The luxurious carriage made a smooth turn onto the streets of Academy City, its wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement, producing a gentle clattering sound.
The destination: the north of the city, the Magical Beast Duel Arena.
At this moment, Su Nian’s heart was gripped with nervousness, mixed with an irrepressible sense of anticipation.
She urgently needed to understand everything about magical beasts.
What exactly was the strength of those creatures that fought to the death in the arena?
And how did they fight?
The most important question…
If she compared them to the Void Contract Beast she was about to obtain, which one would come out on top?
Void Contract Beast.
Those very words were like a fire in the darkness, her only hope for confronting that bastard Horned Demon head-on, her only means to break free from this humiliating bondage.
Just what kind of existence were these creatures?
Countless questions swirled in her mind, almost making her ignore the suffocating silence in the carriage, and subconsciously not noticing the subtle presence of the man sitting across from her.
At this moment, Chu Tian lounged lazily against the soft velvet seat, his posture calm and unhurried, as if everything was within his grasp.
The man’s gaze fell on Su Nian’s slightly tense profile, his eyes deep, carrying a trace of imperceptible curiosity.
‘This little wildcat, who appeared to have settled down, seemed a bit too interested in the Magical Beast Duel Arena—far beyond simple curiosity.’
Deep within those sky-blue eyes, there was a gleam that was almost too intense.
Perhaps, it was nothing more than a young girl’s natural yearning for novelty; after all, the blood and excitement of the arena had its appeal to anyone.
But it could also be… a brand new scheme secretly brewing against him.
He curled his lips faintly, not bothered in the slightest.
Whatever she planned, he would face it head-on.
He had enough confidence and strength to deal with any form of resistance from her.
However, if this little wildcat really didn’t know what was good for her, and set her mind on sending him to his grave—
Then he wouldn’t mind spending some effort to teach her, in a deeper and more lasting way, just who the master was—and what awaited those who defied their master.
The carriage gradually slowed, finally stopping in a somewhat open area.
Through the carriage window, an enormous, awe-inspiring circular building loomed into view, like an ancient behemoth crouching on the earth.
The stone walls were a weathered gray-brown, rugged and sturdy, their surfaces carved with lifelike reliefs of magical beasts—griffins spreading their wings, earth dragons roaring—exuding a sense of wild, primal power.
Su Nian pushed open the carriage door.
Before she even got close, a rush of scents unique to all sorts of creatures greeted her.
There was the musky odor of fur, the chill of scales, the earth’s rich fragrance, and some strange, indescribable aromas—as if they came from another world.
It wasn’t unpleasant.
In fact, there was a wild vitality to it.
Yes.
This was exactly what she imagined another world should be—full of unknowns and power.
Vaguely, the noise of the crowd rolled over like distant waves, their voices filled with fervor, excitement, and a trace of bloodthirsty anticipation.
Chu Tian did not head toward the bustling, crowded main entrance.
He led Su Nian toward a relatively secluded passage to the side, where the guards were clearly more vigilant.
Two rows of soldiers in identical black armor stood solemnly on each side, their hawk-like eyes scanning every approaching person with vigilance.
Chu Tian didn’t even bother to speak.
He casually produced a deep black metal insignia from his robe and flashed it before the lead guard.
The insignia was about the size of a palm, entirely jet black, its surface etched with extremely complex, almost living, twisting patterns.
At the center seemed to be a closed vertical pupil.
The moment they saw the insignia, the guards—who had been watching warily—underwent a sudden change in expression.
It was a mixture of awe and a trace of fear.
The Captain of the Guard immediately bowed low, bending at a ninety-degree angle, his voice as respectful as could be, even trembling slightly.
“Honored guest, please follow me.”
The guard led the way with utmost caution, guiding them into a passage reserved exclusively for the highest-ranking VIPs.
The thick stone walls muffled the outside noise; within the corridor, it was almost solemnly silent.
The floor was covered in a plush, thick, dark red carpet.
“What is that insignia? Why does it let you use this VIP passage?” Su Nian couldn’t suppress her curiosity as they walked, turning her head to whisper softly.
“Nothing much,” Chu Tian replied casually, as if discussing something insignificant.
“Shadowmoon Manor and the Magical Beast Duel Arena have some business dealings. They gave it to me.” He explained it with an offhand air.
In reality, over at the Castle District, Finn would select magical beast cubs with good potential and appearance—or some adult magical beasts that weren’t suitable for mass breeding but were still strong individually—through a process of ‘survival of the fittest’ and trade them to the Magical Beast Duel Arena.
In return, they received magical beasts that had failed to develop at the arena, no longer valuable but still capable of providing a large amount of Annoyance Value.
For Chu Tian, this kind of deal continually supplied him with Annoyance Value, which was far more useful than simple monetary transactions.
Su Nian nodded quietly, yet a storm raged in her heart, ‘Just how many cards up his sleeve, and how much influence did this bastard Horned Demon really have?’
Shadowmoon Manor… Mo Yuan.
That name, and the power it represented, seemed even greater and more mysterious than she had imagined.
To think that even a place like the Magical Beast Duel Arena had deep connections to him.
The Horned Demon she sought revenge against was far more terrifying than what was visible on the surface.
As she pondered.
The guide stopped before a thick door, made of some unknown, dark red wood that gave off a faint, pleasant fragrance.
After bowing respectfully once more, he opened the door.
A spacious, elegantly decorated VIP suite came into view.
The room was broad enough to seat more than a dozen people.
The floor was covered with the same plush dark red carpet as the corridor—soft and comfortable.
Several sets of obviously expensive genuine leather sofas were arranged artfully, with a black obsidian coffee table as smooth as a mirror in the center.
There was even a small bar in the corner, stocked with sparkling crystal decanters and all kinds of rare drinks.
But Su Nian’s gaze didn’t linger on these luxuries for even a second.
Almost by instinct, she strode straight across the suite to the wide terrace out front.
The terrace jutted outward, built of sturdy alloy, the railings cold to the touch.
She gripped the railing with both hands and looked down.
In an instant, a deafening wave of sound surged up like a tidal wave, almost threatening to engulf her.
Below, there was a massive circular arena.
Its floor was covered in thick, specially-enchanted yellow sand that shimmered faintly with magical light—clearly able to withstand tremendous impacts and energy blasts.
Around the arena, tier upon tier of seats rose in concentric circles, just like an ancient Roman coliseum.
At this moment, every seat was filled; countless heads clustered together like a dense, surging colony of ants.
The magical beast duel—had begun!