The sun set and the moon rose, then the moon set and the sun rose again.

Joyful times are always fleeting, and the Guan River Festival was drawing to a close.

He watched time slip by. The Tier Four opportunity had yet to surface and was on the verge of dissipating, but Fang Yang felt no anxiety.

Fang Yang could feel an oppressive atmosphere closing in on him.

The danger preceding the opportunity was gradually revealing itself.

Someone was building up Dongfang Moran’s reputation, determined to cast him and Fang Yang as rival prodigies.

Dongfang Moran was clearly a Wisdom Dao Cultivator, yet this was the situation that had unfolded.

The whole situation felt forced and unnatural.

And naturally, Fang Yang had taken notice.

’Unrivaled among my peers... All I have to do is defeat Dongfang Moran, and I’ll be the undisputed champion.’ Fang Yang realized.

With this understanding, he adjusted his mindset and let the White Feathered Eagle rest for half a day.

Meanwhile, with the help of Second Uncle Fang and Seventh Uncle Fang, he analyzed Dongfang Moran as a person.

This was the difference between a disciple from a prominent family and an ordinary Cultivator.

Having someone to guide you was crucial.

「The next morning.」

It was the final day of the Guan River Festival.

Lu Yao helped Fang Yang don his armor, making him appear all the more valiant.

「A while later.」

Fang Yang set out with the White Feathered Eagle, the Black Water Eagle, and nine other Flying Eagles, for a total of eleven.

Upon seeing them leave, the electric python, which was still recovering from its injuries, wanted to join them.

But its injuries were too severe, and it could only watch helplessly.

Second Uncle Fang, standing nearby, looked on with surprise, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

RUMBLE—

On this day, the Guan River raged even more fiercely than before.

Each crashing wave was enough to send many a Cultivator into a panic.

Bathed in the first rays of dawn, Fang Yang strode toward the banks of the Guan River and entered the Tier One zone.

His arrival was like a match to kerosene, instantly sending the Tier One zone into an uproar.

More and more people flooded into the area.

Young prodigies arrived one after another, as if by unspoken agreement.

The young prodigies of the Changkong Clan: Chen Xing, Le Shiyu, Li Yang, Lin Tianxue, and Zhang Ye, among others.

The young prodigies of the Dongfang Race: Zeng Long, Cheng Ningjin, Luo Xiyue, Xuezhi, and more.

There were even rumors that illustrious frontline commanders like Sen You and Dongfang Pavilion had also arrived in secret.

The atmosphere was anything but ordinary, causing Fang Yang’s eyes to narrow.

’The crisis is coming, and the opportunity will follow... My talent is to seek fortune and avoid disaster, but does that also include turning disaster into fortune?’ Fang Yang asked himself.

At that moment, he gained a deeper insight into his talent—"seeking fortune and avoiding disaster"—a gift related to the dao of luck, or perhaps the Wisdom Dao.

The great wind suddenly died down.

The river’s waves, too, grew silent.

A man’s voice shattered the quiet atmosphere.

"There can be only one champion!"

The voice that rang out was cold, yet steady.

A boundless gale kicked up, and the surging river roared to life.

The riverbank trembled, as if a great Fierce Beast was being born into the world—an extraordinary phenomenon.

All eyes watched as a handsome, martial-looking man walked out, feather fan in hand, his aura as powerful as a surging river.

The champion of the Dongfang Race, Dongfang Moran, had arrived!

"The champion of the First Realm has come here to decide who the true champion is. It’s astonishing."

Many of the Cultivators were shaken, not expecting Dongfang Moran to care so much about the title.

What shocked them even more was that Dongfang Moran’s aura was something that even some Tier Three experts probably couldn’t match.

In an instant, Fang Yang narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Dongfang Moran.

Dongfang Moran was an exceptional individual, worthy of the title of prodigy.

A year ago, Dongfang Moran had been obscure. He was even seen as an oddity and ostracized by his peers in the Dongfang Race.

But during the Enlightenment Ceremony, Dongfang Moran withstood the pressure and staged an incredible comeback, becoming one of the three possessors of a Grade-A Spirit Body among his peers in the Dongfang Race.

The Nian He Spirit Body!

Afterward, he embarked on the path of cultivation and became an overnight sensation, defeating one fellow prodigy from the Dongfang Race after another.

He even set a glorious record of outwitting and defeating five opponents at once without suffering a single scratch.

This was a Wisdom Dao Cultivator with immense potential.

Among the prodigies of his generation, once he set his sights on someone, it was said that they could never escape his clutches.

And now, the person he had set his sights on was none other than Fang Yang!

