Chapter 565: Don't Win Too Easily

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A spot in the top five still required one contestant to receive a bye?!

She had just come up with a way for Gangbao to quickly accumulate points, and now she was being directly sent to the semifinals?

Based on previous calculations, defeating a mid-tier pet earned 80 points. Even if she didn’t face a single high-tier pet in the next two rounds, that would still be 320 points.

A whole 320 points, just gone like that?

Qiao Sang remained silent for a long time.

Although Alva’s words were unpleasant to hear, selecting the strongest contestant to receive a bye was a common practice in many competitions.

Damn it, after just two rounds, she was already deemed the strongest? Wasn’t that a bit too hasty?

Suddenly, Qiao Sang's eyes lit up as she came to a realization. She jumped up abruptly.

“What’s wrong?” Alva asked.

“Bathroom.” With that, Qiao Sang turned and walked away.

Of course, going to the bathroom was just an excuse. While the other schools were still in the arena, she slipped away to find a quiet place.

“Don’t win too easily in the afternoon match.” Qiao Sang told Little Treasure and Gangbao.

The so-called bye was still just Alva’s speculation, but compared to the other contestants, her performance in the first two rounds had indeed been much stronger.

However, before the bye decision was made, there was still one match in the afternoon. She could make herself seem a little weaker so that the officials wouldn’t think she was the best candidate for the bye.

“Xun xun?”

Little Treasure looked curious.

Why?

“To get in more matches.” Qiao Sang answered honestly.

“Otherwise, I might get back-to-back byes and be sent straight to the semifinals.”

“Xun xun?”

Little Treasure didn’t quite understand.

Wasn’t going straight to the semifinals a good thing?

“Gangbao needs more battles to grow stronger.” Qiao Sang patiently explained.

After this friendly match, she had to return to the 3rd District. Even if she didn’t actively allocate points to Gangbao, she would still gain points daily, making evolution inevitable. However, opportunities to farm points through team battles were rare.

“Xun xun~”

Little Treasure understood and patted his chest with his paw, assuring Qiao Sang that she could count on him.

As long as the fourth child, Gangbao, slept on time like last night and didn’t drag him into all-night training sessions, playing a few extra matches was fine!

Gangbao flapped her wings but remained silent.

In her view, whether the match was easy or not didn’t depend on herself, Little Treasure needed to be the one to watch out.

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At 2:30 p.m., in the pet battle arena.

Qiao Sang sat with Yabao in her arms, watching the match.

Magee was seated right beside her.

Now that Qiao Sang was the only remaining contestant from Sainan High School, Magee had to keep an eye on her.

“Which two pets are you planning to send out?” Magee asked.

“Haven’t decided yet.” Qiao Sang replied.

Revealing pet choices before a match was a huge taboo. Since there were people around, she instinctively kept it vague.

“Anyone is fine, just don’t send out the Little Steel Falcon.” Magee said in a lowered voice.

“Why?” Qiao Sang frowned slightly.

“I talked to the higher-ups at Sahel School during lunch. They unanimously agreed that you’re the strongest contestant here. If nothing unexpected happens, you’ll be given a bye after this match.” Maggie spoke earnestly.

“Little Steel Falcon is still just a beginner-level pet. You should send out stronger ones to secure this critical win.”

Qiao Sang looked at him and righteously declared:

“Teacher, this is a friendly match. Winning and losing don’t matter. I came here for the exchange experience.”

Magee: …

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There were only 18 contestants left, meaning the matchups consisted of 9 duels.

Qiao Sang didn’t have to wait long before her name was called.

“Sainan High School’s Qiao Sang vs. Greville Academy’s Du Silan. Both contestants, please step forward.”

Hearing the announcement, Qiao Sang and Du Silan walked onto the battlefield under the watchful eyes of the audience.

Du Silan had shoulder-length black hair, fair skin, and delicate features. It was clear she was also from the Dragon Nation.

Looking at Qiao Sang from across the field, she sighed softly.

“Looks like my luck isn’t great.”

Her voice was broadcasted throughout the arena, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Four pets, three of which were high-tier, at a stage where most contestants only had two pets, Qiao Sang’s overwhelming strength was undisputed. Anyone matched against her was simply unlucky.

However, this was a friendly tournament, and not all participating schools used a points-based system. Some schools genuinely came for the learning experience.

Greville Academy was one such school.

Hearing Du Silan’s remark, even her own teammates chuckled.

Come on, friend, don’t be so discouraged! You have to believe in yourself! Otherwise, how can I make my win seem more hard-earned?

Qiao Sang felt the urge to step in as a motivational coach.

Du Silan had already been noted in Qiao Sang’s battle notes.

Her two mid-tier pets consisted of a Water-type and an Electric-type, relying on a water-electric combo to double the damage against opponents.

It sounded strong in theory, but unfortunately, they hadn’t yet mastered fusing the two attributes. So, their combined power wasn’t as terrifying as it seemed.

Qiao Sang wanted to make the match look more difficult, but if her opponent started off weak-spirited, how could she pull that off?

If the officials saw through her act and still gave her the bye, what would she do then?

For the first time, Qiao Sang felt worried.

Meanwhile, Du Silan had begun forming seals with both hands.

Two gray star arrays lit up simultaneously.

A blue, round-bodied creature with white spots and small ears, along with a deep-blue, medium-sized canine with yellow streaks and a large head, appeared from the arrays.

At the same time, Little Treasure and Gangbao materialized on Qiao Sang’s side.

Rolling Leopard, a mid-tier Water-type pet. It dislikes swimming and prefers rolling forward in the water, rolling is faster than walking…

Thunderfur Hound, an Electric-type pet. Its fur generates electricity through friction with the air, storing the charge in its coat. It uses the stored electricity to stimulate its muscles, greatly enhancing its burst power…

Qiao Sang quickly recalled the information she had gathered on them.

Then, the announcer’s voice rang out:

“Match, start!”

Thunderfur Hound turned into a lightning-fast streak, charging straight at Gangbao.

As it sprinted, yellow electric sparks crackled around its body.

Simultaneously, Rolling Leopard casually opened its mouth and spat out a weak Water Gun attack at Little Treasure.

Just before Thunderfur Hound could hit, Little Treasure's eyes gleamed blue.

In an instant, Rolling Leopard appeared in front of Gangbao.

The audience gasped.

“It’s that move again, forcing one opponent to take the other’s attack. Spatial Shift shouldn’t even be allowed in high school tournaments.”

“If I were Rolling Leopard, I’d have kept moving. That Ghost Ring Phantom isn’t just skilled in Spatial Shift, but also Shadow Control. The worst thing to do against it is stay still.”

“This match is unwinnable. Completely hopeless.”

“Honestly, Little Steel Falcon is just being carried by Ghost Ring Phantom.”

Just as these words fell, the Thunderfur Hound slammed full force into Rolling Leopard.

Gangbao, seemingly caught off guard, didn’t move at all.

Rolling Leopard was sent flying backward, crashing into Gangbao and sending them both tumbling hard onto the ground.

The audience: ???