Everyone Tames Beasts, So Why Are You Taming Goddesses? - Chapter 14

The seven students fell silent. Li Xu whispered, “I’m sorry, Professor.”

Shangguan Ling wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “My daughter and I were mentally prepared for this… Besides, she’s only listed as missing. There’s still hope.”

Though deep down, she understood how slim that hope was.

Pulling herself together, Shangguan Ling said, “We are Beastmasters. If we don’t step up, who will?”

“By now, you’ve all heard about what happened in the Sakura Nation, haven’t you?”

The group nodded solemnly.

The Sakura Nation had failed to suppress the Volcanic Demonic Lair. The Fire Demons had breached into the human world, destroying five cities and causing incalculable losses.

Shangguan Ling continued, “We are not the people of the Sakura Nation. In Great Xia, we must stop the enemy at the lairs, no matter the cost!”

“Still, who among us doesn’t have personal interests at heart? Everyone has their own priorities and biases.”

“We obviously hope to suppress the beast tide in the Calamity Lair first. Other universities feel the same about their own regions. But the truth is, no single school has the strength to suppress a demonic lair on its own. Even resisting alone is a struggle. That’s why this system was created out of necessity.”

“Compete to show who can better train students, better train warriors. And the losers must accept the results.”

It was only now that the group truly understood the background of the Nine-School Alliance Exchange Tournament.

Su Yu couldn’t help but agree—humans, after all, do prioritize their own.

No wonder the school placed such importance on the tournament.

This wasn’t just an academic competition.

It was a battle soaked in blood and tears, a compromise where Beastmasters sacrificed personal desires for loyalty to their homeland.

Shangguan Ling spoke apologetically, “I’m sorry for bringing up such heavy topics.”

“Introduce yourselves to one another. From now on, you’ll be comrades-in-arms.”

The seven students took turns stating their names:

Su Yu, Liu Xuan, Li Xu, Wei Gang, Chen Mengmeng, An Zhishui, and Jiang Xinyue.

Shangguan Ling said, “It’s our generation’s failure that forces you young people onto the battlefield so early.”

“But I hope that one day, the threat of the demonic lairs will end because of you.”

“Great Xia allocates over 10% of its total budget to Beastmasters every year. You should understand what that means. Without Beastmasters increasing productivity through their contracted beasts, this would be unsustainable.”

The group nodded. It was a clear indication that Great Xia was already pushing its limits.

Shangguan Ling shook her head. “Let’s move on.”

“Here are the rules for the preliminary round of the tournament.”

“Each of the five departments will select participants. The Combat Department and our Alien Beast Department each have 10 slots. The remaining three departments will share 12 slots total.”

“In addition, there will be 16 open slots for anyone in the university to compete for, regardless of department. Altogether, that makes 48 participants.”

“Afterward, we’ll follow a single-elimination format, with classmates avoiding direct matchups. The top eight will represent the school in the individual category of the Nine-School Alliance Tournament.”

“S-rank students will get a bye in the first round but must win at least two matches. Additionally, there will be a special team battle. Each department will select a seven-member team to compete in a 7v7 match. The winner will represent the school in the team category of the tournament.”

The rules were straightforward.

With time running short, quick results were necessary to finalize the roster.

Shangguan Ling looked at the seven students. “I’ll personally guide each of you as much as I can. You should also take the time to collaborate and get to know one another. Now, choose a team leader.”

The seven exchanged glances.

Finally, all eyes fell on Su Yu and Liu Xuan.

An Zhishui said, “There are only two S-rank students in our group, so it has to be one of you.”

Li Xu, Wei Gang, Chen Mengmeng, and Jiang Xinyue all nodded in agreement, with no objections.

They had all seen videos of Su Yu and Alia’s incredible performance during the entrance test. That level of power was something they couldn’t match.

Liu Xuan, on the other hand, had been directly recruited. Her family’s influence seemed significant, and she undoubtedly had the qualifications.

Shangguan Ling turned to the two of them. “Su Yu, Liu Xuan, what do you think?”

Liu Xuan shook her head. “I just arrived today and don’t know much about Su Yu.”

Su Yu said, “Professor, I’ll leave it to your judgment.”

Shangguan Ling smiled. “Then let’s determine it by skill. Why don’t the two of you have a match? Whoever wins will be the team leader.”

“Also, being the leader comes with its own perks~ Are you sure you two don’t want to give it a shot?”

