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Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day for the third stage of the national championship had arrived.
At the Zhongkong Beast Battle Arena...
Colorful fireworks exploded in the sky, transforming into various battle beasts that had appeared in the national championship.
âHello, everyone! Welcome to the live broadcast of the National Campus Beast Mastering League!â
A man dressed in a white suit stood atop a flying-type battle beast and announced loudly, âNext up, we will proceed with the 34-to-17 elimination matches!â
After the second stage of the national championship concluded, 33 competitors had advanced.
However, an additional match was held among the eliminated contestants to determine one more qualifier, bringing the total to 34 competitors.
At this moment, Qiao Sang appeared in the competitors' seating area, holding Yabao in her arms.
As soon as she sat down, she attracted attention from all directions.
In the live broadcast, nearly everyone turned their heads in unison toward the same direction.
âSo this is Qiao Sang⊠She really does look like sheâs just 15.â
âYou canât fake age. People even dug up details about when she went to kindergarten.â
âKindergarten records? Isnât that going too farâŠâ
âWell, maybe not for us, but over in the Yuhua region, theyâve gone crazy. I heard that the kindergarten she attended is already fully booked for the next three years.â
âMakes sense. Talents should be nurtured from a young age. If a kindergarten produced someone like Qiao Sang, it must have something special. If my family werenât all based in Xilu, my relatives with kids would definitely be applying to that kindergarten too.â
Amidst the chatter, the host continued with the introductions, and soon, the matchups appeared on the virtual screen.
[Dongjia Region, Gao Su VS Zhongkong Region, Zhao Chuanyu]
[Xilu Region, Feng Changfei VS Zhidia Region, Zhou Shanliang]
[Chongdao Region, Liu Yongming VS Beilun Region, Zhang Siya]
[Liaoxi Region, Cui Pingkun VS Zhongkong Region, Luo Yangyang]
...
[Guri Region, Tian Xiaoyun VS Yuhua Region, Qiao Sang]
...
A total of 34 contestants were divided into 17 matchups.
âTian XiaoyunâŠâ
Sun Boyi flipped open his notebook and began reading aloud: âSeventeen years old, female. Awakened her abilities one week before the high school entrance exams. In her first year of high school, she participated in the National Campus Beast Mastering Leagueâs team battles. Later, due to her outstanding personal strength, she transitioned to solo battles in her second year.â
âShe has a high-level psychic-type beast, Bigmouth Ai. This beast emits a special alpha wave that causes headaches to those who get too close. When using its abilities, the emitted alpha waves can disrupt machinery, making it a natural counter to mechanical-type battle beasts.â
âHer second beast is a mid-level insect-type, the Three-Headed Hornet. Its abilities are Bug Premonition and Light Metal.â
âAs a mid-level beast, the Three-Headed Hornet isnât particularly strong, but back in her second yearâŠâ
Since realizing how little he knew about Qiao Sang, Sun Boyi had resolved to prove his worth.
Over the past few days, he had been tirelessly reviewing past national championship s, staying up all night researching, and digging up every detail on the competitors who made it to the third stage, including what resources their beasts had received over the past two years.
But before he could finish, Liu Yao waved his hand and interrupted, âQiao Sang, you know what Bug Premonition and Light Metal do, right?â
Qiao Sang nodded.
âBug Premonition doubles the attack power of insect-type moves when the beastâs energy drops below one-fourth. Light Metal halves the beastâs weight in battle.â
Sun Boyi couldn't help but say, âVice Principal, these are basic concepts. Of course, Qiao Sang knows them.â
Qiao Sang inwardly thought:
No, I only know them because Iâve been researching my opponents during the competitionâŠ
Even though she hadnât studied for a long time, watching matches had expanded her knowledge of battle beasts from different regions.
I'm one to talk,
Liu Yao thought.
I didnât even know Qiao Sangâs entrance exam score. But she really has improved a lot. If I didnât still vividly remember her eating a Wanyan Fruit, something only fire-type beasts can consume, I might have forgotten that she wasnât great at studyingâŠ
Liu Yao kept his thoughts to himself and said calmly, âContinue.â
Sun Boyi refocused and continued his notes: âIn her second year, Tian Xiaoyun used an A-rank speed-enhancing potion on the Three-Headed HornetâŠâ
A speed-enhancing potion? Something that increases speed?
Qiao Sang listened attentively, this wasnât in her original research.
Meanwhile, about ten meters away from her, Tian Xiaoyun looked miserable.
âIâm doomed⊠How did I end up facing Qiao the Demon so early in the championship?â
A mature-looking woman in a black coat frowned.
âYou havenât even fought yet, and youâre already losing confidence. When will you ever fix this flaw? You have the strength, yet you never believe in yourself before a match.â
Tian Xiaoyun paused, her eyes shining as she stared at the woman.
