chapter 21 Gorgeous counterattack ===

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a beast tamer standing on one side of the arena unexpectedly tossed a mysterious red pill into the air. Without warning! By the time the crowd reacted, the Blood-striped lion opened its mouth and swallowed the blood-red pill. Suddenly! The Blood-striped lion's aura underwent a drastic change. Drops of blood oozed out of its pores, and its originally pale red fur now appeared even more eerie, as if smeared with fresh blood. Its momentum soared, reaching the level of a second-tier monstrous beast. Its overwhelming power swept across the surroundings, and the Iron Centipede's body was sent flying over three meters away. "This is the Demon Pellet, which can increase the combat power of a monstrous beast fivefold." The crowd was shocked. Demon Pellets were extremely rare, each one worth a fortune, reaching several hundred thousand gold coins. The Wan family couldn't afford to lose and had to secure victory in this match. "Cheat! You're cheating!" Ivydan Song stood up, raised both hands, and vehemently protested. Without the Demon Pellet, the Blood-striped lion would have already perished on the arena. The outcome was clear. "Cheat! I never expected the esteemed Wan family to resort to such despicable means." Warriors who bet on the Iron Centipede winning stood up one after another, condemning the Wan family for arousing public anger. They couldn't just massacre everyone present. "The beast arena rules don't explicitly prohibit the use of Demon Pellets. It's within a reasonable scope." Those who bet on the Blood-striped lion winning spoke up, gloatingly saying that this wasn't considered cheating. The rules did not forbid monstrous beasts from using pills. In human combat, when weakened, one could use pills to replenish energy. Monstrous beasts were no different. The two sides argued incessantly, refusing to give in to each other. Finally, their gazes turned towards Verdantius Liu, the biggest loser in this situation. Losing this match not only meant losing the support of the Xu family, but also canceling the engagement with Valerrie Xu. "Brother, say something!" Ivydan Song anxiously paced around, urging Verdantius Liu to come up with a solution. However, Verdantius Liu remained seated, indifferent to the uproar around him. The Blood-striped lion went berserk. Its broken hoof didn't register pain as it crazily pursued the Iron Centipede. Facing the Blood-striped lion's frenzied attacks, the Iron Centipede remained tightly coiled, allowing itself to be bitten. Its body was already covered in blood, and large pieces of scales fell off, presenting a gruesome sight. Valerrie Xu's heart was in her throat. Mixed emotions surged within her. Countless times, she had fantasized about that person suddenly becoming better. Even if he couldn't cultivate, becoming a normal person would satisfy her. Since childhood, her parents instilled in her the idea that from the moment of her birth, she was already a member of the Liu family. This concept had accompanied her from her earliest memories until now. The battle became more intense. Althaeus Wan sat down, clenching his fists. Even if he won this match, it would be disgraceful. The Wan family's status would be greatly diminished. The business of the beast arena would gradually decline, and its reputation would plummet. "Rip him apart! Quickly, tear him apart!" Oakenhart Tian stood up, urging the Blood-striped lion to tear open the Iron Centipede, end the fight quickly, and humiliate Verdantius Liu. He wished he could slap Verdantius Liu right now, eager to end the match. Time passed by—five minutes, ten minutes, a cup of tea's worth of time. The Blood-striped lion's momentum gradually weakened. The Demon Pellet had a strict time limit, at most lasting for the time it took to brew a cup of tea. Deprived of the support of the Demon Pellet, the Blood-striped lion quickly withered. The pill, in an extremely short time, extracted all the potential from the Blood-striped lion's body. When the effect of the medicine wore off, the body would slowly decline and eventually die. This was a gamble. Betting that the Blood-striped lion would kill the Iron Centipede within the time of a cup of tea, securing victory. Whoever died later would be the winner. The Blood-striped lion emitted a deep roar as its steps began to waver, unable to move forward. The Demon Pellet was backfiring wildly, turning its internal organs into bloody water. Profuse blood gushed from its mouth. The members of the Wan family were dumbfounded. Even after consuming the Demon Pellet within the span of a tea time, it couldn't kill the Iron Centipede. This was incomprehensible to them. They had been taming monstrous beasts for over a century, and such a bizarre incident had never occurred. To prevent any potential nightmares, the Iron Centipede suddenly opened its sharp fangs, unfurled its body, and transformed into a blood arrow, shooting towards its target. "Quick, stop it!" Pinarius Wan shouted, disregarding the dignity of the Wan family's head, urging the beast tamers to intervene and prevent the Iron Centipede from killing the Blood-striped lion. Too slow! The Iron Centipede had already turned into a meteor, and its sharp claws tore open the Blood-striped lion's head. Red and white matter sprayed like magma, covering the entire arena. The Blood-striped lion fell, and the Iron Centipede returned to the edge of the arena. The battle was over. At this moment, the entire beast arena fell into a deathly silence. No one spoke; only the sound of heavy breathing echoed. The scene before them sent shivers down their spines. A cold wind blew over their heads, and Althaeus Wan shivered. The chill traveled from his feet, rushing up his spine. Unconsciously, his back was drenched in sweat. Master Huo and Arboreus Lei exchanged a glance. Today's events were only fully understood by them. Verdantius Liu was not a waste; he was a peerless genius. Petrified! The entire audience was petrified. They didn't know what to say. "Brother, we won!" Ivydan Song grabbed Verdantius Liu's arm, shouting loudly. They had won, finally won, and he