The second chapter is updated. The third is being revised, and the fourth is underway... Hushed disbelief swept through the assembled crowd. To equate a Cat-Tiger to something as common as a fighting fowl was absurd; the differences were vast, and the notion that skill was negligible, relying solely on luck, was utter nonsense!
These were seasoned players, and they saw instantly that the one chosen by the prodigious Mo, endowed with the Ethereal Physique, based on mere intuition, was the smallest among the six Cat-Tigers—weighing at least a full jin less than the others.
For most Xuan Beasts, a single jin made little difference.
But for a Cat-Tiger, fully grown only weighing around ten jin, a loss of one jin represented a massive disparity! Was this great genius, Mo Junye, intentionally trying to lose? Hadn't Miss Miao clearly briefed him on the basics earlier? He couldn't possibly have missed that essential knowledge!
Of course, some present were aware of the Zhan family’s deep reserves. Yet even they understood that even if Mo Junye had miraculously chosen the most robust and powerful of the six, the enhancement from the Zhan family’s Xuan Beast Art meant the outcome was sealed regardless.
“Young Master Mo is indeed direct. I shall not dawdle over my choice either; I’ll take the one closest to me,” Zhan Qingfeng declared with a triumphant smirk. Those unfamiliar with the inner workings merely shrugged. But those in the know, privy to the Zhan family’s capabilities, sneered inwardly: What need was there to choose? He was wielding an invincible cheat device; any selection would yield the same result…
The next phase was the period for individual taming. Zhan Qingfeng had already erected a small tent draped in black cloth. He tossed his chosen Cat-Tiger inside, then slid a hand into the enclosure. The beast’s furious roars gradually subsided, transforming into sounds of pure contentment. Meanwhile, Young Master Jun delivered another stunning surprise: under the full gaze of the crowd, he smiled, opened the cage door, and made no move to use his own Xuan Qi, acting as if he cared nothing at all.
The onlookers were profoundly astonished. The Cat-Tiger’s claws and jaws were formidable weapons! Any person with low Xuan Qi cultivation, caught unprepared, risked a devastating bite, potentially even losing a hand…
Some whispered that Young Master Zhan had planned this all along—exploiting Mo Junye’s current low strength, making it difficult for him to control the beast. How could someone inherently weak manage to tame it?
Yet this Ethereal Physique bearer opened the cage without a flicker of concern… Was it genuine confidence, or simply ignorance courting danger?
What happened next nearly made everyone’s eyes pop out of their sockets.
The Cat-Tiger looked up, seemingly puzzled, at the young man before it. It stretched languidly, let out a soft gū, and slowly sauntered out of the cage. It moved like a domesticated housecat, pacing with a perfect ‘cat walk’ over to Jun Moxie. It affectionately nudged its small head against his leg, then settled comfortably at his feet, rolling onto its back to expose its pale white belly, before giving a final, contented wriggle…
“Heavens above… what in the world is happening?”
In the crowd, a youth’s eyes widened to an impossible size, his mouth agape wide enough to swallow the beast whole. On his arm were several angry, distinct scratch marks—left by a Cat-Tiger—which fueled his current shock…
Everyone knew that an animal’s belly was its most vulnerable point, its fatal spot. When an animal completely exposed its abdomen to a human or another creature, it signified total submission and trust!
The Cat-Tiger, a beast naturally predisposed to aggression, possessed an almost ridiculously high level of innate vigilance. It trusted no other living thing! Once mature, it wouldn't even expose its belly to its own parents… So why this profound sense of ease before this Ethereal Physique possessor? Did the legendary divine physique possess an ability to elicit such instinctive affection from Xuan Beasts?
The assembled spectators stared, jaws slack on the ground. Jun Moxie smiled gently. “Little fellow, come here, let me have a good look at you.”
He crouched down and gently scooped the Cat-Tiger into his arms, his hand stroking its back with extreme tenderness.
The Cat-Tiger made a soft gū sound again, its eyelids drooping contentedly. Its entire body curled securely in Jun Moxie’s embrace, and as the hands stroked it, a deep, comfortable purr rumbled from its throat…
“Gods, I must be dreaming… Is this even a Cat-Tiger?”
The youth in the crowd, whose arm bore the marks, stammered, finally unable to contain himself. “Damn! Is this even a cat?!”
