The art of camouflage is usually subtle. It involves blending in with foliage, moving with the shadows, or simply being too boring to notice. Su Ye, however, subscribed to a different philosophy: If you are too loud, too colorful, and too confusing to comprehend, people won't ask for your identification papers because they are too busy questioning their own sanity.
The Sky-Eater had been parked—or rather, docked—inside a massive, perpetual thunderhead known as the Anvil of Storms, located about fifty miles from the tournament grounds. The mountain was too large to bring to the front door, so it would remain in the clouds, lurking like a shy god, while the "Away Team" descended.
The vehicle of choice for this descent was the Obsidian Tortoise. But it no longer looked like a majestic beast of war. It looked like an explosion in a paint factory.
Su Ye stood in the courtyard, adjusting a bright red top hat he had stitched together from a pirate flag. He wore a tailcoat made of dyed canvas and held his shovel, which was now wrapped in gold ribbon to look like a scepter.
"Presentation," Su Ye announced, twirling his shovel, "is ninety percent of the battle. The other ten percent is violence."
He turned to his team. The transformation was horrifyingly effective.
Lin Fan, the nervous tech-genius, had been stripped of his bulky power armor. Instead, he wore a leopard-print loincloth and fake mustache. He was oiled up to highlight muscles he didn't really have. A sign around his neck read: THE IRON TITAN – HE BENDS SPOONS.
"Master," Lin Fan shivered in the cold wind. "I feel exposed. And this oil smells like bacon grease."
"It attracts the crowd," Su Ye corrected. "Luo Bing, you look radiant."
Princess Luo Bing, the heir to the Imperial icy lineage, was dressed in a shimmering blue outfit with excessive frills. She held a hoop. She looked like she was about to commit murder.
"If anyone from the Royal Court sees me," Luo Bing whispered, gripping her hoop until it cracked, "I will execute them. Then I will execute you. Then myself."
"That's the spirit! Use that aggression!" Su Ye cheered. "Gao Ming, you are perfect."
Gao Ming didn't need a costume. He was wearing his mirror-suit and cape. He was the only one who was genuinely enjoying this.
"I am The Reflector!" Gao Ming posed. "I show the world its true face!"
"Sure," Su Ye nodded. "And finally... the star."
Zhu Zhu sat on a velvet cushion. The Void Pig was wearing a tiny turban with a fake jewel and a silk vest. His Void Belt—the diaper of cosmic power—was hidden underneath.
"I feel ridiculous," Zhu Zhu said, his voice a posh, childish drone. "I am a destroyer of worlds. I ate a singularity. Why am I wearing a hat?"
"Because you are The Oracle Pig," Su Ye explained. "You tell fortunes. You judge souls. And if they don't pay, you eat their shoes."
"Acceptable," Zhu Zhu sniffed. "But I demand 50% of the gross revenue."
"We'll discuss your contract later. Senior Tortoise! Let's roll!"
The Obsidian Tortoise, draped in garish banners that read "THE MYSTIC MENAGERIE – WONDERS OF THE VOID," tucked its head in and slid down the mountain slope. It didn't walk; it sledded down the scree, crashing through the cloud layer and landing in the mud of the Wildlands with a seismic thud.
The Beast King's Tournament was held in a massive, natural crater known as the Bowl of Fangs. It was a lawless city of tents, bone-structures, and arenas that sprang up every four years. It was a place where the strong ate the weak, and the weak sold tickets to watch.
As the Tortoise lumbered toward the main gate—a massive archway made of two crossed mammoth tusks—the smell hit them. It was a cocktail of roasting meat, unwashed beast fur, and testosterone.
The gate was blocked by a long line of hopefuls. There were tribal tamers with scars covering their bodies, rogue cultivators riding giant scorpions, and dark-hooded figures with venomous snakes.
When the Tortoise arrived, the line parted. Not out of respect, but out of confusion.
"Make way!" Su Ye shouted from the top of the Tortoise shell. "The Mystic Menagerie has arrived! Prepare to have your minds blown and your wallets emptied!"
A massive Ogre-Mage, standing ten feet tall with blue skin and two heads, blocked their path. This was the Gatekeeper.
"Halt," the Left Head grunted. "Registration fee. Five hundred spirit stones. Or one Tier-3 beast core."
