Everyone Tames Beasts, So Why Are You Taming Goddesses? - Chapter 34

Su Yu asked with concern, “Well, Little An? Did you notice anything?”

An Zhishui whispered, “Wu Xinghao—his energy fluctuation is strange. Outwardly, he appears to be a control-based Beastmaster, but he’s concealing a mental-based talent.”

“And earlier, during your conversation, there was another person whose emotional reaction differed from the rest.”

Su Yu recalled the glances he had observed among the six members.

“Xu Ping, perhaps?”

Earlier, Old Three Xu Ping’s gaze had been somewhat evasive, as if he were preoccupied with something else.

“Yes!”

An Zhishui was surprised. “Captain, do you have some kind of observational ability?”

Su Yu shook his head. “No, it’s just that his expression seemed off.”

An Zhishui said, “Oh, but it was fleeting. He returned to normal almost immediately.”

Su Yu nodded.

These two—something was off with them.

Narrowing their targets from seven people to two was progress, at least.

It was far better than trying to search blindly within the vast seas of the Dragonhawk Guard and Magic City University.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t tell anyone about this.”

An Zhishui smiled. “Of course, I’m just happy to help you, Captain.”

She returned to her group of friends, where Liu Xuan curiously asked about her conversation with Su Yu.

An Zhishui simply smiled and brushed it off.

Liu Xuan, though slightly curious, didn’t press further.

Her eyes twinkled, as if scheming something.

—

Lying quietly on Su Yu’s lap, Alia suggested, “Why not capture those two and interrogate them?”

Su Yu chuckled. “No rush.”

“Let them make a move first. They might reveal more accomplices, and then we can capture them all in one fell swoop.”

“How do we do that?”

“After the tournament, I’ll find a chance to discuss this with the dean and the principal. In addition…”

Su Yu cast a glance at Liu Xuan.

Noticing his gaze, Liu Xuan became flustered and quickly looked away.

There was also the daughter of a Beastmaster family right here.

During his earlier conversation with Shangguan Ling, Su Yu had subtly probed and learned that Liu Xuan’s family, like Li Mu’s Li family, was one of the Nine Pillar Families.

Considering Liu Xuan’s friendly attitude toward him, perhaps he could use her influence.

Of course, all of this depended on one condition:

Su Yu needed to prove his value.

Winning this Nine-School Alliance Tournament was not just a goal—it was a necessity.

Otherwise, when he and Alia entered the demonic lairs again, their hidden enemies would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to strike.

For others, the tournament was merely a competition to determine lair deployment order. For Su Yu, it was a matter of life and death.

Alia closed her eyes. “Alright, little one, I’m counting on you. After all, you are my…”

“Knight.”

—

The train soon arrived in the Imperial Capital. The group from Magic City University then took private transportation to Imperial Capital Beastmaster University.

Imperial Capital University was located at the entrance to the Eternal Calamity Lair.

It stood as Great Xia’s most brutal battlefield and the only lair out of the nine where humanity carried out attacks. Unlike the Calamity Lair, which had only one forward base, Redstone City, the Eternal Calamity Lair supported three cities in a triangular formation, standing against the Seven Races.

In recent years, Imperial Capital University had regularly claimed the title in the Nine-School Alliance Tournament.

—

Stepping out of the vehicle, the group immediately saw the imposing sight of Imperial Capital University.

Unlike the modern architecture of Magic City University, Imperial Capital University was designed with a grand and ancient palace aesthetic. The only tall structure was a central clock tower with faces pointing in all four directions.

The clock’s chimes didn’t mark time but served as a signal for demonic lair attacks.

This militaristic feature symbolized the ever-present readiness of the capital—to go into full-scale war at the sound of the bells.

Under the guidance of staff, the group from Magic City entered Imperial Capital University.

Subtly, Su Yu felt a pair of eyes watching him.

Alia handed him a pair of binoculars. “Look at the tower.”

Taking them, Su Yu gazed at the clock tower.

Sitting on the edge of the tower was a girl with long platinum-silver curls. She wore a pale blue short dress and was barefoot, her serene and pure demeanor resembling that of a snow maiden untouched by the world’s impurities. Her calm, lake-like gaze was fixed directly on him.

—

Kong Huanyuan sat atop the tower, enjoying the breeze as she watched the Magic City delegation approach from the gates.

So this was the newly rising star…

A faint smile graced her lips. “So, you’re also a descendant of the God-Tier Sequence?”

Among those with ties to God-Tier Sequences, there existed a subtle resonance.

Alia’s certainty that there were other God-Tier descendants in the lairs was based on this very phenomenon.

Though separated by distance, the two women spoke the same words in unison:

“The prey has arrived.”

—

After a brief settling-in period, Shangguan Ling gathered the Magic City first-year participants for a quick meeting.

“Take a seat, everyone. The tournament schedule is packed, so I’ll keep this brief.”

The first-year participants sat in a circle, studying the tournament handbook attentively.

Shangguan Ling began, “The main competition starts tomorrow.”

“First is the individual competition, which, as usual, will be broadcast to the public.”

“The first round of the individual competition will be a trial-based challenge. The specific rules will only be revealed on the day itself, but out of the 72 students from the nine universities, only eight will advance to the elimination stage.”

“As for your opponents in the individual competition, I won’t elaborate. They’re likely the top-ranked students on Great Xia’s Potential List. I assume you’ve studied their profiles extensively. If you have any questions or concerns, come to me anytime.”

“As for the team competition, it will take place after the individual rounds. The rules will depend on a random draw and could involve either attack-defense scenarios or full-team battles.”

“The results for the sophomore, junior, and senior brackets generally don’t fluctuate much from year to year. Our strength in the sophomore bracket is notable, but Jianghe University excels in the junior bracket, and Imperial Capital University dominates the senior bracket. This means the freshman bracket is the most critical this year. All eyes are on you.”

Shangguan Ling’s tone grew firm. “For the school, and for Magic City itself, I’m counting on all of you.”

The demonic lair war loomed on the horizon, and the tournament results would heavily influence the order in which the nine Beastmaster universities deployed their forces.

Everyone wanted to protect their interests and loved ones first. There was no right or wrong in that.

In the end, it came down to one thing:

Whoever fights hardest, wins.

—

Meanwhile,

Jianghe University had also arrived at Imperial Capital under the leadership of several Star-Badged Mentors.

In their lodge, Mentor Lin Li asked, “Shaolong, how are things looking?”

The one who answered was none other than Shi Shaolong, ranked second on Great Xia’s Potential List.

Shi Shaolong nodded slightly. “Quite fortunate. The rumors about that special race in the Thousand Lakes Lair turned out to be true. The principal personally captured one.”

Lin Li took a deep breath. “Excellent. Very good!”

“With this, whether it’s Kong Huanyuan or Su Yu, you stand a solid chance of defeating them.”

Beside Shi Shaolong, a cheerful girl with twin ponytails smiled and said, “Brother Long, in my eyes, you’re already the undisputed champion of this tournament.”

Shi Shaolong replied softly, “Don’t worry, Yanyan.”

“I’ll secure the tournament’s crown and then go to your family to propose.”

“Until then, wait for me, alright?”

Yan Ling’er nodded, her gaze full of admiration. “Alright!”

—

As night fell,

In his dream, Su Yu faintly saw…