Selection

Besides the basic rules, there was one other thing to watch out for. A beast of a higher rank could not challenge a beast of a lower rank, but the opposite case was allowed. Additionally, if a beast of a lower rank won against a beast of a higher rank, then they could still only be challenged by those of their rank. It was the perfect opportunity for beasts extra confident in their ability, but since the great beasts weren't part of this, only beast spirits could take advantage of this chance.

Shui could make himself appear to be a beast spirit since he was only in the Soul Realm, but since Cin was going in as a high beast he decided to do the same. Among the ninety beasts that could be challenged, fifty were beast spirits while forty were high beasts.

After the rules were explained, fights began around the hill upon which the crown panther sat. Cin was ready to go in and start fighting the moment the selection began, but he and Shui observed their competition first. Within a couple rounds, it was easy to tell which beasts were seen as weak and which were seen as strong. It seemed easier if they fought a weak beast, but then depending on the battle they may be seen as weak as well, and so they would be more likely to be challenged. Nevertheless, neither of them were the type to do something like that as they were confident in their abilities.

"Good luck Alpha Cin!" shouted Riu as Cin went up to do battle.

Riu and Teil were only here to watch so they could focus on their battles. Both of the high beasts which Shui and Cin were planning to battle had no other challengers, but since Cin issued his challenge before Shui, his match was given the next space that opened up. Shui didn't think there was anything to worry about concerning this match, even though a few beasts had already died, but then he noticed the way the crown panther great beast was staring at Cin.

'Why?'

It wasn't to the extent of killing intent, but the way the great beast looked at his big brother made him uncomfortable. Shui quickly deduced a good reason, but there was no solid proof behind it.

'Should I tell him? Nah, it's not like that would change anything. I can keep an eye on it myself.'

While Shui was worried about someone interfering, Cin had a carefree expression as he faced a giant gorilla that was covered in scars.

"I won't hold back." said the gorilla in a deep voice.

"Of course. I wouldn't want to see a big fellow like you begging for a rematch."

Cin's brash reply drew boos from the crowd.

"Who the hell is this mutt?"

"I've never seen him before. He's probably just some pup that recently became a high beast and thinks he can test his luck."

"Hmph, I just hope he actually puts up a good fight and doesn't lose in one hit."

They knew nothing about Cin, but the crowd, especially those who knew how powerful the gorilla was, didn't think he had a chance. After all, the gorilla was one of the few high beasts that had a chance of moving on to the next level. Naturally they believed that a high beast that could soon become a great beast was more likely to win than a newly ascended pup.

Cin didn't mind that no one was rooting for him, it would only make victory taste sweeter.

"I'll give you a chance to back up your boast. Attack me."

The gorilla didn't look offended by the way Cin looked down on it, it just felt the need to educate this pup.

"Oh, then I suppose I'll take you up on that."

Cin didn't need it, but he wouldn't turn down a chance to make himself look good. He could probably kill his foe with just his laser ability, but that wouldn't be exciting enough, so he took this chance to use a different ability.

Cin's fur glowed with a blue light as he lowered his posture in preparation to pounce. The gorilla believed that it was ready for whatever this pup could throw at it, but before it knew it there was a bloody gash on its stomach.

"!"

Very few who witnessed it weren't surprised when they saw Cin reappear behind the gorilla with its right claw covered in blood. Cin being faster than the gorilla wasn't that surprising since most high beasts were, but the fact that he was able to injure him was what left them stunned. This gorilla was avoided because its skin was too tough and it could crush the skull of most high beasts once it caught them. Since it had high defence and high power, no one thought he would be an easy opponent. But as if showing how easy it actually was, Cin carved a mark on the gorilla's body.

"Grrr!"

The mark that Cin left on its stomach infuriated the gorilla, but the one it was angry at was itself. It had forgotten one of the most basic rules of the forest; never underestimate your opponent. Cin's strike proved how stupid it was for dismissing his strength just because it was a fresh face.

The gorilla tightened its muscles to stop the bleeding and then charged at Cin. It leaped into the air before coming down and slamming its heavy fist where Cin's figure was. However, each time it thought it was about to hit it, Cin narrowly dodged its fist. The gorilla might have seen it as him cornering Cin, but anyone watching the fight could tell that Cin was toying with him. But these beasts saw no problem with that. For the strong, the weak could only serve as entertainment.

After about a minute of dodging, Cin seemed to get bored of it so it jumped back to create distance between them before opening its mouth. Cin appeared to spit at the gorilla, but the result was something much stronger. Following this motion, the gorilla was knocked back so far he was blasted out of sight. While there was no rule that said knocking the opponent out of bounds counted as a win, everyone agreed that Cin won this fight.

'As expected.'

Right after Cin's match ended, it was time for Shui's match. He was fighting something that looked bizarre even in this forest with a myriad of evolved beasts. It stood nine feet tall on four legs that supported its long lower body and had sickles for arms. Shui had seen it in books before, but ignoring its size, this was the first time he had met one.

The mantis looked down at Shui with its big shiny eyes but he couldn't sense any condescension in its attitude. However, it wasn't evaluating him either, it just treated every one of its opponents the same. Whether he was as strong as he looked weird or just plain weak, it would fight with its full strength.

'I would like to fight it with my martial arts but I guess this isn't the best place.'

The mantis was well known in the forest for its speed and close-range combat skills that were good enough to defeat beasts much stronger than it. The beasts were already familiar with the fact that rabid monkeys were weak individually, but with no idea what this golden monkey was they couldn't guess how this battle would turn out.