Chapter 53: Not dressed up in vain

“One move! Only one move! Sha Duo, what do you think of this match?” The middle-aged Commentator asked.

A one-hit KO is nothing special in a competition of this level.

The duration was too short and the atmosphere wasn’t enough; the audience couldn’t discern anything professional, which is where the Commentator and guest’s roles come in.

“The Fire Fang Dog’s attack speed and move power are both a step above the Fire Chain Snake, especially its attack speed. It launched its skill almost as soon as the match began, while Xie Jianyin was still giving commands,” Sha Duo analyzed.

The middle-aged Commentator, listening on the side, had a different perspective.

While attack speed was important, he felt the key to victory lay in that Spark.

That was a Spark at the Minor Accomplishment realm.

If that Spark had only been at the入門 (Entry) realm, its power would have been insufficient, and the impact from the explosion wouldn’t have been enough to knock the Fire Chain Snake unconscious.

He remembered that Qiao Sang’s profile stated she was a graduating junior high student…

The Host continued with the program, introducing the names of the fourth group of contestants, while the audience was still discussing the previous match.

“What’s wrong with Xie Jianyin? Why send out a Fire Chain Snake when he has a Long-tailed Snake?”

“Maybe he thought he could win even with the Fire Chain Snake.”

“It feels like feeding kills in a game. Was there some private deal?”

“The Fire Fang Dog itself isn’t weak, so what’s surprising about it winning? If it were a fixed match, it would at least last a few moves. How could it lose so quickly? Besides, what’s the point of fixing a small-scale competition like this?”

Nowadays, there are many competitions and many viewers, especially for large-scale competitions, which various media and online platforms vie to report on.

If it’s a high-level event that only A-grade Beastmasters can participate in, the number of online viewers would be at least in the hundreds of millions.

Any Yu Beast Master who makes an appearance in such an event can gain a large number of fans, and their value will skyrocket.

Not to mention achieving a certain ranking in the event.

It’s usually only in those levels of competition that fixed matches occur.

Whether it’s the capitalists manipulating from behind or the Yu Beast Masters wanting to become famous overnight, they will find ways to pull strings behind the scenes.

However, fixing a competition like the Bai Xin Competition, where viewership ratings rely on the participants’ friends and family, is completely meaningless.

Here, Qiao Sang had just sat down with her Fire Fang Dog.

“Qiao Genius, that was so cool! I hadn’t even reacted, and you had already won,” Bai Yunmiao said with a smile.

“Actually, I hadn’t reacted either,” Qiao Sang said.

“Ya Ya!”

The Fire Fang Dog nodded, indicating it felt the same.

“Haha, just now, the Fire Fang Dog’s bewildered expression when it realized it won was hilarious. It’s a shame I didn’t record it. You can go online and check it out; it could even be made into an emoji pack,” Bai Yunmiao continued, laughing.

“Ya!”

The Fire Fang Dog immediately seemed a bit restless.

What was recorded online wasn’t its cool side during the match, was it?

What was wrong with its expression?

How could it be funny?

Qiao Sang was also very curious. During the battle, the Fire Fang Dog had its back to her, so she hadn’t seen any expressions.

However, the platform was live-streaming now, so she would have to wait until the morning matches ended and watch the replay to see it.

The competition proceeded efficiently.

By the time it was the 20th group of contestants’ turn to enter the arena, Bai Yunmiao took out a mirror from her cross-body bag and checked her reflection.

Then she pulled out a comb from her bag and combed her bangs.

Qiao Sang couldn’t help but say, “You even brought a comb.”

Bai Yunmiao said seriously, “As a refined Yu Beast Master, one must always pay attention to their image when facing the camera.”

Qiao Sang: “…”

This was the first time she heard ‘refined’ used to describe a Yu Beast Master. That word was more suitable for a Pet Coordinator.

After all, Pet Coordinators not only focus on their Pet’s image but also manage their own appearance.

She felt Bai Yunmiao had the potential to be a Pet Coordinator…

Bai Yunmiao was in the 25th group of contestants, and her opponent was not on Qiao Sang’s memo list.

“Fire Fang Dog, who do you think will win?” Qiao Sang asked as usual.

“Ya.”

The Fire Fang Dog pointed to the figure in the air that it loved by association—the Little Chubby Dove.

Qiao Sang felt that Bai Yunmiao hadn’t praised the Fire Fang Dog for being handsome just now, so the Fire Fang Dog should be judging fairly and chose the Pet it thought might win…

Bai Yunmiao’s Pet was a Sprinkling Gold Vine.

It stood about 90 centimeters tall, with a small, round, greenish-blue body, golden-yellow eyes with no pupils, only tiny dots, and a tendril about 5 centimeters long curled on its head, making it look somewhat adorable.

In the arena, both sides had been sparring for two minutes and had consumed some stamina.

The Little Chubby Dove’s Flying height had also slightly decreased.

The Sprinkling Gold Vine swung its head widely, and several sharp blades formed from leaves flew towards the Little Chubby Dove in the air.

The Little Chubby Dove flapped its wings, frantically dodging. Just as it finally relaxed after this wave of leaf blades, two vines emerged from the Sprinkling Gold Vine’s index fingers, binding it tightly.

The next second, the Little Chubby Dove’s vision directly rotated 180 degrees.

“Dove!!”

Under the control of the vines, the Little Chubby Dove was slammed headfirst onto the ground.

“Bai Yunmiao is victorious,” the referee announced the result.

The Fire Fang Dog covered its eyes, unable to bear watching.

Qiao Sang looked at the Fire Fang Dog covering its eyes.

Was this not a jinx?

“How was it, how was it? Was my hairstyle messed up just now in the arena?” Bai Yunmiao asked as soon as she returned and sat down.

“It was good,” Qiao Sang replied.

Bai Yunmiao’s hairstyle was a bun, all neatly tied together. Unless there was strenuous exercise, it wouldn’t get messy.

Bai Yunmiao was very satisfied with the answer. She then took out her mirror and comb and combed her bangs again.

…

As the morning matches concluded, the contestants and audience inside the venue gradually began to leave.

At the entrance of the arena.

Bai Yunmiao pointed to the reporter with a microphone not far away and said nervously, “What should I do? I’m a bit nervous now. What should I say if they interview me when we pass by them?”

Qiao Sang said, “That depends on what they ask, I guess. Usually, they ask why you participated in the competition and what your thoughts are on the competition.”

Bai Yunmiao nodded and asked, “How do I look now?”

“Beautiful,” Qiao Sang praised.

“Then I… Ah! They’re looking this way! Ah ah ah! They’re walking over!” Bai Yunmiao said excitedly.

“Calm down, maintain your image,” Qiao Sang said.

“You’re right… They seem to be walking towards us!” Bai Yunmiao whispered excitedly.

Qiao Sang looked over. The reporter with the microphone and his team were indeed walking in their direction.

It seemed Bai Yunmiao’s foresight was correct.

She didn’t get dressed up for nothing.

Soon, the reporter with the microphone and his team arrived in front of them.

“Qiao Sang, I’m a reporter from Hanggang Juhe Platform. I’d like to interview you about your Fire Fang Dog and the competition. Do you have time now?”

Qiao Sang fell silent, looking at the microphone placed in front of her.

Bai Yunmiao: “…!”