Chapter 55: Purple-Striped Chipmunk

Time passed like a white horse galloping past a crack in a wall; soon, the time for the Clan Competition arrived.

Every year at this time, the clan holds a Clan Competition. Unlike the Clan Meeting, only clansmen who became Monster Tamers after the previous Clan Competition are eligible to participate in this year's, and they must also be under 16 years of age—this is also the upper age limit for recruitment by the various Academies.

Compared to the Li Clan nestled in Luo City, these Academies are each a behemoth; even the lowest-tier Academy is far beyond what the Li Clan can compare to.

This morning, after resolving routine matters, Li Zhangsheng left his residence and walked in the direction of the Training Ground.

The Clan Competition will be held at the Training Ground!

Along the way, Li Zhangsheng saw many clansmen; some were walking in groups, others were walking alone, but their goal was identical: to head to the Training Ground.

Among these people, the majority were spectators, and there were only a few participants.

Among them, one group was quite eye-catching.

This was a group of young girls of similar age, probably around fifteen or sixteen, whose figures were just beginning to take shape. They laughed and joked along the way, occasionally emitting sounds like silver bells, attracting people's gazes.

However, if one observed carefully, one could clearly feel where their center was from their words, actions, and positioning.

This beautiful young girl wearing a colorful dress hardly spoke; she would occasionally lightly purse her lips, giving people a gentle and quiet impression.

Her name is Li Yijing, and she has been a Monster Tamer for half a year. In particular, her grandfather is a high-ranking and powerful Beast Garden Elder, which also makes her a favorite to win this year's Clan Competition.

Because she specializes in Mental Power, a Monster Tamer's five senses are extremely keen. Thus, when Li Zhangsheng was observing, Li Yijing reacted immediately. Upon discovering it was Li Zhangsheng, she could not help but nod in greeting, which counted as a salutation.

Looking at the genealogy, Li Zhangsheng and Li Yijing's grandfather are cousins. Unfortunately, by his generation, the two sides no longer had much interaction, which also resulted in the two not being close, nor having any conflict.

Li Zhangsheng likewise nodded in greeting and soon arrived at the Training Ground.

Unlike yesterday, the originally empty Training Ground had undergone a great change; countless tables, chairs, and benches surrounded several Arenas, provided for the clansmen to watch the battle.

Because space was limited, many clansmen had to get up early, which also made the Training Ground exceptionally lively, and it could even be described as packed to capacity.

There were only so many seats, so those who came later could only stand to watch the battle.

After arriving at the resting area for the contestants, Li Zhangsheng chose a seat at random and began to wait patiently.

Sitting next to Li Zhangsheng was a youth named Li Xiaoguang, but he was not of the Li Clan's direct line, but rather a branch of the Li Clan.

The Li Clan has a relatively long history, and with the branching out of over a dozen generations, it has indeed split into several branch families. They are mainly distributed in the towns under the jurisdiction of Luo City, collecting resources for the main clan.

In terms of numbers, these branch families might exceed the main clan, but in terms of power and influence, they were several grades behind.

The main clan and the branch families have a close relationship. In order to win over and weaken the branch families, and also to increase the power of the main clan, the main clan established specific rules: as long as a branch family member shows strong talent, or contracts a high-quality Demon Pet, they can enter the main clan. While being taught knowledge, they also possess the qualification to participate in the Clan Competition to compete for Academy spots.

As long as they perform well, it is not impossible for a branch family to become a direct line.

Glancing at Li Zhangsheng, Li Xiaoguang frowned slightly. Due to the gap in status and treatment, he had a natural barrier with the direct-line disciples that was difficult to reverse in a short time; this is also the main contradiction between the branch and the direct line.

Not caring about Li Xiaoguang's gaze, Li Zhangsheng continued to close his eyes and rest his mind, wanting to use his best state to deal with the upcoming Clan Competition.

During the waiting process, the high-level members of the clan arrived one after another. To show their importance, the clan specially built a high platform for them, which allowed them to look down and watch everything on the Training Ground.

