With only about forty Soul Pet Masters remaining on the island, the battles would proceed straightforwardly: one-on-one matches would narrow the field to twenty victors, who would then face off again, leaving roughly ten survivors.
Kael didn't believe he would encounter Ge Qing in either of the two battles, but he certainly hoped to avoid Feng Gu, whose strength was nearly on par with Zhou Shengmo. Feng Gu's ninth-stage Rock Demon boasted formidable defense, and with Moye in its current state, Kael's chances of victory against such an opponent were slim.
Exhausted, Kael paid no further attention to Ge Qing. After the assembly, he quickly returned to his cabin to rest.
Before sleeping, Kael placed the little green worm on his bedside table. This wasn't without purpose—the worm's keen alertness would prompt it to bite Kael if danger approached, instantly waking him.
"Kael… did you kill those five?" Tina couldn't help but ask, glancing at the weary Kael.
Tina wasn't foolish. Kael's sixth-stage Moonlight Fox had defeated her seventh-stage Thorn Rose Demon, proving its strength was at least on par with Tang Xian's eighth-stage Steel Fang. While it seemed far-fetched that Kael could have killed Zhou Shengmo, Tina couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved.
Kael merely shook his head, his voice heavy with fatigue. "The battles begin tomorrow. You should rest early too."
Seeing Kael's reluctance to elaborate, Tina grew even more suspicious. After a lingering glance at the exhausted Kael, she returned to her own bed.
Tina didn't leave the cabin. Instead, she waited quietly until Kael's soft snores filled the room. Only then did her expression shift.
She rose slowly, tiptoeing to Kael's bedside. Her eyes fixed on him nervously as she cautiously reached out…
"Ugh!" Kael suddenly gasped, jolting awake from his deep slumber. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Tina, radiating a chilling murderous intent, his face twisted like a savage beast unleashed.
Tina paled, frozen in place as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.
"What is it?" Kael demanded, his icy gaze piercing through Tina.
"I… I just wanted to borrow your… your Pet Encyclopedia…" Tina stammered, her hand hovering near the book on Kael's bedside but too afraid to actually take it.
Kael glanced at Tina, noting she carried no weapons and hadn't summoned her Soul Pet. Gradually, his tension eased, and his expression softened. After a moment, he waved dismissively. "Take it. I just had a nightmare. Didn't scare you, did I?"
Relieved to see Kael calm down, Tina quickly grabbed the Pet Encyclopedia and retreated to her bed.
"You were terrifying just now…" Tina murmured once she was safely distant.
"Everyone on this island is terrifying," Kael replied with a bitter smile. The scare had robbed him of his drowsiness.
Leaning back on his bed, Kael closed his eyes, focusing on entering a meditative state to restore his Soul Power quickly.
Last night, Kael's cultivation had advanced by a notch, and the White Nightmare Demon's strength had increased by a stage. Based on his calculations, the Soul Power he gained should exceed the demon's increased appetite. If he could fully replenish his Soul Power, he might be able to unleash a crucial Soul Technique.
As Kael entered his meditative state, Tina cautiously glanced at him before slowly opening the Pet Encyclopedia.
The deaths of Zhou Shengmo and the others had made Tina suspect that Kael was far more than he appeared. She had taken the book to learn more about the Moonlight Fox's abilities.
Flipping to the page on Moonlight Foxes, Tina found the description sparse, listing only common skills and a brief overview.
A quick scan revealed nothing particularly special.
"Strange, there's nothing unusual here. Could Zhou Shengmo's death really have nothing to do with Kael?" Tina muttered to herself.
As she spoke, her gaze inadvertently landed on Moye's basic skills: Charm, Pitiful Disguise, Moon Shadow…
"Pitiful Disguise… this skill…" Tina wasn't entirely familiar with it, only knowing it could weaken an opponent's fighting spirit.
To clarify, Tina pulled out her Soul Pet Combat Techniques book and searched for information on Pitiful Disguise.
"Pitiful Disguise: A skill unique to certain rare spirits. In its early stages, it can weaken the fighting spirit of Soul Pets with low mental fortitude. In its mid-stages, it becomes a means of disguise and concealing strength. In its later stages, the disguise effect intensifies. Throughout all stages, it can mask a Soul Pet's form."
At first, Tina didn't think much of it, skimming through the text. But gradually, her eyes widened, her expression shifting from calm to sheer astonishment.
"Disguise, concealing strength… a sixth-stage Moonlight Fox that defeated my seventh-stage Thorn Rose Demon…" Connecting the dots, the truth became clear.
Tina clutched the book tightly, her gaze fixed on the meditating Kael. A storm of realization raged within her, leaving her breathless.
After completing a round of meditation, Kael felt hungry and opened his eyes, planning to eat some rations to fill his stomach.
However, upon opening his eyes, he noticed Tina's intense stare. He offered a faint smile. "What's wrong?"
"Oh… oh, nothing…" Tina quickly averted her gaze, though her heart raced.
All the talk of rankings, the so-called indisputable strongest, the invincible Dire Wolf—it all seemed absurd to Tina now. The true strongest was right before her eyes, lying on the opposite bed: Kael, the calm, aloof, and deeply calculating young man.
Silent until the moment of action, Kael had struck with devastating force, killing five in a single night and remaining composed under the overseers' interrogation the next day.
Tina's heart pounded. Had she not been so observant, she would never have discovered the terrifying depth of strength and cunning hidden within the boy who shared her cabin.