Beast World: A Fragile Beauty Blessed with Many Children-Chapter 225 - 224: What’s Going On This Year?
Si Shuo finally understood that you can’t judge a person by their appearance. She’d been viewing Wei Ce, the Iron-eating Beast, through a thick filter, seeing all his words and actions as endearingly simple-minded. ’In reality, for him to become a Vice Admiral, he must be incredibly shrewd!’
She gathered from their conversation that they didn’t trust anyone outside of their own people. That’s why they were staying put, conserving their energy, and waiting to reap the rewards after everyone else had tired themselves out.
Si Shuo scrounged a meal and was then pulled into Gong You’s arms for a comfortable afternoon nap. Only when the males went out to investigate the situation did she return to Zhi Zhan’s embrace.
Holding the gentle Snow Leopard, she couldn’t help but nuzzle against him, feeling too lazy to get up.
Si Shuo had a bird’s-eye view of the entire situation and could have reported the state of the competition to the males, but Yin Jiang said this was a great trial for them. He told her to just watch and see how they would sweep the board.
She should only notify them if any of the Iron-eating Beast Clan Members were in mortal danger.
With her god’s-eye view, Si Shuo saw beastmen taking advantage of the fact that no one from the outside could see them. Inside the Training Ground, they were completely unrestrained by the rules. Some robbed others of their Crystal Stones, some framed their own companions, and others wantonly humiliated their opponents. There were even those who refused to suppress their innate brutality and ended up taking a few lives, or who accepted payment to act as hitmen, hunting down targets for others to vent their frustrations.
Si Shuo made a note of each and every one. When her males came across these villains, she would give them a timely warning, telling them not to hold back. ’Just let loose and take them down!’
And so, before Zhi Le’s group swept the entire field, they first engaged in a little "dog eat dog" of their own...
The East City Five Camps were well-known. They offered excellent benefits, and their recruitment standards for Beast Soldiers were equally high.
In this competition for Beast Soldiers and Generals, the warriors from the East City Five Camps had an average Combat Power one to two levels higher than the other Beast Soldier Camps.
Furthermore, their training was intense, and they frequently took on dangerous, high-paying missions. The tempering their Beast Soldiers underwent far surpassed that of other camps. The deep bonds and synergy among their soldiers were also unmatched by any other camp.
This was the true reason the East City Five Camps had managed to hold onto first place for so long.
In comparison, the Beast Soldiers of the North City Three Camps lacked some of their momentum and cohesion.
Zhi Le’s group of six spent half a day regrouping. They then took a full day to scout the Training Ground’s terrain and assess the positions of allies and enemies, dealing with a few vicious and cruel males along the way.
For the remaining day and a half, they began a frenzied campaign to eliminate the teams from the East City Five Camps.
They were experts at concealing their presence and using Hidden Breath. Zhi Le could communicate with Si Shuo in real-time through his clone, Xu Chi had Invisibility, Gong You could manipulate time, Yin Jiang could fly and scout, Xiao Cheng could use his Illusion Form, and Wei Ce was a living weapon with immense destructive power.
They specialized in ambushes. Their opponents hardly had time to react; they would just feel the scene before them distort, and then they were eliminated from the competition!
"What is going on this year? I got eliminated before I could even warm up! How are you all out here too? Did you get a clear look at who did it?" a Beast Soldier who had just been thrown out onto the grounds cursed, asking in shock as he watched his teammates appear one after another.
Everyone shook their heads. "Just a flash of white light, and the insignia on my chest was shattered..."
The spectators outside grew tense as well. Almost every ten minutes, another full squad of Beast Soldiers from the East City Five Camps was eliminated.
Moreover, the methods of elimination varied. Some were taken out silently in their sleep, others were seemingly stabbed by their own companions, and some had their insignias shattered by a flying rock.
And so, by evening, the outcome of the third Training Ground was decided!
To the shock of the entire crowd, the East City Five Camps—who had held first place for three years straight and never once fallen out of the top three—were eliminated in the qualifying round, completely losing their chance to make it into the top twelve.
The North City Three Camps successfully advanced to the top twelve, earning the right to participate in the primary rounds that evening.
Watching Zhi Le and his companions emerge from the Training Ground completely unscathed, certain people looked absolutely livid. ’This shouldn’t have happened! We paid out so many Crystal Stones and picked the most ferocious and battle-hungry beastmen. Even if we couldn’t guarantee they’d kill those outsiders, they should have at least broken a few arms and legs, right? It seems we underestimated them. But the competition has just begun. After the team events, there are still the individual matches!’
The Grand General of the East City Five Camps was sick with regret. ’I never should have agreed to target the North City Three Camps so early, all for such a meager reward...’
The Beast World Continent was a land fraught with danger. As beastmen—especially the males who protected females and cubs, and the Beast Soldiers who guarded Beast City—they had to be adapted to fighting at night. Fatigue and hunger were also constant companions.
As such, the primary rounds began immediately after the matches in all the Training Grounds concluded. The two opposing sides were each tasked with protecting their own supplies while stealing their opponent’s. The time limit was dawn, and whichever side had more supplies at the end would be victorious!
Si Shuo and the cubs had been there for a day and were growing tired and listless, so Ji Liang and the two other males took them home to rest while they awaited good news from Zhi Le’s team.
She slept very soundly. By the time she opened her eyes, it was already noon the next day. As expected, the North City Three Camps had made it into the top six!
"The third match has the six Beast Soldier Camps competing to occupy five survival zones of different value. This will also determine the final top-five rankings," Ji Liang said to Si Shuo with a smile. He gave her a meaningful look and wrote her a note. "Little Shushu, take out a bunch of bananas and put them on the table."
Bananas were perishable, so Si Shuo always kept them stored in her Sumeru Space.
She pressed her lips into a small smile, understanding his intention. She took out a bunch of bananas, placed it on the edge of the table, and broke off a few to pass around. Then, she asked curiously, "The Iron-eating Beast Clan makes up most of the North City Three Camps. Shouldn’t they aim for higher than fifth place?"
Zhi Qi raised an eyebrow. "When they reach this stage, they just head straight for the fifth zone. The other five teams fight over the top four zones, and whichever team loses that scramble is in no shape to challenge the North City Three Camps."
’So basically, the Iron-eating Beast Clan has no ambition and is too lazy to fight,’ Si Shuo thought. ’If it weren’t for the resource allocation, they probably wouldn’t even want to enter the competition, would they?’
"So, this round is in the bag too?"
"Right. This isn’t a year where they decide the next City Lord, so everyone is content to just maintain their current rankings."
As they spoke, they were all keeping an eye on Xuyou out of the corners of their eyes. The little one was gnawing on a banana, her beautiful Deer eyes glued to the bunch next to Si Shuo’s hand.
Seeing that the adults were talking and not paying attention to her, she nudged Xu Ye, who hadn’t changed back to his human form since transforming. "Bwother," she whispered, "get... nana!"
Xu Ye gobbled down his banana in two bites, then scampered off, disappearing from everyone’s view.
A moment later, the bunch of bananas next to Si Shuo twitched. Ji Liang let out a soft chuckle. He pressed one hand down on the bananas and, with the other, clamped down on the little guy’s head, catching him in the act.
Si Shuo blinked. ’So that’s what this is about! Xuyou was too lazy to crawl over herself, so she ordered Xu Ye to use a Hidden Beast Form Pearl to turn completely invisible and snatch snacks for her!’
