Chapter 758: Silent Stare at the Ladybug

“Yap!”

At this moment, Yabao was facing his Beast Tamer. Seeing the hand gesture, he immediately showed an excited expression and raised his head.

A scorching red energy ball abruptly formed in his mouth and shot into the sky.

“Fire Qilu has unleashed Meteor Rain!” The commentator cried out with excitement.

“How will Magical Clang react?! Under such an onslaught, even teleportation might not be enough to dodge it!”

Meteor Rain…

Elan’s mindset remained relatively calm.

He had someone draw runes on Magical Clang that could bring out its latent energy for a short time.

Once the runes were activated, the energy Magical Clang could utilize would increase by about one-third, almost reaching the late-stage of a General-level pet beast.

With this level of energy, coupled with its mastery of Mirror Reflection at the basic Ultimate level, Elan was confident that Magical Clang could withstand the Meteor Rain.

As he was thinking this, there was a loud

boom

in the sky.

Elan instinctively looked up, and the scene before his eyes made his pupils contract sharply.

A sky blanketed by flaming rain, gorgeous, yet brimming with a scorched and destructive aura.

The entire sky seemed to transform into a magnificent curtain of fire.

Countless flames rained down, and in their reflection, his pupils were completely engulfed by fire.

For a moment, Elan forgot to think.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, he shouted urgently: “Reinforce Mirror Reflection!”

“Ma-ma!”

Hearing its Beast Tamer’s voice, Magical Clang snapped out of its shock and hastily raised both of its claws.

In an instant, a translucent barrier roughly three meters in diameter appeared above its head.

At the same time, the white runes on its body glowed faintly.

A flash of light suddenly streaked across the translucent barrier, it seemed to solidify significantly.

Then, the fire rain imbued with destructive energy reached the barrier.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!

The fire rain instantly shattered the translucent shield upon contact!

“Ma-ma!!!”

The terrifying force of the Meteor Rain kept bombarding Magical Clang, slamming it into the ground.

Flames devoured, the ground trembled.

After a final cry of agony, Magical Clang did not rise again.

The fire rain continued falling.

No one knew how much time had passed before the crimson sky finally calmed down.

Yet the entire battlefield was full of craters, scorched black with lingering flames. The air was thick with the scent of fire.

Everyone stared at the scene before them, minds completely blank.

A few seconds later, a mechanical-type pet referee flew into the arena, examined the unconscious Magical Clang, and then blew the whistle signaling the end of the match.

“Qi- Qiao Sang is the winner of this match!” The commentator, still dazed from the spectacle, stammered at first, but his professionalism kicked in as he passionately began analyzing the battle:

“Fire Qilu ended the match with just one move, Meteor Rain! A high-tier fire-type skill! I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s the first time I’ve seen such a powerful Meteor Rain in person!”

The commentator grew increasingly excited, eventually spitting as he talked: “I can guarantee it! This is definitely an Ultimate-level Meteor Rain! No, an Ultimate Peak-level Meteor Rain!”

Silence. Dead silence.

A few seconds later, the audience erupted into thunderous noise.

“God! That was Meteor Rain? Since when is it that strong?!”

“The commentator said it, Ultimate Peak-level Meteor Rain!”

“A peak-tier Ultimate-level high-tier skill... it might as well be on par with some super skills.”

“That was insane! Absolutely insane! I’ve never seen such an impressive contestant before!”

“Seriously, it was a total stomp. Even though the pet beasts were the same level, the power difference wasn’t even close.”

“Honestly, that finger snap Qiao Sang did just now, so cool. I think I might become her fan…”

“Ahhh! I want Fire Qilu! I want to contract Fire Qilu!”

“I really don’t know how they train them... For a high-tier skill to reach Ultimate Peak-level, that’s usually only achievable by Beast Tamers over 40…”

“Magical Clang was so miserable… That Mirror Reflection shattered in a second, and then the rest of the Meteor Rain just landed straight on it…”

“Holy crap! Ultimate Peak-level Meteor Rain, none of the contestants could possibly withstand that!”

“I think it’s just Ultimate-level, though. Isn’t calling it Ultimate Peak a bit too exaggerated? The meaning between those two levels is completely different.”

“Bro, trust me, it’s definitely more than just regular Ultimate-level. I’m a fan of Elan and I know Magical Clang pretty well. Its Mirror Reflection reached Ultimate level a year ago. Plus, today it was using runes that boost its inner energy output. Even with those, the reflection didn’t last a second. So Fire Qilu’s Meteor Rain is definitely even stronger than you think.”

