After the offenders were brought down, Gao Peng casually propped an old rocking chair right in front of his gates . He wanted to see if there were any stragglers with ill intentions still out there .

It was actually pretty exhilarating, even more so than some extreme sports; nothing quite beat a headshot from a rifle to the temple .

Now that he actually thought about it, a shower of bullets actually sounded like a fun idea .

Before taking a seat, he hung small signs on himself, Flamy, Goldie, Da Zi, and Dumby .

The wooden sign hung around Da Zi's neck said "3,500 . " The one hung around Flamy's neck said "2,800," and the sign hung around Goldie's neck said "2,000 . "

Maybe it was because Da Zi was lying on the floor, but the sign lay flat on its head, almost as though it was wearing a helmet .

Within moments, Da Zi was bouncing off to Goldie, peering at its sign . Its math skills were elementary at best, so it could only do some simple addition .

The sign on Da Zi's head read "3+5=8"; Goldie only had a "2 . "

"Poor Goldie only has two . " Da Zi chuckled with pity . "Looks like I'm still Gao Peng's favorite . "

Satisfied, Da Zi went over to look at Flamy's sign and paled immediately .

Two… Eight . . .

Da Zi quickly did the math with its recently acquired skills .

Two plus eight equaled 10 .

Boom!

Da Zi was thunderstruck .

Flamy lowered his head to look at the stunned Da Zi . It could tell that Da Zi was on one of its whimsical trips again . Not today . Flamy merely shook its head and flapped away .

. . .

"The Southern Sky Group is just ahead . Do you see the Pearl Tower? That's Southern Sky's landmark new building in the new downtown area . " Someone pointed vaguely in the direction of the tower .

"Brother, are you really going to challenge Gao Peng?"

"Of course . He's the best in the Huaxia region . I've actually seen his fights in person before, and he's definitely as good as they say he is . However, I now have a Holy-type Lord-tier familiar that matches really well with his Ghoul-type . If I can beat him, I'll be famous!" The brown-haired teen in the lead had a c.o.c.ky smile on his face .

The sky darkened slightly as they drew closer to the main entrance . They couldn't see clearly if it was Gao Peng inside; they thought it might just have been a security guard .

"h.e.l.lo . We're from the Da Ying district . I'm here to challenge the strongest trainer in the Huaxia region—Gao Peng," said the brown-haired teen in halting Chinese .

For some reason, there was a weird tension in the room after he said that .

"Sure!" Gao Peng slowly put down his tablet . "You brought a rifle with you?"

" . . . " The brown-haired teen was puzzled . What the h.e.l.l was a Barrett?

After giving the teen a quick once-over and determining that he wasn't a threat, the expression on Gao Peng's face grew kinder . "You want to challenge me, boy? Why don't we discuss that over a hot meal?"

The brown-haired teen had to pinch himself to make sure that he was actually talking to the Gao Peng . He followed Gao Peng rather submissively into the adjacent room, where they had a long, animated chat .

Thirty minutes later, the brown-haired teen stumbled out of the room in a daze . Without a word, he left Southern Sky with his brother, clutching what appeared to be a certificate .

"Brother, who won? What is that?" His younger brother took the certificate from him .

The certificate was bright red and had golden letters across it that read "Certificate of Achievement . " Beneath it were a few tiny rows of English words .

These teens weren't really familiar with Chinese culture, so they were rather taken aback . Back home, certificates were usually nothing more than a sheet of paper . This was actually the size of a brick . . .

As he flipped through the certificate, he saw a half-page picture of Dumby on the left and a short paragraph written in English on the right .

Contestant Abigail,

On March 10th in the 4th year of the New Federation, you have successfully defeated the Skeletal Tyrant . Let this certificate honor your achievement .

Awarded by: Gao Peng .

At the very bottom was Gao Peng's signature, both in Chinese and pinyin . Right next to it was a QR code .

"Brother . " Abigail's brother's face fell . This . . .

"Who's going to believe this? There's no evidence but this lousy certificate . " Abigail's brother didn't know whether to laugh or cry . He had thought his brother was way sharper than this .

"Have you seen the QR code?"

