184: test

After learning the names bestowed upon the two Suanni by their bloodlines and spending some time cultivating their relationship, Xu Yan led them out of the reception room, retrieved the spirit food he had prepared for them from his storage device, and allowed them to eat their fill.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Xu Yan took the two Suanni through the Teleportation Array to the training ground he had rented long-term a month ago using points. He planned to test the two Suanni while also allowing them to reacquaint themselves with Zhu Yan's three spirit beasts.

When Xu Yan and the two Suanni arrived at the training ground, Zhu Yan and Xiong Nian were fighting on the training ground's simulated battle stage. Wuxiang was monitoring and recording their battle from the side, while also performing real-time analysis.

In the massive battle arena, only Xiong Nian was present, covered in penetrating wounds, explosion damage, and deep lacerations. The entire bear looked precarious, and surrounding it were spider webs woven from black, white, and silver threads, slowly contracting, attempting to envelop and strangle it.

It seemed Zhu Yan had the complete upper hand, but just as Xiong Nian's condition worsened and it was accidentally wrapped into a large cocoon by the layers of spider webs, a sound like shattering glass rang out.

The surrounding environment hadn't changed, but the large cocoon that captured Xiong Nian, along with the inescapable net Zhu Yan had meticulously set up on the field, instantly vanished. What remained on the stage was Xiong Nian, whose condition was relatively good despite several penetrating wounds, and Zhu Yan, who looked pained and could barely support its own body.

It was obvious that the battle had been decided. Such battles had been carried out many times among the three spirit beasts over the previous month. Aside from the full-power battles using every means available at the start of the training, the subsequent sessions focused more on refining combat techniques, just like this one.

In the beginning, relying on the unique combination of light, shadow, and spatial attributes, Zhu Yan was able to suppress Xiong Nian throughout the fight, launching attacks without being seen, forcing Xiong Nian to rely solely on its perception and reflexes to dodge the incoming strikes and thus win the battle.

As the number of battles increased, Xiong Nian gradually grew accustomed to Zhu Yan's attack patterns, and its own spatial perception became increasingly acute, causing Zhu Yan's attack accuracy to drop lower and lower.

The consequence of being unable to finish the fight quickly was that if the battle duration was extended, Zhu Yan would gradually be pulled into an Illusion by Xiong Nian during the fight, leading to a loss. Subsequently, Xiong Nian's win rate against Zhu Yan skyrocketed.

However, regardless of the outcome, in these battles, both Xiong Nian's utilization of mental power and its own perceptual abilities, and Zhu Yan's resistance to illusion techniques, saw significant improvement.

The battles between Wuxiang and Xiong Nian, and Zhu Yan and Wuxiang, were similar.

Seeing Xu Yan and the two Suanni enter the training ground, the two spirit beasts ended their battle. Xiong Nian cast Mental Healing on Zhu Yan, and Zhu Yan used Holy Cure on Xiong Nian, and both quickly began recovering for each other.

Soon, the two recovered spirit beasts left the battle stage and followed Wuxiang to Xu Yan.

Looking at the three spirit beasts in front of him, Xu Yan pointed to the two Suanni beside him and introduced them: “You should be very familiar with these two. They were once the Wind Flame Lion King, and are now the Twin Suanni of Treading Wind and Controlling Fire. They are our new partners, Qing Lan and Chi Ming.”

While introducing the two Suanni to Zhu Yan and the others, he also reintroduced Zhu Yan and the others to the two Suanni.

Having already spent more than half a year together, coupled with the fact that the two Wind Flame Lion Kings had provided Zhu Yan and the others with considerable help and guidance before breaking through to the Monarch Rank, Zhu Yan and the others accepted their old friends—who had drastically changed form and become Xu Yan's contracted spirit beasts—very well.

After giving the spirit beasts some time to interact, Xu Yan began a strength test for the two Suanni.

Similarly, this was also to allow them to display their strength in front of Zhu Yan's three spirit beasts. With demonstrated strength, the two Suanni would more easily gain the recognition of the "seniors" and integrate into the group.

The testing method was simple; there was no need to find an opponent among Zhu Yan's three spirit beasts. Instead, the two Suanni were simply told to conduct an internal battle.

The two Suanni entered the battle stage. Xu Yan did not give any commands, only allowing the two Suanni to display their abilities freely.

Qing Lan and Chi Ming stood on the battle stage, locking eyes, flames of battle igniting within them. Qing Lan struck first, its dual claws conjuring sharp Wind Blades that whistled toward Chi Ming. Chi Ming remained calm, spitting out scorching flames that collided with the Wind Blades, erupting in a violent energy fluctuation.

Wind and fire interwoven, forming a chaotic energy field. Qing Lan's figure flashed, using the power of wind to instantly appear behind Chi Ming, striking at its back with a claw. Chi Ming reacted extremely quickly, shifting its body sideways while simultaneously sweeping its tail like a steel whip toward Qing Lan. Qing Lan dodged flexibly, condensing the Power of Wind again, transforming into a whirlwind that charged at Chi Ming.

Although they were just basic minor skills, they appeared incredibly practiced and natural when used by the two Suanni. Their heads, limbs, bodies, and tails—every part of their bodies could become a lethal attacking weapon, launching assaults against their opponent from various tricky angles.

The well-honed combat techniques and experience displayed were far beyond what Zhu Yan and the other "youngsters" could achieve in a short time. The sheer skill demonstrated in this most basic form of combat was enough to warrant serious attention and study from Zhu Yan and the others.

After demonstrating a round of basic combat techniques, the two Suanni began to take things seriously. Falling Meteoric Flames and converging Flowing Wind showcased their might freely on the battle stage; one was immensely savage, the other nimble and graceful.

As the two fought, powerful Dragon Might emanated from both of them, filling the entire battle stage. Some weaker entities couldn't even approach them.

Following various powerful skills came the clash between the Power of Heaven and Earth and Domains. The Power of Heaven and Earth of the Wind, Fire, and Dragon attributes collided and canceled each other out. Two nearly identical Domains—one wreathed in wisps of green smoke, gathering the Vows of Faith from all directions and carrying a Divine Aura—unfolded simultaneously, only to be neutralized by each other once more.

Simply put, their strength was equal; what one knew, the other knew, making it impossible for either to break the other's moves.

After demonstrating all these abilities, the two Suanni exchanged glances, dispersed their Domains and the Power of Heaven and Earth, and their bodies transformed into two light clusters, one blue and one red, which attracted each other and quickly merged.

Subsequently, a Suanni appeared on the battle stage. Its body was much larger, its aura stronger and more majestic, possessing a lion's head and a dragon's body, golden eyes and a red mane, encircled by clouds and starlight.