"And no clowns," the Right Head added, eyeing Gao Ming. "I hate clowns. They taste funny."
Su Ye hopped down from the shell. He didn't offer money. He didn't offer a core. He walked right up to the Ogre's kneecaps.
"Five hundred stones?" Su Ye scoffed. "For what? To enter this dustbowl? Do you know who we are?"
"No," the Left Head said. "And I don't care. Pay or get squashed."
"We are the entertainers invited by the Beast King himself!" Su Ye lied effortlessly. "We are here to interpret the omens! Look at my pig!"
He pointed to Zhu Zhu.
The Ogre looked at the pig in the turban. The pig looked back.
"It's... bacon," the Right Head drooled.
"It is an Oracle!" Su Ye shouted. "Zhu Zhu, tell this gentleman his future!"
Zhu Zhu sighed. He levitated off his cushion, floating up until he was eye-level with the massive Ogre. The Ogre's eyes widened. A flying pig?
"I see..." Zhu Zhu droned, his eyes glowing violet. "I see that you ate a goblin for breakfast. It gave you gas."
The Left Head blinked. "How... how did he know?"
"I also see," Zhu Zhu continued, sniffing the air, "that your Right Head is planning to betray the Left Head because you stole his share of the loot last Tuesday."
The Left Head turned to the Right Head. "You what?"
"He's lying!" The Right Head panicked. "It's a demon pig!"
"The pig does not lie," Su Ye interjected smoothly. "The pig sees the Void. Now, are you going to let us in, or shall I have him predict the exact date of your death?"
Zhu Zhu opened his mouth slightly. A tiny, terrifying aura of the Void leaked out—just a taste of the horror he had consumed in the Spire. The air grew cold. The Ogre felt a primal fear deep in his bones.
"Pass!" The Left Head screamed, stamping a permit. "Just go! Take the VIP lane!"
"Pleasure doing business," Su Ye tipped his hat. "Come along, children! The audience awaits!"
The Tortoise rumbled past the terrified Ogre, entering the chaotic city.
Inside, the Bowl of Fangs was a sensory overload. The main thoroughfare was lined with stalls selling everything from dragon teeth to unauthorized potions. In the center of the crater lay the Grand Arena, a colosseum carved from red stone, stained dark with centuries of blood.
"We need a camping spot," Su Ye scanned the crowd. "Somewhere defensible, but visible. We need to gather intel on the World Tree Shard."
"Master," Lin Fan whispered, covering his exposed chest. "Everyone is staring at us."
"Of course they are. We are the most interesting thing here."
They parked the Tortoise near the eastern wall of the crater, next to a stall selling 'Grilled Hydra Necks'. Su Ye set up a sign: FORTUNES TOLD - 10 STONES. CURSES LIFTED - 50 STONES. BAD ADVICE - FREE.
"Alright," Su Ye gathered the team in the 'Green Room' (inside the barn). "Phase one complete. We are in. Phase two: Reconnaissance."
"I will go," Moonbell stepped forward. She had disguised herself by suppressing her tails and wearing a hooded cloak. She looked like a mysterious, silver-haired cultivator. "I can sense the energy of the Tree Shard. It calls to nature spirits."
"Take Gao Ming," Su Ye said. "He's a distraction. If you get caught, he can... flash."
"I am insulted yet eager!" Gao Ming swished his cape.
As they left, Su Ye sat down with Zhu Zhu.
"So," Su Ye whispered. "Did you really see the Ogre's future?"
"No," Zhu Zhu chewed on a spirit stone he had pickpocketed from the gatekeeper. "I smelled the goblin on his breath. And two-headed ogres always betray each other. It is a statistical inevitability."
"Smart pig."
"Father," Zhu Zhu stopped chewing. His expression turned serious. "I smell something else here. Something... familiar."
"Familiar like home? Or familiar like danger?"
"Familiar like the Black Spire," Zhu Zhu said. "There is Void rot in this city. It is faint. But it is here."
Su Ye's smile vanished. He stood up and walked to the door, peering out at the bustling crowd of beasts and tamers.
"The Dark Beast Sect," Su Ye muttered. "They didn't just chase us. They infiltrated the tournament."
He spotted a group of hooded figures moving through the crowd. They weren't wearing the Sect's black robes. They were dressed as mercenaries. But their beasts... their beasts moved with a jerky, unnatural rhythm. Chimeras in disguise.
