What?! (ÒωÓױ)! Si Shuo was stunned. ’Are all the young cubs on the Beast World Continent this precocious? Does such a little bean even know what a child bride is, or what Couple Brothers are?’

However, she recalled that Beastmen possessed an innate heritage. Even without the protection of a Father and Mother, cubs could rely on this heritage to survive cautiously in the wild.

Si Shuo exchanged a look with Gong You. "How about we wait for Nong Mu’s Father to finish his duel before we bring this up with him? Let’s see what he decides. After all, he is Nong Mu’s Father; he’ll choose the path that’s most beneficial for her."

Gong You nodded. "Whatever you decide is fine." ’He could handle the fallout no matter what!’

The family followed the crowd to the square.

After swallowing the elixir, Nong Yan clearly felt a change within himself and set the time for the duel one Beast Hour later.

He returned to his room, calmed his mind, and diligently guided the dense, potent Spiritual Energy from the elixir to temper his body and expel his hidden ailments. He strove not to waste a single wisp of Spiritual Energy, using its clever force to achieve twice the results with half the effort.

As the tribe’s leader, his cultivation wasn’t the highest, but he had stood out among the candidates during the leadership election and commanded great prestige.

Decades had passed. He had been busy with tribal affairs and rarely participated in the spring and autumn hunts. Coupled with the fact that he was deliberately suppressing his cultivation, he had been stuck at Peak Level 13 for a very long time.

Such a long period of accumulated cultivation was more than enough for him to break through to Level 14. With the help of the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Vein Cutting Pill, his cultivation soared and stabilized at the Peak of Level 14!

There was no joy on his face, only gravity. He knew the Fourth Elder all too well. This was the older brother he had grown up with, a man who had always been cautious by nature. Otherwise, even though Nong Yan had sensed Nong Kai’s ambition, he had never been able to get a handle on him. If it weren’t for the little bean’s Truth-telling Talisman, Nong Kai would have likely continued to hide his ambition while plotting against their family.

That was why when Nong Yan proposed a duel on the fighting stage, Nong Kai showed no fear. Instead, he seemed eager. What did that mean? ’Nong Kai is hiding his true strength.’

He had no time to think further. He quickly scrubbed his body, washing off the thick layer of grime that covered it. Before leaving, he also changed into high-collared clothes like Nong Kai’s, concealing the Beast Pattern on his neck.

When the appointed time arrived, the two men wasted no words. They mounted the stage and immediately began to fight. Every move aimed for the other’s vital points, as if they were mortal enemies. The hatred and dislike in their eyes were completely undisguised. The crowd below split into two factions, cheering for their respective fighters.

"Third Brother, I lost the leader’s position to you back then, and now I’ll take it back in the same way, on this very stage," Nong Kai sneered. "Do you think we’re the same as before? Your talent is good, but you’ve been so busy with the tribe’s mundane affairs all these years. What time did you have for Cultivation? I’m different. From the day I lost to you, I haven’t dared to slack off for a single day.

"My talent may not be as good as yours, but my diligence and hard work have finally paid off! Today is truly the day our duel as brothers will decide life and death."

After a fierce exchange, the two were surprisingly evenly matched. Briefly retreating to opposite sides of the stage, Nong Kai laughed and tore off his shirt, revealing a lean, muscular torso and two extremely conspicuous, cyan Beast Patterns on his neck.

The crowd gasped. "No wonder I felt the Fourth Elder’s aura getting stronger by the day. It turns out he’s been a Level 14 Beastman all along."

"We’re doomed. Looks like we’re getting a new leader... What should we do? The Fourth Elder is the pettiest person I know. If we switch our support to him now, can we salvage our image in his eyes?"

With the Level 15 Beastman Ni Chang killed and Zhu Bang’s power destroyed, the highest-level Beastmen in Guangshou City were Level 14.

Now that Nong Kai was at the Peak of Level 14, he could be considered the number one expert in the city. Every Beastman present looked at him with reverence. At the same time, they turned to Nong Yan with expressions of sympathy, pity, and helplessness.

"Leader, you should just concede. The higher the Level, the greater the difference even half a Level makes, let alone a whole major rank!"

"That’s right, Leader! It’s a tragedy what happened to that young female, Nong Mu, but the dead can’t be brought back to life. If you won’t think for yourself, you have to think of your sons, don’t you?"

If Nong Yan were still at Level 13, he might have actually had to consider it. But now, he was also at the Peak of Level 14. It was anyone’s guess who would win.

He turned his head to look at his three sons below the stage, his expression serious. "Is that what you think, too? Do you want your Father to admit defeat without a fight, to let what happened to your sister and her self-immolation become a joke?"

"Father, we watched our little sister grow up. She was practically our own daughter. How far can a Beastman who would do anything for the leader’s position take our tribe? If he encountered someone stronger, he’d probably be the first to offer up our own tribesmen to pave his way... A selfish, cruel, and heartless Beastman like that is not fit to be leader..."

"Father, do what you must. Not only do we support you, but we’re also willing to make a blood sacrifice to make the Beast God open his eyes and see why such a wicked person is allowed to live and bully others..."

"Father, it’s better not to stay in such a dark and filthy place anyway..."

They all declared their stance, unstoppable even as their young female mates tugged at them from behind.

Nong Yan laughed heartily. "Good, good, good! In that case, your Father will teach this evil-doing male a lesson on behalf of the Beast God and show him that evil can never triumph over good!"

With that, the two clashed again. Nong Kai no longer concealed his cultivation. A corner of his mouth curled, certain of his victory. He planned to finish Nong Yan with a single killing blow, making it look like an accident before anyone could stop him, and intimidating the crowd in the process. He never expected Nong Yan to dodge it with ease, leaving his powerful punch to hit nothing but air!

Nong Kai didn’t think much of it, assuming Nong Yan had just been a bit more agile, dodging desperately after sensing the approach of death. The suppression a Peak Level 14 had over a Level 13 was no joke; if Nong Kai used his full power, Nong Yan would have no way to parry. Thus, he once again gathered his Spiritual Power and unleashed it all. However, in the next second, he stared in disbelief at his Dantian as a sharp pain caused him to fall stiffly to the ground.

The crowd erupted. How was that possible? "Is there something wrong with my eyes? The Fourth Elder is at the Peak of Level 14! The pressure and Spiritual Power intensity he was emitting just now couldn’t have been fake. Why is he the one whose cultivation was destroyed?"

The elders were indignant, showing none of the joy that should have come with Nong Yan’s victory. Even the usually impartial Great Elder couldn’t help but grit his teeth. "Nong Yan! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? He’s a Peak Level 14 Beastman, and he’s your own brother! How—how could you destroy his cultivation?"