Astral Pet Store (WN)

"Go."

Su Ping didn't restrain his Inferno Dragon, since he saw how eager it was to attack.

The Inferno Dragon became as strong as an advanced Star State being with all the laws he had taught it. Its astral power had also been purified by hundreds of Heavenly Tribulations; it had a great explosive power.

Roar!!

The Inferno Dragon roared and charged at the ferocious dragon in a daunting manner.

"Huh?"

"Is that dragon… in the Fate State?"

High in the sky—Hai Tuo and the others were clearly surprised.

It was impossible to hide that pet's cultivation from the Ascendant State experts.

All of them knew that Su Ping was strong after Huan Lieshen told them, none of them expected his pets to be similarly odd. All the other contestants had well-trained Star State pets, yet Su Ping was merely using pets with a cultivation similar to his.

He didn't seem to be overconfident, because his pet was as intimidating as the Ferocious Skull Demon Dragon!

"What kind of dragon is that? Its aptitude is downright horrifying!"

"I can't tell. It seems to be a hybrid. This universe is too big; weird hybrids appear every year. But I've rarely seen any with such a great bloodline!"

"This pet is already as strong as some of the top contestants in the competition!"

The Ascendant State experts were truly surprised. If the dragon's bloodline had a high upper limit, it would definitely be a rare pet that could still be used by Star Lords.

Apart from them, the Star Lords and trainers who were also watching the stream had keenly recognized the dragon's level too.

The others thought that the dragon was at the beginning phase of the Star State, only being slightly better than the previously seen pets. However, they realized it was only a Fate State beast. The combat ability enhancement was shocking!

"Is this his trump card?"

"A Fate State pet can be this strong? It's definitely a top dragon. Make note about its appearance and data, find out its kin. They can be sold for great prices too!"

"It's true that monstrous geniuses have monstrous pets."

As the Star Lords and the trainers remarked in mixed feelings, more and more people were shocked after realizing that the dragon was in the Fate State.

In the arena—the Ferocious Skull Demon Dragon was fighting the Inferno Dragon.

Su Ping, on the other hand, was only watching the fight; he seemed to be using the test as a chance for his pet to practice.

"That dragon…"

Among the contestants who had quit—Dragon Devil looked shocked and suspicious; he felt that the dragon was even stronger than when they fought. Or maybe, the dragon didn't try its best in the mysterious realm. His teacher mentioned the pet before, but he never knew it was hiding that much strength!

Roar!!

The Inferno Dragon let out a roar, which intimidated the Ferocious Skull Demon Dragon, momentarily leaving it rooted on the spot. A single moment in a fierce battle such as that one could be fatal; the Inferno Dragon instantly flew over and waved its claw.

A crack was left on the fifth space, and the ferocious dragon's wings—along with a shoulder blade—were torn apart.

Scales and blood were jetted all over. Twenty laws were gathered in the Inferno Dragon's claw, and it attacked the other dragon's back.

Su Ping covered its back and distracted the wounded dragon. He was really satisfied with the Inferno Dragon's familiarity with the laws. The Inferno Dragon would have the power to suppress the dragon on its own if it properly absorbed all the laws that he taught.

Roar! Roar!

The two dragons roared furiously and kept on attacking each other.

Flames were spewing out, and lightning was glittering. The Ferocious Skull Demon Dragon was finally executed five minutes later. The Inferno Dragon bit apart its neck and gulped its flesh and flood, shocking the audience.

Dragon Emperor, the young man who carried a wooden sword and Oasis Gray changed their expressions the moment they saw that. Hayalim, who hadn't seen Su Ping attack once, was looking at the Inferno Dragon with a solemn gaze.

Only the girl named Su Jin'er remained smiling. Nevertheless, she had a curious expression.

"The beast that we couldn't defeat was taken down by his pet."

At the rear—the contestants who had quit were shocked by the outcome.

