Chapter 25

Henshan Sect’s disciple counted very quickly, and it was clear that even if the Bai Ling Clan people rushed over, they wouldn’t make it to the Heavenly Gift Platform. Everything was just going through the motions, and even the Henshan Sect disciple’s eyes looked a bit strange. For so many years, there had been no news of such an event; this Bai Ling Clan was truly courting death.

"Am I supposed to appear here?" A strange voice echoed in front of the Heavenly Gift Platform. The clan leaders near the platform were all startled. When did an extra person appear here? How did no one notice?

A young man draped in white snow wolf fur suddenly appeared in front of the Heavenly Gift Platform. He was tall and robust, about eighteen or nineteen years old, with bulging muscles on his arms. Though young, his brows and eyes carried a weathered look, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose, and a broad mouth. When he glanced around, it was like a thunderclap on a calm day.

Though he appeared young, his presence startled the clan leaders around him. Regardless of whether this young man was strong or weak, his straightforward and graceful demeanor, and the mysterious and unnoticed means by which he appeared, were enough to make anyone’s heart tremble.

"Hmm?" The Henshan Sect disciple looked down and saw that Bu Li seemed to be unaware of the rules. "You are the young man from the Bai Ling Clan?"

"Yes. May I ask if this is where I should appear?" Bu Li asked, holding Cai Xiaoxian’s hand, while the black bear squatted beside him, looking drowsy.

"Pattern Hunter? That’s quite rare." The Henshan Sect disciple reminded him casually, without further harassment, pointed to the platform, and then walked down from the Heavenly Gift Platform.

Bu Li bowed in gratitude. He had arrived a bit late and couldn’t find Bai Xu or the old man in black in the crowd. Hearing about the Bai Ling Clan, he squeezed his way to the front of the platform. He patted Cai Xiaoxian’s head, signaling her to wait below, and without saying much more, he climbed the stone steps of the Heavenly Gift Platform, with the lazy black bear following him.

The Heavenly Gift Platform wasn’t very high, with only about thirty stone steps. Bu Li walked up to the platform and apologized with a smile to the girl from the Di Shi Clan, who was already standing opposite him.

"Di Shi Clan, Yang Cai Cai." The girl with somewhat dark skin spoke calmly and steadily, following the rules.

"Bai Ling Clan, Bu Li." Bu Li said.

The Henshan Sect disciple beside the platform didn’t say much, and a drumbeat signaled the start of Bu Li’s battle.

As soon as the drumbeat sounded, the previously calm Yang Cai Cai suddenly emitted a glow, and a white leopard seemed to tear through the space behind her, appearing on the Heavenly Gift Platform.

At the same time, Yang Cai Cai pounced like a mother leopard, her right hand equipped with a leopard claw gauntlet that gleamed with a cold light. The gauntlet was intricately fastened to her hand, fixed at the wrist, and had five sharp claws at the front, looking as sharp as a leopard’s claws in the forest.

A gust of wind came, and Bu Li’s body suddenly stiffened. A dark shadow loomed in front of him. The black bear instantly became alert, roaring and becoming unusually fierce, transforming into a mountain-like barrier to shield Bu Li from the storm.

Yang Cai Cai crouched low, and the white leopard darted out behind her, the movement fluid and unexpected.

Bu Li remembered the old man in black telling him about pattern beasts. A leopard as a pattern beast would have increased agility. He wondered if the dark-skinned girl had reached the soul-infusion stage. His mind was calm, and he sidestepped, twisting his waist and retreating behind the black bear, drawing his bull horn bow.

Majestic like a celestial being, Bu Li’s muscles bulged, and he drew the unusually large bow to a full moon as he retreated. The black bear roared and charged at Yang Cai Cai and the white leopard.

In the mountains, black bears like the black bear were among the most difficult wild beasts to deal with, with thick skin and astonishing defensive capabilities. More importantly, they were top-notch in both strength and endurance. Although they lacked the agility of mountain apes, forest leopards, and snow wolves, they still dominated their territory with their advantages.

Clearly, Yang Cai Cai knew this, but she didn’t plan to dodge the bear’s charge. Instead, she charged directly at the black bear. Clearly, Yang Cai Cai had great confidence in her pattern beast and the gauntlet on her right hand, or she had a straightforward and determined personality, ready to crash through any obstacle.

The moment they clashed, it was the most dangerous and bloody moment, and it seemed to have taken less than a breath. The clan leaders beside the Heavenly Gift Platform were still immersed in their initial disdain, but a few strong individuals looked at Yang Cai Cai with surprise. The pattern beast and the pattern spell she used were not the self-developed pattern spells of the Western Mountain Remnant Clan, but rather... seemed to be the authentic pattern spells of the Soul Wave Continent!

Where did the Di Shi Clan get such pattern spells?! The Henshan Sect regarded pattern spells and soul spells as treasures, and no Western Mountain Remnant Clan could even glimpse them. For a moment, the area beside the Heavenly Gift Platform was silent, with only the sounds of the forest leopard and the black bear’s attack filling the air.

Facing a true pattern spell-summoned pattern beast, the black bear would likely be torn to pieces, blood and flesh flying everywhere. Although the black bear was fierce and ruthless, in the minds of all the clan leaders, the outcome was only one: death at the hands of the leopard’s sharp teeth and claws.

However, the next moment, something unbelievable happened.

The incredibly fierce black bear curled into a ball and rolled directly to the side in front of Yang Cai Cai. The dark figure disappeared instantly, and Bu Li had already retreated five steps, his bull horn bow drawn to a full moon, an ironwood arrow ready to be fired.

No one would have thought that the fierce black bear would back down so quickly, so directly, so without any底线 (底线 means 'bottom line' or 'limits'), and so... without any dignity.

But Bu Li showed no surprise. The moment the black bear charged, he was ready to fire this arrow. As soon as the black bear curled up, he released the arrow, which shot through the air with a sharp whistle, aiming at Yang Cai Cai. The Heavenly Gift Platform wasn’t very wide, and for a hunter, the lack of distance was a fatal issue. This was why the Henshan Sect disciple had mentioned, "You are a Pattern Hunter?" Over the years, many talented Pattern Hunters in the Western Mountains had fallen in their first match.

But Bu Li was different. The black bear just charged to block the view, then didn’t fight hard, but rolled to the side. The ironwood arrow appeared as the black bear’s mountain-like body collapsed, the whistling wind aiming straight at Yang Cai Cai.

Yang Cai Cai lunged forward, and it would have been more stable for Bu Li to aim at the white leopard. For some reason, Bu Li chose a more adventurous approach.

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