Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories./?m=1
-----
"Boom Boom!"
Although Boom Ball was only a low-level pet beast, it had nerves of steel and didn't know the meaning of
fear
.
It looked at its opponent, which was many times larger than itself, and let out a provocative cry, as if saying, "Come on! Bring it on!"
"Lu?"
Lubao glanced at the tiny opponent, so small that it was even smaller than Little Treasure, and then turned her head toward her beastmaster, wearing a puzzled expression.
This is my next opponent?
"Yes."
Qiao Sang nodded.
Lubao fell silent.
"Qu!"
At that moment, the referee's whistle blew, signaling the start of the match.
The spectators began to place their bets.
"I bet itâll be over in 30 seconds."
"I say 20 seconds."
"Then Iâll bet 15 seconds."
"Come on, guys, donât be so harsh! Boom Ball is actually pretty strong. Think about it, how many pet beasts would dare to face an opponent two levels higher without fear? I say 10 seconds."
"Hahaha, bro, youâre hilarious."
"...Actually, Boom Ball isnât weak. Itâs just that its level is too low. If Ice Xilu tries to handle it like it did with Suan Tao, it wonât work. Boom Ball specializes in self-destruction, which is dangerous whether inside or outside its body." A spectator from the Liaoxi region tried to defend the little beast.
"Alright then, how many seconds do you bet?" Someone nearby asked.
The Liaoxi spectator thought seriously for a moment and said, "13 seconds."
"Qu!"
As soon as he spoke, the refereeâs whistle blew again.
"Boom Boom..."
On the virtual screen, Boom Ball was shown lying on the ground, its eyes spinning in circles.
The spectators reacted indifferently, none of them were particularly surprised.
The Liaoxi spectator froze for a moment before turning to ask, "How long did that match last?"
"11 seconds." Replied a guy who had been keeping track of the time for the bets.
Sigh! So disappointing! Couldn't you have lasted just two more seconds..
. The Liaoxi spectator looked at Boom Ball on the screen, his expression filled with regret.
Back to 11 Seconds Earlier...
At the whistle, Boom Ball shot up into the air and let out an arrogant cry toward Lubao.
"Boom Boom!"
Then, it launched itself toward Lubao at full speed.
Cui Pingkun couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth.
Honestly, Boom Ballâs arrogance in the face of much stronger opponents wasnât really its fault.
It was mainly because of how he had trained it. He had always told Boom Ball that it was an absolute powerhouse.
Since all of his opponents had at least mid-level pet beasts, Boom Ball, despite its immense potential, was still objectively weak.
Its only skill capable of dealing serious damage, and even trading one-for-one with a stronger opponent, was self-destruction.
To unleash its full explosive power, confidence was key.
Since self-destruction always resulted in Boom Ball fainting, Cui Pingkun had told it every time afterward that it had successfully taken down its opponent.
Boom Ball believed this wholeheartedly.
Go with confidence...
Cui Pingkun mentally encouraged it.
"Boom Boom!"
Boom Ball glowed white as it rapidly closed the distance to Lubao.
Its beastmaster had always said, "If you see an opponent stronger than you, just explode!"
No opponent could withstand its self-destruction!
For a low-level pet beast, Boom Ballâs speed was exceptionally fast.
But Lubao wasnât low-level.
Over the past few weeks, Qiao Sang had trained with high-level pet beasts that moved too fast for the naked eye to track.
Compared to them, Boom Ballâs speed seemed almost slow.
"Looks like it's going for self-destruction. They say Boom Ball has a 100% target lock, but what if Lubao melts? Will it still lock on then?"
Qiao Sang decided to test it out.
"Melt."
"Lu."
Although Lubao felt that a simple Water Gun attack would be enough to win, she followed her beastmaster's command without hesitation and sprayed water onto the ground.
Just as Boom Ball closed within a meter, Lubao jumped down and vanished.
"Boom Boom!"
At that moment, Boom Ball self-destructed with absolute confidence.
But then, its expression froze.
Where's the target?!
It wanted to look around, but it was already too late.
A blinding explosion of fire and shockwaves erupted from Boom Ballâs body, surging outward.
Yet, the referee didnât blow the whistle.
Perhaps due to the unusual circumstances, Boom Ball, despite its confusion, didnât faint immediately.
It struggled to open its eyes, attempting to scan its surroundings.
And then, it saw its opponent standing right in front of it, completely unharmed.
"Boom Boom..."
Boom Ballâs eyes widened in shock.
"Lu."
Lubao, seeing that her opponent was still conscious, lifted a paw without even bothering to charge energy, and swatted it down.
"Boom Boom..."
Boom Ball rolled backward several times before finally closing its eyes, unwilling to accept its fate.
"So Boom Ball's target lock doesn't work on melted pet beasts..." Qiao Sang concluded.
"Qu!"
The whistle blew.
Qiao Sang recalled Lubao into the Beast Codex and walked toward the contestant exit.
Inside the exit tunnel, the announcerâs voice echoed clearly:
"Everyone, the Top Five Finalists of the 336th National Campus Beast Mastering Championship have been determined! Look at the big screen!"
---
On the Battlefield.
Following the announcerâs words, five names appeared on the virtual screen, along with their win-loss records in the national championship.
The announcer declared:
"The finalists are: Zhang Wandi from Chongdao Region! Tang Yi from Zhongkong Region! Liao Qiang from Liaoxi Region! Zhao Chuanyu from Zhongkong Region! And Qiao Sang from Yuhua Region!"
"According to tournament rules, the finalist with the most losses so far will automatically take fifth place in this yearâs National Campus Beast Mastering Championship!"
"And that person is: Liao Qiang from Liaoxi Region!"
On the virtual screen, each finalistâs loss count was displayed.
Liao Qiang had the most losses, with [3].
The announcer continued:
"Tomorrow night at 7:30 PM, the semi-finals of the National Campus Beast Mastering Championship will be held here! Donât miss it!"
---
9:25 PM â Moting Hotel.
[Qiao Sang! I heard you made it to the semi-finals!]
[Damn, I canât believe I have a god-tier friend in my contacts! Please donât delete me!]
[If someone had told me six months ago that youâd be in the National Campus Beast Mastering Championshipâs semi-finals, I wouldnât have believed it even if they beat me to death!]
[Qiao Sang, let us know when youâre back! My whole family is ready to throw a celebration banquet!]
[We were supposed to be slackers together, and now youâre in the top four nationwide?! I refuse to believe it! Tell me this isnât real!]
Lying in bed, Qiao Sang stared at the ceiling as her phone screen flickered with endless messages.
Top four.
If she won the semi-finals, she would earn a spot as an interstellar exchange student.
Qiao Sang closed her eyes and entered the Beast Codexâs consciousness space.
-----
-----