"I saw it . "

"Try scanning it . "

Abigail's brother did just that . It led him to a battle video that featured his brother's familiar—the Sacred Unicorn was dueling with Gao Peng's Skeletal Tyrant . It was an ugly fight that left both familiars battered and bruise, but the Sacred Unicorn eventually triumphed .

His mouth was a large "O" as he stared in confusion .

It seemed fine, but something felt off!

"Gao Peng is the strongest trainer I've come across! Aside from the Skeletal Tyrant, he has six other Lord-tier familiars . He told me that I could come and challenge him any time I wanted . I'm going to do it! I'm going to get all seven certificates from him!" Abigail's eyes brimmed with compet.i.tive fire .

The golden-haired blonde's jaw dropped .

"By the way, Claw, do you have any change on you? Can you lend me some?" Abigail tapped his brother on the shoulder .

. . .

"Master Gao, there's a situation . I found out that these men are from the Golden Hands," Zheng Tie reported .

Hand of White Gold . . .

It looked like they were old acquaintances after all . He should have taken care of them when he had the chance .

He really wanted to just let it all go, but it seemed like his foes didn't feel the same way .

"Got it . Take care of these men here and make sure not to leave any loose ends . When you're done, take a few men with you and follow me to Peach Bay . "

Peach Bay was a buzz of activity, what with the military setting up a compound and all . They had to set up trenches, bunkers, barricades, and more .

"The moment those creatures from the water come ash.o.r.e, they'll be closest to this area . Even though this area is very shallow, and it'll be very easy for them to come onto land, it's surrounded by impenetrable cliffs . We don't need to build anything else because that's our best line of defense . "

As they watched the construction take place in front of them, the other trainers were familiarizing their familiars with the terrain .

This was a war for Yang Cheng, a war between men and beasts . Since it was going to be war, picking the right location was paramount .

Fighting the marine creatures in the sea would be the pinnacle of foolishness . Fighting them on land would be a different story entirely .

"The question is, will they take the bait? Will they actually fight us on land?" a man in a black jacket asked loudly .

Behind the man prowled an enormous Crimson Saber-toothed Tiger . The tiger's tail and ears were like wisps of scarlet flames . The jet-black markings on its forehead and the razor-sharp ridges on its back struck fear into anyone foolish enough to cross it . It was licking its chops in antic.i.p.ation of what would be a b.l.o.o.d.y conflict .

