Chapter 760: Challenge (two in one)

The competition proceeded in an orderly fashion.

After an unknown amount of time, a familiar Staff member walked over, lowered her head, and respectfully said, “Miss Qiao, please follow me to the backstage to prepare.”

Qiao Sang got up and followed her to the backstage passage, where she stood still.

Tao Jun also had two General-level Pets: an Evil-type and Water-type dual-attribute General-level Pet, the Evil Water Toad, and a Water-type and Flying-type dual-attribute General-level Pet, Bai Qing’e.

The former had a poison sac in its throat; if one got close, a single cry from it could cause the opponent to be poisoned by its breath.

The latter was a rare Pet that could move in both water and air. It was said to enjoy dancing in the evening, and many artists drew inspiration from it, leading many to call it a “Vase Pet.”

As for the Spiritual Marks, their effects were temporarily uncertain, as Tao Jun could engrave various Spiritual Marks, and the Spiritual Marks on her Pets in each match were different from the previous day. She was a contestant who liked to re-engrave Spiritual Marks as soon as the previous ones’ effects faded… Qiao Sang recalled her opponent’s general information, her mind unconsciously pondering.

Judging by her opponent’s experience, she should be a professional Spirit Mark Master who had long studied Spiritual Marks and paid little attention to Pet training.

She still had Steel Treasure that hadn’t fought yet, and all contestants participating in the Beastmaster Star Tournament had at least two General-level Pets.

They naturally also had High-level Pets and even low-level Pets, but this was a once-a-year, nationwide live-streamed competition, with even dedicated channels following and reporting on it. It was a great opportunity to gain popularity and fans, so they were unlikely to summon their weaker Pets to battle others.

Since the opponents she would encounter in the future would all summon General-level Pets, she might as well send Steel Treasure out now. After all, it would have to fight General-level Pets sooner or later.

After all, her purpose in participating was for training, to improve better, and not to consider only how to win with the best choice, like during the National Campus Pet Beast League…

Just as she was thinking, the Commentator’s voice entered her ears:

“Let’s welcome contestant Tao Jun and contestant Qiao Sang to the stage!”

Cheers and shouts immediately erupted, with many people calling out Qiao Sang’s name, even subtly overshadowing Tao Jun’s.

In just a few days, from initial obscurity and doubt to now having fans getting tickets to attend the event, this was rare in the celebrity competition circle, which brought together stars from all walks of life.

The audience present at the venue, apart from some invited by the organizers in the front rows, were mostly die-hard fans of a certain celebrity contestant, who specifically came to cheer and hold signs to support them, differing somewhat from those fans who only cheered online and changed idols at any time.

…

On the field.

Qiao Sang and Tao Jun walked to opposite sides of the arena and stood still.

A mechanical voice quickly sounded: “3, 2, 1, the match begins!”

Qiao Sang swiftly raised her hand and formed a seal.

Both of their Star Arrays lit up almost simultaneously.

Her sealing speed is faster than yesterday… Tao Jun’s heart tightened as she looked at the orange-yellow Star Array lighting up in the distance.

After the past two days of matches, she was completely unable to view the person in front of her as a 16-year-old child.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, in terms of combat power, the opponent was indeed much stronger than her, especially Ice Aipalu’s Ice Heaven Domain. If the opponent used that, she would basically be finished.

She had thought she could gain an advantage in hand speed for forming seals, but she didn’t expect the opponent’s hand speed to be so much faster in just one day…

Amidst Tao Jun’s frustration, a colossal purple figure, nearly 8 meters tall, appeared within the opponent’s Star Array.

General-level Pet? No! King-level Pet?! Tao Jun stared with disbelief, her eyes wide, and her breathing suddenly quickened as she looked at the unfamiliar Pet in the distance, which was significantly larger than a General-level Pet.

At the same time, the previously somewhat noisy audience fell silent instantly, followed by the arena erupting into a frenzy.

“Oh, my goodness! What kind of Pet is this?!”

“General-level Pet? All four of Qiao Sang’s Pets are General-level?! My goodness! What kind of monster is she?!”

“Is it General-level? Its size feels significantly larger than a General-level Pet!”

“Holy cow! Don’t tell me this is King-level?!”

“Crazy! Crazy! This world is crazy!”