“Guess you really are his fan. I was completely mesmerized by the Meteor Rain and didn’t even notice Magical Clang's runes activating…”

---

On the field, Elan stood stiffly, feeling a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his back.

To be honest, he was a pet beast egg appraiser, usually seated, and rarely faced situations where he had to battle himself.

The earlier meteor rain made him feel his own insignificance for the first time.

So this is what students from Yulianton University’s Beast Taming Department are like…

Elan took a deep breath, trying to steady his mindset.

“Yap!”

Yabao dashed down from the air and arrived at his beastmaster’s side.

“Well done.” Qiao Sang praised.

After speaking, she waved her hand and recalled Yabao back into the Beast Codex.

At that moment, a mechanical voice sounded across the field: “3, 2, 1, match start.”

Qiao Sang didn’t dare waste a second, quickly forming hand seals with both hands.

This time, surprisingly, the star array in front of her lit up first.

It’s over

… Elan felt a chill in his heart.

Although he tried to stabilize his mindset, he had to admit he was still somewhat affected. Otherwise, his palms wouldn’t be so sweaty, and his sealing speed wouldn’t be slower than in the first match.

If the pet beast appears first, it may gain an opening advantage, but now, even that only advantage is probably gone…

He hadn’t forgotten that Qiao Sang still had a recently popular Ice Aipalu.

“Xun xun~”

Little Treasure appeared and immediately teleported outside the opponent’s star array, eyes glowing violet.

That’s…

Elan was startled, then realized something, and instinctively shouted: “Close your eyes!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Elan regretted it.

There were many ways to counter hypnosis. It wasn’t absolutely necessary to close the eyes.

Now that the Ghost Ring King was so close, it could switch to another move and launch an attack effortlessly!

He wanted to change the command, but it was already too late. Just appearing in the star array, a roughly two-meter-tall insect-type pet beast with a rose-red body, a pair of black antennae, beige limbs and neck adorned with brown spirit patterns, and semi-transparent wings covered in black dots, heard its beastmaster's voice and instinctively shut its eyes.

The Still Gaze Ladybug…

Qiao Sang recognized the summoned beast.

The next second, she clicked her tongue inwardly and thought, this opponent really lacks combat experience. He actually let his pet beast close its eyes during battle.

“Xun xun~”

Little Treasure saw the opponent’s state, grinned, then raised his paw. A thick white light gathered, and he chopped down hard on the Still Gaze Ladybug’s head.

“Jingjing!”

The ladybug clutched its head and fell to the ground with a scream.

“Contestant Qiao Sang launched the first attack!” The commentator excitedly narrated,

“The Ghost Ring King teleported in front of the Still Gaze Ladybug. Judging by the posture, it was preparing to use hypnosis.”

“Elan’s contestant ordered the Still Gaze Ladybug to close its eyes, giving the Ghost Ring King a chance to use Brick-Breaking, very effective!”

The brief exchange drew sighs from the audience.

“Elan’s reaction was bad. Why would you let your beast close its eyes during battle?”

“He’s never been good at live combat. Sometimes I think he should just let the pet act on its own.”

“Letting the beast close its eyes was a reflex, okay? Everyone knows Qiao Sang’s Ghost Ring King has a high success rate with hypnosis.”

“Watch, Qiao Sang will definitely win this match. Elan’s only advantage was his sealing speed, and now he can’t even match her in that.”

“If you don’t strike first, your rhythm gets disrupted. Elan’s probably still shaken from the last round. His sealing wasn’t this slow before. He usually got the first move in previous days.”

While the crowd discussed, Little Treasure lifted his paw again, condensing a purple energy ball and hurling it at the fallen Still Gaze Ladybug.

“Jingjing!”

To the ladybug, the purple energy ball seemed magnified several times. It reflexively flapped its wings and transformed into a white streak, darting into the air.

Boom!

The shadow ball hit the ground with a loud bang.

“The Still Gaze Ladybug dodged the Ghost Ring King’s shadow ball!” The commentator dutifully reported.

“Supersonic!” Elan relaxed slightly and quickly issued a command.

“Jingjing!”

The Still Gaze Ladybug opened its mouth, and a sharp buzzing sound immediately rang out.

Just as he was about to launch another attack, Little Treasure heard the noise and felt a buzzing in his head, a mild headache making him clutch his head.

Then his beastmaster’s voice rang out: “Invisible.”

Little Treasure endured the disorientation and turned invisible.

