CHAPTER 1317: CHAPTER 1318: THEIR OWN FIGHTING STYLES

Glancing at Agunas, Long Boduo scoffed dismissively,

"In any case, isn’t it something that can be undone at any time? What’s the big deal."

"Undoing it would damage spiritual power. It’s nothing to a Divine Beast, but it’s critical for humans."

Looking at Long Boduo, Feng Yuan said. Seeing Feng Yuan glaring at him seriously, Long Boduo shrank his neck and muttered,

"Got it, I won’t sign any Divine Beast Contracts with humans."

"If you come across someone you genuinely find suitable, that’s one thing. Just don’t do it recklessly. And besides, he’s not suited for participating in the Beast Taming Tournament."

Glancing at Qi Chen, Feng Yuan shook his head and said, as there’s barely over a year left until the regional Beast Taming Tournament, there’s no way Qi Chen could catch up to Yang Hongzhi’s team’s training progress. If he insists on participating, he’d only be asking for trouble.

"True. What a pity. If only it was a year earlier or later."

While looking at Qi Chen, Yang Hongzhi lamented. The upper age limit for the regional Beast Taming Tournament is fourth-year academy students. After that, participation is no longer allowed. After all, the tournament aims to showcase the extraordinary potential of young talents. Having a bunch of old veterans with Legendary Level beasts showing up would certainly look odd.

"Actually, it’s not entirely impossible."

Assessing Qi Chen, Agunas flicked its tail and said. Feng Yuan, with his hands clasped behind his head, replied,

"You mean special training? But Ah Mu doesn’t have much of an edge. Even with Xilnais’ power, it’s just too weak. Besides, if you’re not a Divine Pact Maker, you’ll barely hold up in the early stages of the Beast Taming Tournament. By the later stages, you’ll just be a spectator."

"You do have a point..."

Agunas, glancing at Feng Yuan, struggled to come up with a rebuttal. Yang Hongzhi chuckled awkwardly,

"It probably won’t be that bad, right?"

"Ha, why don’t you ask Najia if they’d even follow you into battle? Let alone talk about the semi-finals—teams basically call in Divine Beasts to assist by then. When it gets to that stage, isn’t it always just about speculating which side’s Divine Beast is stronger?"

Sneaking a glance at Yang Hongzhi, Feng Yuan chuckled. It’s the same story every time at the regional Beast Taming Tournament. Everyone ends up just curious about how powerful the Divine Beasts are.

As for teams without any Divine Pact Makers? They might score a few wins in the early rounds, but when matched against teams with Divine Pact Makers, they’re almost always eliminated.

"Well, true. And the Alliance hasn’t prohibited Divine Beast assistance either, right?"

Facing Feng Yuan, Yang Hongzhi said feebly. Dou Yanlan smiled faintly,

"Actually, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for us. And really, is there any need to dwell on it? If Ah Chen truly wants to participate, it shouldn’t be something impossible, right?"

Scratching his head, Feng Yuan replied,

"That’s true. With targeted training, while he may not shine during the finals, he could perform decently in the early stages. But, it’d be exhausting. You probably wouldn’t like that, would you?"

As he spoke, he noticed Xiao Ji watching him with eager eyes. Laughing, he playfully tapped its head,

"Looking at me like that won’t help. I have no intention of entering the regional Beast Taming Tournament."

With its head hanging low, Xiao Ji occasionally sneaked a glance at Feng Yuan. Agunas flicked its tail and remarked,

"You’re indeed unsuitable for participating. Crushing these rookies wouldn’t be appropriate, especially at something as grand as the regional Beast Taming Tournament."

Seeing Najia not refute this, Yang Hongzhi was a bit taken aback as he studied Feng Yuan. He hadn’t expected Feng Yuan to possess such strength. Could Feng Yuan possibly be stronger than their academy’s second- and third-year students? Wait... that might actually be true.

Recalling Feng Yuan’s achievements, Yang Hongzhi realized Feng Yuan was indeed much stronger than them. Honestly, suspecting he was actually a Divine Beast disguised as a human wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

"By the way, how about we head to the nearby battle training park later?"

Acting on a sudden thought, Najia pulled out a small booklet and handed it to Feng Yuan. Noticing Xiao Ji peering curiously at the booklet in Feng Yuan’s hand, Najia explained,

"It’s a training park designed specifically for Beastmasters who haven’t yet graduated. You can find other Beastmasters there to spar with, improving your beast’s combat experience. We were planning to take Xiao Hei there for some serious training."