“Everyone, calm down! The aura from this Pet is clearly not that of a King-level Pet, and there’s also some difference compared to a General-level Pet.”

“Found it! This Pet can be identified by the Pet Identifier! It’s the High-level Pet, Steel Slash Giant Falcon!” an excited audience member, holding a Pet Identifier aimed at the purple figure on the field, exclaimed.

As his words fell, the Commentator’s excited voice appeared on the field:

“Contestant Qiao Sang has summoned the Steel Slash Giant Falcon! I believe many people are still unfamiliar with this Pet! Unlike contestant Qiao Sang’s previous three Pets, this is a Pet belonging to our Super Dormant Star!”

“Little Steel Falcon’s latest High Level form, our Super Dormant Star’s first Steel Slash Giant Falcon!”

The Commentator had clearly done his homework.

Qiao Sang had registered Steel Treasure at the Yu Beast Center after its complete evolution, so information about the Steel Slash Giant Falcon was available.

The spectator stands were silent for a brief moment, then erupted into noise again.

“Little Steel Falcon has a new High Level form? Why haven’t I heard of it?”

“Ah! I remember now! Wasn’t it said not long ago that Little Steel Falcon had a new form, the Steel Guardian Falcon, which evolved through bonds? Is the Steel Slash Giant Falcon perhaps evolved from the Steel Guardian Falcon?”

“Possible!”

“I saw that news too!”

“So, the amazing person who made Little Steel Falcon evolve through bonds is Qiao Sang?!”

…

“Hoo…”

Amidst the heated discussions of the crowd, Tao Jun on the field gently exhaled.

So it’s a High-level Pet, it scared her to death…

As her thoughts flickered, Steel Treasure had already spread its massive wings, stirring up a chaotic gust of wind as it soared high into the sky.

With a powerful flap of its wings, a terrifying Typhoon instantly swept towards the elegant white figure.

Bai Qing’e… but what is the purpose of the blue Spiritual Marks on it… it doesn’t matter, it’s all going to be destroyed anyway… Qiao Sang looked at the bird-type Pet in the distance, which was largely white with many blue Spiritual Marks drawn on it, a long blue beak, a slender neck, and blue feathers on its chest that were much tougher than those elsewhere. She quickly communicated with Steel Treasure in her mind:

“Find a way to make some of its feathers with Spiritual Marks fall off.”

The next second, Steel Treasure’s voice sounded in her mind:

“Steel Slash.”

It understood.

It’s really great to be able to communicate directly in the mind… Qiao Sang thought.

“Just charge over like this!” Tao Jun shouted.

If it were another Pet, she might not be confident, but if it was just a High-level Pet, this match was a sure win!

“Bai Qing.”

Bai Qing’e flapped its wings lightly and voluntarily charged into the Typhoon.

As expected, it charged in… Qiao Sang’s expression was calm, as if she had already anticipated such a scene.

Bai Qing’e’s characteristic, Wind Following, allowed it to move according to the wind’s direction, ensuring it would not be harmed by the wind, even in a Typhoon.

Of course, it still depended on the level of Wind Following and the power of the Typhoon.

Clearly, the entry-level Typhoon unleashed by Steel Treasure was not taken seriously.

The Typhoon churned up most of the field, making it murky and filled with flying dust.

Bai Qing’e moved through it as if completely unimpeded, quickly moving diagonally left and right upwards, then lowering its wings, like a white streak of light, it burst out of the Typhoon’s range! Instantly, it shot straight towards Steel Treasure, which was looking down at it from high in the sky!

“Bai Qing’e has broken through the Typhoon and rushed in front of the Steel Slash Giant Falcon!” The Commentator promptly explained the current situation.

“It’s coming,” Qiao Sang said in her mind.

This time, Steel Treasure did not reply.

“Acrobatics!” Tao Jun shouted.

Acrobatics, a High Level Flying-type skill, could lightly attack opponents at close range, dealing high damage. It was most suitable for dealing with large, inflexible Pets!

Of course, Acrobatics was not just Acrobatics, but a combination skill of Acrobatics and Wing Blade.

However, Tao Jun did not explicitly say the combination skill, but as long as Bai Qing’e understood, it was fine.

She was confident that Bai Qing’e could hit continuously, and she believed that under this set of combination skills, the Steel Slash Giant Falcon would be directly defeated, simply because it was still just a High-level Pet.

