At the same time, Wukong was pounding his chest, his passive abilities—Indestructible Body and Natural Strength—constantly activated, while also sharing his Fire-Eyes and Golden Pupils ability with Kent.
Although Kent had the support of the system, controlling two powerful beasts at full strength still put a tremendous strain on his mental state.
This served as a wake-up call. Once he arrived at Earthstar University, in addition to physical training and combat technique practice, he would need to make mental meditation a priority.
Although humans could share their monsters' abilities after contracting with them, this was ultimately "borrowing" power. It was convenient, but it wasn't truly their own strength.
At first, humans didn't think much of it. However, as they grew increasingly dependent on their beasts, they gradually overlooked the importance of their own strength. This led to physical weakness, with muscles and veins often torn from overloading. Such issues became commonplace.
As the monsters grew stronger, even more serious problems arose.
When a beast reached a certain level of power, it could potentially break the contract, even tearing apart the bonds, causing harm to the beast's master. It was only then that humans realized how grave the issue was.
This gave rise to the principle of putting humans first. Although contracted beasts were very useful, they were still an external force—humans had to rely on their own strength.
As a result, physical training, combat skill development, and mental meditation were all researched and developed by humanity.
Even ancient martial arts from Earthstar and yoga from India were examined for their hidden value.
"Kent, whatever you want to use, go ahead and show it," Li Zicheng said arrogantly, seeing Kent move. "I admit you're an underdog, unexpected—but at the end of the day, an underdog is still just that. In the face of absolute strength, you will always be nothing more than a backdrop to the truly powerful."
"I, Li Zicheng, without a doubt, am the strongest in this round of the Microglow City Beastmaster competition. I am the undisputed, deserving Newcomer King," he declared.
"What are you trying to say?" Kent interrupted.
"Either surrender now, or I'll make you surrender. The choice is yours, do you understand?" Li Zicheng said, with an air of someone who thought he had everything under control.
"You wish," Kent replied coldly. "Unfortunately, that's just wishful thinking. I've never seen the word 'lose' in my dictionary."
"Let's get on with it. Everyone's been waiting."
"In that case, just as you wish. I'll make sure you're defeated thoroughly, with no room for resistance."
With a wave of his hand, the massive Xuanmo Lion-Tiger suddenly erupted with bloodlight, its entire body enveloped in a bloody aura.
It instantly activated the Xuanmo Body, burning its vital essence to enhance its defenses and healing abilities, ensuring it was in an invulnerable state, preventing any unexpected turns in the battle.
Kent's lips twitched. He hadn't expected his opponent to go all in from the start, unleashing his full strength as if preparing for a life-or-death battle.
But this was fine. Both sides were bringing out their trump cards, choosing to clash head-on, which would lead to a quick conclusion.
After activating the Xuanmo Body, Li Zicheng further transformed the Xuanmo Lion-Tiger, greatly amplifying its strength. The lion-tiger's massive maw opened, and a terrifying shockwave of sound blasted out, shaking the entire Microglow Nest.
Fortunately, the audience wasn't the target, and the arena was a hundred meters away from the audience, so they were safe from harm.
Nonetheless, the sound waves spread out, layer after layer, and those close to the arena felt a ringing in their ears. Their internal energy surged uncontrollably, and their spirits grew faint.
The ones most affected were Kent and his two beasts on the arena.
Kent had no choice but to brace himself and endure, standing firm, displaying his unwavering willpower to withstand the shockwave.
Fortunately, Wukong, with his Indestructible Body, Copper Skin, Iron Bones, and natural strength, had an incredibly powerful vitality that kept the soundwave from shaking him too much.
"Next, he'll probably try to go for a quick kill," Kent thought.
His opponent had already used three abilities—enhancing his power and defense, and weakening his own vitality to gain an advantage. The next step was likely to be a close-range strike.
Thankfully, Kent had scanning and analysis abilities, which allowed him to understand his opponent's abilities and weaknesses.
Knowing the enemy's strengths and weaknesses allowed him to predict their actions and prepare accordingly.
As expected, Li Zicheng commanded the Xuanmo Lion-Tiger to perform a quick strike.
With a flicker of motion, the Xuanmo Lion-Tiger appeared in front of Wukong, carrying immense force and speed. Its sharp claws struck out, hitting Wukong hard, forcing him back and leaving several deep gashes on his chest.
Kent's eyes turned cold. He dodged to the side and signaled Garfield, who leapt high and landed on the Lion-Tiger's back.
Even though the Xuanmo Body had enhanced the beast's defenses, Garfield had his own way of boosting his battle power—Fatal Strike, which allowed him to unleash an attack with three times his usual combat power.
At level 30, Garfield's combat strength had already reached nearly 1,000 points, and at level 32, it had surpassed that threshold.
When Garfield was only level 20, his claws could already break through cement walls, with his combat power at just over 100.
So, even with the Xuanmo Body enhancing its toughness, the Xuanmo Lion-Tiger couldn't withstand a single blow from Garfield, who was now delivering 3,000 combat power.
With a fierce roar, Garfield's claws grew rapidly, transforming into something as sharp as a butcher's knife. He drove them deep into the Xuanmo Lion-Tiger's incredibly tough back, then quickly pulled back. His claws left deep, gaping wounds that stretched for over ten meters.
The Xuanmo Lion-Tiger let out a heart-wrenching roar as blood spurted out like a fountain. Its red flesh was violently torn open and rolled outward.
For a moment, the entire arena fell silent, with only the heavy breathing of the crowd filling the air.
The damage was so horrific that it astonished everyone. The level of destruction Garfield had caused was beyond what anyone had expected.
Even Kent, the beastmaster, was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected such an immense amount of damage.
"Kent, you…" Li Zicheng's eyes turned bloodshot, filled with killing intent.
Kent ignored him. Taking advantage of his weakened state, he would finish this with a Fatal Strike. However, since the move was a one-time skill, it would take some time to recharge, so he wouldn't have another chance to severely wound the Lion-Tiger.
"Garfield, Wind Blade!"