Chapter 233: Provocation: I Want to Spar with the Young Master

By noon, everyone had placed their dishes on the tables.

The scene was truly a magnificent sight.

It was the first time Bai Zhi and the others had seen this kind of feast. It was far more spectacular than any banquet she had attended in the modern world.

Nearly every family’s contribution was meat-based, primarily grilled or stewed. There were few vegetable dishes; to them, vegetables were mostly just for cutting through the richness, allowing them to eat even more meat.

Hu Yao saw them standing there, stunned by the scene, and her face filled with pride for their Fierce Tiger City. “Magnificent, isn’t it? This is a custom in Fierce Tiger City. We hold events like this for any major festival or important occasion. And for all of us, finding Xiao’er is a very important occasion.”

Bai Zhi nodded. “It really is magnificent. This is my first time seeing anything like it.”

The moment Yue Junxiao and his group appeared, they were immediately bombarded with invitations. “Young Master, come eat our food! It’s definitely better than theirs.”

“Come eat ours! Our family’s is the best! Last year, every last bite of our food was eaten.”

“Eat ours…”

Everyone was inviting them enthusiastically, and even Hu Yan and the others received invitations.

Perhaps because he knew they were all tigers like him, part of the same clan, Yue Junxiao was instantly infected by their enthusiasm.

He took their invitations seriously, trying dishes from one family after another. Whenever he found something delicious, Yue Junxiao would wave to Bai Zhi. “My Lady, this is delicious! You have to try it.”

“This one, and this one’s good too.”

It got to the point that they were stuffed before they had even made it halfway through the crowd.

Many more Beastmen tried to invite them over, but Hu Yao directly intervened. “Alright, I know you’re all very excited, but Xiao’er can’t eat another bite. He still has to eat at the main table. If you stuff him now, how is he supposed to eat with us later?”

Hearing the City Lord’s wife speak, they had no choice but to give up on the idea of having the Young Master eat their family’s meat.

It couldn’t be helped. Everyone in Fierce Tiger City seemed to have the same thought: the Young Master was too thin and weak. He needed to eat more meat to grow up big and strong.

So, they were all desperate for him to eat more.

But since Hu Yao had spoken, they didn’t dare to act out of line.

Still, that didn’t stop the Beastmen from starting to mutter amongst themselves. “The Young Master’s appetite is just too small. No wonder he’s so thin.”

Another Beastman immediately nodded in agreement. “A Beastman needs to be big and strong to look good. We hunted two beasts yesterday. We’ll take them to the City Lord Mansion later. Didn’t the City Lord say the Young Master won’t be staying long? Let’s try to fatten him up a bit before he leaves. He’s just too skinny. Sending him out like this, he doesn’t even look like a Beastman from our Fierce Tiger City.”

“You can’t say that. The Young Master is still young. If we all pitch in, he’ll definitely fill out.”

Even though Yue Junxiao and his group overheard, they were too embarrassed to argue. After all, compared to the local Beastmen, their party really did eat very little.

With Hu Yao clearing the way, they were no longer pulled aside to eat, and they reached their destination after a walk of only about ten minutes.

As City Lord, Hu Zhen needed to arrive earlier than them.

Yue Junxiao had kept Bai Zhi up too late that morning, so they had woken up very late and didn’t come together.

They soon arrived before a large stage. A large table was set up here, obviously the spot for the City Lord Mansion, as it was the only table at the very front.

When Hu Zhen saw them arrive, he rubbed his belly and greeted them heartily. “You’re finally here! You must be full after eating all the way over, right? Perfect. Sit, sit! It’s about to start.”

Yue Junxiao had just sat down when he couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Start what?”

Hu Zhen explained, “Besides the feast, there’s a martial arts competition. Any warrior who wins up there gets to confess to the female he admires. The females of our Fierce Tiger Clan love courageous Beastmen and rarely turn down a confession from the First Warrior. Therefore, defeating all the others not only wins you the affection of the female you desire, but becoming the First Warrior also comes with a prize of one hundred thousand Star Coins. With incentives like that, many Beastmen will go all out to claim the top spot.”

The pride in Hu Zhen’s tone as he spoke was identical to Hu Yao’s. Clearly, they were both extremely confident in the Beastmen of the Fierce Tiger Clan.

This reminded Bai Zhi of when they had first arrived on the Main Star. Zelda had also taken them to a similar type of competition, and Yue Junxiao and Yan Yichen had almost been injured.

The only difference was, last time they were the ones competing, whereas this time, they were sitting in the audience watching.

‘This is a competition for the Fierce Tiger Clan. Does that mean Yue Junxiao has to go up there too?’

Bai Zhi glanced at Yue Junxiao, but his attention was completely fixed on the stage, and he clearly didn’t notice her gaze.

Hu Zhen had barely finished speaking when a Beastman from the Fierce Tiger Clan, unable to wait any longer, leaped onto the stage. He forcefully beat his chest with his fists, making a loud THUMP-THUMP sound, then slammed his fists together with a resounding CLAP. He then roared to the crowd below, “Who’s next!”

The moment he finished, another Beastman strode forward a few steps, took a powerful leap, and landed on the stage.

Hu Zhen watched the two on stage with satisfaction, not forgetting to provide commentary. “The one who went up first came in tenth in last year’s competition. He’s very strong. He only placed tenth last year because he hadn’t fully recovered from a previous injury; otherwise, he definitely would have been in the top three. The second one was last year’s fifth place, and his power is among the best in the Fierce Tiger Clan.”

Yue Junxiao listened and took the opportunity to ask a question, “If the same person wins first place every year, doesn’t that mean no one else gets a chance?”

Hu Zhen explained, “Besides receiving a hefty prize, the First Warrior also gets the opportunity to join the First Army. Apart from the regular enlistment process, this is the only other way in. Once they enter the First Army, they can no longer participate. Most warriors who earn the top title choose to join the First Army, provided there are no issues with their background check.”

Hu Zhen also took the opportunity to tell him about various military matters of the Fierce Tiger Clan. These were things every member of the Fierce Tiger Clan knew—like promotion paths, the number of armies and their respective responsibilities, and so on. Therefore, he wasn’t concerned about Hu Yan and the others overhearing.

But Yue Junxiao recalled what Hu Zhen had told him about this unit last night: “This unit will be your most powerful spear. Do not use it unless absolutely necessary, for their deployment means the Fierce Tiger Clan is facing a moment of life and death.”

He hadn’t felt much about it at the time, but now, watching the live selection of the First Warrior, Yue Junxiao paid closer attention from his seat in the stands.

It had to be said, this was a match worthy of the top ranks. Both fighters were S-Class. They looked to be only in their twenties, and possessing such a level of spiritual power at that age was already quite impressive.

The fight between them was spectacular, with each blow stopping just short of causing real harm.

The loser would be immediately replaced by a new challenger, returning home to train harder and fight again the next year.

After several rounds, a Beastman suddenly called out, “I’d like to spar with the Young Master. I wonder if the Young Master would be willing to come up on stage?”