Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

An hour later, Liam was calling the arena's combat platform, his third time there, but this time under the gaze of hundreds of important disciples from the sect's inner area.

Previously, he had avoided coming to the arena for his obligatory monthly challenges at times of high demand. It wasn't in his interest to gain a new enemy who would pursue him just before his escape from the sect. Today, however, he had no choice but to come across many Division Chiefs, powerful individuals there to watch the important matches of the day.

Liam himself had come to this place today to watch some good fights scheduled for today.

When he came across Hugue on the fighting platform, he could only hope that it would have as few negative repercussions for him as possible.

'I just hope that fool doesn't impede my escape... Fortunately, I'll be leaving for Irondom in a few hours. Perhaps what I present here today will be forgotten before my return and final preparations for escape.'

Liam ignored the murmurs in the stands, as well as the introduction of the match referee. His eyes were focused on Hugue, trying to think how important it would be to get this victory from this 5-Star Spirit Sky cultivator.

'I'll win the sect's escape method here!'

He raised his guard, while the enormous fellow in front of him remained relaxed, his eyes forming little smiling arcs.

Then the signal for the fight to begin was given!

Liam immediately summoned his fourth Spirit, not overestimating his own abilities against a stronger cultivator. But he didn't summon Thal'Korr, nor the Silver Winged Leopard. Against a Spirit Master of Hugue's caliber, even in the limited conditions that this opponent had proposed, it wouldn't be easy for Liam's Spirits. As such, he brought out only the mammoth 2-Star.

When the Starlight Mammoth appeared, the combat platform shook, as blue stars appeared in the sky above the area, with the surrounding mana converging towards the mighty silver mammoth.

"A Spirit stronger than the Spirit Master?"

When Liam showed his Spirit, there was no way he could hide his 1-Star cultivation from the Spirit Sky Realm. All the spectators noticed the current cultivation of the man dressed in red next to the challenger, with several raising the same question out loud.

Hugue himself was surprised by the Spirit Liam had chosen, not having discovered in time that his opponent was entitled to a Starlight Mammoth.

Hugue put his smile aside and raised his guard, not underestimating the strength and defensive capacity of a large door animal like that.

Hugue himself was a Spirit Master, focused on strength and endurance. He was well acquainted with Spirits compatible with strength and endurance and within the whole sect, the Starlight Mammoth was one of the most impressive.

'I have to use his weak points against this brat and end this fight quickly. I won't lose to a novice like him!'

The idea of letting Liam attack him first, something that had crossed Hugue's mind moments ago, vanished from his mind as he moved, striking forward with one of his open palms.

He fired like a bullet from a revolver, in an instant disappearing from where he was and reappearing a meter in front of Liam.

But just as Hugue was about to hit Liam with a rising palm of mana, the bright-eyed mammoth looked down, opening his mouth as a transparent shield materialized around the attacked area.

The mana moved and both Liam, Hugue, and the spectators felt an invisible barrier form around it.

Hugue's mana palm slammed into the air and a loud crack came at almost the same time as the mammoth's high-pitched scream, followed by the creature's counterattack.

The silver beast's immense tusks glowed a brilliant blue, forming several small nuclei of light and lightning in Hugue's surroundings, each one rapidly absorbing mana from the air. They exploded a second later, sending arrow-like blasts into Hugue's balloon body.

"Shit!" He found himself in trouble for not having his Spirits on his side and retreated as quickly as he had attacked.

Shadow Suppression!

But Liam tried his best to stop the enemy's dodge, forcing a shadow demon to appear behind Hugue and try to block the 5-Star Spirit Sky cultivator's movement.

Simultaneously, the mammoth advanced with its slow but extremely powerful steps, not leaving it all to a single one of its attacks.

Hugue managed to shake off Liam's dark suppression, but not before being caught by one of the mammoth's brilliant shots.

He slid down the platform for a few meters until he stopped, one of his hands on the ground and sweating significantly, his mouth slightly open as a sign of burning appeared visible on his left arm.

"That was impressive, but it ends here!" With those words, Hugue stood up on one foot, while opening his arms in the air, forming huge arms of mana coming out of his back.

