Astral Pet Store (WN)

Chapter 487 Longjiang in Trouble

“You too?”

“…Not anymore.” Venerable the Blade curled his lips; since Su Ping was there, Venerable the Blade believed he could kiss the championship goodbye.

Even without Su Ping, Venerable the Blade wasn’t feeling that confident because the competition for that year was intense.

“Venerable the Blade, who is this?” a man asked. Standing next to Venerable the Blade were two people. One was a hunchbacked old man with gray hair and the other was as strong as a bear. “This is Mr. Su. His title is… Well, Mr. Su, do you have a title?” Venerable the Blade started to make introductions. When titled battle pet warriors met for the first time, the respectful thing to do was to tell each other their titles. But Venerable the Blade suddenly realized he didn’t know Su Ping’s title.

“I’m not at the titled rank yet. Once I reach that rank, I’d prefer to have Boss as my title,” Su Ping answered. Titles like Raging Spirit and King of Swords were already taken and Su Ping had no interest in silly titles like those. He would title himself as the “Boss” when he reached the ninth rank and became a titled battle pet warrior.

How simple and elegant that was. “Well…” Venerable the Blade was speechless. Not at the titled rank yet? Su Ping is playing dumb again.

Besides, what kind of title “Boss” was? It didn’t sound intimidating at all.

Venerable the Blade said, “Mr. Su, a title is a public acknowledgment and you cannot choose one for yourself. Take Brother Qin here for an example. He has earned the title King of Swords because of his sword skills. Only a few people know you since you’ve always been close to the Longjiang Base City. You can take advantage of the Supremacy League to establish your name. You’ll get a title that people agree on!”

Qin Shuhai nodded in agreement.

“I cannot decide my own title?” Su Ping was speechless. Of course, he didn’t care about this title, to begin with. It was just what people would call him.

“That’s how titles work.” Venerable the Blade continued the previous introduction, “This is Mr. Hua, titled God of Earth! This is Brother Niu, titled God of Blood. Now, Brother Niu may come across as a cultured man but he is fierce in battle, violent and heartless. Even I am afraid of him.”

The middle-aged man titled God of Blood stretched his head shyly and said with a blushing face, “Nonsense. I am nothing like that!”

His voice was insanely sweet. That voice made Su Ping’s toes curl.

A big guy who was as strong as a bear using such a honeyed voice was… Out of place. “Nice to meet you, God of Blood, God of Earth,” Qin Shuhai said with respect. The two titled battle pet warriors had been famous for years. Su Ping was not aware of what was special about those two but Qin Shuhai had heard many stories about them and their achievements.

“Mr. Su, are you here for the beast king and the legendary skill as well?” Mr. Hua sized up Su Ping curiously. He could sense how respectful Venerable the Blade was to that young man. A man who deserved Venerable the Blade’s respect was certainly not an average man. However, this young man didn’t strike him as intimidating, which made it all the more intriguing for Mr. Hua. “Beast king and legendary skill?” Su Ping didn’t understand. Venerable the Blade and his two friends couldn’t believe that Su Ping would react like that.

Venerable the Blade asked, “Mr. Su, weren’t you aware of this? The prizes for the championship this year are quite tempting. The Talent Stone, which is regularly offered every year, is not the only thing. The champion will get an adult beast king pet and a legendary skill!

“I heard that even a titled battle pet warrior can display legendary-rank strength after learning that skill, and that it can be very useful in the event of having to face a legendary battle pet warrior!” Su Ping turned to Qin Shuhai. Qin Shuhai was a little bit embarrassed. “I never found the time to tell you that. Indeed this is the case. More prizes are on the table because there are more participants this year, and the competitions are more intense than in the past!” That explains it. However, Su Ping was not interested in this. He just wanted the Talent Stone. “Are you all here for the beast king pet and the legendary skill?”

