Chapter 40: The Brat Who Took Flash Out

Facing Qin Chuan’s roar, the Golden Tiger-Lion bared its fangs once more. However, upon closer inspection, everyone noticed something strange about the beast’s face: its left cheek was slightly more swollen than the right.

The truth dawned on them: Qin Chuan had punched it.

The Yanhuang audience erupted in laughter. No wonder the Golden Tiger-Lion’s expression had been so bizarre when it bared its teeth earlier—the wound simply hurt.

"ROAR!" The Golden Tiger-Lion let out a defiant cry, attempting to reclaim its regal dignity.

Qin Chuan pointed at the beast and beckoned with his finger. "Come here! Just come on over!"

With a roar, the Golden Tiger-Lion leaped—and then, under the watchful eyes of the world, it turned its massive body around and bolted into the jungle.

Qin Chuan: "Σ(゜ロ゜;)"
Shangguan Ruoyun: "(˘•ω•˘)"
Yanhuang Netizens: "(ŎдŎ；)"
Foreign Netizens: "(꒪⌓꒪)"
Shen Gongbao: "(*ﾟｪﾟ*||)"

Qin Chuan was the first to react. "What the hell! Golden Tiger-Lion, you have no honor!"

A true king of the forest, actually running away? No one had expected such a move. How terrified of Qin Chuan could it possibly be? It was just one punch—it hadn't even died—why run? Where had its royal dignity gone?

Golden Tiger-Lion: *Survival is what matters. Dignity is just a passing cloud.*

Dissatisfied with the beast's retreat, Qin Chuan was about to give chase when he shouted at Shen Gongbao, "Big cat, what are you waiting for? Chase down the enemy!"

Shen Gongbao froze for a second, then its eyes lit up. This was its moment to shine—the era of the leopard had arrived! It scrambled over to Qin Chuan, inviting him to mount its back.

Qin Chuan: "All forces, charge!"
Shen Gongbao: "ROAR!"

Shen Gongbao pushed its speed to the limit, plunging into the forest and disappearing in a flash, leaving a bewildered Shangguan Ruoyun standing alone in the wind. "Wait, this... I..."

***

Shangguan Ruoyun realized how insignificant she truly was; she didn't even have the ability to participate in the battle.

From the moment Qin Chuan knocked the Golden Tiger-Lion away, the viewership of his live stream skyrocketed: one hundred million, two hundred million, one billion, two billion... Eventually, it was discovered that ninety percent of the population of the Jiuzhou planet was watching. It was unclear how they had learned about the appearance of the first Bronze-level monster, but nine out of ten people on the planet were tuned into Qin Chuan’s channel. It was officially the most-watched live stream in history, destined for the archives.

Qin Chuan’s name became a household term, and his image was seared into the minds of everyone on Earth.

"S-word! This Yanhuang brat isn't even human. This is so unfair to the other lucky participants!"
"I want to file a complaint! With him this strong, how are the other countries supposed to compete?"
"This kid is terrifying. He's actually hunting down a Bronze-level Golden Tiger-Lion!"
"My god! Is this something a human can actually do?"
"How did he get this strong? He knocked out such a terrifying monster with a single punch!"
"Baka! He’s not a human; he’s a monster, a demon, a devil! We must boycott him!"
"Qin Chuan is actually Korean. He is so strong because he possesses our noble bloodline and superior genes."
"What a fine young lad. Our Great Bear Nation will always support you!"
"We, the Iron Pakistanis, will always be your friends!"
"You Koreans are so shameless! Qin Chuan is bound to the Yanhuang nation, not your country."
"Our Qin Chuan is too strong! Look at how terrified these people are."
"Didn't these people mock him for being a child at the start? They even said he wouldn't last three minutes. Look at them now—what a joke."
"Qin Chuan is invincible! Yanhuang's pride!"
"Where are they going to complain? To the National Destiny officials? How laughable."
"Qin Chuan, catch that tiger-lion and butcher it for a snack!"

***

At the National Security Bureau:
"Director, Qin Chuan is too strong!"
"Indeed. He’s strong enough to make the whole world tremble."
"They’re just jealous because they don't want our nation to become stronger."

Yang Zhengyi replayed the footage of Qin Chuan’s strikes several times. "Qin Chuan surprises us time and again, fueling the hope and confidence of our people. We will never allow anyone to slander him."

"If they want to manufacture public opinion to smear our national hero, then let us unsheathe our swords. The Yanhuang of today is no longer the Yanhuang of the past!"

His words ignited the passion of everyone in the bureau. They immediately began issuing orders. With a base of two billion people, any online posts or comments slandering Qin Chuan in Yanhuang were instantly suppressed.

One does not simply slander a Yanhuang champion. The entire nation supported this stance, feeling a surge of pride that their country was finally drawing its sword.

***

In the forbidden zone, Qin Chuan continued to chase the Golden Tiger-Lion on Shen Gongbao. This was the first Bronze-level monster to appear, and there were bound to be mysterious rewards for killing it.

Fortunately, Shen Gongbao was fast. No matter how far the tiger-lion ran, it didn't lose the trail. Still, Qin Chuan was dissatisfied, threatening Shen Gongbao that if it couldn't catch the beast, it would be forced to eat only vegetables from then on.

At the mention of a vegetarian diet, Shen Gongbao panicked. This was a death sentence! To avoid a life without meat, it unleashed its hidden potential, pushing its speed higher, and higher, and higher, reaching its absolute limit.

The Golden Tiger-Lion sensed the presence behind it and was baffled. Was this really the speed of a Shadow Leopard? Was this even a real leopard?

Qin Chuan spotted the fleeing beast ahead. Checking his surroundings, he leaped onto a tree, pushed off with his feet, and launched himself forward like a cannonball.

A dark shadow descended from the sky, blocking the Golden Tiger-Lion’s path. Man and beast stared each other down.

Qin Chuan: "Why are you running?"
Golden Tiger-Lion: *Fierce glare.*
Qin Chuan: "Daring to glare at me? You think I'm afraid of you?"

Qin Chuan made a fierce face of his own: (｡◝ᴗ◜｡)
Yanhuang Netizens: *Are you sure that's not just being cute?*

"ROAR!"

With nowhere left to run, the Golden Tiger-Lion swiped at Qin Chuan. Qin Chuan dodged nimbly, and the beast's claw smashed into the ground, leaving a deep print in the earth. The tiger-lion swiped again, and again, but Qin Chuan dodged every single strike.

He was a brat who had leveled up his evasion skill to the max.