Her suggestion immediately gained full support from the other five.

“Agreed!”

“Straight to the point.”

“Yeah, they absolutely need to go head-to-head!”

Su Yu and Liu Xuan exchanged looks and finally nodded. “Alright.”

“Let’s head to the combat arena!”

Shangguan Ling led the group to the arena.

She briefly explained the rules: the match would end when a pet beast was incapacitated, unable to continue fighting, or if the opponent was knocked out of the ring.

The combat arena was expansive, designed to accommodate Beastmaster battles. It was 300 meters long and 150 meters wide, more than enough space for lower-ranked Beastmasters to unleash their abilities.

The other six students took their seats in the viewing area, watching intently.

From a distance, Liu Xuan said, “I heard Su Yu is in the Transcendence Realm? Coincidentally, so am I. This should be a fair match.”

Holding Alia’s hand, Su Yu said, “Please go easy on me, Liu Xuan. Don’t worry—I’ll hold back.”

Liu Xuan’s expression turned serious. Although she hadn’t witnessed Su Yu’s fights firsthand, the footage of him taking on a hundred opponents and commanding dozens of pet beasts to simultaneously self-destruct was deeply unsettling.

She deduced that his extraordinary feat must have involved some kind of medium—most likely Su Yu’s blood, based on the available information.

However, Alia was a vampire capable of manipulating blood.

Their compatibility was so absurdly high that anyone who faced them would likely be instantly crushed.

Still, Liu Xuan was the Liu family’s legitimate heiress. With her S-rank talent and high-tier sequence pet beast, she wasn’t afraid of Su Yu.

“Let’s begin.”

With that, Liu Xuan leapt into the air, riding atop a pure-white griffin to gain altitude and avoid contact with Su Yu’s blood.

The griffin was entirely white, but what made it unique was its two heads—one representing light and the other holy flames.

This was the no. 63 sequence, the Twin-Headed Griffin, a powerful species from the Eternal Calamity Lair near the Imperial Capital.

Each Twin-Headed Griffin possessed unique attributes. When grouped together in the thousands, they could unleash devastating magical destruction.

Due to their awkward appearance after transformation—resembling conjoined twins—they generally avoided taking humanoid form.

Paired with Liu Xuan’s S-rank talent, Virtual Compression, which condensed attribute energy into a tiny energy ball capable of explosive devastation, she was effectively a humanoid bomber.

An S-rank student typically possessed some form of strategic battlefield potential.

As the match began,

The Twin-Headed Griffin unleashed a barrage of Light Roars and Holy Flames from above.

Su Yu and Alia’s figures appeared tiny amidst the onslaught.

However, Alia’s blood shield formed instantly, absorbing the Light and Holy Flames without taking any damage.

Liu Xuan’s pupils contracted. Light and Holy Flames were natural counters to the cold, dark energy of vampires. They should have had a significant advantage against Alia. How could her blood shield withstand them so easily?

In fact, the blood shield even seemed to be absorbing and devouring the Holy Flames.

“Useless! Virtual Compression!”

Liu Xuan activated her talent. The massive energy from the Light and Holy Flames condensed into a small, dense energy orb, like a miniature black hole. At her command, it could explode instantly, vaporizing anything in its radius.

How will you counter this?

As the Liu family’s heiress, Liu Xuan didn’t believe her peers at Magic City Beastmaster University could truly rival her.

Her family background and resources put her on a completely different playing field.

It wasn’t arrogance; it was reality. With her talent and upbringing, there was no reason she should lose to someone with far fewer resources.

Su Yu, however, remained calm. “I see. Your talent is quite interesting.”

“Alia, let’s end this.”

Is he giving up? Liu Xuan wondered instinctively.

But in the next instant, a surge of danger overwhelmed her senses, and her mind screamed in alarm.

It was the threat of death.

Su Yu’s demeanor shifted for just a moment, and Liu Xuan was consumed by an overwhelming, primal fear.

How is this possible!?

Su Yu turned slightly, extending his right hand. “The command of a king cannot be defied—not even by inanimate objects!”

“Your Virtual Compression, obey the king’s order—detonate!”

The compressed energy orb abruptly shot toward Liu Xuan at high speed!

Meanwhile, the Twin-Headed Griffin beneath her seemed to be controlled by some unseen force, helplessly crashing toward the deadly energy orb it had created.

The fear of death loomed, vast and inescapable.