Su Ping asked. Venerable the Blade produced a forced smile. “Yes. The Talent Stone doesn’t mean much for us. Of course, it is miraculous but one has to rely on one’s own luck. Sometimes the Talent Stone does nothing. But I think I’ll have to quit, now that I know Mr. Su is also going to participate. Good luck, Mr. Su.” Venerable the Blade was disappointed. He had been craving a beast king pet and that legendary skill; his strength could be improved if he could get those prizes. He might even find a way to reach the legendary rank with the help of that legendary skill. However, he had seen Su Ping’s pets. The Little Skeleton was ferocious and it could even slay a battle pet warrior at the peak of the titled rank. The Little Skeleton was not a pet that he could defeat. Venerable the Blade was certain that the Little Skeleton had strength at the beast-king level.

With a battle pet like that, there was a great chance that Su Ping could win first place.

Both Mr. Hua and God of Blood were stunned to hear Venerable the Blade’s words. He was so confident moments before. Why quit just after hearing that this Mr. Su would also compete? Both knew Venerable the Blade very well. They could not believe that the young man was threatening to a degree that even Venerable the Blade would fear competing. The two put on grave expressions.

“Sure.”

Su Ping nodded. He didn’t try to talk Venerable the Blade out of quitting. Since he was forfeiting, Su Ping would no longer have to encounter Venerable the Blade on the stage. After all, they were both aiming to get first place. As long as they could defeat their competition, if both were to participate, they were bound to meet on the stage. Mr. Hua and God of Blood found it even more curious that Su Ping would reply so calmly. “Mr. Su, this must be your first time in the Aurora Base City. Let me buy you dinner tonight,” Venerable the Blade said with a smile. He concealed his disappointment.

“Good.”

Su Ping nodded. “Brother Qin, why don’t you join us?” Venerable the Blade said to Qin Shuhai. Gladly surprised, Qin Shuhai immediately agreed.

In the meantime, in a luxurious private room at the stadium. The people in the private room were able to enjoy a view over the entire stadium. Standing in front of the french sash were three people. The one standing in the middle was holding a wine glass with the other two standing behind with their heads down.

People would be surprised to see the two treating someone else with such respect and be so obsequious, because they were both well-known battle pet warriors at the peak of the titled rank.

“Ready?” The middle-aged man standing in front of the glass glanced over the stadium. He had seen some familiar faces, like the Venerable the Blade and God of Blood. They were chatting with someone. He didn’t care so he looked past them quickly. He knew people like Venerable the Blade and God of Blood. Both were quite outstanding “young” battle pet warriors at the peak of the titled rank and could grow to be legendary battle pet warriors!

But this would not happen right then. If they could, then they would be so talented that even the Tower would value them. The middle-aged man looked past the others in the area. An old man standing behind him answered with respect, “Sir, we are ready.” “The bait is cast. Let’s see how many fishes we can get…” The middle-aged man squinted his eyes and grinned.

That night, Venerable the Blade played the host and booked a room in an expensive restaurant nearby. Su Ping noticed that most of the customers present were titled battle pet warriors and their prices had marveled him. The restaurant was even better at making money than he was! “Dragon liver in brown sauce, boiled phoenix breast with baked wheaten paste…”

Venerable the Blade ordered some dishes and then handed the menu to Su Ping, who picked something according to the reference pictures and introductions. Each dish would cost at least over a hundred thousand federal coins. They could eat up several million that night and they didn’t even order any wine considering the competition the following day. Everyone knew that wine was always more expensive than food.

The same rule applied in that restaurant. The alcohol was distilled from advanced beasts.

Su Ping had opened his eyes and feasted his mouth. He would usually go back home for meals, never having tried something that fancy. After dinner, upon knowing that Su Ping had yet to find a hotel, Venerable the Blade helped Su Ping book a room right then. Once they had finished dinner to their hearts’ content and Su Ping told Qin Shuhai to return to their rooms with him, Su Ping realized that Qin Shuhai didn’t book a room in the same place. He had merely booked a room in a hostel nearby.

Identity, power, and wealth!

Su Ping had seen the representation of all those on Venerable the Blade.

