Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 453: Big Cat's Test

Big Cat lifted his hood, revealing his face. His lion-like features with tiger stripes radiated a strong, masculine aura.

"Lion-Tiger clan?" The two phoenix demon staff members were experienced and immediately recognized his race upon seeing his whole appearance.

The phoenix demon on the right frowned and said, "What is a Lion-Tiger clan member doing here? What qualifications do you have to participate in the elite competition? Do you really think your cursed bloodline makes you elite?"

Big Cat's pupils contracted, but just as Tang San feared he might erupt, Big Cat calmly said, "I registered according to the rules. You can test me to see whether I meet the qualifications."

Seeing Big Cat remain calm in such a situation, Tang San couldn’t help but think more highly of him. Despite his rough exterior, he was not someone who acted recklessly.

The two phoenix demons exchanged glances. The one on the left motioned to the one on the right, who reluctantly took a form and said, "Fill out the form, then take the test."

A bloodline test was the main requirement for participating in the Ancestral Court Elite Competition. The bloodline had to be at least second-tier, and one could enter the competition after paying the fee.

In the eyes of most demon races, the Lion-Tiger clan was a cursed clan, rejected by both the lion and tiger races. It was said that the hybrid bloodline of these two powerful clans was cursed and prone to collapse at any moment, leading to them banishing their unfortunate descendants.

Tang San stepped forward and paid the fee of a hundred naturae coins while Big Cat filled out the form.

Seeing the hundred coins laid out in front of them, the two phoenix demons couldn't help but show expressions of surprise. This was no small amount of money, and if the test failed, it wouldn’t be refunded. Could this Lion-Tiger clan member have a strong enough bloodline to participate in the competition?

The phoenix demon on the left put away the form that Big Cat had filled out and motioned for him to follow. "Follow me."

Big Cat and Tang San followed him to a room in the back.

In the center of the room stood an object that looked like a stone tablet standing upright, and at its center was a crystal column.

The staff member instructed Big Cat, "Place a drop of your blood down there." He pointed at a groove at the base of the crystal column on the stone tablet.

"Regular blood will do," he added as an emphasis.

Big Cat stepped forward as instructed, then glanced at Tang San. Tang San gave him a nod, and only then did Big Cat raise his hand, use his nail to cut his finger, and flick a drop of blood into the groove.

As soon as the drop of blood merged into the groove, there was a soft "poof" and an intense light surged upward, rushing along the base of the crystal column.

There were clearly labeled markings on the side of the crystal column. They were in 30-centimeter increments. The first mark read "Five," likely representing a fifth-tier bloodline; 90 centimeters marked the fourth tier, 1.8 meters the third, 3 meters the second, and only at 4.5 meters was it considered first-tier.

The incandescent light instantly shot upward when the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint dripped his blood on the tablet. Its speed was astonishing.

In hardly an instant, the light shot up past 90 centimeters, then 1.8 meters, and immediately approached 3 meters.

Seeing this, the two phoenix demons glanced at each other with expressions of astonishment on their faces. They had worked here for a long time and had tested countless competitors, witnessing many different bloodlines. But such a rapid rise was extremely rare! At this speed, a second-tier bloodline was a sure thing.

Before they could fully process their surprise, the incandescent light had already reached the three-meter mark and continued to surge upward. The intense glow of the rising blood aura was blinding, and it showed no signs of slowing down.

It passed 3.3 meters, then 3.9 meters... 4.2 meters...

By this point, the two staff members had their mouths wide open. They knew exactly what this meant.

"First-tier bloodline?" Both phoenix demons gasped in unison. Yes, it had reached 4.5 meters!

And yet it was still showing no signs of stopping. Since the stone tablet was 6 meters tall, the crystal column was also capped at 6 meters, even though the cutoff mark for first-tier bloodlines was at 4.5. This meant that even within first-tier bloodlines, there were differences. A bloodline at 4.5 meters and one that reached 6 meters were undoubtedly at different levels.

Tang San watched the crystal column intently, pondering.

This is quite a helpful device. I wonder if I can get one for Golden Valley in the future to test the bloodline strength of my companions.

Humans with a Demonic God Transformation often faced the issue of insufficient bloodline strength. Though external means could improve it, the effects were always hard to gauge exactly. A device that could measure everyone’s bloodline strength would be incredibly valuable.

By the time he looked at it again, the light had reached 4.8 meters!

At this point, all traces of disdain had vanished from the faces of the two phoenix demons. They were well aware of what a first-tier bloodline implied, not to mention that every unit above 4.5 meters meant greater strength. Fewer than twenty participants had passed the 4.8 meter mark, and Big Cat's light was still going up.

When had the Lion-Tiger clan's bloodline become so powerful? Was this a mutation? After all, all demons and nymphs with a first-tier bloodline had the potential to become emperors. The White Tiger Demon Emperor had a mutated bloodline—could this Lion-Tiger be the same?

Finally, Big Cat's bloodline light stopped just shy of 5.1 meters. This instantly placed him among the top ten competitors in terms of bloodline tier.

Bloodline power alone didn't determine everything. One’s strength came from multiple factors. However, having a bloodline in the top ten made this person highly likely to achieve a top rank.

The two phoenix demons' attitudes toward Big Cat had changed entirely. There was now a clear sense of respect in their eyes. Even though they were from the phoenix race, their bloodlines weren’t strong enough; otherwise, they wouldn’t be working as staff here. In the demon world, power was revered, and nobody would think them hypocritical just because they now acted respectfully.

“Is that all?” Big Cat asked calmly. Although his expression was neutral, the gleam in his eyes was unmistakable.

Although Big Cat had long felt that his bloodline had reached the first tier, he didn’t know the exact level. It was just as Tang San had expected. The test confirmed that he had not only reached the first tier but was among the strongest within that tier. This knowledge gave him immense confidence.

“Yes, yes, of course. Your bloodline strength is truly outstanding. You will undoubtedly shine in this competition,” one of the phoenix demons said respectfully.

“Alright, that’s it,” Big Cat said, turning to look at Tang San.

Tang San gave him a slight smile. Their eyes met, and nothing more needed to be said. The deep gratitude in Big Cat's eyes seemed so intense it could almost melt Tang San.

Yes, without Tang San, Big Cat would still be troubled by the bloodline conflict. How could he possibly possess such a powerful bloodline?

They returned to the front hall to complete the remaining registration work.

The phoenix demon then respectfully said, "Lord Big Cat, your registration is complete. You just need to wait for the draw to determine your match in the competition. However, there’s a new rule in this year’s Elite Tournament that I need to explain to you."

Big Cat was somewhat taken aback. "What is it?"

The phoenix demon explained, "This time, we also have a doubles competition in addition to the individual competition. If you have a strong clanmate to participate with you, that’s allowed. The doubles competition is designed to promote teamwork, especially between different races. The Ancestral Court has recently studied the transformative effects of cooperation between different races. That’s why we’ve added this new competition format, and the rewards for the doubles competition are even more generous than those for the individual one."