The Asura Great Emperor's attempted provocation had backfired spectacularly, and he'd been thoroughly mocked by Jiang Chen instead. His face burned with humiliation. He knew full well that trying to trade barbs with this Young Master Zhen was simply asking for punishment.
Having learned his lesson, the Asura Great Emperor wisely kept his mouth shut. He let out a cold laugh instead. "Young Master Zhen, I'll concede that you're quite the silver-tongued one. But this contest of beasts still comes down to real skill."
The Beast Taming competition was about as primal as it got.
"Fourth match: Miss Huang'er of Peacock Sacred Mountain versus King Hui Dan of the Asura Arena."
Huang'er had no particular expertise in the way of beast taming. This was, in strategic terms, a round that Peacock Sacred Mountain was willing to concede.
Huang'er made a token appearance and ultimately lost without any real suspense. It was clear that this King Hui Dan genuinely possessed deep knowledge in the field of beast taming.
Seeing Huang'er surrender so predictably, a flicker of smug satisfaction crossed the Asura Great Emperor's lips. He could tell now that Peacock Sacred Mountain had absolutely no depth when it came to beast taming. Otherwise, this fourth round wouldn't have been lost so utterly without a fight.
"Fourth match: King Hui Dan of the Asura Arena wins. Fifth match: Young Master Zhen of Peacock Sacred Mountain versus the Asura Great Emperor of the Asura Arena. The format of the bout will be determined by lot."
The field of beast taming encompassed many possible formats. Some involved taming a savage beast on the spot, while others called for summoning one's contracted beast to fight directly…
Huang'er and King Hui Dan had drawn the format of taming a savage beast on the spot.
Jiang Chen had actually hoped to draw that same format, since it would have allowed him to leverage his mastery of the Beast Language. Unfortunately, things didn't go his way.
The format for their match was revealed the moment the lot was drawn.
It was a summoned contract beast battle — the most straightforward and primal format of all. Whoever's contract beast was superior would claim victory!
The moment he saw the result, the Asura Great Emperor nearly burst out laughing. He felt as though victory was already in his grasp.
He was a bona fide Great Emperor, and the contract beast he had personally tamed through his own strength was at the mid-tier of the Sovereign realm — nearing the upper tier, no less.
He had only managed to subdue such a beast through a combination of extraordinary fortune and skill.
The higher a savage beast's level, the more difficult it was to tame. If the Asura Great Emperor hadn't possessed knowledge of the Beast Taming arts — and if he hadn't been incredibly lucky — forget a mid-tier Sovereign beast; even a low-tier Sovereign beast would have been something you could only dream of encountering.
Many Great Emperors' contract beasts weren't even at the Sovereign realm. Some didn't have a contract beast at all.
It wasn't that they couldn't obtain one. They simply couldn't find a suitable one. If a beast's level was too low, they had no interest in it.
A contract beast worth claiming was typically either high in cultivation or brimming with growth potential. If neither condition was met, there was no point in subduing one.
After all, for a Great Emperor to keep a woefully unimpressive contract beast would be nothing short of embarrassing.
The Asura Great Emperor's contract beast not only boasted an impressive level of cultivation but also possessed considerable growth potential. When he had first tamed it, it had been only at the low tier of the Sovereign realm. After decades of the Asura Great Emperor's nurturing, it now stood at the cusp of the upper tier.
Given time, this contract beast could absolutely evolve to the peak of the Sovereign realm.
Whether it could break through to the Emperor realm would depend on fate and fortune.
Even so, the Asura Great Emperor was immensely proud of his contract beast. He even believed that the Peacock Great Emperor might not necessarily surpass him in this particular regard, let alone a mere Young Master Zhen.
Young Master Zhen's own cultivation was nothing to write home about. How powerful a contract beast could someone like that possibly subdue? With his level of strength, the best he could manage was probably a Saint-realm beast.
No wonder the Asura Great Emperor was so optimistic. In the world of martial cultivation, even among sects renowned for their beast-taming prowess, it was exceedingly rare for anyone to tame a spirit beast of equal rank to their own.
After all, to subdue a savage beast, one first needed to be able to absolutely overpower it in raw strength. Beyond that, one also needed exceptional methods to bend it to one's will.
Of course, none of that was absolute.
Jiang Chen felt a twinge of frustration upon drawing this format. A summoned contract beast battle was the last thing he wanted.
It wasn't that he was afraid.
It was simply that this format wouldn't allow him to leverage his mastery of the ancient Beast Language.
As for a contract beast — while Jiang Chen didn't have one in the strict sense, he did have no shortage of allies among the beast clans.
Long Xiaoxuan, the Gold-Munching Mouse clan, and even a young cub of the Grand Fortune White Tiger clan.
Of course, the White Tiger cub hadn't fully awakened yet, so that was out of the question. The Gold-Munching Mouse clan's growth potential was truly astonishing as well.
But asking the Gold-Munching Mouse King to step into the arena and fight the Asura Great Emperor's contract beast to the death was clearly not Old Jin's strong suit.
So after weighing his options, he really had only one choice: send Long Xiaoxuan into battle.
It wasn't that Jiang Chen couldn't command Long Xiaoxuan. He simply didn't want to expose him. The bloodline of a true dragon was extraordinary, to say the least.
Once it was revealed, Jiang Chen couldn't begin to imagine the consequences.
So at this moment, Jiang Chen had to consult with Long Xiaoxuan first. He sent a telepathic message: "Brother Long, this round cannot be lost. I need your help. However, once your true form is exposed, it could bring you considerable trouble down the line. So if you're unwilling to fight, Brother Long, I won't hold it against you."
Jiang Chen had no intention of guilt-tripping Long Xiaoxuan with grand principles.