Titled battle pet warriors were on a different level. In the average base cities, any titled battle pet warrior would be treated with the utmost respect. But in this base city, only people like Venerable the Blade who was at the peak of the titled rank could enjoy such privilege; people would recognize him. On the contrary, Qin Shuhai wasn’t that well-known. The night passed. Nothing special happened. The next day. Su Ping got up, freshened up, and went to the lounge.

He ordered some breakfast. He was spending astral coins that couldn’t be converted into energy points anyway so he didn’t mind. He treated himself to a lavish breakfast. When he went to pay the bill, he realized he had spent one million on breakfast alone, which surprised him a bit.

But that wasn’t an entire waste of money. Su Ping had realized the night before that, while pricey, the food they served was outstanding. There were astral powers contained in the food. Su Ping felt his astral powers would be improved if he could eat several meals there. Of course, that level of improvement would not be significant for titled battle pet warriors. It turns out that the rich people are not enjoying happiness as I had imagined. They’re enjoying a happiness that I could never imagine! Su Ping exclaimed to himself. Soon, Venerable the Blade came down and invited Su Ping for breakfast, but Su Ping told him he had already eaten. They left together, once Venerable the Blade finished breakfast. “The official competition starts today but this is just the beginning.

It’ll be the turn for those who have just reached the titled rank to warm up the stage,” Venerable the Blade said. He had participated in the Supremacy League before and he was very familiar with the rules. Su Ping raised his eyebrows. “When will the final match take place?” “In a few days,” Venerable the Blade answered. “That being said, I think you can go up to the stage and show some of your skills. After all, you haven’t gathered enough fame among the titled battle pet warriors. You can make a debut and let people get to know you. That way people will recognize you wherever you go in the future. This will be a good time for you to build some connections.” Su Ping didn’t promise anything. They arrived at the stadium and met God of Earth and God of Blood. The two thought they might be able to see how strong Su Ping was this day. Venerable the Blade desired to talk his friends into giving up. He was aware that those two were also there for the first place; sooner or later they would meet Su Ping, the freak, on the stage and they would lose.

But it didn’t seem proper to persuade others to give up. It might backfire. After all, battle pet warriors at the peak of the titled rank had their pride. Venerable the Blade decided not to say anything They went inside and Su Ping saw Qin Shuhai who was approaching them. Su Ping also saw the group from the Tang family in the distance, as well as Xie Gange. But Xie Gange didn’t notice Su Ping. He was chatting with others. “Those are the core members of the Star Organization. They are all at the peak of the titled rank,” Venerable the Blade said. Su Ping nodded. God of Earth was curious. “Mr. Su, you know people from the Star Organization?”

“Yes,” Su Ping nodded and said, “I had some dealings with them.” Venerable the Blade curled his lips. Sure you have. You almost beat that guy to death. God of Earth and God of Blood cast a meaningful glance at Su Ping.

“It’s starting.” Venerable the Blade looked at the stage. They found a place to sit down. The stadium was fully packed. Most of the people in the audience were battle pet warriors, instead of the general public. What happened on the stage would be too complicated for the general public to appreciate. Titled battle pet warriors could move faster than sound; normal people would be unable to see a thing with their naked eyes and would eventually get bored. The Elite League was better for the general public.

The higher the competition’s level was, the more targeted the audience would be. That was how things worked. Soon, someone that seemed to be a referee entered the stage. He stood in the air and announced the rules.

There were multiple modes of competition. The first was to draw lots. All the selected participants from the preliminary rounds and the titled battle pet warriors could draw lots as a way to decide their turns.

Every participant would have two chances. Whenever someone lost a round, a lot could be drawn again for a second challenge. But if they were defeated twice, they would have to accept that sorrowful fate. The second way was to defend the ring. Some famous battle pet warriors at the peak of the titled rank could go up to the stage. If there was no challenge after two attempts in a row, the titled battle pet warrior would directly move up to the next round. That was a special way set up for the powerful; it would save time and energy, and also come as a method to demonstrate the status of those battle pet warriors at the peak of the titled rank.

