"Brother Lei, it looks like things are getting a bit tricky."
Dongfang Lei, who had come personally to watch his son's match, was also scouting potential mercenaries.
He hadn't expected such a turn of events, as he hadn't thought much of the young man facing his son, Dongfang Jing.
But now, he couldn't help but take a more serious look.
Upon further inspection, he realized he had underestimated the young man—this kid was no simple character. If given time, he would certainly make a name for himself.
He even started to worry for his son. Though Dongfang Jing was already an outstanding individual, top-tier among his peers, when compared to Kent, the gap was quite apparent.
At that moment, a few of his rivals, whom he rarely saw eye to eye with, took the opportunity to tease him:
"That young man seems extraordinary. With his two golden-tier beasts assisting him, Dongfang Jing might just have a hard time."
This immediately made Dongfang Lei's face sour. He snorted coldly and secretly entertained darker thoughts, even contemplating underhanded measures.
"Hmph, so what? I trust my son. Even with two golden-tier beasts, that cat is only level 30, and it's naturally at a disadvantage compared to a lion. And the monkey is only level 20. My son's golden lion can handle these two beasts just fine."
Dongfang Lei spoke with absolute confidence.
"Oh? Seems like Brother Lei has a lot of faith in his son. After all, he's one of the Four Young Masters of Microglow City, so he should have the strength to back it up. No way will some random wild kid come and beat him. That would be just too strange."
The person who spoke was the second-largest real estate magnate in Microglow City, who, seeing that things weren't going well for his opponent, couldn't help but mock Dongfang Lei.
"If you believe so, then let's wait and see." Dongfang Lei laughed loudly, showing no signs of worry.
When Garfield made his entrance, it immediately captured the attention of the entire arena.
After all, this was the first time anyone had seen a person command two beasts, and both were golden-tier. The mental fortitude required for such a feat was no small matter.
Dongfang Jing was surprised.
This guy was a bit harder to deal with than he thought, but he didn't take it too seriously. His view was still the same as his father's:
A level 20 monkey, with such a significant gap in levels, wasn't much of a threat.
And a 30-level cat was too small and weak in comparison to a lion. In nature, cats could never beat lions, and the idea of that happening was laughable.
"Didn't expect you to have some skills. You've got some good luck to have two golden-tier beasts, but this still won't be enough to beat me." Dongfang Jing sneered arrogantly.
"As long as you think that, I'm relieved." Kent smiled calmly: "Because I'll show you that your thoughts are not only wrong but very naive."
"Fine. I'll remember that. Since the moment I was born, no one has dared to call me naive."
Dongfang Jing shouted angrily, his gentlemanly demeanor completely gone. The change was so fast, it was almost comical.
It turned out his weak spot was not tolerating being called naive, just as Kent's weakness was anyone insulting his parents.
The prelude to this battle was long, but it had everyone on the edge of their seats.
Even competitors from other platforms stopped their matches, unwilling to miss this highly charged battle.
"Get him! Tear this kid apart, and his beasts too!"
Dongfang Jing ordered, pulling a metal rod out of his space bag.
Though the use of hot weapons or bladed cold weapons was prohibited in the competition, things like boxing gloves, iron rods, ropes, and whips were still allowed.
Dongfang Jing held the iron rod and followed behind the golden lion, ready to strike.
He activated the lion's phantom kill ability, and both the beast and he began to move at incredible speeds, leaving behind afterimages that blurred into a swarm, all while locking onto their target to strike with overwhelming force.
But to his surprise, this strategy, which had never failed before, met its first defeat.
From the beginning, Kent had seen through the golden lion's and Dongfang Jing's movements and true forms, clearly detecting every shift.
After all, his Fiery Eyes with Golden Pupils ability was not for show.
Following a series of rapid movements, hundreds of afterimages filled the arena, taking up all the space around Kent.
In an instant, all the spectators could see were afterimages within two yards of Kent.
Among the blur, a shadow raced around him, aiming to find the perfect angle and timing to strike and defeat him.
But Kent showed no fear. Instead, he wore a mysterious smile, leaping high into the air before diving straight down, launching a powerful punch aimed directly at the moving shadow.
With a resounding crash, two pained roars echoed as the afterimages vanished, revealing the true forms of the golden lion and Dongfang Jing.
The enormous lion had a dent in its forehead, a fist print that nearly shattered its hard skull.
Its massive body staggered back, and the immense force sent Dongfang Jing flying from the impact, as if he had been rear-ended.
Dongfang Jing's head spun from the collision, but fortunately, he was tough and had shared some of the lion's physical strength.
Shaking his head to clear it, he finally regained his senses and stared at Kent in disbelief.
"How did you do that? My Phantom Killing formation allows for high-speed movement and shifting into afterimages, but you saw through all of it! How?"
Dongfang Jing's face fluctuated between anger and confusion. He muttered to himself, "No, it's impossible. He's not that good. He must have just gotten lucky."
But his fighting spirit reignited as he activated the Golden Gaze ability.
Though using it like this would reduce its effectiveness, he had no choice now. He needed to use Golden Gaze to weaken Kent's resolve, destabilize his mental state, and interfere with his judgment.
As Dongfang Jing's gaze intensified, his dark eyes glowed a deep gold, sending a chilling wave into Kent's mind.
Kent, however, wasn't one to back down. Meeting Dongfang Jing's stare, he immediately felt the pressure of Golden Gaze, which made his soul tremble slightly, but he quickly recognized it for what it was—an illusion.
"Interesting," Kent remarked simply, as he used his Fiery Eyes with Golden Pupils to see through the illusion, maintaining his calm and steady stance.