Reincarnated as a Tabby Cat: Daily Life with the School Beauty Empress

After a day of fierce fighting, the battle has finally come to an end.

The holographic screen above the stadium dome slowly refreshed, and 960 names were crossed out one by one, leaving only eight, which were arranged in the center of the huge screen, radiating golden light.

[Imperial Capital Royal Academy Freshman Challenge - Top 8 List]

Winner of Arena Number One: Su Qianxue

Winner of the second arena: Murong Hui

Winner of Arena Number Three: Ye Chen

Winner of Arena Number Four: Chu Qing

Winner of Arena Number Five: Situ Lei

Winner of Arena Number Six: Mo Xie

Winner of Arena No. 7: Long Ao

Winner of Arena #8: Shangguan Wan'er

Eight names, eight beams of golden light, shone in every corner of the stadium. The stands erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, but the whispers mixed in with the applause were far more boisterous than the applause itself.

Everyone was talking about the same thing: Wang Teng was dead.

He was stabbed through the chest by a tabby cat and died on the ring.

"Damn it, did you guys see that? That cat just blew him right through the heart..."

"I watched the whole thing! Wang Teng made the first deadly move, attacking from three sides, every strike aimed at vital points; he was the one who wanted to kill first!"

"The key point is that he also cheated! That one-horned thunder dragon wasn't his contracted beast at all! After he died, that thing was still standing on the arena, it's hilarious."

"The Wang family has really lost face this time. 'My son Wang Teng has the potential to be an emperor,' but the emperor was sent away by a cat."

The news spread faster than lightning.

Even before the competition officially ended, various versions of the incident were circulating in the cafeteria, playground, training ground, and even the corridors of the girls' dormitory. Some embellished the story, saying that Wang Teng was so scared before he died that he wet his pants; others insisted that the tabby cat was actually an ancient mythical beast in disguise; and still others started making up jokes.

Q: What do Wang Teng and tabby cats have in common?

A: They are both prey of felines. The difference is that one was killed by the cat, and the other was played with by the cat.

This lame joke circulated throughout the boys' dormitory, making everyone burst into laughter.

Who wouldn't want some gossip? The Imperial Academy in the capital is never short of gossip, but gossip about dead people is a rare occurrence, happening only a few times a year.

However, the older students were more concerned about something else than Wang Teng's death.

Gambling.

"It's open! It's open! The student council's event has started!"

The news originated from a third-year club. It's a tradition at the Imperial Capital Royal Academy that every year during the freshman tournament's quarterfinals, upperclassmen spontaneously organize an unofficial betting event. The stakes range from spirit stones to cultivation resources, and the rules are varied.

Betting on who will win the championship is called "Investiture of the Gods," betting on the order of the top three is called "Dragon and Tiger List," and there is even a "one-on-one match" where you bet on the outcome of a specific battle.

That evening, the activity room for the third-grade clubs was packed with people.

On a temporary light screen, the information of the eight contestants was listed one by one, with the real-time odds marked next to them.

"Let's talk about the champion odds first." The organizer, a third-year student with a small braid, patted the screen. "Currently, the one with the lowest odds, which is also the most favored, is Su Qianxue, at 1 to 1.8."

"Is that the freshman who killed Wang Teng?" someone asked.

"It wasn't just killing Wang Teng." A second-year girl flipped through the data in her hand. "In today's matches, she swiftly defeated all three in the morning. Although her match against Wang Teng in the afternoon dragged on for a while, don't forget, her opponent was a fifth-tier king-level beast and a sixth-tier emperor-level beast. She still won in a two-on-one fight. Moreover, she herself is a sixth-tier martial artist, a statistic that is far ahead among the freshmen."

"Sixth rank?" Several third-year students around them paled. When they participated in the freshman competition, only a handful of students could reach the fifth rank.

"That's why the odds are so low." The senior with the braid nodded. "It's basically a guaranteed win with open cards. The only variable..."

He pointed to the name that was second in line.

"Murong Hui, 1 to 2.5 odds."

"The daughter of the Murong family?" someone gasped. "Which Murong family?"

"Who else could it be? The Murong family, one of the three great families of the Dragon Empire." The girl flipped through a page of information. "Murong Hui, sixth-level martial artist, the same level as Su Qianxue. Her contracted beast is a Pure Fire Phoenix, with Emperor-level aptitude, fifth level. This phoenix has very pure bloodline, and is said to be a direct descendant of the ancient Phoenix Clan."

"Holy crap, an Emperor-level Phoenix?"

"Yes, and her fighting style is very comprehensive, combining offense and defense. She made it to the quarterfinals today very easily and didn't reveal any of her trump cards."

"Shouldn't the odds be even lower?"

"The problem is that Su Qianxue's cat is too weird." The senior with the pigtail rubbed his chin. "Did you guys see the show this afternoon? All sorts of bizarre mental attacks. This cat's skill pool is terrifyingly deep. The key is, it's only at the fourth tier. A fourth-tier king-level contracted beast can do something like this. If it evolves a few more times in the future..."

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone present understood.

"Tell me about the others," someone urged.

"Ye Chen, 1 to 4." The senior with the braid continued reading, "A mid-stage fifth-tier martial artist, a legendary Flaming Dragon, a flying and fire-type fighter, skilled in aerial combat. He's definitely third in terms of raw strength, but the gap is obvious when it comes to fighting the top two."

"Where is Chu Qing?"