“Isn’t that the family head of the Qin Family? Rumors said he had already passed away. I’m surprised to see that he’s still alive.” All of a sudden, Venerable the Blade noticed someone. God of Earth and God of Blood turned to see, clearly surprised. God of Earth lowered his voice, “That old dude has gone off the radar for over a hundred years. How is he still alive?” “No wonder the Qin Family can maintain their status in the Hukou Base City. It turns out that this old dude is supporting the family in secret.” “I see that the beast king and the legendary skill are quite attractive. Even those guys are coming out.” Noticing that Su Ping was curious, Venerable the Blade explained, “That old man reached the peak of the titled rank a hundred years ago, then disappeared after a tremendous battle. I thought he had died; I didn’t know he had survived back then. I suppose my grandpa was still an infant when he made a name for himself.”

Su Ping looked at that person. The old man had gray hair and was wearing a cyan robe which gave him an elegant look. He was surrounded by a group of titled battle pet warriors who were also wearing cyan robes. As if having felt their gazes, the old man turned around. He nodded to Venerable the Blade and God of Earth and then looked away.

As for Su Ping, a stranger, he ignored him directly.

Su Ping didn’t even hide his gaze and had alerted him. The old man was not in the mood to pay attention to someone who didn’t know how to hide one’s gaze. “The family head of the Lin Family is here. Gee, the beast king is out of my reach this time,” God of Earth said, but he didn’t look that afraid.

God of Blood looked at that one with a concerned expression. Venerable the Blade noticed and flashed a bitter smile, then shook his head and heaved a sigh. Su Ping alone was a monster who was strong enough to defeat them all. Venerable the Blade felt glad that he had already decided to stay out of the competition and stayed there for the fun of it. Otherwise, he could not even begin to imagine how much pressure he would be under.

While they were talking, the first round began. Su Ping, God of Earth and God of Blood didn’t go to draw the lots. They were going to defend the ring. It was a default consensus that drawing lots was a method used to give a chance for the “newcomers.” As for people who could win a place in the Top 10 or even get the championship, they would still not get involved at this stage. The first two on the stage were two titled battle pet warriors. A great battle was on the verge of breaking out. Both summoned all of their battle pets. However, one party who was at one position higher quickly defeated the other. The opening match was quite intense and the atmosphere at the stadium was ignited.

Then the second group, and the third group… People were getting increasingly excited. All of a sudden, Su Ping noticed that the young family head of the Tang Family he had met the day before was one of the participants in a new group. She was doing this as well? While Su Ping was still confused, her opponent, a titled battle pet warrior, had just entered the stage.

Their battle broke out.

Her battle pets were all rare ones of the ninth-rank, and they were all adults. Her major pets were at the upper position of the ninth rank. The girl’s commands were composed and accurate. Her major pet explored the way and relied on itself to crack the defense of their opponent. She won.

She won fast and rapidly. There was no struggle! A master battle pet warrior had won against a titled battle pet warrior!

She won!

The audience were thrilled to the point of insanity. Almost everyone present was a battle pet warrior. All of them knew how unbelievable that was. The gap between the master rank and the titled rank was not one that could be easily crossed. Master battle pet warriors could share their pets’ vision, perception, and so on, but titled battle pet warriors were even scarier!

Titled battle pet warriors could synchronize their astral powers with their pets! They could channel all their pets’ energy into themselves and could also transfer all of their astral powers to their pets!

That… was not one plus one equals two. It was not even three.

A pet at the lower position of the ninth-rank could burst out the strength of the intermediate position of the rank when receiving astral powers from a battle pet warrior at the lower position of the ninth rank! A pet at the peak of the ninth rank-when receiving astral powers from a battle pet warrior at the peak of the titled rank, was able to mobilize enough strength to be on par with the beast king level! An analogy was when Su Ping punched at the seal and people began to think that he was at the peak of the titled rank. But of course, pets at the peak of the ninth rank were not beast kings after all; there was still a vast gulf in between.