This caused the Still Gaze Ladybug, which had been about to strike, to suddenly lose his target.

Supersonic, a mid-level Normal-type skill, releases special soundwaves that confuse the enemy. But pets with strong mental strength can resist it better and recover more quickly…

Qiao Sang mentally gauged Little Treasure's state. With many psychic-type skills and having mastered techniques directly tied to mental power to the ultimate level, he should recover in a second or two…

“Supersonic!” Elan ordered again.

If the Ghost Ring King becomes confused, it might not be able to maintain invisibility!

“Looks like contestant Elan wants the Still Gaze Ladybug to force the Ghost Ring King out with supersonic waves!” The commentator explained.

Time’s up…

Qiao Sang calmly said: “Two-Dimensional.”

The Still Gaze Ladybug opened its mouth.

Before the sharp buzzing could emerge, its body suddenly jerked uncontrollably.

“Xun xun!”

From the panoramic view, Little Treasure stood at the edge of the ladybug’s shadow, his own shadow connecting to it. He rotated his short toes, spinning faster and faster.

“The Ghost Ring King restrained the Still Gaze Ladybug just before it used Supersonic!” The commentator excitedly narrated the situation.

In the audience, the discussions resumed: “A Bug and Flying-type trying to fight a Ghost and Psychic-type? No chance.”

“If Elan were a professional beastmaster, it might be better. But he’s an appraiser, his commands are too direct and easy to read.”

“Exactly.”

“By the way, I recognize the rune patterns on the Still Gaze Ladybug. Like those on Magical Clang, they enhance energy. But where’s its item? Elan usually equips both runes and items.”

“Look at its wings. Those markings aren’t patterns, they’re its item.” A fan of Elang replied.

---

On the field.

"Use the item!" Elan shouted loudly.

"Jing... urgh..." The Ladybug forcibly suppressed its nausea and channeled energy into its wings.

In an instant, the vein-like patterns on its wings, hundreds of tiny lines, seemed to come alive, squirming as they extended downward, rapidly growing to tens of meters in length.

The threadlike strands, resembling silkworm silk, moved along with Still Gaze Ladybug’s body swings.

But as they touched the ground, all the hundreds of strands stuck to it, and didn’t move again.

"Xun xun?"

Little Treasure moved his paw. When he realized he couldn’t spin anymore, he looked at the hundreds of threads with a confused expression.

What kind of item is this? It felt similar to the silk threads of bug-type beasts but far stickier and more durable...

Qiao Sang reined in her thoughts and made a snap decision:

"Three-dimensional!"

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure moved his paw, and the shadow that had originally connected to the ground immediately sprang up, violently wrapping itself around Still Gaze Ladybug.

"Dodge!" Elan sensed danger and gave a command.

At this point, Still Gaze Ladybug was still in a dizzy state. It wobbled, just trying to stabilize itself mid-air, but the shadow furiously wrapped around its entire body.

"Aim the Destruction Ray at the shadow!" Elan switched instructions.

His thinking was simple: Since the Ladybug’s wings were tied up, he’d use a skill that could be fired from the mouth!

Even if it meant Still Gaze Ladybug would have to pause for a few seconds afterward, it was better than being tied up indefinitely!

Such a straightforward command…

Qiao Sang couldn’t help but reflect.

If it had been back when she had just become a beast master, she might’ve thought the command was fine. But after so many battles, she understood well how flawed such instructions were.

Still Gaze Ladybug resisted the dizziness and opened its mouth.

But in the next second, the black shadow extended and wrapped around its mouth.

Still Gaze Ladybug: !!!

Elan: !!!

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure grinned and wiggled his short toes.

Still Gaze Ladybug was immediately spun left and right across the ground like a half-circle arc, faster and faster.

Although the audience had seen far more brutal battles, this particular scene made them inexplicably uncomfortable to keep watching.

Still Gaze Ladybug tried to cry out, but with its mouth covered, it couldn’t make a sound.

Hundreds of silk threads remained glued to the ground, but since Still Gaze Ladybug’s highest swing was only about ten meters, they weren’t affected at all.

After about a full minute of spinning, Still Gaze Ladybug finally stopped moving.

"That’s enough." Qiao Sang called out.

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure retracted his Shadow Control.

The black shadow disappeared from Still Ladybug’s body.

Eyes closed, it had completely lost consciousness.

-----

T/n: Sorry I wasn't able to update for the past two days😭 Our internet got cut off and I was surviving in data, but the damn data was also slow.