Chapter 696: Completely Unreliable

Qiao Sang stood at the edge of the rooftop, gazing down below, her feet unmoving.

With Lubao by her side and her current level of defense, she wasn’t afraid at all at the thought of becoming a target, in fact, she felt a faint excitement.

It seemed everyone had quite a bit of resentment toward her, enough to consider attacking her directly...

"Yap Yap!"

Yabao let out a cry, suggesting they

strike first and take down all these humans!

That’s a dangerous way of thinking…

Qiao Sang responded,

“There’s no need. We don’t need to do anything right now. Just wait for them to come attack us.”

Her goal was to earn points, and those were only awarded through pet battles. Attacking beast masters directly did nothing for her.

If she took the initiative to attack enemy pets, Yabao and the others would have to leave her side.

Now that she was the enemy’s target, even one pet being away would lower her safety level.

“Yap…”

Yabao, hearing his master’s words, resisted the urge to charge down and attack.

He fixed his eyes on the humans below, who were plotting how to deal with his master, while the flames on his wings flared up uncontrollably.

---

Below the eaves, the acne-covered boy who’d just suggested attacking the beast master directly suddenly shivered for no reason and glanced toward the rooftop.

Just then, a girl’s voice pulled his attention back: “Do you guys think we can destroy school property?”

Everyone immediately turned to her.

“What are you planning?” One of the boys asked.

“Our battles so far have been too restrained.” The girl said calmly.

“But if we go all out, it’s not like we have no chance of winning. The ice flower seal has limited most of our pets’ movements. We can’t get across, but that doesn’t mean we can’t force her to change locations.”

No one spoke, but their eyes signaled her to continue.

She went on, “Electric-type pets or those with weather-related skills can unleash them right above her, forcing her to move.”

“If the school allows structural damage, Xiyuan Coco could teleport a high-level pet to the floor beneath her and launch an upward attack.”

Everyone hesitated.

They agreed it would improve their odds, but damaging school buildings would be troublesome.

They were all new to the university, and naturally hesitant to take big risks.

Even during previous battles, they had chosen open areas with no buildings nearby. Even when they were consumed by anger, they still headed toward the rooftop before launching attacks.

If a pet’s skill caused building damage mid-battle, would they be punished?

It had taken a lot just to get into Yulianton University, they didn’t want to be penalized on day one.

In the silence, the acne-faced boy spoke up: “Did you all forget? The assessment can take place anywhere.”

Everyone paused, thinking it over.

They had indeed seen that clause, but anywhere didn’t necessarily mean they could damage school property... right? Maybe it just referred to any dueling arena or open space?

While they were still hesitating, an older student who had stepped out of a building earlier and stayed to watch the commotion laughed: “Just go all out. Pet battles causing structural damage happen all the time here.”

She pointed to the building across the way where Qiao Sang was standing:

“See that building? Last semester, a PhD student’s pet lost control of its lightning skill and blasted straight through it from top to bottom, nothing happened.”

“Our school has a repair department that restores damaged structures daily. So don’t hold back in battle.”

“At Yulianton University, if you can’t go all out in a fight, what’s the point?”

No wonder it was the third-ranked interstellar university…

Everyone’s eyes lit up, and their hesitation vanished. They eagerly introduced their pets to the girl with Xiyuan Coco, hoping to be teleported into battle.

---

Back on the rooftop.

Qiao Sang looked at the ever-increasing score on her virtual panel with satisfaction.

She didn’t know how many points it would take to hire those S-class elites, but at this rate, she’d definitely be the richest newcomer in the Beast master Department.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, thick tree roots burst out of the ground and suddenly softened into writhing tendrils, reaching to entangle her.

Startled, Qiao Sang instinctively dodged.

She took two quick steps back.

But then, a root shot out from the ground behind her and swiftly wrapped around her ankle.

Whoosh!

Just as it latched on, a purple blade sliced through the air with a piercing whistle and cleanly severed the root.

In the next instant, Qiao Sang was lifted into the air, landing squarely on Gangbao’s back.

An attack from below…

Qiao Sang stared at the rooftop tiles that had been cracked by the roots, her nerves tightening.

From the looks of it, these people were even more aggressive than she’d expected, they were literally tearing down buildings.

The roots twisted for a bit, and finding no target, retreated back into the ground.

“Yap!"

At that moment, Yabao slammed a paw down on one of the retreating roots.