Just as Tao Jun was full of confidence, she looked up at the sky as if she saw something incomprehensible, her expression froze, and then, her pupils suddenly constricted.

Just as Bai Qing’e was less than a meter away from the Steel Slash Giant Falcon, she suddenly opened her mouth wide, revealing an extremely pained expression, and the white light condensed on her wings suddenly dissipated.

The next second, the Steel Slash Giant Falcon, which was still slightly above, fell and heavily pressed down on Bai Qing’e.

“Bang!!!”

Bai Qing’e plummeted straight down, smashing directly into the ground.

The entire ground caved in, forming a deep pit, and most of Bai Qing’e’s body was embedded in the ground!

And on top of it, Steel Treasure was pressing down with a calm expression.

“Mount Tai Press!” The Commentator passionately spoke into the microphone: “The Steel Slash Giant Falcon used Mount Tai Press! Bai Qing’e suddenly stopped as if she couldn’t breathe while attacking! Combined with the Steel Slash Giant Falcon’s mouth-opening action just now, there’s no doubt it must have used Air Absorption!”

“Did it anticipate that Bai Qing’e would get close so early?!”

The sudden change on the field caused the audience to start discussing amongst themselves.

“I was wondering why the Steel Slash Giant Falcon had its mouth open but didn’t attack; turns out it was using Air Absorption.”

“Ah, I was focused on Bai Qing’e just now, so I didn’t notice…”

“The combination of these two skills is quite clever; the Steel Slash Giant Falcon truly lives up to being the High Level form of Little Steel Falcon, its intelligence still feels so high.”

“Hiss… I suddenly thought of a question, the Steel Guardian Falcon was only announced a few months ago, so does that mean this is a High-level Pet that just evolved?”

A High-level Pet battling a General-level Pet, not only was it not crushed, but the High-level Pet even gained the upper hand for a while. For a High-level Pet that had only recently evolved, even against Bai Qing’e, known as a “vase,” it was still hard for people to accept.

The people around them fell silent for a moment when they heard this.

At this moment, someone said, “If you think about the person who contracted it, it’s Qiao Sang, doesn’t it seem reasonable then?”

Don’t say it, it really seems to be… Everyone thought in unison.

…

On the field.

Calm down, calm down, the Steel Slash Giant Falcon is just a High-level Pet… As long as Bai Qing’e can hit it with a powerful attack… Fortunately, one of the Spiritual Marks she drew this time was to automatically accelerate the brain’s energy when injured, allowing for quick recovery… Thinking this, Tao Jun felt a little relieved.

At the same time, Qiao Sang’s voice echoed in Steel Treasure’s mind:

“Good opportunity, now’s your chance!”

“Steel Slash.” Steel Treasure replied, indicating understanding.

Then, it lifted its wings, and the blade-like feathers glowed with purple light, “Crackle crackle…” continuously chopping downwards.

White wings with Spiritual Marks fluttered.

Tao Jun: “!!!”

“Bai Qing’e! No!!!” Tao Jun let out a sharp cry.

Bai Qing’e heard her Yu Beast Master’s voice, endured the pain, and opened her eyes, then she saw the massive figure pressing on her, a few flashes of purple light, and white…

Bai Qing’e suddenly thought of something, stiffened her head, and looked down, then she saw herself half-bald.

“Bai Qing!!!”

Bai Qing’e’s pupils contracted sharply, her expression froze, and then she let out a heart-wrenching shriek.

The tragic scene on the field made the Commentator pause for two seconds before starting his commentary:

“The Steel Slash Giant Falcon used Steel Wing to shave off most of Bai Qing’e’s feathers. Is this preparing for a devastating mental attack…?”

This… The scene before them caught everyone off guard, and for a moment, no one could utter any words of evaluation.

Player area.

I didn’t teach it, I didn’t teach it… Pilit picked up a water cup, pretending to drink water.

…

“Bai Qing!!!”

Bai Qing’e, maddened by anger, let out a roar.

Following its roar, five ripples suddenly appeared on the ground, surging up and transforming into five fierce water pillars, instantly concentrating and attacking Steel Treasure.

“Go!” As Bai Qing’e roared, Qiao Sang gave the command in her mind.

Steel Treasure flapped its wings and flew upwards, narrowly dodging the concentrated attack of the water pillars.

