"Roar..."
Little Tiger let out a low growl, pawing the ground with its front paws, and assumed an attacking stance.
Its dismissive demeanor clearly conveyed, "Come on, let me see what you've got!"
The Crimson Flame Holy Tiger, feeling scorned by Little Tiger, its face immediately darkened. "Hmph! You impudent brat, since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being merciless!"
With that, the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger directly spewed a wave of flames at Little Tiger. To establish its dominance, it did not hold back.
The Crimson Flame Holy Tiger was very confident. After spitting out the flames, it said with schadenfreude, "I told you to surrender but you refused, so now you'll have a taste of Crimson Flame!"
As the flames were about to engulf Little Tiger, some of the tiger clan members present who were familiar with the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger couldn't bear to watch and turned their heads away.
In their minds, they envisioned Little Tiger being burnt into a naked roasted tiger.
However, Little Tiger, who was in danger, showed no panic whatsoever.
With a calm sneer, it flickered its body, dodged the flames, and appeared before the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger. It raised its paw and swiped at the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger's face.
The entire movement was executed in one fluid motion, as smooth as flowing water, and completed in the blink of an eye.
The Crimson Flame Holy Tiger did not expect Little Tiger's speed to be so astonishing and could only watch helplessly as Little Tiger's paw landed on its face.
"Ah..."
A pained scream echoed across the arena.
With a single slap from Little Tiger, the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger was sent flying out of the arena and crashed heavily onto the ground below.
This stunned not only the clansmen of the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger but also the other tiger clan members watching the fight.
"What... just happened?"
Everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
The scene they had imagined of Little Tiger being roasted never materialized. Instead, the arrogant Crimson Flame Holy Tiger was buried in a cloud of dust, looking utterly pathetic.
Little Tiger shook the paw that had sent the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger flying and looked at the referee, saying, "Referee, isn't it time to announce the result?"
"Oh, oh, oh..."
The referee snapped back to attention and declared, "I announce..."
"No! I object!"
The Crimson Flame Holy Tiger jumped back onto the stage, rage filling its voice. "I was careless just now. I demand a rematch!"
"This..."
The referee cast a meaningful glance at Little Tiger.
Little Tiger snorted coldly and said, "On the battlefield, even when facing someone weaker than yourself, you must maintain a high level of caution. Carelessness is not a reason for defeat."
"Besides, you were the one who initiated the attack just now. To be careless even when having the first strike shows how foolish you are!"
"Moreover, your carelessness was self-inflicted. Why should you demand a rematch?"
The Crimson Flame Holy Tiger was rendered speechless by the retort.
Underestimating the enemy was a grave military mistake, and it had truly underestimated its opponent.
Seeing that the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger had no more to say, the referee quickly announced, "I declare that in the third match of the preliminary round, the Wind Wing Phantom Tiger is the winner!"
The crowd erupted in uproar.
The Crimson Flame Holy Tiger's defeat in the preliminary round meant it lost its chance to be promoted to Tiger King, and consequently, its opportunity to lead the tiger clan.
Therefore, all the clansmen of the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger glared at Little Tiger with murderous intent, wishing they could skin and dismember it.
Little Tiger seemed oblivious to this, calmly walking off the stage and returning to the resting area.
"Little Tiger, the clansmen of the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger bear murderous intent towards you. If they cause you trouble, feel free to act as you please. I will bear all the consequences."
Zi Lin Ling's voice, filled with chilling intent, echoed in Little Tiger's mind.
Anyone who dared to harbor murderous thoughts towards her people would have to consider if their lives were sturdy enough.
"Understood, Master!"
Little Tiger sneered and looked towards the resting area of the Crimson Flame Holy Tiger clan.
Having originated from the Misty Forest, killing had already become a habit. It was only after following Zi Lin Ling that it suppressed its killing intent.
Now that Zi Lin Ling had given her consent, it would unleash its full potential and absolutely not disgrace its master.
Next up was the rematch.
Among the thirteen lineages of the tiger clan and Little Tiger, a total of fourteen tigers had participated. Half of them were eliminated in the preliminary round, leaving seven tigers.
These were the Night Shadow Demon Tiger, Netherworld Ghost Tiger, Mottled Blood Tiger, Spirit Devouring Black Tiger, Purple Eyed Mysterious Tiger, Lightning Pattern Ice Tiger, and Little Tiger.
The rematch was a crucial battle to enter the semi-finals. Opponents would be chosen by drawing lots.
As there were seven tigers, one would receive a bye and directly advance to the semi-finals.
The remaining six would be paired up for matches, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals.
Among the seven tigers, the Lightning Pattern Ice Tiger received a bye. The Netherworld Ghost Tiger was matched against the Purple Eyed Mysterious Tiger, the Spirit Devouring Black Tiger against the Mottled Blood Tiger, and Little Tiger's opponent this time was the participant from the Night Shadow Demon Tiger clan.
There was no rest time between the preliminary and rematch rounds. Little Tiger's match against the Night Shadow Demon Tiger was the second match of the rematch.
The first match of the rematch was between the Spirit Devouring Black Tiger and the Mottled Blood Tiger.
At the referee's command, the battle between the two tigers commenced.
The Spirit Devouring Black Tiger, as its name suggested, could devour spiritual energy, while the Mottled Blood Tiger was the most outstanding combatant among the tiger clan.
Their battle did not involve any probing; it immediately entered a fierce state.
The Mottled Blood Tiger understood that it had to win the battle as quickly as possible, otherwise, the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be.
The Spirit Devouring Black Tiger was naturally aware of the Mottled Blood Tiger's intentions. However, instead of delaying, it also adopted a strategy of swift victory, as it did not want to expose its weaknesses to the public.
The two tigers exchanged blows, and within moments, they had exchanged over a thousand moves.
Little Tiger carefully observed the two tigers, who grew more ferocious as the fight progressed, and quickly discovered the weaknesses of both sides.
The Spirit Devouring Black Tiger, while capable of devouring spiritual energy, had a certain limit. Beyond this limit, its spirit-devouring ability became a mere trifle.
And the Mottled Blood Tiger, despite its powerful combat prowess, lacked endurance. Therefore, as long as it could be stalled, victory would eventually be achieved.
With these thoughts clear, Little Tiger felt a significant reduction in pressure. Otherwise, it truly could not guarantee that it wouldn't reveal its divine beast White Tiger bloodline before reaching the finals.
Half an hour later, both the Mottled Blood Tiger and the Spirit Devouring Black Tiger showed signs of fatigue.
The combat power of the Mottled Blood Tiger had clearly decreased by eighty percent, and the spirit-devouring ability of the Spirit Devouring Black Tiger had reached its limit.
Another quarter of an hour passed. The Mottled Blood Tiger seized an opportunity, feigned a weakness, lured the Spirit Devouring Black Tiger into a trap, and with a half-move advantage, narrowly defeated the Spirit Devouring Black Tiger.
When the referee announced the Mottled Blood Tiger's victory, the clansmen of both tribes leaped onto the stage and carried them away.
After the stage was cleared, the referee leaped onto it.