He clenched and yanked hard.

The ground split open. A roughly two-meter-tall green pet, with root-like claws, was pulled out.

Yabao flung it upward, then blasted it with an invisible yet heat-distorting flame.

“Gen-gen!”

The root-like pet screamed as it crashed back down.

BOOM!!!

Thunder rumbled above.

Qiao Sang looked up. The sky had turned dark over her head, yellow lightning dancing, ready to strike, while the rest of the sky was clear.

She caught a glimpse of a yellow, winged figure darting through the flashes.

“Lubao, shrink!” Qiao Sang said quickly.

“Lu.” Lubao, sensing danger, pressed her paw against the lightweight miniaturization bracelet, reducing her size.

“TING TING!”

A shrill cry sounded from above as dozens of bolts shot down from the dark clouds.

You’re not the only ones with teleportation…

Qiao Sang muttered, “Little Treasure.”

“Xun~ Xun~”

Without a spoken command, the pet’s glowing blue eyes showed he understood.

With a soft cry, Qiao Sang and Gangbao vanished from the cloud-covered zone... reappearing beyond it, just as Lubao fell from above.

Qiao Sang reached out and caught her.

Little Treasure’s teleportation is getting more precise… S

he thought, glancing at the yellow flying pet dozens of meters away.

---

“Holy crap! Her pet can teleport too!” A black-haired boy exclaimed.

“Her Fire Qilu is a General-rank pet. It’s not surprising it can teleport.” The acne-faced boy said, eyes on the tiny figure in the distance. He took a deep breath and forced a calm explanation.

Pets have primary and secondary attributes. It’s much easier for them to learn skills from their primary one.

That Fire Qilu was clearly fire-type, its main attribute

. Yet it had mastered teleportation, one of the hardest advanced psychic skills…

“She changed location. Can I recall my Thunderstorm Bird now?” The red-haired girl asked hesitantly.

“Not yet. While her attention is still on your bird, have Xiyuan Coco teleport in a pet that can fight midair-”

He stopped mid-sentence.

So did everyone else.

The red-haired girl sensed something was wrong and followed their gaze upward.

There, a roughly six-meter-tall flaming pet with crimson fur and blazing wings had clamped its jaws around the Thunderstorm Bird.

The bird let out a scream, lightning exploding violently but it did nothing.

The yellow lightning struck Fire Qilu like rainwater. It didn’t even flinch. It just kept biting down.

Everyone’s hearts sank.

That Thunderstorm Bird was one of the strongest electric pets, and its Thunder Devastation skill was nearly at ultimate level. Yet it couldn’t hurt Fire Qilu.

Was the gap between high-level pets and General-rank pets really this massive…?

Then-

BOOM!!!

A fiery explosion launched from Yabao’s mouth, engulfing the Thunderstorm Bird in a red fireball. The heat waves surged like tides.

Yabao teleported back to Qiao Sang’s side.

In the red-hot air, the Thunderstorm Bird fell with its eyes shut.

So strong…

Qiao Sang glanced at Yabao.

Even after evolving to General-level, he hadn’t fought a real match yet.

She knew he was powerful but this powerful?

To stay so composed amid devastating lightning like it was nothing?

“Yap!”

Yabao suddenly cried out, asking for healing.

Qiao Sang paused, then noticed faint yellow sparks dancing on his body.

“…!”

So he was hurt, just endured it without showing anything.

“Lu.”

Without needing instruction, Lubao’s gem lit up with blue light, casting a healing glow over Yabao.

---

Under the eaves, everyone watched in silence.

After a few seconds, the red-haired girl, beast master of the Thunderstorm Bird, sighed:

“Maybe we should just… give up.”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone knew the last part: “We can’t win.”

They really couldn’t. That realization hit them again.

Fire Qilu alone was this strong…

And Qiao Sang still had another General-level pet: Ghost Ring King.

Even if they somehow managed to deal damage, her Ice Xilu also had healing abilities...

Everyone looked defeated. Their morale from earlier had now completely deflated.

When Fire Qilu tanked the lightning and instantly took down the Thunderstorm Bird, that scene completely crushed any hope they had of winning.

“I have an idea.” Suddenly, a voice rang out.

Everyone turned to see it was the guy who had already voiced several suggestions earlier.

“What idea do you have now?” The guy in the cap asked irritably.