Miao Miaomiao stared, her beautiful eyes unable to process the scene. Her perception surpassed that of the startled youth; she recognized the fundamental differences between a Cat-Tiger and an ordinary kitten. She knew for certain that what Jun Moxie held was indeed a genuine Cat-Tiger. But why this bizarre phenomenon? Why such docility and obedience? Why such unguarded closeness toward a human…? She was as baffled as everyone else.
The crowd was paralyzed by shock, so much so that they missed the other Cat-Tigers in the cages, who had been tense and aggressive moments before. Now, they were all silent, every eye fixed on the one cradled in Jun Moxie’s arms. Had one observed closely, one could discern that their gaze held no hostility or disgust, but rather… envy and jealousy!
Yes, they admired and envied their counterpart for being held so close by that person… What a blissful fate! Why wasn't it them? Jun Moxie smiled, while secretly channeling a thread of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy through his palm, slowly infusing it into the Cat-Tiger’s body beneath his continuous stroking…
The small Cat-Tiger gave a surprised meow, then its eyes widened in sheer delight. It could distinctly feel the power within its body accelerating, instantly shattering its maximum capacity. The breakthrough was effortless; the limit innate to its birth, the boundary it was destined never to cross, was instantly obliterated…
This special human, who felt so instantly familiar, possessed such incredible power! His aura was so profoundly alluring and intoxicating… Jun Moxie maintained the gentle flow of energy, even affording himself time to glance toward Zhan Qingfeng, seemingly studying and wondering how his opponent was taming his own beast…
To the outside world, his expression appeared innocent—just holding a Cat-Tiger, smiling vacantly. No one suspected that under this public scrutiny, he was deploying the ultimate form of cheating…
What word could describe a level of cheating even more outrageous than an ‘invincible’ tool?
The Cat-Tiger nestled in Young Master Jun’s arms suddenly tensed, its eyes snapping open as it looked upward, emitting a series of urgent gū-miē… gū-gū… calls that grew louder and clearer…
Following its cry, the other four Cat-Tigers in the cages began to tremble. Slowly, they bent their forelegs and flattened themselves within their enclosures, cowering low. Their gaze, previously filled with envy and jealousy, now burned with an intensity mixed with genuine terror…
When the Cat-Tiger suddenly ceased its clamor, Young Master Jun loosened his hold, and the beast dropped to the ground with a soft pū. It turned back to look at Jun Moxie, its eyes conveying an inexplicable reluctance and gratitude. The Cat-Tiger's starting rank was simply too low to absorb much Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. Jun Moxie had only input a minuscule amount, but even that speck was more than enough!
Jun Moxie hadn't even realized that the spiritual energy he was currently drawing was the Primordial Violet Qi refined by the Hongjun Pagoda. Thus, what he was transmitting into the Cat-Tiger was precisely this Primordial Violet Qi!
Primordial Violet Qi was the supreme treasure of Heaven and Earth! Every cultivator, be they human or Xuan Beast, dreamed obsessively of obtaining it.
Though it was merely a trace, it had already rendered the outcome of this contest utterly decided! With even this sliver of Primordial Violet Qi inside it, this Cat-Tiger, though still a mere fourth-tier Xuan Beast, could now defeat a fifth or even sixth-tier beast effortlessly!
Furthermore, this trace of Primordial Violet Qi would remain within the Cat-Tiger forever, granting it the potential for infinite growth and advancement…
One could imagine that even the Heavenly Punishment Beast Emperor or the Human Saint Emperor, upon learning that Young Master Jun had so recklessly squandered such a priceless treasure on a mere fourth-tier Xuan Beast, would feel a pang of bitter envy towards that Cat-Tiger…
It is likely that Jun Moxie himself never foresaw that this impulsive, almost jesting act would, millennia later, give rise to the absolute sovereign among Xuan Beasts, who, alongside his master, would ignite an unimaginable torrent of bloodshed and terror… But that, of course, is the thrilling story for another book…
As the Cat-Tiger landed from Jun Moxie’s embrace, its mottled fur now shimmered with an almost transcendent, noble violet sheen, lending it an aura of majesty and profound mystery…
“Little fellow, you don’t have a name yet, do you?” Jun Moxie spoke to it as if addressing a person, his tone gentle. “Since fate brought us together today, I shall bestow one upon you. From this day forward, you shall be called ‘Little Purple,’ how about that?”
The Cat-Tiger remained still on the ground, seemingly understanding his words. It let out a joyful series of gū-gū-gū calls, then proudly rolled several times on the ground, tumbling and flipping, as if celebrating its newly acquired name…