Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Hei Yue lifted his head and looked at Xing Juren. The little fox remembered him to be one of Ming Yue's opponents but seeing that they were friendly with each other, he did not reject the body cultivator's advances. Seeing the fox's actions, Xing Juren's hands moved closer until they touched the tip of Hei Yue's fur.

"How soft! What sort of fox is this?"

He could not help but exclaim as he ran his fingers through the sleek black fur which was extremely soft. It was an exquisite sensation and something he had never felt before. Softer than silk, Xing Juren felt that he could fall asleep to this sensation.

Ming Yue watched this rather amusing sight.

Xing Juren was gentle with his hands and slowly stroked the fur on Hei Yue. The pair seemed to enjoy their experience, so much so that Hei Yue laid bare his stomach. The former began rubbing it with a bit of excitement.

This went on for a few mintues or so as Xing Juren got his fill.

"Never would I have thought that there would be a beast with fur as soft as his! Thank you for letting me touch him."

He spoke with amazement as he took his hand away and looked at Ming Yue with gratefulness.

"It's perfectly fine. Besides, it seems that this little fox enjoyed it as well."

Hei Yue did quite enjoy Xing Juren's touch. There was a happy pair of eyes that looked at the body cultivator, they were approving of the petting.

"I usually come to the Beast Hall to relieve my stress and play with the many beasts here. It has been one of the few things that have kept me in high spirits. Though this may be the first time I've ever touched fur as soft as his."

He looked at the little fox once more before turning to Ming Yue.

"Since you're going to be part of the six hundred in the final rounds, you should be careful. Almost all of the Inheritors and Elite Disciples have passed and will be pursuing the top spots. That being said, they will be looking to suppress any of the normal disciples as quickly as they can. Though with this sudden development, this may not be the case."

His face was somewhat serious as he warned her.

"While the Elite Disciples would not be much of a threat to you. The Inheritors are a different story, especially those in the upper echelon. If you recall, Wenqin Yan, the Inheritor in your group is one of those top Inheritors. Along with him are several other's whose place in the top ten are guaranteed. You should forfeit if you ever face them."

Ming Yue thought back to the group battles, focusing on Wenqin Yan. The Inheritor's skill was certainly excellent but his raw power was on another level. That was made apparant when he threw Xing Juren out of the arena with one strike. If possible, she did not want to fight someone like him. It wouldn't be a one sided battle but victory was not going to be easy.

While it was not pleasant to hear, Ming Yue knew when it would be time to concede.

"Forfeiting is always an option. But don't you think it would be far more interesting challenging one of them."

Xue Yue's voice popped in for a moment, giving a little comment before disappearing. Ming Yue certainly thought about it but if the situation did not arise, she would not want to fight another Inheritor.

"Thank you for the advice."

She was grateful for his advice to which he smiled.

"You are a good opponent. Besides, this is known information. If you have the time, you could go the Contribution Hall to exchange points for more details."

Afterwards, he stood up and dusted off his pants.

"I should stop taking you away from your little beasts. I will be off for a bit of wrestling."

He chuckled and went off, leaving Ming Yue's group alone. She watched him speak with a few of the Beast Hall disciples before moving towards one of the empty fields. What followed were some massive beasts, most likely his opponents, who were just as and if not larger than him.

At that moment, Ming Yue felt a bit funny as she truly did not think she would have been able to defeat him in combat. She had risked it all on a gamble but it paid off. Now she had to think about the final three rounds.

"Come on you two, I'm sure you've rested enough now."

Hei Yue stood up whilst Xiao Yin perched on Ming Yue's shoulder. The pair had their fair share of fun and while they did not want to leave, they knew they could not stay.

Ming Yue said her farewells to the Beast Elder, who was feeding the violet furred bear with slabs of meat.

"See you again girl! Perhaps the next time you come will be the Heavenly Beast Tournament."

He gave a glance at Hei Yue and Xiao Yin, giving a few hints.

"Maybe, but for now, I will just focus on the Heavenly Gate Tournament."

A polite rebuff to his reply, though Ming Yue was a bit curious as to what that tournament was like.

They left the Beast Hall and made their way through the empty halls of the Institution. Ming Yue reached the Contribution Hall which was somehow quite crowded. There were a number of people who were turning in their missions and taking on new ones at the Mission Counter. Furthermore, the Exchange Counter had a fair amount of people as well.

"This can't be for the tournament, could it?"

She looked around before finding a large and lavish board filled with names and numbers that changed every so often. The board itself had a platinum and obsidian frame carved with a number of mythical beasts.

As for the names and numbers on it, there were six hundred names with numbers next them that constantly changed.

"Ten thousand points to Wenqin Yan for top ten!"

"Two thousand points to Yan Xian for top hundred!"

"Hundred points to Ming Yue for top three hundred!"

When she listened to the conversations on the Exchange Counter, she did not believe that it was in fact for betting. What was more surprising was that there were a few people people betting on her. She looked at the board and found her name near the midle of the board. As for the number next to it, it wasn't much.

"12,000 points to my name... 246,000 points to Wenqin Yan... Then there's Zha Tian Yun, with 1.64 million points, the highest number there is."

She looked at the names, finding that this Zha Tian Yun was very favorited. Whoever, this person was, they were definitely going for the top spot.

The line quickly moved with many standing behind her and it was soon her turn.

"Oh Ming Yue, it has been quite a while since you've come. What whould you like to do? Are you thinking of betting on yourself?"

The administrator recognized the young cultivator as she often came to exchange her medicine.

"I wanted to see if there is some information I could obtain about the tournament", she said.

"Ah, it will be a thousand points."

"That's fine."

The administrator then handed to her a small book to which she gave him her medallion. After making the exchange, Ming Yue was about to turn before looking back at the administrator.

"Can I put a thousand points to my name? For the top ten", she spoke softly though such words were heard by everyone on the line.

Though they did not speak, some were ridiculing her to making such a wager. There were a few who felt that she was overconfident. But no one knew her name nor did she distinguish herself too much. Many of them wondered who she was and what made her so confident.

The administrator was surprised by the wager but did it nonetheless.

"Good luck", he said.