His arms glowed as if they were made of gold bars, becoming extremely massive before striking out on the mammoth coming at him.

One of the arms held a spear, another a sword, and the last two closed in front of Hugue, forming a defense against his opponent.

The mammoth continued on its path of attack, unafraid of any offensive action from an opponent three levels stronger than itself.

Hugue was only a Spirit Master and without his Spirits, he didn't have all the power his abilities had in the 'hands' of the Spirits.

The creature was intelligent and attacked with its fangs, making the enemy forget about Liam and focus entirely on the attack and defense it had to test its strength.

As Hugue prepared for the most dangerous fight he'd ever had, Liam's wings opened on his back. He leaped into the air, flying into his inattentive opponent's back.

With Hugue focused on the enemy ahead, Liam reached his opponent's back, getting the angle he wanted and then advancing with his sword in hand.

He took the Silver Winged Leopard's sudden charge, accelerating his speed a few times in an instant, reaching Hugue's back just as the mammoth was hit by his opponent's weapons. But the mammoth went ahead with its attack, even though it was wounded, while Liam took advantage of his Spirit's strength to pressure Hugue from behind.

Hugue was hoping for a good victory against Liam today, but without realizing it he had put himself at a disadvantage, surrounded on both sides and in real danger. If he had his Spirits on his side, he could easily escape this situation and win the fight. But without them, he was now vulnerable, with serious risks of not only losing but also leaving this platform injured.

He looked back angrily, using one of his defending golden arms to attack Liam, aiming for the left side of the back of his opponent's head.

'I may get hurt today, but you won't beat me!' Hugue thought determinedly, accepting the risk of being unprepared for the mammoth's attack, but taking Liam down before he did.

However, just as he was about to hit Liam, he once again found a barrier in his way, hitting it and losing most of his strength before reaching Liam's head.

Liam felt pain as he was hit, but it wasn't enough even to move him to the side. He then turned invisible, disappearing completely while Hugue looked away, afraid that this was some kind of instant transportation ability.

"Wretch!" He stared as he felt Liam's hands reach behind his back, tearing at his skin with extended mana nails, a characteristic of the Silver Winged Leopard.
Read the latest on empire

Liam made the man in front of him scream, before his mammoth finally seized the advantage created by Hugue's own decisions, striking out with one of his paws against the Spirit Master.

The golden arms of Hugue's ability broke almost instantly as they were touched by the creature's paw, while he himself was on the verge of being crushed.

He shouted angrily for the whole arena to understand the outcome of this fight that couldn't possibly have the Spirits of the stronger opponent. Just as Hugue was about to be seriously injured, a red-haired monkey, at least three times the size of Hugue himself, appeared in front of him, crossing his arms in front of his body and protecting his master.

The mammoth still managed to make Hugue's red Spirit slide backwards, but it couldn't break through the defense of this being, who was also a being of high defensive power.

Still, it was clear to the whole arena who was more impressive. A 2-Star Spirit made a 4-Star Spirit slide backwards and still open his mouth and scream in complaint at the wounds on his arms.

Liam flapped his wings again, this time appearing above the silver mammoth, no longer using his invisibility power.

"You lost." Liam said out loud, sweating profusely from the mana expenditure of the last few moves, but strong enough to speak without slurring his words. "You broke your word, Hugue!"

Hugue was on his knees at this point, as wounded and exhausted as his opponent. He looked up and saw Liam from above, also hearing the murmurs from the spectators about his promise earlier. He wanted to continue this fight. But if he did, he would gain a reputation throughout the inner area and even be punished by the Law Enforcement Hall.

Challenges were taken seriously by the sect's correctional force!

"All right. I admit my defeat in this fight." He announced as he stood up with the help of his Spirit, a being similar to the one who had made Liam's group run in the forest near City Five earlier. "But Liam, it doesn't end here. Next month, I'll challenge you again. This time, I won't give you any advantages!"

A new challenge was recently issued, causing the audience to buzz with anticipation about this exciting encounter. Liam might not be much of a 1-Star Spirit Sky cultivator, but with a Starlight Mammoth on his side, things were totally different!