Around eight-thirty in the evening.
The four of them met up at the milk tea shop near the school, then headed together toward Silver City's Beast Arena.
The arena was located on the outer edge of the east of the city. When Yu Xian and Zhang Shou were out on patrol the previous night, they had passed right by it and could even hear the passionate cheers and curses echoing from inside.
Nora had purchased box tickets. As soon as they arrived at the Beast Arena, a dedicated attendant promptly came to guide them.
Once the four settled into the private box, a variety of fruits, pastries, and drinks were brought out.
"This is my first time in such a fancy place. Oh man, I'm actually getting kind of nervous." Sitting beside Yu Xian, Zhang Shou took in the luxurious decor and exquisite pastries, murmuring in a low voice to Yu Xian.
Yu Xian pushed his portion of fruits and pastries toward Zhang Shou and chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm nervous too. You'll feel better once the beast fights start."
"Yu Xian, those pastries are specially prepared Transcendent food. Give them a try," Nora said, picking up a piece to remind him.
The bloodlines of Transcendents were wildly diverse, spanning practically every strange race imaginable. Some Transcendents with beastman bloodlines even preferred raw meat.
Their taste buds were also distinct from ordinary humans; cooked food tasted foul to them instead.
Those who purchased private box tickets at the Beast Arena were either wealthy or noble, so the arena naturally wouldn't make such amateur mistakes. When guests booked their tickets, the staff would already have noted their dietary preferences, and dedicated chefs would provide service that day.
Since Nora was a vampire, for example, most of the food tonight consisted of Transcendent dishes suitable for vampires, ensuring nothing tasted like dry wax.
"All right, I'll try one."
Yu Xian nodded, picked up a pastry, and popped it into his mouth. Sure enough, an unfamiliar flavor immediately blossomed across his tongue. After chewing gently and swallowing, his eyes lit up.
"What are these made of?" he asked curiously.
"Blood lipids from various animals. Blood contains fat too, after all," Nora answered as she ate. "For some reason, vampires can't digest greasy meat, but we can process the lipids in blood just fine. That's how these blood lipid pastries came to be."
Actually, there was one thing that had always bugged Yu Xian.
Ordinary vampires referred to themselves as members of the Blood Clan or 'our race,' yet Nora always called herself a vampire, never once mentioning the Blood Clan.
"A'e, can I ask you something?" Yu Xian couldn't help asking.
Nora rolled her eyes at him. "Speak properly, don't go making up random nicknames. Depending on the question, I might answer."
"I've noticed other vampires call themselves the Blood Clan, our race, or the clan. Why do you always say 'vampire'?" Yu Xian asked curiously.
Nora replied matter-of-factly, "Because that's what we are. My mom calls me a little vampire, and I've never seen anything wrong with it. If anything, you're the weird one... you're a silver-sucker!"
Sitting beside them, Zhang Shou and Chen Ling burst out laughing at the same time.
"..."
Yu Xian hadn't expected that a simple question would earn him the nickname 'silver-sucker.'
To this day, Nora still thought he fed on silver, completely unaware that he actually fed on light. If she ever found out, he'd probably end up with the moniker 'light-sucker' as well.
Outside the box, staff members in the arena began checking the safety barriers one by one.
Yu Xian popped another pastry into his mouth. By enhancing his sense of taste, he picked up a complex blend of flavors. Beyond blood lipids, there were inorganic salts and various trace elements he couldn't even name.
All of them were clearly extracted from animal blood.
He had to admit, as long as one had enough money, even a vampire could enjoy delicacies beyond an ordinary person's wildest imagination.
Nine o'clock arrived.
The arena show officially began.
"Hello, everyone! I'm your host, Fei Quan!"
"First, let's welcome all our honored guests to the Silver General Arena!"
"Now, for our opening match: two Ant-rank black wolves against our old acquaintance, Hu Junjie the Jackal!"
Amidst the host's impassioned introduction, two massive black wolves were released into the arena, followed by a burly man sporting two tails behind his waist. Cheers instantly thundered throughout the venue.
"Hu Junjie... I think he's Hu Tu'er's uncle," Zhang Shou remarked to Yu Xian, looking down at the man in the pit.
Yu Xian nodded. Hu Tu'er certainly had plenty of elders. According to the profile Jin Sheng had provided, Hu Tu'er's father had six brothers, and the seven of them were collectively known as the Seven Heroes of the Hu Family.
However, the Seven Heroes didn't work together; each pursued different trades.
Hu Junjie was a professional beast gladiator who also worked part-time as an online streamer, commanding a fair amount of fame in Silver City.
Once the host Fei Quan finished his introduction, the beast fight commenced.
The arena actually hosted two types of performances: beast fights and competitive duels.
The former pitted humans against beasts, while the latter featured combat between humans.
Right now was a beast fight.
Hu Junjie was extraordinarily experienced and well aware of how dangerous two black wolves could be if they attacked in tandem. He began by pulling open the distance, then adjusted his angle as the wolves charged.
With that simple repositioning, the two wolves—which had been galloping side by side—were forced into a staggered line. The moment they drew near, he kicked the leading wolf flying. Using the rebound force, he leaped backward, maintaining distance from the second wolf.
"You can do that? Man, I just learned something," Zhang Shou muttered to himself, eyes wide.
Yu Xian nodded gravely as well. The maneuver itself wasn't difficult to learn, but controlling the tempo and seizing the right split-second was. It required extensive combat experience and razor-sharp judgment.
It would be a mistake to assume the two black wolves had no brains. The only reason they had exposed such an opening was that Hu Junjie's rhythm control was impeccable, luring them right into his trap without their realizing it.
Afterward, Hu Junjie smoothly dictated the pace of the battle, running circles around the wolves. He even flicked his tails to feint left and right, thoroughly bewildering the beasts and playing them like fiddles.
In the end, the outcome was never in doubt. After toying with them for a bit, Hu Junjie cleanly dispatched both black wolves with a guillotine, prompting a roar of cheers from the entire crowd!
"With the Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline, does having more tails mean you're stronger?" Chen Ling asked, eyeing Hu Junjie's tails.
Watching the arena, Nora replied, "Right. For those with the Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline, you can tell their strength just by counting tails. One tail is Insect rank, two tails is Ant rank, three is Bee rank, four is Sparrow rank, five is Snake rank, six is Eagle rank, seven is Wolf rank, eight is Tiger rank, and nine is Dragon rank."
"Then what about God rank? Ten tails?" Zhang Shou asked curiously.
Yu Xian smiled. "Whenever the Nine-Tailed Fox Progenitor advances to God rank, you'll find out."
At present, the Fox Progenitor only had eight tails, still a long way from Dragon rank, let alone God rank.
Chapter 27