The dragons for the test were already brutal enough in their eyes; one had even slain a genius such as Queen of the Seas. And yet, that terrifying monster had been finished off by Su Ping's pet.

In other words, Su Ping could simply have his pet to deal with his contenders and not need to do a thing.

At that moment.

After it had its fill, Su Ping retrieved the Inferno Dragon and returned to his position outside the region.

He canceled the merging with Little White too, and sent it back to the contract space. He seemed to be completely at ease; after all, he really didn't do much, except for being on stand by and watching.

Hardly had he returned when Su Jin'er turned around and remarked with a weird expression, "Your pet isn't bad!"

After being stunned for a bit, Su Ping replied, "Indeed. They're all very good."

"They?" Su Jin'er's eyes flashed; she then appeared to be even more interested.

Dragon Emperor and Linghu Jian, however, wore complicated expressions. How could they possibly compare to him? A beast they had taken great pains to defeat had been taken down by his pet. If they later had to fight against Su Ping, the latter could simply send a few more of his similarly strong pets to defeat them.

Not only would they fail, their failure would also be embarrassing!

"Very well. I didn't expect that six men could pass the test; you're outstanding!" The Star Lord's eyes flashed after he saw Su Ping return. Then, he said casually, "If it were any other galaxy, any of you would have become the ultimate champion. However, we have too many talents here. The competition has to continue!

"Before we go on, let me ask something. Do any of you want to quit?"

Everyone looked at each other, but nobody backed out.

The Star Lord said casually, "Very good. I will nominate you then. First, Linghu Jian, step up!"

Linghu Jian frowned but did as ordered. Once in position, he unconsciously looked at Su Ping who was standing on his left side.

"Does anyone disagree with Linghu Jian becoming the champion?" The Star Lord glanced at the other five contestants coldly.

All of them were stunned. Is the rule this simple and straightforward?

While everybody was silent, Hayalim stepped forward and said with a gentle yet determined tone, "I've long heard that the Sword God's heir has grasped the essence of his sword techniques. I'd like to see how good you are."

Linghu Jian calmly looked at her but remained silent.

"I've always wanted to practice with people from the Sword Deity Academy. You'll be the first, Brother Linghu." Dragon Emperor also made a move; he sounded calm yet domineering.

Su Jin'er smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "I'd like to join the fun too."

Linghu Jian changed her expression and glimpsed at her.

Su Ping didn't know the rules, but he didn't want to be mistaken for a quitter. So, he also said, "I hope I can practice with you too."

Linghu Jian's expression changed slightly when the former stepped forward; his eyes were filled with coldness.

Out of the five other contestants, everybody had dared to pose a challenge except Oasis Gray!

The Star Lord raised his eyebrows, not expecting that many of them were unafraid of the Sword God's heir. However, as he recalled their performances, he found it understandable. He said, "All right. You may go back. Now, the second. Dragon Emperor, step up."

Stunned, the Dragon Emperor took a step forward.

"Does anyone disagree with him being the champion?"

Linghu Jian stepped up the moment he said that. "Me."

"Me too." Hayalim also moved.

"Haha."

Su Jin'er didn't say anything, merely taking a step forward too; her attitude was obvious.

Oasis Gray snorted and stepped up with a cold attitude; he wasn't confident of defeating Linghu Jian or Dragon Emperor, but he was definitely unwilling to give in to the latter. He would rather try his luck!

Su Ping stepped up too after seeing that.

It was instantly obvious that everybody disagreed!

Dragon Emperor looked awful when he saw the result.

"Let's step back again," the Star Lord said casually and then announced another name and the same question.

This time, it was Hayalim.

Dragon Emperor and Linghu Jian seemed to have done their research and seemed to be wary of her. In the end, only Su Jin'er, Su Ping, and Linghu Jian had stepped forward to show their disagreement.

Next, it was Su Jin'er.

This time, four expressed their disagreement, namely Su Ping, Dragon Emperor, Linghu Jian and Hayalim.