’This doesn’t look good,’ Second Uncle Fang’s face darkened, his heart sinking. ’The White Feathered Eagle can carry the fight, but I’m afraid the Black Water Eagle and the other Flying Eagles will just drag it down. Could Ah Yang’s first defeat really be at the hands of Dongfang Moran?!’

"’Only one champion?’ Dongfang Xuezhi, Lin Tianxue, and the others all perked up. ’I never thought Fang Yang would be targeted over a title. Looks like we’re in for a good show.’"

"Hahaha! Fang Yang, you can keep acting high and mighty! Before Brother Mo Ran, you’ll feel the same despair I did!" Dongfang Zenglong laughed manically, as if he could already see the White Feathered Eagle being slain by the Nian He.

Faced with the rising tide of doubt, both Fang Yang and the White Feathered Eagle remained expressionless.

They felt a little pressure, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

Fang Yang, however, knew that the words on his moderately good fortune slip were coming to pass. This battle was likely the foretold tribulation.

However, his greatest enemy was very likely not Dongfang Moran.

Because Dongfang Moran’s Nian He was not enough to pose a true crisis for the White Feathered Eagle!

...

"Fang Yang, people speak of your White Feathered Eagle as if it’s some kind of god. I thought my Nian He was about to face a true master, but I see it’s nothing special," Dongfang Moran said, stilling his feather fan. His gaze shifted from the White Feathered Eagle to Fang Yang himself.

Fang Yang’s expression was blank. "You must be Dongfang Moran?"

"Everyone who dared to address me by my full name is already dead," Dongfang Moran said coldly. Beside him, the Nian He rose on the wind, spreading its great, dark blue wings.

Fang Yang suddenly asked, "And are your parents well?"

For a moment, Dongfang Moran was speechless. Then he laughed, goaded by Fang Yang’s jab.

’Of course his parents could call him by his full name. He wasn’t going to kill his own parents, was he?’

While Dongfang Moran’s thoughts were racing, the White Feathered Eagle above Fang Yang made its move.

BOOM! Wreathed in orange-yellow flames, the White Feathered Eagle shot forward. With a mighty flap of its wings, every bone in its body seemed to crackle and pop.

A symphony of snapping sinew and bone.

Its body arched like a great bow being drawn, its entire life force flaring to life.

In that instant, the White Feathered Eagle was truly a being of burning blood and fire, generating an incredibly violent wind pressure as it moved.

One could only imagine that a direct impact from the White Feathered Eagle would be enough to kill even a Tier Two Fierce Beast on the spot.

No one had expected the White Feathered Eagle to charge so brazenly without the blessing of Fang Yang’s Fire Eagle Illusion, all just to seize the initiative.

The gale arrived before the bird.

Such power made the Nian He’s pupils contract, its feathers standing on end.

As an extremely rare Wisdom Dao Fierce Beast, the Nian He’s intelligence was astounding, comparable to that of some scholars.

Had it not acknowledged Dongfang Moran, the Nian He would never have deigned to become a Cultivator’s Pet Beast.

So, when facing the duo of Fang Yang and the White Feathered Eagle, it wasn’t only Dongfang Moran making his own assessment; the Nian He was, too.

But...

The White Feathered Eagle’s explosive charge was simply too sudden.

With this thought, the Nian He darted to the side as dozens of cyan Wind Blades streamed from beneath its wings.

The Nian He intended to trade blow for blow, forcing the White Feathered Eagle back even at the cost of mutual injury!

But the White Feathered Eagle was a born brawler, a brute among its kind. Fang Yang had once said it had the makings of an Overlord—if it didn’t die, it was destined for greatness.

Faced with the Nian He’s willingness to trade blows, the White Feathered Eagle beat its wings even more ferociously. Its bloodline boiled, and its flames surged even higher.

The sky seemed to fill with fiery clouds as the White Feathered Eagle let out a sharp, savage cry and dove straight for the Nian He.

BOOM!

The two collided.

The Nian He’s cyan Wind Blades sliced at the White Feathered Eagle’s body, while the eagle’s searing orange flames burned the crane in turn.

In the aftermath, blood streamed from the Nian He’s wings, while the White Feathered Eagle’s snow-white body was only marred by a few new scorch marks.

A powerful Bloodline Power had its own distinct advantages.

But rising up from the ranks of weak Fierce Beasts also had its own advantages!

Namely, astounding combat awareness and a more solid physical foundation...

"Nian He Illusion, rise."

"Fire Eagle Illusion, rise."

Dongfang Moran’s expression was grave as he instantly changed tactics.

At the exact same moment, Fang Yang, having already seized the initiative, did the same.

The decisiveness with which they both changed tactics left the crowd breathless.