"Chu Qing is a peak fifth-tier martial artist with a sword spirit-type contracted beast. He's a skill-based fighter but lacks powerful moves. He can handle prolonged battles, but he can't withstand attacks from opponents like Su Qianxue or Murong Hui, who can decide the outcome in one move."

"Situ Lei is a 1-to-6 fighter, a pure melee type, a mid-stage fifth-tier martial artist, and his contracted beast is the 'Iron-Armed Giant Ape,' a king-level talent. His advantage is that he can take a beating, and his disadvantage is that he's not very smart."

"Mo Xie is a 1-to-7 swordsmanship genius, at the early stage of the fifth rank, but his 'Sword Spirit Bees' are extremely disgusting, with their group attacks and tracking capabilities, making them very annoying to fight."

"Long Ao is 1 to 8. He is of royal lineage and his contracted beast is a three-headed hellhound, a mythical-level creature. However, his own strength is only at the peak of the fourth-tier martial artist level, which is a drag on his team. He barely made it in by relying on his contracted beast, and he will most likely be eliminated in the first round tomorrow."

"Shangguan Wan'er is 1 to 10. She is an imperial princess, at the early stage of the fifth rank, and her contracted beast is the legendary 'Amethyst Spirit Butterfly'. To be honest, half of her success in making it into the top eight is due to good luck; she didn't encounter any tough opponents in the draw."

After much discussion, most people agreed that the champion would most likely be either Su Qianxue or Murong Hui.

"I'm betting on Su Qianxue to win the championship, three thousand spirit stones."

"I'll buy Murong Hui! Her family's prestigious background is no joke!"

"I think Ye Chen has a chance to pull off an upset..."

"Hey, if they find out about this, won't they rig the match?"

The activity room was in an uproar, with the sounds of betting echoing everywhere.

In a corner of the activity room, Qin Yong quietly put away the thousand spirit stones he had just won. That afternoon, he had bet on Su Qianxue to beat Wang Teng and won them all.

He thought for a moment, then took out his money again and bet it all on Su Qianxue.

……

At the same time.

The atmosphere in the top-floor conference room of the Imperial Academy's comprehensive office building was far less relaxed than in the gymnasium and student dormitories.

Li Kaishan sat in the main seat, a cup of tea that had gone cold beside him. On either side of the long table opposite him sat twelve first-year instructors and three heads of the academy's law enforcement department.

"That's the situation." A supervisor from the enforcement department placed a memory crystal on the table, and a holographic screen projected the complete scene from the afternoon's arena. "Wang Teng used the [Sixth-Tier Unicorn Thunder Dragon Summoning Spirit Tablet], a high-level, one-time-use summoning item that is prohibited from being sold to students on the market. He disguised it as the talent of a Twin Master, which was clearly intentional."

The scene freezes on the moment when Wang Teng attacks Su Qianxue from three sides.

The golden giant rhinoceros's charge, the thunder dragon's lightning, and Wang Teng's own close-range attacks—every move was aimed at killing.

"Analyzing the attack trajectories," the law enforcement officer circled several points on the screen with a light pen, "these three attacks precisely covered all of the target's escape routes, with a very clear intent: to kill. If Su Qianxue weren't a sixth-level martial artist, with her fourth or fifth-level reaction speed, she wouldn't have been able to dodge this simultaneous attack at all."

He paused, then scrolled to the next scene.

The tabby cat leaped up beside Wang Teng and used a phantom attack, revealing a clear blood hole in its chest.

"The fatal blow was delivered by the contracted beast 'Golden-Tailed Holy Cat'. From the timeline, Wang Teng was already under the control of the illusion at that time, but his one-horned thunder dragon was dispelling the illusion. If the contracted beast had not launched an attack at that moment, Wang Teng would have regained his mobility after the illusion was dispelled and would have continued to pose a threat to Su Qianxue."

He turned off the light screen and looked at Li Kaishan: "Our conclusion is that the contracted beast's stress response under extreme combat pressure falls into the category of accidental killing. Su Qianxue herself did not use any lethal skills on Wang Teng throughout the entire process."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

The instructor of Class 7 spoke first: "I watched the whole thing too. Su Qianxue's fighting style is mainly based on control and dodging; she didn't use any killing moves."

Another instructor chimed in, "Besides, Wang Teng brought a sixth-tier Emperor-level summoned beast onto the stage. This isn't just cheating; it's murder. To use such methods against a freshman who's only been enrolled for a month, the Wang family's behavior is utterly disgraceful."

Li Kaishan remained silent.

He picked up the glass of iced tea, took a sip, put it down, and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"The conclusion will be based on the Enforcement Division's report. Wang Teng violated regulations by using a forbidden summoning item, and his attack was clearly intended to kill. The contracted beast retaliated to protect its master's safety, resulting in the beast's death, which is determined to be manslaughter. Su Qianxue bears no responsibility."

He scanned the room with his gaze: "Anything else to object to?"

No one spoke.

"Then it's settled. Also," Li Kaishan's gaze sharpened, "find out where Wang Teng got that summoning spirit tablet. A sixth-tier Emperor-level One-Horned Thunder Dragon—items of that level aren't easy to obtain. There must be someone backing him up."

He didn't name names, but everyone present knew who the "person behind it" was—most likely someone from his family.

Meeting adjourned.

The mentors rose and left, their expressions varied. Some were worried; the Wang family was not to be trifled with. Others were gloating; they had long disliked that arrogant playboy. Still others were considering whether they should cultivate a good relationship with Su Qianxue beforehand.

Li Kaishan remained alone in the conference room, gazing out the window at the myriad lights of the capital city.

He had a feeling that tonight wouldn't be peaceful.