Lastly, it was Su Ping's turn.

"Does anyone disagree?" asked the Star Lord casually.

This time, the crowd was caught in a brief silence.

Dragon Emperor and Linghu Jian looked at each other; both remembered how Su Ping had dominated the mysterious realm earlier on.

They kept their peace and chose not to step up.

Hayalim hesitated for a moment, but she didn't step up either.

Su Jin'er eventually walked out of the crowd. She said with a smile, "I'd like to see your other pets."

Su Ping nodded.

"Good!" the Star Lord said, "It seems that all of you have made your own judgment. Here's the result: Su Ping will be the champion candidate, while the rest of you will fight for one opening. The victor will fight Su Ping for the championship!"

He added, "Of course, no need to worry about unfairness. The winner will be healed by Lord Hai Tuo in person; he will even resurrect your pets if needed. You may fight freely!"

There was a slight change in the contestant's expressions, not expecting that the previous announcements and their vetoing had served that purpose.

The selection criteria was truly simple and straightforward.

The audience was equally shocked. Pets would be resurrected? Are Ascendant State experts so horrifyingly capable?

Su Ping was astonished too; even the creatures beyond the Ascendant State he had met in the Chaotic Realm of the Undead were unable to resurrect other creatures, unless it was in the form of ghosts. However, that Star Lord was obviously talking about complete resurrection. Was it really possible?

After a moment, Su Ping said in his heart, "System? Answer my question!"

A few seconds later, the system's low voice was heard. "The rules of your universe are simple. Even the Ascendants master the truth of time. There's also the rules in an Ascendant State expert's small world, which are controlled by its creator. This would apply to every world."

Su Ping was stunned. We're in the small world of an Ascendant State expert?

He looked at the vast continent before him. Is this Hai Tuo's small world?

But it was tremendously big. It could be compared to a hundred Blue Planets!

So to speak, can Queen of the Seas be resurrected too? Right, she certainly can. She hasn't been resurrected yet because they want everybody to realize the graveness of the situation. But she'll definitely be resurrected later; she's a top ten genius anyway. It would be a shame if she died just like that, Su Ping thought.

"Are you dissatisfied with the rules? Any disagreements?" The Star Lord looked at the five contestants.

The other five looked at Su Ping. Obviously, the only thing that could have caused disagreement was Su Ping's privilege in the final round. However, none of them expressed their discontent since they remembered his previous performances.

The guy's pet was horrifying as it was. Who knew whether or not he was even stronger?

Very soon, someone looked at Su Jin'er and suddenly wondered if Su Ping would have been acknowledged as the champion if she hadn't stepped up.

A similar thought popped up in the others. They felt anxious, yet lucky and grateful to Su Jin'er.

"Everybody disagreed with you being the champion. You two will fight each other. The victor between you will challenge the others." The Star Lord pointed at Dragon Emperor and Oasis Gray.

All the other contestants had expressed their disagreement.

Dragon Emperor appeared to be furious upon hearing what the Star Lord said. He had been the best since childhood, an unreachable entity even in the Dragon Tomb Academy which was full of geniuses. He found it insulting to be left behind with someone as unworthy as Oasis Gray.

Dragon Emperor looked at Oasis Gray and said gloomily, "You will regret challenging me!"

Oasis Gray said coldly, "I can't wait to regret."

"Humph!"

Dragon Emperor clenched his fists.

The Star Lord ignored them; he then said to Su Jin'er and Hayalim, "You two will be paired up. If nobody else issues a challenge, the victor from your battle will fight against Su Ping."

Su Jin'er said helplessly, "Okay."

The Star Lord looked at Linghu Jian and said, "The victor between Dragon Emperor and Oasis Gray will fight you. The winner will fight the victor from the fight of the two girls, to get the spot for the final round."

"Sure."

Linghu Jian nodded in agreement. However, he knew that even if absolute fairness was ensured, it would be beyond unlikely for him to win the championship.