âTeacher Cui, does this mean you think I have a chance in this match?â
The woman was silent for a moment before looking away.
âOf course. Xiaoyun, you must believe youâre no weaker than anyone else.â
Then at least look me in the eye when you say thatâŠ
Tian Xiaoyunâs mouth twitched.
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Time passed, and by the time Qiao Sangâs match came, it was already the afternoon.
The host appeared in midair, standing on a white flying-type battle beast.
âNext, letâs welcome Qiao Sang from the Yuhua Region and Tian Xiaoyun from the Guri Region!â
Cheers erupted across the arena.
âQiao Sang! Qiao Sang!â
âQiao Sang! Qiao Sang!â
In the world of beast masters, admiration for the strong was timeless.
Qiao Sang might only be fifteen, but she was undeniably powerful!
A true rival is one of equal strength. When the gap is insurmountable, thereâs no real competition.
As a result, apart from the media-favored schools and Tian Xiaoyunâs own academy, nearly every other schoolâs students were chanting Qiao Sangâs name.
Students wearing black uniforms sat in a row, their expressions tense as they listened to the deafening cheers.
After a few seconds of silence, one boy couldnât hold it in anymore.
âWhy arenât you guys cheering?â
âWith how loud they are, would anyone even hear us?â A girl beside him asked.
âWhat? What did you say?â The boy leaned closer, unable to hear.
The girl: âŠ
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On the battlefield.
Qiao Sang and Tian Xiaoyun took their positions.
At the whistleâs blow, both formed hand seals and summoned their battle beasts.
âSan san.â
âLu.â
The moment the beasts appeared, part of the audience leaped to their feet and screamed.
âAhhh! Ice Xilu! Ice Xilu!â
âIâm going to cry! I couldnât get tickets for the regional matches, but now I get to see Ice Xilu at the national championship!â
âIce Xilu! Mom will always support you!â
The rest of the audience gave them odd looks.
ââŠWhatâs with these people? Are they insane?â
âYou donât know? The Guwu Regionâs regional matches were even crazier than this.â A spectator from Lianke Region explained.
âTo be fair, Ice Xilu is a rare, endangered species from Guwu.â
âI watched the Guwu matches online, but seeing this live⊠These fans are too much.â
âNot gonna lie, Qiao Sangâs lineup is almost fit for a coordination tournament. All her beasts look so elegant, even her ghost-type beast is cuter than most ghost-types.â
âI was thinking the same thing.â
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In the front row.
A woman in her thirties suddenly sprang up in excitement.
âMinister Lan?â Someone beside her called in confusion.
The woman stiffened, then quietly sat back down as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the start of the match.
Ice Xilu can use Healing Light. For a top-tier healing-type pet, if it can't be taken down instantly, dealing damage little by little feels pointless...
But there is a way. First, use Three-Headed Hornet to deplete some of Ice Xiluâs energy with its speed. Then, when facing a weakened Ice Xilu, Big-Mouth Ai might actually have a chance to win...
Before the match, Tian Xiaoyun had been hesitant and timid, but the moment it began, her entire demeanor changed.
"Move!" Tian Xiaoyun's sharp gaze locked onto her target as she quickly issued a command.
"San San!"
The Three-Headed Hornet let out a cry, transforming into a blur as it darted across the battlefield.
It continuously changed directions, weaving unpredictably through the air like a golden streak.
Lubao remained calm and composed, standing motionless. Her eyes stayed locked on the erratic golden blur, as if she could see through its movement patterns.
Ice Xilu is so calm⊠it really can track the opponentâs high-speed movement.
Tian Xiaoyun's gaze flickered toward the blue figure in the distance, her expression serious.
She had studied every one of Qiao Sangâs matches. Back in the regional competition, when facing a fast-moving Electric Bug, Ice Xilu had tracked its movement and ended the fight instantly with a single Water Tail.
But what if there wasnât just one trajectory?
Suddenly, the golden blur in the air split, one became two, two became four.
Four streaks of golden light weaved chaotically, crisscrossing and separating again at extreme speed.
Forget following them with the naked eye, even keeping count of how many there were became difficult.
At that moment, Qiao Sang spoke:
"Rain."
"Lu."
Lubao raised her head and opened her mouth.
"Interrupt it!" Tian Xiaoyun reacted instantly.
Using Rain Prayer might deplete some of Ice Xiluâs energy, but for a high-level pet, that energy loss was negligible.
If Rain Prayer succeeded, the consequences would be severe.
Three-Headed Hornetâs speed would decrease, while Ice Xilu, with its Swift Swimmer trait, would have its speed doubled. At that point, Three-Headed Hornet would likely be defeated in no time.
Instead of letting that happen, it was better to interrupt Rain Prayer, keeping constant pressure on Ice Xilu and forcing it to keep attacking, draining its energy bit by bit.
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