“Is Mingxi really as strong as that person said? Should we bet on her to win?”

“Let’s not. Claude is 15 years older than Mingxi. No matter how talented a Xiao Guniang is, can she really make up for a 15-year gap? I don’t think it’s reliable.

And Claude’s Ice Di Lian (Ice Lotus) is 100% a limited-grade pet beast. Ice Di Lian (Ice Lotus) also has the Superconducting characteristic, which counters lightning types. How can Lei Yan Great Wind win?”

Lei Yan Great Wind’s energy is lower than Ice Di Lian (Ice Lotus), and it’s a counter-attribute, so the chances of winning are too low.

Many people present thought the same.

So, after consideration, most people still placed their bets on Claude.

However, there were also quite a few who firmly believed Mingxi could win. These people had mostly seen Mingxi’s matches during the Changheng Cup.

“Hmph! What do these people know?

When Lei Yan Great Wind was still a Thunder Demon Bird, Mingxi could command the Thunder Demon Bird to counter-kill a Si Saimoka Dragon. Now that the Thunder Demon Bird has evolved to Advanced Level, why is it impossible for a counter-attribute to counter-kill a peer?

She won against Fu Sushu in the Changheng Cup finals, didn't she?

I believe in Mingxi, I bet she wins!”

Another group, driven by patriotism, simply wanted to support their own country's contestant. Additionally, due to some historical issues, the international relations between Dragonflower Country and Xiao Li Country had always been quite tense.

If contestants from the two countries met in an international Beast Tamers competition, the audiences from both countries would always be at loggerheads.

Online arguments were child's play; it was common for live audiences to get into brawls.

So, this group also bet on Mingxi.

Those who bet on a draw were the fewest, only a scattered one or two.

There was also a special case here: the bearded uncle who had previously tricked Mingxi.

When Mingxi’s face appeared on the giant screen, he was undoubtedly the most shocked.

“So, this girl said she came to the Yushou Center for business, and she meant to take an assessment? I thought it was just an excuse.”

At this moment, he felt extremely ashamed. Not only had he misunderstood that little girl, but he had also tricked her.

The previous round of betting was indeed intentional on his part.

He had no ill will; he just felt that such a young child shouldn’t participate in extreme betting, as it was too easy to become obsessed and neglect one's duties.

So, seeing that her betting amount was not large, he deliberately misled her to lose money, hoping to dampen her enthusiasm for betting.

He didn't expect that the little girl was truly there for business, and moreover, she was there for an upgrade assessment task.

The first time a Beast Tamers comes to Limit Tower for an upgrade assessment, 99.9% of them will try a round of betting first.

So, he felt sorry for the little girl.

With a compensatory mindset different from others, the bearded uncle bet 20,000 star coins on Mingxi, exactly one hundred times Mingxi’s lost amount, to express his hundredfold apology.

Meanwhile, in Xiao Li Country, there was a one-sided trend of betting large sums of star coins on Claude.

This was not only due to Claude’s strength and the relationship between the two countries, but also because there were national barriers and delayed information dissemination. Almost no one knew about Golden Yuanbao’s situation, and they knew even less about Mingxi.

At most, they were curious about Golden Yuanbao’s species and marveled at Mingxi’s exceptional age.

“Is this extreme betting area here to give us money? Claude’s winning rate is 100%. If that greenhorn little girl from Dragonflower Country can win, I’ll chop off my own head and give it to her!”

“Hahaha, isn’t it good that they’re giving us money? And we can also slap the Dragonflower Country people in the face. How great is that? I’m going to bet more. Although the odds are low, it’s a guaranteed profit. Such a rare opportunity doesn’t come often.”

“Hehe, I’ve already put in all my wife’s savings.”

“I even used my son’s education fund.” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“Me too...

The Xiao Li Country people’s thinking was simple: although the odds were low, where could one find a guaranteed win? Of course, they had to bet more.

Inside Limit Tower.

Mingxi and Claude stood across the arena, their pet beasts also coldly gazing at their opponents.

They were all sizing each other up, assessing their opponent’s strength.

Claude looked at the incredibly young girl on the opposite command platform.

He couldn't help but ask, “How old are you?”

As the main event, the match wouldn't start immediately to allow enough time for betting outside.

This did, however, provide an opportunity for the two sides to communicate.

Mingxi’s expression was calm; no tension was visible on her face.

Hearing her opponent’s question, out of politeness, she obediently replied, “14.”

Claude: “...”

He knew his opponent wouldn’t be old, but he absolutely didn’t expect her to be this young.

14 years old?

She had already contracted a second pet beast at 14?

How could he, who had struggled for thirteen long years and spent countless star coins to finally and arduously awaken his second Soul Key last month, feel about this?

At this moment, an intense wave of jealousy uncontrollably welled up in Claude’s heart.

His face instantly darkened like ink, and an unresolvable hatred seeped into his eyes.

Mingxi was not slow; of course, she could feel the sudden burst of malice from the other party.

A quick thought revealed the reason.

It was nothing more than envy, jealousy, and hatred.

As if his incompetence was caused by someone else being too outstanding, pure displaced anger.

Mingxi had seen this kind of person many times, so she didn't feel much about it.

After all, not being envied means being mediocre.

No one spoke further, and the atmosphere was tense and oppressive, with a sense of impending storm.

Time passed minute by minute ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) until the Limit Tower’s AI announced the start of the challenge.

Claude’s gaze was sharp: “Lotus Generation.”

Mingxi’s breathing was steady: “Claw Strike.”

Since lightning-type skills were sealed, she would just change her approach. Golden Yuanbao wasn’t only lightning-type.

Stay calm, don’t panic.

Golden Yuanbao had already shot out like an arrow, its four long tail feathers cutting through the air, leaving a brief trail of light.

After contracting with Mingxi, Golden Yuanbao rarely used Claw Strike in battles, and practiced it very little, but that didn’t mean it had forgotten how to use this skill to its best advantage.

In its old home, it had injured at least thirty to fifty opponents, if not a hundred, with its claws.

Otherwise, the skill proficiency of Claw Strike wouldn't have reached 66% at the beginner level during the contract.

Combined with Chasing Wind, it quickly spun and flew sideways, its claws tearing fiercely.

Fast, ruthless, accurate!

Golden Yuanbao’s speed under Chasing Wind was incomparable to Ice Di Lian (Ice Lotus), so before Ice Di Lian (Ice Lotus)’s skill could be released, several tearing wounds appeared on one of its pure white lotus petals.

The injuries weren’t severe, but for Ice Di Lian (Ice Lotus), whose nature was extremely fond of beauty, it was an extreme insult!

“Lianlian!”

Ice Di Lian (Ice Lotus) roared in anger, and the skill it was preparing to release was interrupted.

Claude watched this scene and frowned slightly.

The pet beast on the other side was simply too fast. Even though Claw Strike was only a basic skill and had no other effects, it could still injure Eileen.

Eileen valued her petals the most, and once injured, her rhythm was disrupted.

“Eileen, calm down! Quickly complete Lotus Generation!”

Lotus Generation, a basic plant-type skill. The lotus blooms, and its fragrance emanates, carrying a mental hypnosis effect that has a certain chance of putting the opponent to sleep.