Chapter 125: The Trial (1)

The sudden challenge between the two beast tamers immediately drew a massive crowd. While sparring or duels between illusionists are commonplace, a contest between beast tamers is an entirely different matter.

Beast tamers are a "rare species" on this continent; many small nations and cities do not even have a beast tamer guild, let alone a practitioner. In small countries like the Bakla Empire, they might even exhaust the nation's resources just to patronize a single master beast tamer. Naturally, the fact that these two individuals were both high-level master beast tamers made the spectacle all the more thrilling—it was a rarity even beyond the challenges of Sky Illusionists.

The beast tamer shop, already packed to the brim, saw even more onlookers rushing in upon hearing the news. Shen Duo frowned; such widespread attention was not a good thing for them, especially with the investigation teams from the Shen and Zhou families still keeping a close watch.

Leo and Eleanor raised their hands and swore their oaths to the Heaven and Earth Covenant. A faint white glimmer flashed beneath each of their feet. The wandering illusionists in the crowd watched the pair with burning, intense gazes. Once the shop’s resident beast tamer announced the rules, the contest officially began.

Because beast tamers require absolute silence and cannot be distracted while taming a magical beast, Eleanor and Leo were led into separate taming chambers. Aisha followed behind her father, casting a haughty glance at Eleanor before letting out a triumphant snort. Having never been subjected to such humiliation since becoming a beast tamer, Eleanor’s expression turned grim. She summoned Linton, instructed him to prepare her standard medicinal potions, and then hurried into her chamber. She made a silent vow: even if she had to exhaust every last shred of her mental energy, she would do her utmost to win this duel.

Watching Eleanor’s retreating figure, Shen Duo began to worry. Eleanor’s mental strength had been damaged previously; if she forced herself to tame an eight-star spirit beast, it would jeopardize her foundations. If her mental energy were completely drained, it would not be a simple matter to recover. Lei Hang and Feng Jun, standing nearby, also realized the disadvantage Eleanor faced in this contest.

"Brother Lei, Feng Jun, let's go take a look."

Lei Hang, bored and curious, agreed—he was unaware of Shen Duo’s own beast-taming abilities and assumed she was merely interested in the process. Led by Linton, the three arrived at the door of a quiet taming chamber. Beast tamers must not be disturbed during the taming process, especially when dealing with high-level beasts.

Eleanor’s mental energy was insufficient. Taming a high-level spirit beast was already at her limit, and she could not guarantee she would finish in a short time. Under normal conditions, taming an eight-star spirit beast took her two days. Under these circumstances, it would likely take at least three, provided her body could hold out. The thought filled her with anxiety.

Linton stood guard personally, ready to intervene if his teacher ran into trouble. When Shen Duo saw Eleanor’s pale and haggard face, she frowned and glanced at Feng Jun. As if reading her thoughts, he nodded. Shen Duo did not hesitate and started toward the door.

Linton, assuming the trio were merely there to gawk, immediately blocked their path. "Shen Duo, you cannot enter. My teacher requires a perfectly quiet environment."

"If you want to stand by and watch your teacher collapse from mental exhaustion, then keep blocking me," Shen Duo retorted, catching Linton off guard. What was she implying? In this shop, his teacher was the highest-level beast tamer; if she couldn't handle this beast, who else could? Was it supposed to be Shen Duo? What a joke—she was a swordswinger! Who had ever heard of a swordswinger taming beasts?

Linton tried to suppress his annoyance out of respect for Shen Duo’s combat prowess. "I know you are worried about her, but as her disciple, I am even more so. You are a high-level swordswinger; even if you go in, you won't be able to help and will only distract her."

Lei Hang, confused by Shen Duo’s actions, grabbed her arm. "Xiao Duo, listen to me. If you want to watch, we can just look from the doorway. Uncle Aodefan once told me that beast tamers use mental energy, which cannot be disturbed, or the taming will fail and damage their recovery."

Shen Duo looked at the troubled Linton and then at Lei Hang. Sighing, she said, "I am also a beast tamer, and my abilities are no less than Eleanor’s. Let me in; I can help her."

Aside from the stoic Feng Jun standing behind her, both Linton and Lei Hang stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Haha, Shen Duo, stop joking. This isn't funny," Linton said. To him, believing a swordswinger could tame beasts was even more absurd than believing an illusionist could jump from a Great Illusionist to a Sky Illusionist overnight.

Lei Hang, however, did not doubt her. He was merely astonished. He never questioned anything Shen Duo said, believing she possessed the skill of a master beast tamer because she never lied and disdained doing so. Yet, he felt a sting of resentment. Since they had parted ways in Luo City, when had this young girl—then just a low-level swordswinger—become a beast tamer? What had she gone through? Why hadn't she told him?

Seeing Feng Jun’s calm demeanor, he realized the man already knew.

"Xiao Duo is not joking. She is indeed a beast tamer," Feng Jun said, stepping forward. A chilling aura emanated from him, causing Linton to shiver. Seeing Feng Jun confirm it, Linton’s resolve wavered.

"Shen Duo, I can let you in, but they cannot," Linton said, making his final concession.

Shen Duo nodded and turned to the others. "Wait outside. I will be out soon." Feng Jun knew her methods. Back on the upper reaches of the Tianqing River, she had tamed a one-star divine beast, the River-Turning Crocodile, in under a minute, and later, even a divine beast—the Five-Tailed Fire Fox.

Shen Duo entered the room, leaving the two men behind. Inside, she saw Eleanor focused on communicating with the eight-star spirit beast, a Golden Python Leopard. Linton whispered a reminder to wait until the teacher was resting, and Shen Duo silently took a chair. Linton left to prepare recovery potions and monitor Leo.

An hour later, the cyan spiritual energy in Eleanor’s hands dimmed. Seeing her pale face and sweat-drenched brow, Shen Duo stepped forward to support her and produced a small, transparent vial from her storage ring.

"Drink this. It will help," Shen Duo said in a crisp, professional tone.

Eleanor looked up, surprised to see her. She took the vial and drank the contents without question. As the pale green liquid slid down her throat, her exhaustion immediately began to recede, and her spiritual energy surged, filling her meridians with comfort. As a seasoned beast tamer, Eleanor recognized the potion instantly.

"Concentrated Spirit Energy Potion!" she gasped. This was a priceless, rare item, and Shen Duo had just handed it over like a simple recovery tonic. Eleanor felt a pang of heartache, yet she shamelessly tucked the half-empty bottle into her own storage ring. Shen Duo sighed internally; if Eleanor knew that Benyi used this stuff for baths, she would be even more shocked.

"Xiao Duo, why are you here? Where is Linton?" Eleanor asked.

Shen Duo helped her into a chair and sat down. "Eleanor, are you confident you can beat Leo?"

Eleanor looked at the girl, realizing she held many secrets. After a long silence, she sighed. "To be honest, I am not. We are both masters, and if I were at my peak, I could win. But my mental energy is depleted. I fear this shop will change hands today."

"I can help you," Shen Duo said, her tone as calm as if she were commenting on the weather.