Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories./?m=1
-----
The final day of the knockout competition has one significant advantage: You can find out your opponent in advance.
When it came to Xu Yixuan, Qiao Sang knew her all too well.
During the group stage, the two of them had lived together, and there were even times when they brainstormed strategies for the next day's match together.
Controlling Blaze Dog wasnât difficult for Little Treasure, but Qiao Sang was well aware that Xu Yixuan would make Blaze Dog go on a destructive rampage, attacking its own shadow and the surrounding area the moment Little Treasure turned invisible.
Although this tactic wasted some energy, it effectively kept Little Treasure at bay. And if by chance it managed to strike the invisible Little Treasure, that would be even better.
Qiao Sang didnât think Little Treasure was incapable of getting close enough to control Blaze Dog.
However, if Xu Yixuan stuck to her plan, the match would drag on longer than necessary.
So, Qiao Sang came up with a new strategy.
To teleport successfully, all it needed was a momentary gap.
As long as Blaze Dog mistakenly believed it had hit Little Treasure and relaxed its guard, Little Treasure could teleport to the shadow without any interference.
Qiao Sangâs eyes were fixed on Blaze Dogâs shadow. At that moment, Little Treasure was already standing next to it.
âXun~â
Little Finder raised its short toes and connected its own shadow to the one on the ground.
Seeing this, the audience erupted into cheers.
âBeautifully done!â
âI knew it! Thereâs no way theyâd pull some shady tricks so openly!â
âWow, for a second there, I really thought Little Finder was done for.â
â666! Tricking opponents like a pro!â
âThis is a one-on-one battle; you canât really call them teammates, theyâre all rivals!â
On the field.
The moment Little Treasure controlled the shadow, Blaze Dog reacted immediately, opening its mouth to unleash scorching flames toward Little Treasureâs position.
Litt Treasure grinned, his short toes twitching slightly. Suddenly, Blaze Dog flipped over uncontrollably, lying belly up with its four legs in the air.
The flames it was spewing followed suit, forming a smooth semicircular arc in the air.
Stay calm. Treasure-Seeking Demon is about to start spinning it. Blaze Dogâs anti-dizzy training these past few days wasnât for nothingâŠ
Xu Yixuan comforted herself.
Wait⊠spinning?
A thought struck her, and her gaze flickered rapidly between Blaze Dog and Treasure-Keeping Demon.
Ding Yanjingâs Flash-Leaving Crow couldnât be handled because it was airborne, but if Blaze Dog were spinning while unleashing its flames, Treasure-Seeking Demon would have no choice but to withdraw its shadow control to avoid the fire.
After all, maintaining two-dimensional shadow control required staying in place.
Hurry up and spin! Why isnât it spinning yet? No, Iâm getting too excited. If Qiao the Schemer catches on to my expression, sheâll figure somethingâs upâŠ
Xu Yixuan suppressed the upward tug of her lips, striving to keep a neutral expression.
Little Treasureâs toes twitched. Just as he prepared to make his opponent spin, he heard his Beastmasterâs voice:
âHypnosis.â
Xu Yixuan: ???
âXun~â
Little Treasure hooked his toe, flipping Blaze Dog upright.
âYap!â
Blazehound, enraged, opened its mouth to spew flames again.
But as it regained its footing and looked ahead, it locked eyes with a pair of violet eyes.
âYapâŠâ
Sleepiness overtook it, and it collapsed to the ground, sound asleep.
A mechanical beast floated over from the sidelines, inspecting Blazehoundâs face before blowing a whistle strung around its neck.
âTweet!â
The referee announced, âVictory goes to Qiao Sang of Shengshui High!â
The audience erupted into noisy chatter.
âWait, thatâs it? She won already?â
âThis is the finals? That felt so anticlimactic, completely one-sided!â
âI checked the time. The two matches combined didnât even last five minutesâŠâ
âSomethingâs fishy. Is Hypnosis really that hard to resist? How did both of Xu Yixuanâs beasts fall for it so easily?â
âCould it be that Treasure-Seeking Demonâs Hypnosis is just that advanced?â
âThatâs probably it. But seriously, how skilled must you be for the judges to declare the match over immediately?â
âPerfected⊠or maybe a secret techniqueâŠâ
---
In the contestants' area.
With the awards ceremony set to take place in ten minutes, Qiao Sang, Xu Yixuan, and Wang Rui sat together.
Xu Yixuan held back for a while but couldnât resist asking:
âQiao Sang, you usually have the Treasure-Seeking Demon spin the opponents. Why didnât you do that this time?â
Qiao Sang raised an eyebrow.
âHavenât you been training Blaze Dogâs anti-dizzy capabilities lately?â
Xu Yixuan: !!!
She felt as if she had been struck by lightning, frozen in place.
Wang Rui glanced at her sympathetically.
Now he understood why Xu Yixuan had lost so miserably.
Training defenses while letting the opponent know? That was just wasted effortâŠ
---
Qiao Sang looked toward the stage, where the school leaders were exchanging pleasantries. Beside them, four Baibai Blossom beasts stood in line, holding trays.
Baibai Blossom, a Grass-type beast, emitted a soothing fragrance from the flowers on its head. Its high aesthetic appeal made it a popular ceremonial beast in the Yuhua region, often seen at award ceremonies.
Qiao Sangâs eyes fell on the trays they carried, and her spirits lifted.
The National Campus Beast Mastering League wasnât just about earning a spot at top-tier universities. From the provincial to regional levels, reaching certain rankings came with rewards.
While her unlimited spending card for a year meant she could buy almost anything she wanted, earning prizes through her own efforts still held a special significance.
---
Perhaps because it was a high school competition, the awards ceremony lacked the pomp and flair of larger tournaments.
Qiao Sang received two awards: The Most Promising Award and the first-place prize.
The prizes included an A-rank potential booster and a wearable bracelet for beasts.
Staring at the black bracelet in her hand, Qiao Sangâs mind wandered. It resembled a device sheâd seen on a villainâs beast in a movie not long ago.
Lightweight Miniaturization Bracelet.
It emitted waves that could shrink a beastâs size.
When this bracelet debuted, it caused a buying frenzy. After all, the increasing size of beasts as they evolved was a significant issue.
Large beasts werenât necessarily bad, but for high-level beasts that loved to roam and play, their size could become a hindrance in non-battle or non-work scenarios.
This bracelet solved that problem.
However, its manufacturer leaned heavily into scarcity marketing. Each quarter, only a limited number were sold, and buyers had to prove they owned a beast over six meters tall to qualify.
A six-meter beast was at least general-level.
With such a specific target audience and no shortage of demand, the braceletâs high price and limited availability became its barriers to entry.
Qiao Sangâs heartbeat quickened.
If this really was a Lightweight Miniaturization Bracelet, it would be perfect for YabaoâŠ
-----
-----