s left shoulder. The pain made her tremble. Nian Yunyin tossed the bloody blade aside. “Every second counts in battle.”

Yi Xian began healing with her light power. Before long, her injuries, which had looked severe, were mostly healed. She flexed her joints. “They’ll be wary of you now. Be careful.”

Nian Yunyin sat cross-legged, watching the chaos outside the array. Her expression stayed calm. “I know.”

Yi Xian relaxed when she saw the others had no time for them. The number of participants quickly dropped again. When only thirteen remained, she pointed to the short man dodging around. “Why does he keep targeting us?”

Nian Yunyin answered, “He thinks we’re easy targets.”

Yi Xian touched the wound he left and inspected the weapon. She pulled out the dagger Lan Tong had given her from her boot. When she struck the other dagger with it, the attacker’s blade snapped in two.

Nian Yunyin whistled. “The two of us together? We’re practically a steel wall.”

The first preliminary round raged on like wildfire. This ruthless elimination match made Yi Xian realize that solo battles were useless within the Qingshan Sect. Even if she reached a higher level one day, she would still be crushed when facing group ambushes or chaotic brawls.

Her first partnership with Nian Yunyin taught her that victory did not always depend on fighting to the end. Sometimes, using her mind could lead to better results.

The two of them, who called themselves weaklings, had relied on each other and somehow survived the fierce attacks from their senior brothers and sisters.

As Nian Yunyin had said, all fifty participants in the arena had been thrown together at random, creating a chaotic crowd focused only on forcing others out. None of them realized they had already become someone else’s prey. This time, Nian Yunyin had cleverly taken advantage of that scattered mindset to claim a narrow victory.

“Yi Xian, it was a pleasure working with you.”

Yi Xian looked at the pale hand extended toward her, momentarily lost in thought. This woman carried an air of invincibility, more captivating than any senior disciple who had spent years in cultivation.

True strength isn’t just about raw power. It comes from within.

She took the hand and stood with its support, smiling. “Nian Yunyin, see you in the secret realm.”

Yi Xian remained on the field to observe until dusk before heading back. When Duanmu Ya saw that she had left that morning in a clean green-trimmed robe and returned covered in bl00d, she nearly fainted.

“Are you hurt? Did you heal? Did you pass?!”

Questions poured out faster than Yi Xian could answer. “Barely… I managed to stay until the end.”

She could still recall the two people who had been thrown out, their eyes full of resentment as they glared at her and Nian Yunyin. They probably could not accept losing to someone weaker, just because they had failed to break the formation.

Duanmu Ya’s worry quickly turned into joy. “That’s amazing! Even Li Zhong lost. He said today was full of elites and that he was unlucky to meet Xie Ying. Xie Ying and her five followers took six of the ten spots.”

Yi Xian and Nian Yunyin had been lucky. As part of the earlier groups, their batch was scattered and unorganized, while the later ones entered as united teams. Someone like Li Zhong had terrible luck. He ended up facing a powerhouse who had her own followers, leaving him with no chance at all.

Li Zhong was a third-stage earth-rank beast tamer. When he used to spar with Yi Xian, she was always overpowered and could hardly fight back. But now, she had grown stronger.

Clearly, luck is also a form of strength.

She asked, “Who is Xie Ying? Is she that strong?”

Duanmu Ya nodded eagerly. “She’s incredibly strong. She’s a year younger than you but already a human-rank beast tamer. Do you know what that means? She might become the youngest divine-rank beast tamer by thirty.”

Yi Xian understood that she was another gifted prodigy, just like the genius alchemist in front of her who was muttering nonsense again. They had all risen to fame at a young age, their names spreading far and wide. “I see.”

Duanmu Ya noticed her calm expression and smiled. “But you never know. Maybe you’ll become the youngest divine-rank tamer at thirty. That’s still nine years away. Anything could happen.”

Yi Xian gave herself a quick wash and sent Duanmu Ya off. Sitting cross-legged on her bed, she reviewed everything she had learned that day. Her thoughts eventually drifted to the water-type fourth-level phantom beast that blew bubbles.

“Lord Yin Bao.”

“Squeak.”

Yi Xian formed a glowing sphere the size of Lord Yin Bao and slowly pushed it toward it. The moment it touched Lord Yin Bao, the sphere vanished.

Lord Yin Bao scratched its head. “What are you doing?”

Yi Xian tried several more times, her attention focused solely on the light sphere. Eventually, she managed to enclose Lord Yin Bao inside one. It lasted only a few seconds before vanishing with a pop.

Lord Yin Bao was startled. Yi Xian said, “Still not quite there yet.”

She formed another light sphere and once again encased Lord Yin Bao. This time, guided by her will, it began to float. Alarmed, Lord Yin Bao spun in circles, causing the sphere to turn faster.

Yi Xian gently reached out, steadying the sphere in midair. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll catch you.”