The acne-faced boy straightened up and said seriously: “Let’s send out all the pet beasts that can still fight, not blindly, but divided into four groups to attack her four pet beasts. As long as we have enough numbers, we can stall her two General-level pets. Even just a few seconds is enough for us to retaliate.”

“That Steel Guardian Falcon is only a mid-level pet, not worth worrying about. And although Ice Xilu is a high-level pet, it's Water/Ice type, it can’t even fight in the air.”

Then, he emphasized, with conviction: “Stop sending pet beasts out one by one just to get defeated. Let’s go all in, together!”

“Look.” He pointed to the now calm sky outside.

“The Ice Flower Seal is gone.”

Everyone looked where he pointed, and their crushed hopes started to rise again.

Then, a girl hesitantly said, “But that Fire Qilu has teleportation. We probably won’t be able to stall it.”

As soon as she said that, everyone’s revived hope started to die again.

The acne-faced boy scanned the crowd and said firmly: “With this many of us, can’t we find at least one pet with a skill like Shadow Pin or Footlock?”

Everyone perked up. Their spirits were rekindled for the nth time.

Soon, someone shouted, “My Ghost-type pet can use Shadow Pin!”

“Mine can use Shadow Control!”

Seeing that quite a few people had skills that could counter teleportation, everyone quickly agreed to fight one more time.

“Alright! Let’s give it one last shot!”

“Whatever, things have already come this far, I’m in!”

“Count me in. I only have one mid-level pet left, but if it can stall for even one second, it’s worth it!”

Honestly, no one had any serious grudge against Qiao Sang. But since they had already acted like they were determined to fight to the end, backing out now would feel cowardly.

If earlier they fought out of anger, now it was a matter of pride.

---

The blue light faded, and the paralysis effect on Yabao disappeared.

Qiao Sang glanced at the countdown on the virtual panel and saw there were only twenty minutes left.

She tapped the side of her smart glasses frame, and the virtual panel vanished.

Yabao had now fully recovered and even showed off a bit. They probably wouldn't come after her again…

Qiao Sang was thinking as she looked up, and then froze.

The sky was densely packed with flying-type pet beasts of all shapes and sizes. Each carried other attribute beasts on their backs and was approaching rapidly.

Holy crap! These freshmen from Yulianton University really weren’t scared off by Yabao's strength and still wanted to fight…

Qiao Sang’s eyes revealed a trace of excitement.

If such a big group all got frozen by Ice Flower Seal, then Lubao’s points could skyrocket in an instant…

Qiao Sang didn’t dare miss the opportunity and shouted, “Ice Flower Seal!”

“Lu!”

Lubao jumped onto her Beastmaster’s head, raised her head slightly, and opened her mouth.

But in the next moment, Qiao Sang felt a sudden lightness on her head.

Startled, she reached up and found nothing there.

“!!!”

Qiao Sang was stunned.

Where’s Lubao? That big ol’ Lubao of mine, where did she go?!

“Gang Guard.”

At that moment, Gangbao turned in another direction and called out, indicating the third sibling was over there.

Qiao Sang quickly looked up and saw Lubao held in the paw of a chubby pink pet beast in the distance.

Spatial shift… that pet had used spatial shift to transfer Lubao away.

Qiao Sang sharply came to this conclusion.

She waved her hand, then froze again.

Lubao couldn’t be summoned back?

Qiao Sang looked toward the pink pet and noticed a ghost-type pet next to it, mostly black, with only one eye on its entire face.

Her eyes dropped to the shadows on the ground and saw that its shadow and Lubao’s were connected.

Shadow Control…

Qiao Sang’s heart sank.

First spatial shift, then shadow control, this was clearly a premeditated plan…

“Yabao!” Qiao Sang called out, but the usually responsive Yabao didn’t react.

She turned her head and saw that Yabao was surrounded by a group of high-level pet beasts, each around three meters tall. They were closing in with various elemental skills.

Boom boom boom!!

A violent commotion erupted elsewhere.

Qiao Sang looked down and saw another group of pets had surrounded Little Treasure.

They’re trying to separate them and defeat them one by one?

While thinking that, dozens of pet beasts of various types swarmed around her.

No, their target is… me!

Qiao Sang’s pupils shrank, but before she could say anything-

Dozens of different elemental skills, like streaks of multicolored lines, surged toward her like a tidal wave.

Only one thought flashed through Qiao Sang’s mind:

They’re going all out!

---

Under the eaves.