"They're here for the Shard too," Su Ye realized. "The World Tree Shard can heal the Sky-Eater, but it can also be used to stabilize a Void Gate."
He turned back to Lin Fan and Luo Bing.
"Change of plans," Su Ye said. "We aren't just performing. We're hunting. Lin Fan, set up the listening posts. I want to know every word those hooded guys say."
"And you, Master?" Luo Bing asked.
"Me?" Su Ye grabbed a megaphone. "I'm going to make a scene. If they're hiding, let's see if we can annoy them into revealing themselves."
He stepped out onto the porch of the Tortoise.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BEASTS AND MONSTERS!" Su Ye's voice boomed over the crowd. "STEP RIGHT UP! DO YOU HAVE A BEAST THAT IS UGLY? STUPID? WEAK? BRING IT TO ME! THE GREAT SU YE WILL FIX IT, OR I WILL EAT MY HAT!"
The crowd paused. A challenge? In the Bowl of Fangs?
A hulking man with a massive, scarred Iron-Back Bear pushed through the crowd.
"My bear is not weak!" the man roared. "But he hasn't eaten in weeks. He is depressed. If you can't fix him, I feed you to him."
"Depressed bear?" Su Ye hopped down. "Easy. Bring him here."
The man dragged the massive bear forward. The bear looked miserable. Its fur was dull, its eyes downcast.
Su Ye didn't use magic. He didn't use Qi. He placed his hand on the bear's nose.
Zzzzt.
"Connection Established."
[Subject: Iron-Back Bear.]
[Ancestor: The Great Mountain Mauler.]
[Complaint: "My teeth hurt. The human keeps feeding me rocks. I want honey. And a hug." ]
Su Ye pulled back. He looked at the hulking owner.
"He's not depressed," Su Ye said loud enough for the crowd to hear. "He has a cavity. And he hates your cooking."
"What?" The owner blinked.
"Open his mouth."
Su Ye reached in (the crowd gasped) and pulled out a sharp rock wedged between the bear's molars. Then, he pulled out a jar of Royal Jelly (looted from the pirate ship) and fed it to the bear.
The Bear's eyes widened. The dull fur suddenly spiked with iron energy. It stood up on its hind legs and roared—a sound of pure joy and power. It grabbed the owner and hugged him, nearly crushing his spine.
"A miracle!" The crowd gasped. "He cured the Iron-Back!"
"Next!" Su Ye shouted, grinning at the hidden spies in the crowd. "Don't be shy! I cure poison, curses, and bad attitudes!"
In the shadows, the hooded figures stopped. They watched the "Clown" curing beast after beast.
"That technique..." one of the hooded men whispered into a communication stone. "That contact diagnostics... it's him. The Warden. He's here."
"Secure the perimeter," a voice hissed back from the stone. "Do not engage yet. Wait for the Tournament of Death. We will kill him in the arena, in front of everyone."
Su Ye continued his show, juggling potions while Zhu Zhu floated around collecting money. But his eyes were sharp, scanning the shadows. He saw them watching.
He winked at a hidden assassin.
Come and get me, Su Ye thought. The Circus is in town, and the clowns are armed.
"Zhu Zhu," Su Ye whispered out of the side of his mouth. "Keep an eye on the guy in the grey hood at three o'clock. He smells like rotting fish."
"Understood," Zhu Zhu floated over, pretending to be a drifting balloon, shadowing the spy.
As the sun set over the Bowl of Fangs, the city lit up with torches. The drums of the arena began to beat. The Beast King's Tournament was about to begin.
But Su Ye wasn't looking at the arena. He was looking at the massive, ancient tree root that protruded from the center of the stadium—the prize. The World Tree Shard. It glowed with a green light that made the Sky-Eater's crystal ribs hum in sympathy miles away.
"We win that shard," Su Ye whispered to his team. "No matter who we have to fight."
"Even if we have to fight the Beast King?" Lin Fan asked nervously.
Su Ye looked at the massive poster on the wall depicting the current champion—a man riding a Three-Headed Hydra.
"Especially him," Su Ye said. "That Hydra looks like it has a skin condition. I bet I can talk it out of fighting."
"You can't talk a Hydra out of fighting, Master."
"Watch me," Su Ye patted his shovel. "I speak fluent monster."