With her reassurance, Lord Yin Bao calmed down. It poked at the sphere with its claws but didn’t break it. “Is this a new skill?”

Yi Xian wasn’t sure how long the sphere would last. Still, she thought of the bubble-blowing water beast. In a non-lethal setting, it could remove someone from the battlefield. This technique could be surprisingly… gentle.

Just as she had that thought, Lord Yin Bao yelped. Yi Xian reacted fast, catching it before it hit the floor.

Lord Yin Bao clutched its chest. “So close. That was close.”

Yi Xian rubbed its big ears with her finger and hesitated before saying, “Lord Yin Bao, I want to ask you something.”

Her storage pouch was far from as wealthy as Lord Yin Bao’s. If it came down to resources, she would lose miserably. However, she believed that everything could be negotiated, especially since, at the moment, no one suited her training better than Lord Yin Bao.

To her surprise, Lord Yin Bao agreed without hesitation. It only drooped its head and seemed deflated.

“Yi Xian, your life-bonded contract isn’t something you can make with just anything, is it?”

“Why do you say that?”

Lord Yin Bao scratched its ears and recounted what it had seen while Yi Xian was unconscious. Apparently, when she was lying in bed, a strange contract had appeared on her forehead. It was completely different from the soul contract she had with Little Pony. This one took the form of a bl00d-red eye.

It had watched helplessly as the white fox, the Madwoman, took advantage of her vulnerable state to initiate a life-bonded contract. Lord Yin Bao had been furious, but since Yi Xian was unconscious, there was nothing it could do. It could only watch as the white fox matched with the life-bonded contract.

But just as the fox completed the pact, she was flung away by a backlash.

The Madwoman had looked like a fragile, broken shadow at the time, filled with bitter resentment. “Fate. It’s all fate.”

Lord Yin Bao gestured with its claws. “It was very powerful.” Then it lowered its head. “If she couldn’t succeed, I have no chance.”

Yi Xian understood. The Madwoman had taken advantage of her weakness and tried to force a life-bonded contract, but fate had its own rules. According to Lord Yin Bao, the contract itself had rejected her.

It sounded mysterious, but after all the brainwashing she’d gone through, Yi Xian accepted it with surprising ease. She stroked Lord Yin Bao’s little head. “If we don’t have a life-bonded pact, does that mean we’re not friends? I thought we were partners who’d been through thick and thin.”

Lord Yin Bao froze. Its red eyes blinked shyly at her. “But I’m useless.”

It had clearly been shaken by the strength of human phantom beasts.

Yi Xian cupped it in her hands, looking at the delicate silver-furred mouse. She still didn’t know what the lucky symbol on its forehead was. It was said this symbol awakened its intelligence and led it to her.

“Don’t forget the good fortune that mark has brought you. You’re the most unique little mouse I’ve ever seen.”

She touched the symbol with her finger. Suddenly, her thumb grew warm. The symbol on Lord Yin Bao’s forehead began to glow, and so did the mark on her own thumb.

The two markings responded to each other, emitting a radiant light that pierced through the windows and lit up the entire courtyard as if it were noon.

“Yi Xian, why is your room so bright? Are you—”

Duanmu Ya pushed the door open and saw both Yi Xian and Lord Yin Bao with their eyes closed. A massive contract symbol floated between them. As it shimmered, a bl00d-red eye emerged and stared directly at her.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

“Master-Servant Pact.”

The contract glowing between them suddenly darkened. Its vibrant color faded into shadow, then split into two drops of red light, one sinking into each of their foreheads.

“Pact Sealed.”

As soon as the voice spoke, Duanmu Ya finally felt like she could breathe again.

Yi Xian vaguely heard the words “pact sealed” and then noticed Duanmu Ya sitting on the floor, looking completely lost. She rushed over to help her up. “What’s wrong?”

Duanmu Ya looked between her and Lord Yin Bao, still rattled. “Yi Xian, why was your contract so different from other beast tamers’?”

It was terrifying.

Yi Xian was puzzled. “Different how?”

Duanmu Ya had seen beast tamers sign with phantom beasts before. Usually, both sides offered bl00d, and the pact was sealed. Most importantly, the tamer was always in control. But she felt Yi Xian had no control over this process at all. It seemed as though some kind of judgment had taken place. And that bl00d-red eye…

She asked hesitantly, “Did you feel anything?”

Yi Xian didn’t feel much. When she made a soul contract with Little Pony, she had sensed a connection. But with this one, she only vaguely heard the words “pact sealed.”

“It felt like I signed it in a daze. Also, wait… what kind of contract was that? It didn’t feel normal.”

Duanmu Ya replied, “I think I heard it say ‘Master-Servant Pact’.”

Yi Xian was stunned. “What?! I wanted an equal pact with Lord Yin Bao!”

Lord Yin Bao scratched its head, unbothered by the label. To it, anything besides a life-bonded pact didn’t really matter.