Najia glanced at Xiao Hei, who was lying on the ground panting with its tongue out. Hearing the mention of training, its ears drooped as it whimpered softly. The booklet was all too familiar to Xiao Hei—that’s the promotional pamphlet that Yang Hongzhi had casually grabbed from a rack when buying flower balm earlier.

In hindsight, Xiao Hei regretted not stopping him from buying flower balm. Now it was doomed to train again. Lying flat on the ground, the lazy Xiao Hei continued to let out low, mournful whines.

Najia’s words caught Xiao Ji’s interest. With its eyes lighting up, it nudged Feng Yuan repeatedly with its head. Stroking its head with amusement, Feng Yuan said,

"Alright, I don’t mind. Qi Chen, what about you? Want to use this chance to give Ah Mu some training?"

Glancing at Ah Mu, who was playing with the Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts, Qi Chen hesitated for a moment before nodding,

"We don’t really have any objections, but... is it really suitable?"

"Hmm, there are also team battles available there. You can pair up with Dou Yanlan—it’s a perfect match. After all, in school, you didn’t really get much training for this, right?"

Reading through the booklet, Feng Yuan remarked. Those two had a complementary dynamic, and even their training at the time had subtly leaned toward this pairing. But back then, the school focused more on academy exams rather than field teamwork training.

After graduation? Most people either lounged at home or planned vacations. There hadn’t been much combat training like this. But in Feng Yuan’s view, it was quite necessary.

Cotton, being specialized in team support, and Ah Mu, hindered by its lack of agility, would benefit from it. While Ah Mu could use its massive size to launch area attacks, it struggled against particularly nimble Spirit Beasts.

Take someone like Cotton—its agility allowed it to easily evade most of Ah Mu’s attacks.

"That does make sense, Ah Chen."

Dou Yanlan looked at Qi Chen with a hopeful expression. Team-based combat wasn’t something they had much experience with, if any at all. Scratching his head, Qi Chen turned to Feng Yuan,

"What about you?"

"Me? I’ll train alone with Xiao Ji. Being in the same group as you guys might actually disrupt your coordination."

Placing a hand on Xiao Ji’s head, he ruffled the feathers on its crest and added, half-teasingly. Setting aside Xiao Ji’s overwhelming strength, its ultimate moves were largely indiscriminate, making it unfit for team operations. Had Feng Yuan himself not been so strong, even he would have found it troublesome.

After all, Beastmasters didn’t just need to collaborate with others. Their own beasts often required carefully planned synergy. Take Yang Hongzhi—Xiao Hei was evolving into a primary attacker while Xiao Hui focused on support and defense. As for Najia... their role was auxiliary, much like Cotton’s.

Though Xiao Ji was technically a main attacker, its array of ultimate moves would likely leave any other Beastmaster exasperated—sparing neither friend nor ally.

"Actually, Xiao Ji’s ultimate moves seem a bit... off."

Dou Yanlan spoke up. Xiao Ji tilted its head in confusion, unsure of what was wrong. Scratching its neck, Feng Yuan chuckled,

"I know. But it seems to enjoy this kind of thing, so I just let it do as it pleases."

After all, Xiao Ji was a Divine Beast. When team coordination became necessary, it would likely rely on allies like Agunas. This wasn’t a big issue, considering many Divine Beast ultimate moves were indiscriminate by nature.

"But still, in that case, what about your second beast? If it’s on the field with Xiao Ji, wouldn’t it get caught in the crossfire?"

Shaking itself, Xiao Ji looked at Dou Yanlan in puzzlement. Pinning Xiao Ji’s head under his palm, Feng Yuan grinned,

"That’s nothing to worry about. I don’t even know what my second beast will be yet. For all we know, it won’t even be an issue."

With a mopey look, Xiao Ji nudged up against Feng Yuan, letting out a soft, spoiled chirp. Qi Chen glanced at Feng Yuan and asked,

"Are you sure this is okay? Its ultimate moves are all indiscriminate. I remember there are group activities once you join the academy, right? At that point, it won’t work to stay the same."

"That’s just when the upper years take you freshmen on a quick wilderness trip. It’s not dangerous at all. The Spirit Beasts you encounter are prearranged. It’s purely for familiarizing you with the real outdoor environment."

Glancing at Qi Chen, Yang Hongzhi replied. Likely, he wouldn’t be responsible for such outings this year, as he still needed to focus on his own Beast Taming Tournament training.