An Unexpected Encounter with a Rival

"How boring. Once your Moonlight Fox uses Charm and Pitiful Pretense, my Soul Pet loses all desire to fight. Even if it's a stage higher, it's useless," Tingyu huffed, withdrawing her Soul Pet back into its space.

Tingyu's Soul Pet was the "Thorn Rose Demon," a high-grade creature from the plant kingdom—flower type—rose family.

On the island, the Thorn Rose Demon ranked ninth in terms of racial hierarchy, and its strength had reached the seventh stage. Tingyu had always kept a low profile, and it was only recently that others had become aware of her powerful Soul Pet.

Kael, being her roommate, had naturally known earlier. However, he had been quite surprised when he first discovered that this seemingly delicate girl possessed such a formidable Soul Pet.

"Honestly, your Moye is just a freak. It's only at the sixth stage, lower than my Thorn Rose Demon in both stage and level, and its claws have just reached the first stage of full maturity. Yet, my Thorn Rose Demon just can't beat it!" Tingyu glared at Kael with a hint of resentment.

"Well, let's hope you don't face me on the day of the final battle," Kael replied with a light chuckle.

With only five days left until the decisive showdown, Moye had mastered two new skills over the past two months: Pitiful Pretense and Charm.

Pitiful Pretense was a unique camouflage skill of the Moonlight Fox, allowing it to appear vulnerable and pitiful, evoking sympathy from stronger Soul Pets and weakening their fighting spirit.

Charm, on the other hand, was a skill that used the fox's beauty to create illusions, confusing the opponent's mind.

Neither skill was inherently offensive, but Kael had learned to wield them effectively in battle, turning them into deadly tools.

Tingyu's Thorn Rose Demon was feared by almost everyone on the island, yet in their secret sparring matches, it always lost to Kael.

"With five days left until the battle, your Moye should have no problem securing a spot in the top ten," Tingyu said.

"My Soul Pet just happens to counter your Thorn Rose Demon. But from what I can see, not many can handle your Thorn Rose Demon either, right?" Kael remarked.

"That's not necessarily true. Although I haven't fought them, I know of at least five people whose Soul Pets are stronger than my Thorn Rose Demon," Tingyu replied.

"Oh? Since the battle is approaching, why don't you tell me about the others' Soul Pets?" Kael asked.

"You're always so focused on training and nurturing your Soul Pet, completely oblivious to everything else. It's going to cost you one day," Tingyu said, glaring at him.

Kael simply smiled indifferently.

Tingyu then proceeded to inform him about the most formidable opponents:

"Tang Xian's Steel Fang is at the eighth stage—high grade. It ranks tenth in racial hierarchy, but its strength is among the top five!"

"Feng Gu's Rock Demon is at the ninth stage—mid grade. It ranks twentieth in racial hierarchy, but its strength is also in the top five!"

"And then there's Ge Qing, who's been threatening to devour you. His Scale Python is only at the seventh stage, but it's incredibly ferocious. It's almost undefeated in battles."

"The undisputed strongest, however, is Zhou Shengmo. His Soul Pet is a highly talented Dire Wolf, eighth stage—high grade, with fully matured wolf claws and fangs. Even without using any skills, my Thorn Rose Demon wouldn't stand a chance. Let's hope we don't run into him, or we'll be in big trouble…"

At the mention of Zhou Shengmo, Kael's expression darkened. During the survival training, this guy had set him up, nearly costing him his life. Kael hadn't forgotten that grudge.

"Of course, there's also you. You've managed to train an ornamental Soul Pet to this level. If you had a high-grade Soul Pet like the others, you'd easily secure a spot in the top three," Tingyu said.

Kael merely smiled, offering no further explanation.

"I'm going to take a walk in the dense forest. You can continue practicing on your own," Kael said.

"Oh, not going together?" Tingyu asked.

"No, I might head to a dangerous area," Kael replied before leaving.

Kael made his way through the grassy fields toward the dense forest.

The dense forest was closer to the inner island, serving as a boundary between the inner and outer islands, much like the thorny forest. It was also home to some powerful Soul Pets.

Last month, Kael and Moye had discovered a level-two medicinal herb, the Jade Dew Mushroom, in the dense forest.

Dew was the purest form of liquid nourishment. When multiple dew drops from plants that absorbed the essence of heaven and earth fell in the same spot on fertile soil, a Jade Dew Mushroom could grow.

The Jade Dew Mushroom was a level-two herb with a direct effect: it could accelerate a Soul Pet's growth. If combined with level-two Sky Blue Grass in a three-to-two ratio, it could be concocted into a level-three potion, the Sky Blue Jade Dew, which could instantly advance a Soul Pet by several stages. It was an incredibly rare and valuable resource.

With only five days left before the battle—after which he would either be killed or sent to another island—Kael had to retrieve the Jade Dew Mushroom within these few days.

Last month, when he had first encountered it, Kael hadn't taken it because the Jade Dew Mushroom was always accompanied by a symbiotic Soul Pet: the Hundred-Eyed Palm.

The Hundred-Eyed Palm was a mid-grade Soul Pet from the plant kingdom—flower type—Hundred-Eyed Palm family. The one accompanying the Jade Dew Mushroom was likely at the eighth stage. This Soul Pet was commonly found wherever the Jade Dew Mushroom grew.

As Kael stepped into the dense forest, he was greeted by the earthy scent of the soil. It had rained a few days ago, leaving the air particularly fresh and invigorating.

Kael walked with Moye by his side, and perched on his shoulder was the little green caterpillar. The caterpillar had a keen sense of alertness, and it had helped Kael avoid danger on multiple occasions.

After venturing about a kilometer into the forest, Kael heard voices in the otherwise quiet woods.

He immediately stopped and hid behind a large tree.

When wandering outside the camp, Kael generally avoided contact with others, as he didn't belong to any group and could easily be taken advantage of.

"Brother Zhou, with the three of us, we should be able to handle it, right?" came the rough voice of a young man.

"Even without you two, my Dire Wolf would be enough. I brought you along just in case," replied the man referred to as Brother Zhou.

"Of course, of course," another voice quickly agreed.

Kael, hidden behind the tree, peered through the branches at the three young men passing by not far from him. His expression turned cold.

The one called Brother Zhou was none other than Zhou Shengmo, Kael's archrival. This tall young man, accompanied by a highly talented Dire Wolf, was feared by almost everyone. It was a foregone conclusion that he would take first place in the upcoming battle.

The other two young men beside Zhou Shengmo looked vaguely familiar to Kael. One was named Luo Chen, and the other was Ma Zhi. Luo Chen was among the top ten in terms of strength, while Ma Zhi was of average ability—not outstanding, but not to be underestimated either.