ran around the table in excitement. They had won, though the process was perilous, they had won. Verdantius Liu opened his eyes, seemingly unaffected by what had just happened. He appeared like an outsider, indifferent to the chaos around him. "Brother Wan, I'll gladly accept the hundred spiritual stones." With a hundred spiritual stones in hand, Verdantius Liu could not only set up a gathering spirit array but also use the spiritual stones for cultivation, killing two birds with one stone and shortening the time he spent refining his physical body. The crisis facing the Xu family was not resolved, and the identity of the secret assailant remained unknown. Verdantius Liu couldn't afford to let his guard down for a moment. Althaeus Wan's murderous gaze fell on Verdantius Liu. If looks could kill, Verdantius Liu would have died ten thousand times over. "Does Young Master Liu dare to gamble again?" Althaeus Wan's appearance, similar to Ferins Wan when he left earlier, fell into a frenzied state. "Althaeus, today ends here." Before Verdantius Liu could speak, Pinarius Wan interrupted him. Today's events were too bizarre, and without understanding the cause, it was better to cease the beast battles to avoid further entanglement. Truly a crafty and cunning old man, he knew when to cut his losses. Losing ten million gold coins was already bad enough; if they continued, it could mean bankruptcy. Althaeus Wan unwillingly sat back down. He dared not disobey his father's words. The thick killing intent formed a storm, pressing against Verdantius Liu. "I apologize, but due to some unexpected events in the beast arena today, the beast battles will be temporarily suspended. We will now proceed with the beast-taming competition. Any young genius willing to participate, please sign up." The elder in charge of overseeing the beast arena announced the suspension, moving on to the next event—the beast-taming competition. The beast-taming competition differed from the beast battles. "I sign up!" Oakenhart Tian was the first to stand up, registering for the beast-taming competition. Successive disciples from the three major families stood up, but there was no movement from the Xu family. "Does Young Master Liu not dare to participate in the beast-taming competition? Rest assured, I will arrange a weak monstrous beast as your opponent." Althaeus Wan regained his elegant demeanor, preparing to gather the seventy-odd spiritual stones he owed. The Wan family could still afford the loss. A blatant provocation! A naked challenge to Verdantius Liu to participate in the beast-taming competition. Fighting against monstrous beasts could sharpen martial skills and temper one's will. The oppressive aura of the monstrous beasts was the best way to cultivate. This rare opportunity, usually requiring a large sum of gold coins to enter the beast arena training room, was now being offered for free. No one wanted to miss it. Valerrie Xu's expression was wary, her gaze fixed firmly on Verdantius Liu. If he dared to agree, she would kick him to death. The recent scene still haunted her. "Can I refuse?" Verdantius Liu touched his nose, directly admitting defeat. The outside world knew that he was useless, with obstructed meridians, stuck at the innate realm. He was considered trash. "Hahaha..." Laughter echoed from all around. Finally, they found an excuse to mock him openly, to ridicule him without restraint. In beast battles, strength wasn't required. However, in beast-taming competitions, participants had to personally enter the arena, experience the pressure from monstrous beasts, and use their own abilities to tame them. "If Young Master Liu publicly declares that he is afraid, admits that he is a coward and dares not participate in beast-taming, consider my words unsaid," Althaeus Wan said coldly. Making Verdantius Liu publicly admit that he was a coward, timid and afraid, was like slapping himself in the face. It would mean losing face in Canglan City. Even the status of the Xu family would plummet. As Verdantius Liu was their son-in-law, mocking him was akin to mocking the entire Xu family. "Exactly. As long as you admit to being afraid, a coward, we'll let today's events slide," Oakenhart Tian chimed in. Other members of the Wan family joined in with mocking remarks, displaying ugly expressions for all to see. Valerrie Xu frowned, shocked by their audacity. She hadn't expected them to be so domineering, pushing Verdantius Liu to admit defeat publicly. The recent incident was still too vivid in her mind. Just as she was about to speak, Verdantius Liu pressed her down, urging her to remain calm. "It seems I have no reason to refuse," Verdantius Liu said with a smile, leaving everyone puzzled. In beast battles, there was no need for him to take the stage, but in beast-taming competitions, he might risk his life. It was not a trivial matter. "As the son-in-law of the Xu family, is it appropriate for you to withdraw in such a situation?" Many voices joined in, saying that the Xu family, as one of the four major families, lacked even this bit of courage. It seemed Verdantius Liu was not worthy of being the Xu family's son-in-law. Amidst endless mockery, Verdantius Liu, in the center of it all, maintained a mysterious smile. In beast battles, there was no need for him to take the stage, but in beast-taming competitions, where the outcome was uncertain, withdrawal would be seen as a loss of face. "Since you're too afraid, a coward, if you don't dare to participate, just roll out. From now on, stay hidden in the Xu family and don't show your face," someone sneered. "Wimp, probably couldn't perform well on the wedding night; that's why he got kicked out of the bridal chamber." "Get lost, go far away." The Wan family’s and Tian family’s disciples taunted him with a myriad of comments. Valerrie Xu's complexion grew increasingly unsightly. Several times she wanted to speak, but Verdantius Liu stopped her with his eyes. If she spoke now, Verdantius Liu would likely face even more mockery. Malicious words and more venomous comments were waiting for him. As the heavenly pride, she couldn't stoop to quarreling with a group of riffraff in public.