But the water pillars’ attack did not stop; instead, they surged to a height of tens of meters, then attacked Steel Treasure once again.

The five water pillars flanked and relentlessly pursued the purple figure in the air.

Seeing that it was about to be caught, Qiao Sang said in her mind: “Electro-optic Flash!”

“Steel Slash!”

Steel Treasure cried out, its body glowed with white light, and it shot upwards, tearing through the air, instantly creating a distance of several hundred meters from the five water pillars with terrifying speed.

The five water pillars finally exhausted themselves, returning to water ripples below, disappearing without a trace.

“Bai Qing!!!”

At this moment, Bai Qing’e also transformed into a white light and shot straight into the sky.

It will be caught, Steel Treasure’s speed isn’t as fast as hers… Qiao Sang made an immediate decision and gave the command in her mind:

“Wing Blade!”

Steel Treasure suddenly stopped in mid-air and vigorously flapped its wings downwards.

Hundreds of purple-glowing, blade-like feathers attacked Bai Qing’e in a wide range like a rain of blades!

“Quick, dodge!” Tao Jun’s heart tightened, and she shouted loudly.

However, Bai Qing’e could no longer hear anything; her eyes only saw the culprit who had made her bald.

It stared intently at the purple figure, fearlessly charging into the rain of purple blades!

Tao Jun: “!!!”

Wing Blade cut wounds all over Bai Qing’e’s body, but its speed did not slow down at all; instead, it burst forth with even more terrifying speed, enduring the incoming rain of purple blades and fiercely crashing into Steel Treasure!

So painful… Qiao Sang had a “holy cow” rising to her throat, but remembering that it was being broadcast live across the entire network, she swallowed it back.

“Bang!”

Steel Treasure fell diagonally to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Bai Qing!”

Bai Qing’e looked at the hateful purple figure below, just about to launch another attack.

But at this moment, a wave of pain struck, Bai Qing’e lost her balance and also fell to the ground.

“What a spectacular clash…” The Commentator took a deep breath, then his emotions soared: “Bai Qing’e withstood the dense Wing Blade attack and hit the Steel Slash Giant Falcon, but it’s clear she also suffered heavy injuries! Both Pets have fallen to the ground! Who will stand up first?!”

“Bai Qing’e!” Tao Jun shouted.

She had no choice; most of Bai Qing’e’s feathers were gone, and the Spiritual Mark’s effect had also disappeared, so she could only purely shout.

“Steel Treasure, are you alright?” Qiao Sang asked with a slight worry in her mind.

Outside the field, the mechanical-type Pet serving as the referee wanted to fly into the arena.

However, the next second, both Pets on the field struggled to stand up, so it stopped its movement.

Tao Jun was practically overjoyed.

She hadn’t expected Bai Qing’e to be able to stand up so quickly after such an attack, completely different from her previous perseverance!

Is the power of anger really that strong?!

“Bai Qing…”

Bai Qing’e wobbled as she stood up.

“Steel Slash…”

Steel Treasure struggled to stand, looking at its opponent in the distance, who was covered in injuries but still staring intently at it, then suddenly raised its left wing and pointed upwards.

“Bai Qing…”

Bai Qing’e subconsciously followed the direction it pointed and looked up, then it saw the giant virtual screen that was synchronizing the scene on the field for the live audience.

On it, its current appearance was clearly visible.

Its head was half-bald, most of the feathers on its neck and back were gone, and the remaining few white feathers were all covered in scars…

Is this, it?

Bai Qing’e’s mind went blank.

“Bai Qing’e! Air Blade!” At this moment, her Yu Beast Master’s voice rang out.

Bai Qing’e looked towards her Yu Beast Master’s direction with a dazed expression.

Immediately after, her pupils contracted sharply.

She saw the audience behind her Yu Beast Master.

“Bai Qing…”

So many people…

So many people…

Her current appearance was seen by so many people…

“Bai Qing…”

Bai Qing’e rolled her eyes and completely fainted.

Tao Jun: “!!!”

“Bai Qing’e is down! Is the match over?!” The Commentator’s voice rang out.

The mechanical-type Pet referee came to Bai Qing’e’s side and looked, then blew the whistle signaling the end of the match.

“Let us congratulate Player Qiao Sang for successfully challenging above her rank! Winning the first match!”