Chapter 074: Offending the Beast Tamer Master

Unexpectedly, this Aisha was more formidable than anticipated. Shen Duo’s sword tip touched the ground as she rested both hands on the hilt, the long blade shrouded in a dense green aura. The girl in the midst of battle had become a completely different person.

Shen Duo’s clear voice rang out, “Don’t forget our wager!”

Aisha was furious, and she could already sense the vast disparity in strength between herself and Shen Duo. Spoiled since childhood, her father’s reputation as a beastmaster was unrivaled and, coupled with her own considerable talent, she’d always gotten whatever she wanted. Yet here, on this very ship, she was about to be defeated by a girl her own age—how could she possibly accept that?

With a wave of her hand, a miniature storm whipped through the arena. The sandworm stood at the storm’s eye, and before the onlookers’ eyes, its abdomen began to swell. Within seconds, it started producing miniature sandworms, each one spawning its own swirling vortex. Within minutes, the dueling ground was a sea of yellow sand, the chaos so thick that nothing inside could be seen clearly.

Even Shen Duo, steadfast as she was, found the scene before her revolting.

So this damned sandworm’s ability was reproduction…

It could spawn hundreds of identical sandworms within minutes...

There was no denying the brutality of this female sandworm’s skill. No matter how powerful a phantasmist’s conjured attacks might seem, they were ultimately illusory—but this sandworm was different.

The creatures it spawned in rapid succession were all real. Though these short-lived offspring had little vitality, their offensive power nearly matched that of an adult male sandworm. This meant that what had begun as a one-on-one duel had, within minutes, turned into one against many. Any ordinary phantasmist faced with this would surely lose their mind!

Unfortunately for Aisha, she was facing Shen Duo.

Under cover of countless miniature storms, hundreds of sandworms surged toward Shen Duo, their needle-like steel stingers glinting menacingly, eager to pierce her. Worse still, the female sandworm beside Aisha continued to breed relentlessly.

“Disgusting as hell,” Shen Duo couldn’t help but curse, her composure shaken.

Her sword, charged with potent energy, swept through the air like a streak of lightning. With a single move—“Windrend Technique”—a pile of sandworm corpses littered the ground before her.

The spectators outside the ring caught only glimpses of Shen Duo’s sword’s radiance, unable to make out anything else. Many began to murmur in speculation.

High on the spiral staircase, a masked man watched Shen Duo intently, his eyes narrowing suddenly as his calloused hand clenched the banister.

Within her core, the white light encircling the scroll seemed to turn like a dial and began to revolve, sending surging sword energy streaming into her right arm and then into her blade.

This time, even after unleashing several successive “Windrend Techniques,” Shen Duo did not feel depleted. Her bright eyes shone with fierce light, and with a clear shout, she unleashed a “Swiftstrike,” cleaving a clear path through the swarm of sandworms surrounding her.

A blade of sword energy, ethereal yet deadly, swept past Aisha’s side, slicing off a corner of her phantasmist’s robe.

Aisha felt as if her entire body no longer belonged to her; she stood frozen in terror, eyes wide with horror as she watched the scrap of her robe flutter to the ground. If Shen Duo’s strike had not been slightly off, it might have been her arm lying there instead...

With that thought, Aisha began to tremble uncontrollably, all will to fight draining from her as she collapsed to the ground.

Shen Duo cast her a cold glance before turning away and bringing her sword down upon the female sandworm at the heart of the nearest storm.

The sandworm had not expected Shen Duo to pinpoint its location so quickly and was caught off guard. It tumbled to the ground, its head stinger severed, writhing in pain.

With the female sandworm defeated, the storms in the arena instantly dissipated, and the miniature sandworms began to die off one by one. The ground was strewn with corpses, and many of the more timid female phantasmists screamed in disgust.

Shen Duo stood before Aisha, sword in hand, and asked calmly, “Do you concede?”

Aisha still hadn’t recovered from her terror. She stared blankly at the green, energy-filled sword and murmured, “I concede, I concede...”

The passengers below stared in shock, unable to believe that Aisha was the one who had lost!

Feng Jun watched from the sidelines, the corners of his lips quirking up in a smile.

Shen Duo sheathed her sword, took Aisha’s storage pouch and her red jade bracelet, and left the arena.

Seeing her approach, Feng Jun’s smile grew wider.

“Well? Made a tidy profit, didn’t you?” Shen Duo asked teasingly as she reached his side.

Feng Jun quickly smoothed his expression into a poker face and replied, “It was decent. Come on, let’s get our winnings!”

So Shen Duo had been referring to the bet.

As Shen Duo stepped down from the arena, the crowd parted for her, the scorn in their eyes replaced by respect. Some even called out their congratulations. Shen Duo responded to each with a gentle smile.

Just as the two headed for the betting table, an enraged middle-aged man’s voice roared from behind them, “Stop right there! You bullied my precious daughter and think you can just walk away?”

At the sound of that voice, many people shrank back into the corners in fear.

Shen Duo and Feng Jun turned to see a lean, middle-aged man glaring at them with a twisted expression. At his side was a girl, the same one who had been with Aisha before—Carlo, who now pointed at them angrily, shouting, “Uncle Leo, it was them! They bullied Aisha and stole her things. Don’t let them go—teach them a lesson!”

A single glance was enough for Shen Duo to size up Leo’s strength.

A two-star phantasmist, clad in a fine brown robe with a brilliant sapphire set in the collar clasp—clearly a nouveau riche. Such a fat lamb delivered to her door would be a shame not to feast upon!

A calculating gleam flashed in Shen Duo’s dark eyes.

Having heard Carlo’s account of the duel, Leo was cunning. Unlike the impulsive Aisha, he was well aware of his own limitations and skilled at using profit as bait.

After being called out, Shen Duo and Feng Jun remained where they were, waiting for Leo’s move.

Leo’s cloudy eyes fixed on Shen Duo like a serpent’s, and he spat, “Everyone here, whoever can defeat this girl today, I, Leo, will give them a high-rank sacred phantasmal beast!”

If beastmasters had anything in abundance, it was certainly phantasmal beasts! To receive a beast from the hand of a master—what fortune! It was like a pauper buying a lottery ticket and winning millions in the grand prize!

As soon as Leo made his offer, the ship’s first-floor cabin fell silent for a few seconds—then erupted in chaos.

*――*――*

Hands outstretched for your votes! See the cold gleam in Little Duo’s eyes!