Everyone was watching the battle in the sky, excited, yet worried.

“She’s not going to get hurt, right?” A short-haired girl asked with concern.

Though all the Yulianton students had been through beast energy feedback and wouldn't be seriously harmed as long as treated in time, the girl in the sky was being attacked by a whole group of pet beasts, not just one. If anything went wrong, the consequences could be disastrous.

Given her skill level, not even upperclassmen might be able to match her.

If she suffered irreversible injuries, the school would definitely not let them off the hook.

The blond crew-cut boy next to her said, “Relax. We’re just trying to teach her a lesson. Just before the skills hit, Xiyuan Coco will teleport her to us so she knows we’re not to be messed with.”

“But…” The short-haired girl pointed at the sky, still worried:

“Why hasn’t the teleportation happened yet? If they wait any longer, those attacks are really going to hit her.”

The blond boy looked up at the scene in the sky.

Gangbao was speeding downward, occasionally flapping her wings to dodge, trailed closely by attacks that looked ready to strike any second.

The boy’s eyelid twitched. He turned to the red-haired girl beside him and asked in a low voice, “Why hasn’t your Xiyuan Coco teleported her over yet?”

The red-haired girl took a deep breath and said:

“My Xiyuan Coco got held up.”

What does that mean?

The boy was stunned and looked in another direction.

There, Ice Xilu had summoned a fog of mist, shrouding Xiyuan Coco in a thick white cloud.

It’s over…

The boy’s mind went blank.

Without Xiyuan Coco, the one with spatial teleportation, if those skills landed, what then?

She could die!

The boy’s heart chilled. He suddenly snapped back to reality and shouted: “Everyone, quick! Recall your pet beasts!”

Someone asked in confusion, “Why?”

“We’re about to win, don’t ruin it.” Another said impatiently.

“Win what?! Xiyuan Coco’s vision is blocked and can’t teleport her anymore! If this goes on, those skills will really hit her!” The blond boy said anxiously.

Everyone froze, looking up at the sky. Silence fell. They were hesitant.

They had finally gotten a chance to win, stopping now was hard to accept.

But if something really did happen…

---

Meanwhile, in the sky.

Gangbao was moving at high speed, her figure blurred, narrowly dodging each incoming attack.

Qiao Sang clung tightly to Gangbao, the wind making it nearly impossible to keep her eyes open.

This couldn’t go on. Gangbao’s Flash was a burst-type move, unsustainable. Eventually, the attacks would catch up…

Qiao Sang’s brain raced.

Yabao was surrounded by high-level beasts and couldn’t reach her in time even if he used a powerful skill. Lubao was trapped. Only Little Treasure had spatial teleportation and could instantly move her and Gangbao to safety.

But Little Treasure was tiny and completely surrounded by massive beasts. From that height, he probably couldn’t even see her…

Qiao Sang glanced in that direction, took a deep breath, and shouted with all her might:

“Litt-”

At that moment...

Gangbao felt herself slowing down.

“Gang Guard…”

Gangbao heard the howling sound of skills cutting through the air behind her. Her heartbeat accelerated. She couldn't stay calm anymore, she was getting anxious.

This couldn’t continue, they’d be caught.

Her Beast master was right behind her. If the attacks landed, she’d be hit first.

Thinking that, Gangbao gathered all her energy to speed up.

But the sound of attacks only got closer.

“Gang Guard!”

Gangbao gritted her teeth.

Then, she felt an unprecedented danger.

They’re going to catch up… E

ven without looking back, Gangbao felt an overwhelming sense of threat.

Qiao Sang…

Gangbao thought of her Beast master.

No time to think.

Her body reacted instinctively. She spun midair, her body glowing a metallic gray, and used her wings to shield Qiao Sang, switching their positions.

At that moment, Qiao Sang couldn’t finish shouting “-le Treasure.”

The multicolored elemental skills struck Gangbao’s body.

Flames.

Water jets.

Lightning.

Air blades…

Gangbao fell, wings still tightly wrapped around Qiao Sang.

“Gangbao! Gangbao!”

In a daze, Gangbao heard her Beast master’s voice.

She opened her eyes with difficulty and saw her worried face, and behind her, the pet beasts preparing for another attack.

“Gang Guard…”

Gangbao sighed inwardly.

Yabao, Little Treasure, Lubao- So completely unreliable…

In the next second, a white light burst from her body.