Not long after, Clan Leader Li Wenbo led the various high-level members to the scene. He looked to be about fifty years old, with an upright posture and a firm face. In recent years, Li Wenbo has had quite a few achievements; under his leadership, the Li Clan forcefully defeated the Lin Clan and seized the Miniature Soul Crystal Mine.

At the same time, Li Wenbo is also the only Fourth-rank Demon Tamer on the surface of the clan.

Li Wenbo stood on the high platform, without any extra nonsense, and announced loudly: "According to the custom of previous years, the Clan Competition is divided into two parts. First is the power test. New Monster Tamers who pass the test will automatically advance to the semifinals, and new Monster Tamers who do not pass the test will conduct a knockout tournament to compete for the remaining semifinal spots!"

Under the amplification of Mental Power, the entire Training Ground could clearly hear Li Wenbo's voice, as if it were echoing in their ears.

However, Li Wenbo had not yet reached the level of being subtle and meticulous; some clansmen who were close by only felt their ears buzzing, with signs of temporary deafness.

In this year's Clan Competition, there were more than twenty participants. Being able to become a Monster Tamer before the age of 16 naturally represented their talent.

For them, the Academy recommendation spot is very important, which means they can enter a higher platform, broaden their horizons, and obtain more resources and knowledge.

For the sake of the Academy recommendation spot, no matter who it is, they will go all out.

As in previous years, the Internal Affairs Hall Elder served as the judge for the Clan Competition. He walked slowly to the Arena in the middle, pointed to the giant stone on the side, and shouted: "Release your Demon Pets to attack this Obsidian. As long as you can leave a mark on it, you can automatically advance to the semifinals! The first one, Li Zhangchong!"

This was an Obsidian over three meters high, entirely black, without a single speck of other color, looking quite sturdy.

The only advantage of Obsidian is that it is hard; it has little use and is mainly used to test the strength of Demon Pets.

As the Internal Affairs Hall Elder's voice fell, a youth with an ordinary appearance left the contestant seat; he was the first to test, Li Zhangchong.

Just after arriving at the venue, Li Zhangchong immediately released his Life-Bound Demon Pet, and a Variegated Tiger appeared on the field.

Variegated Tiger: Superior Servant Species, with long-lasting stamina, known for its fierce offensive.

Under Li Zhangchong's command, the Variegated Tiger leaped up and swung its right claw with all its might. A sharp cold light flashed and collided with the Obsidian.

Boom—

Accompanied by a muffled sound, the Obsidian remained motionless, and not even a trace was left on it. On the contrary, the Variegated Tiger's tiger claw broke, and wisps of blood gushed out.

The Internal Affairs Hall Elder shook his head and said aloud: "Unqualified!"

Li Zhangchong was full of disappointment. After withdrawing the Variegated Tiger, he returned to the contestant seat dejectedly. His gaze glanced at the next clansman participating in the test, praying that the other party would also not pass.

Swish—

The next moment, a pale cyan Wind Blade cut onto the Obsidian, making a harsh friction sound. Unfortunately, the Obsidian still remained motionless, and still did not leave a single trace.

Two consecutive contestants failed, and the atmosphere in the contestant seat became much heavier.

"This is too difficult!"

"It's over, I'm afraid I won't be able to pass either!"

"Me too!"

Many contestants looked at each other, only a few were calm and always full of confidence, including Li Zhangsheng.

Soon, five more people went up to test. Unexpectedly, they also did not qualify, which made the Internal Affairs Hall Elder's face turn dark, and he had to call the favorite to win, Li Jingyi, up.

"Start!" Compared to before, the Internal Affairs Hall Elder's tone was clearly more expectant.

Li Jingyi nodded slightly. To everyone's surprise, she did not summon a Demon Pet, but threw out the Purple-Striped Chipmunk she was holding in her arms.

It is no wonder they were surprised; the greatest advantage of the Purple-Striped Chipmunk is agility, and attack is not its strength.

(End of this chapter)