Even with such abilities, the titled battle pet warrior lost. Everyone was shouting the girl’s name.

Su Ping had finally found out her name: Tang Ruyu.

Ruyan and Ruyu.

One gentle girl and one cold.

Su Ping frowned as he stared at the girl who was standing in glory. He thought of Tang Ruyan. Su Ping snorted.

Tang Ruyu! It seemed that the future family head was made known to all this day. Amid everyone’s cheers, the girl quietly stepped off the stage, as if her win wasn’t worth mentioning. She darted a glance at Su Ping and made eye contact with him for less than 0.1 seconds as she was descending from the stage. Su Ping detected a trace of well-hidden coldness.

It was merely one instant but Su Ping was always perceptive to killing intent. He could tell the girl had ill intent. She tried to hide it but he did notice…

Su Ping squinted his eyes. The Tang family was not giving up, huh? But he didn’t want to go and find trouble with the Tang Family just because of this. Same as before, he was going to let bygones be bygones. Of course, unless the Tang Family wanted to offend him again. Until then, the Tang Family would have to hold back their killing intent. A killing intent being held back for life would no longer be a killing intent.

It was…

Obsession!

Another group went up to the stage, soon after the girl had gotten off the stage.

While the two were competing, Su Ping heard a beep. It was Qin Shuhai’s phone.

Qin Shuhai was surprised to see that the number was from Qin Duhuang. He thought Qin Duhuang was going to ask him if he had picked Su Ping up. He picked up the call. “Hey, man.” “Shuhai, has the competition started?” Qin Duhuang asked. He sounded concerned and anxious.

Qin Shuhai would rarely see his old man in such a panic. “Just beginning. Is this about Mr. Su? I picked him up. He’s sitting right next to me.”

“Good. Come back, now that Mr. Su is there. Something is happening at the Longjiang Base City!” Qin Duhuang stated.

Qin Shuhai was stunned. “What?”

“Beasts are gathering outside the base city. I think a strike is going to happen soon. There are beast king readings on the radar. Don’t enter the city from the east side. Be careful on your way back.” Qin Duhuang was serious. “Beast strike?” Qin Shuhai turned pale. “How is it? Are the beasts inside the base city now?” “Not yet. The beasts are still gathering. Okay, I have to hang up. I need to call some old friends and ask them for help.” Qin Duhuang hung up immediately. Qin Shuhai was worried. “What is it?” Su Ping noticed something was off. Qin Shuhai used a soundproof seal when he answered the call and Su Ping didn’t intend to pry.

“Mr. Su, something is wrong at the base city. I heard that beasts are gathering outside the base city and there are beast kings. There may soon be a full on strike.” Qin Shuhai sounded nervous.

Su Ping was surprised. Beast strike? Venerable the Blade looked at Su Ping upon hearing those words. Longjiang Base City was his hometown. “How are things? Are the beasts inside the city now?” Su Ping asked in a hurry. He thought of his mother. But she mostly stayed within the bounds of the store; nothing would happen to her as long as she remained there. “Not yet. The beats are still gathering.” Qin Shuhai frowned. “Mr. Su, I cannot keep you company. I need to find some friends and go back.”

Su Ping heaved a sigh. He still had time to go back. The competition on the stage had just ended. After a moment of hesitation, Su Ping made up his mind. “Okay. You go ahead and I’ll be right behind you. Be careful.” With that said, he jumped off and landed on the stage.

The judge—as well as the two titled battle pet warriors that were going to compete—were startled.

“And you are?” the judge asked in confusion. His tone was mild given the fact that Su Ping did fly to the stage. “I’m sorry,” Su Ping said to the judge. He shouted to where the titled battle pet warriors were gathered, “I am Su Ping from Longjiang. I’m here for the championship and I will win. But I’m in a hurry. Anyone who wants to win the championship, come and fight me. If no one comes, I will be the champion!”