After the offenders were brought down, Gao Peng casually propped an old rocking chair right in front of his gates . He wanted to see if there were any stragglers with ill intentions still out there . It was actually pretty exhilarating, even more so than some extreme sports; nothing quite beat a headshot from a rifle to the temple . Now that he actually thought about it, a shower of bullets actually sounded like a fun idea . Before taking a seat, he hung small signs on himself, Flamy, Goldie, Da Zi, and Dumby . The wooden sign hung around Da Zis neck said 3,500 . The one hung around Flamys neck said 2,800, and the sign hung around Goldies neck said 2,000 . Maybe it was because Da Zi was lying on the floor, but the sign lay flat on its head, almost as though it was wearing a helmet . Within moments, Da Zi was bouncing off to Goldie, peering at its sign . Its math skills were elementary at best, so it could only do some simple addition . The sign on Da Zis head read 3+5=8; Goldie only had a 2 . Poor Goldie only has two . Da Zi chuckled with pity . Looks like Im still Gao Pengs favorite . Satisfied, Da Zi went over to look at Flamys sign and paled immediately . Two… Eight . Da Zi quickly did the math with its recently acquired skills . Two plus eight equaled 10 . Boom! Da Zi was thunderstruck . Flamy lowered his head to look at the stunned Da Zi . It could tell that Da Zi was on one of its whimsical trips again . Not today . Flamy merely shook its head and flapped away The Southern Sky Group is just ahead . Do you see the Pearl Tower? Thats Southern Skys landmark new building in the new downtown area . Someone pointed vaguely in the direction of the tower . Brother, are you really going to challenge Gao Peng? Of course . Hes the best in the Huaxia region . Ive actually seen his fights in person before, and hes definitely as good as they say he is . However, I now have a Holy-type Lord-tier familiar that matches really well with his Ghoul-type . If I can beat him, Ill be famous! The brown-haired teen in the lead had a c.o.c.ky smile on his face . The sky darkened slightly as they drew closer to the main entrance . They couldnt see clearly if it was Gao Peng inside; they thought it might just have been a security guard . h.e.l.lo . Were from the Da Ying district . Im here to challenge the strongest trainer in the Huaxia region—Gao Peng, said the brown-haired teen in halting Chinese . For some reason, there was a weird tension in the room after he said that . Sure! Gao Peng slowly put down his tablet . You brought a rifle with you? . The brown-haired teen was puzzled . What the h.e.l.l was a Barrett? After giving the teen a quick once-over and determining that he wasnt a threat, the expression on Gao Pengs face grew kinder . You want to challenge me, boy? Why dont we discuss that over a hot meal? . The brown-haired teen had to pinch himself to make sure that he was actually talking to the Gao Peng . He followed Gao Peng rather submissively into the adjacent room, where they had a long, animated chat . Thirty minutes later, the brown-haired teen stumbled out of the room in a daze . Without a word, he left Southern Sky with his brother, clutching what appeared to be a certificate . Brother, who won? What is that? His younger brother took the certificate from him . The certificate was bright red and had golden letters across it that read Certificate of Achievement . Beneath it were a few tiny rows of English words . These teens werent really familiar with Chinese culture, so they were rather taken aback . Back home, certificates were usually nothing more than a sheet of paper . This was actually the size of a brick . As he flipped through the certificate, he saw a half-page picture of Dumby on the left and a short paragraph written in English on the right . Contestant Abigail, On March 10th in the 4th year of the New Federation, you have successfully defeated the Skeletal Tyrant . Let this certificate honor your achievement . Awarded by: Gao Peng . At the very bottom was Gao Pengs signature, both in Chinese and pinyin . Right next to it was a QR code . Brother . Abigails brothers face fell . This . Whos going to believe this? Theres no evidence but this lousy certificate . Abigails brother didnt know whether to laugh or cry . He had thought his brother was way sharper than this . Have you seen the QR code? I saw it . Try scanning it . Abigails brother did just that . It led him to a battle video that featured his brothers familiar—the Sacred Unicorn was dueling with Gao Pengs Skeletal Tyrant . It was an ugly fight that left both familiars battered and bruise, but the Sacred Unicorn eventually triumphed . His mouth was a large O as he stared in confusion . It seemed fine, but something felt off! Gao Peng is the strongest trainer Ive come across! Aside from the Skeletal Tyrant, he has six other Lord-tier familiars . He told me that I could come and challenge him any time I wanted . Im going to do it! Im going to get all seven certificates from him! Abigails eyes brimmed with compet.i.tive fire . The golden-haired blondes jaw dropped . By the way, Claw, do you have any change on you? Can you lend me some? Abigail tapped his brother on the shoulder Master Gao, theres a situation . I found out that these men are from the Golden Hands, Zheng Tie reported . Hand of White Gold . It looked like they were old acquaintances after all . He should have taken care of them when he had the chance . He really wanted to just let it all go, but it seemed like his foes didnt feel the same way . Got it . Take care of these men here and make sure not to leave any loose ends . When youre done, take a few men with you and follow me to Peach Bay . Peach Bay was a buzz of activity, what with the military setting up a compound and all . They had to set up trenches, bunkers, barricades, and more . The moment those creatures from the water come ash.o.r.e, theyll be closest to this area . Even though this area is very shallow, and itll be very easy for them to come onto land, its surrounded by impenetrable cliffs . We dont need to build anything else because thats our best line of defense . As they watched the construction take place in front of them, the other trainers were familiarizing their familiars with the terrain . This was a war for Yang Cheng, a war between men and beasts . Since it was going to be war, picking the right location was paramount . Fighting the marine creatures in the sea would be the pinnacle of foolishness . Fighting them on land would be a different story entirely . The question is, will they take the bait? Will they actually fight us on land? a man in a black jacket asked loudly . Behind the man prowled an enormous Crimson Saber-toothed Tiger . The tigers tail and ears were like wisps of scarlet flames . The jet-black markings on its forehead and the razor-sharp ridges on its back struck fear into anyone foolish enough to cross it . It was licking its chops in antic.i.p.ation of what would be a b.l.o.o.d.y conflict .