The Ten-Legged Centipede

"I heard you're having a match with Zhang Luo tomorrow," Tingyu said, sitting on her bed as soon as Kael walked in.

Kael had been leaving early and returning late these days, and Tingyu had also been busy training her own Soul Pet, so they hadn't had much chance to talk.

"Yes," Kael nodded.

"His Ten-Legged Centipede has already reached the third stage, while your little Moonlight Fox is only at the second stage," Tingyu continued.

"Yes," Kael nodded again.

"Moonlight Foxes are naturally weaker in terms of attack power. Even with its speed, its claws probably can't tear through the Centipede's carapace. That Centipede's carapace has already reached the intermediate stage," Tingyu pointed out.

"Oh? It's already at the intermediate stage?" Kael raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised that the other party had managed to enhance the Centipede's defense so quickly. He remembered that just a couple of days ago, the Centipede's carapace was only at the initial stage.

"Yes. If the match were at night, you might still have a chance to hold your own…" Tingyu said.

Moonlight Foxes possess the racial skill Lunar Radiance, which boosts their combat power under the moonlight.

"The match is at noon. He's not stupid," Kael replied.

"I don't understand. Out of all the Soul Pets on the island, why did you choose a Moonlight Fox?" Tingyu asked.

As a girl, Tingyu might have had a soft spot for beautiful and cute Soul Pets like the Moonlight Fox. However, the girls on this island couldn't afford such sentiments. Survival here required them to discard any unnecessary compassion.

Kael didn't answer. The fact that Moye was a continuously mutating Soul Pet was a secret he couldn't afford to reveal, or it would bring certain death.

Seeing that Kael wasn't in the mood to talk, Tingyu, feeling tired herself, lay down on the bed, pulled up the covers, and fell asleep early.

The island was dangerous at night, so most Soul Pet Masters went to bed early and woke up early.

Kael spent some time reading through the Soul Pet Encyclopedia, reviewing the information on the Ten-Legged Centipede one more time before going to sleep.

The next morning, Moye let out excited noises, as if it had some good news to share. Curious, Kael summoned it.

"What is it, Moye?" Kael asked, puzzled.

"Whimper~" Moye extended its claws, and a few cold gleams flashed, sinking into the wooden floor of the hut.

Kael was stunned for a moment before a look of ecstasy spread across his face. "Late stage!! Your claws have reached the late stage!!"

"Whimper~" Moye let out a happy sound.

"Hahaha!!" Kael burst into laughter.

This little Moye truly lived up to being a continuously mutating Soul Pet. Even as a Moonlight Fox, its potential was absurdly high!

Normally, a Moonlight Fox's claws wouldn't reach the late stage until at least the sixth stage of growth. Even with the Deep Blue Healgrass's catalysis, the most it could achieve was the intermediate stage.

Yet Moye's juvenile claws had already reached the late stage at the second stage. This wasn't just a slight improvement in attack power. Even without using Rend Claw, it could probably tear through the Centipede's defenses!

Moye's surprise gift filled Kael with confidence. At noon, he headed to the agreed-upon location to face Zhang Luo.

"Wait for me, I'm coming with you," Tingyu, who had left early in the morning and returned at noon, called out as she saw Kael leaving.

Kael nodded, and the two of them made their way to the field together.

When they arrived, Kael saw Zhang Luo, along with five other people. These five were likely part of Zhang Luo's inner circle.

When capturing Soul Pets, many Soul Pet Masters naturally formed small groups to ensure they could secure their targets and avoid being bullied by others before the life-and-death battles.

Kael preferred to keep to himself, so he hadn't joined any groups. Tingyu, on the other hand, had naturally joined a circle of female Soul Pet Masters.

"So, it's you he's up against, Zhang Luo? If you're looking for an opponent, at least find someone stronger…" one of the long-haired youths said mockingly upon seeing Kael.

The others were equally unimpressed that Zhang Luo's opponent was Kael, who had chosen a Moonlight Fox as his first combat Soul Pet. They found the whole thing rather uninteresting.

Among the fifty Soul Pet Masters on the island, it was essential to understand each other's Soul Pets before the life-and-death battles. Those who formed groups would gather information about others and share it within their circles, giving them an advantage when facing opponents from other groups.

Kael's Soul Pet being a Moonlight Fox wasn't exactly a secret. It was widely regarded as one of the least threatening choices, even less so than many female Soul Pet Masters.

Zhang Luo, feeling the pressure of the mocking gazes around him, awkwardly explained, "What could I do? He challenged me. It's not like I could refuse."

Kael, however, found the whole situation amusing.

"That long-haired guy over there is Ge Qing. I heard his Soul Pet is a Scale Python, a high-grade Soul Pet ranked sixth," Tingyu whispered.

Kael could tell that this group seemed to revolve around the long-haired youth, Ge Qing, who was likely one of the more threatening figures in the life-and-death battles.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get this over with," Ge Qing said impatiently, urging Zhang Luo and Kael to begin.

Zhang Luo chuckled awkwardly and placed the Beast Attribute Soul Core he had wagered in the center, then gestured for Kael to do the same with his Insect Attribute Soul Core.

Out of the three Soul Cores Kael had, two had already been used as bait. The only one he had left was the Insect Attribute Soul Core, which was precisely why Zhang Luo had agreed to the match.

There were two types of duels between Soul Pet Masters: one where only the Soul Pets fought, and another where the masters also participated.

Soul Pet Masters possessed soul power and could use certain skills. However, none of the Soul Pet Masters on the island had yet obtained a skill book, so they were essentially skillless in combat, relying entirely on their Soul Pets.

"Hear my soul's call…" Zhang Luo began chanting his soul contract incantation.

A faint brown light glowed, slowly forming a soul contract pattern about two meters in diameter on the grass. After a flash of light, the blackish-brown Ten-Legged Centipede appeared on the pattern.

It was over a meter long, with sixteen blade-like legs that moved back and forth menacingly. Its ferocious head and pincers made it clear that this was a brutal and vicious Soul Pet.