Chapter 948: Appearance (two in one)

As soon as the words fell, four massive, oversized virtual screens immediately appeared, facing the audience from different directions.

Each giant virtual screen displayed over four hundred contestant names and their photos.

The lists on all four virtual screens were identical, simply to ensure that audience members seated in different areas could see clearly.

Qiao Sang’s gaze quickly scanned the list.

It contained names that had appeared on marketing accounts, as well as names that had never been seen before.

Soon, she found herself as the second name on the third row from the bottom.

Ye Xiangting quickly browsed the list while asking, “Did you find your name?”

“Third row from the bottom, second one,” Qiao Sang replied.

Ye Xiangting looked at the specified position.

When she saw her daughter’s photo and name, her eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled out her phone, opened the camera function, zoomed in, and precisely aimed at the photo to capture it.

“The 432 Yu Beast Masters on this list are all the contestants for this year’s Regional Competition!” the Host announced loudly, holding the microphone. “Some of them have already experienced ten Regional Competitions, while others are participating for the first time this year.”

“Who will emerge victorious in this highest-level Yu Beast battle feast in the region! You all, will witness it together!”

Thunderous applause erupted in the audience.

“First, we will proceed with the preliminary grouping!” the Host continued. “Let’s welcome the referees from the Yu Beast Notary Office!”

The Yu Beast society has many methods for Yu Beast Masters.

In the Liaoxi region, there was an incident where a contestant used a Mechanical-type Pet to hack into the system during the Regional Competition to arrange opponents for himself.

Since then, all Regional Competitions in Longguo invite referees from the Yu Beast Notary Office, allowing their Mechanical-type Pets to enter the system for live grouping, preventing anyone from using such tricks again.

As her words fell, the audience quieted down, each person looking expectant, eager to see the group matches immediately.

A woman in formal wear and a humanoid metal-bodied Pet, about two meters tall and mainly composed of two spheres, stood up in the front row and waved to the audience.

Then, the woman nodded towards the humanoid metal-bodied Pet.

“Fen Fen.”

The humanoid metal-bodied Pet called out, and then its head and body split into two.

The head floated towards the giant virtual screen, entering it and disappearing.

Only the lower half remained standing motionless outside.

Fen Tongji, a Mechanical-type High-level Pet, can directly enter the system for operation. During the operation, if it encounters a virus or a hidden Pet, its body color will change from silver-white to black.

For those who have watched large-scale Yu Beast competitions on television, Fen Tongji is not unfamiliar.

Ye Xiangting was unaware.

Although the Yuhua region also had similar Mechanical-type Pets, they were not Fen Tongji.

Seeing the scene before her, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “This Pet is quite unique, with half its body remaining outside.”

“This is Fen Tongji,” Qiao Sang explained. “If it encounters a virus or another Pet when it enters the system, not only its head but also its body outside will turn black. This is to let everyone know immediately if there’s a problem with the system during grouping.”

In the past few days, she had specifically researched previous Regional Competitions in the Zhongkong region, so she wasn’t unfamiliar with Fen Tongji.

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiangting immediately looked at her daughter with new respect.

She felt that her daughter had not only grown in strength but also in knowledge.

“It seems I can ask you whenever I don’t understand something from now on,” Ye Xiangting joked.

Not necessarily, not necessarily… Qiao Sang replied with a smile, “Feel free to ask.”

Liu Yao listened to the conversation from the side, feeling deeply emotional.

Back then, Qiao Sang couldn’t even distinguish the most basic food for Pets. Now, she knows other regions’ Pets like the back of her hand and has even become a B-level Beast Tamer.

And ‘back then’ was only two years ago.

During their conversation, Fen Tongji had completed the grouping.

The virtual screen displayed the grouping results for each group.

The screen rippled, and Fen Tongji’s spherical head floated out of the virtual screen, merging back with its body, its color unchanged.

The Host announced loudly, “The list is effective, and the preliminary match list has been matched.”

Almost simultaneously, everyone’s gaze turned to the giant virtual screen.

Qiao Sang saw herself among the first few groups.

[Tang Chao VS Wang Yike]

[Sheng Taozhe VS Nian Dingding]

…

[Lu Fengba VS Qiao Sang]

Lu Fengba, 36 years old, a C-level Beastmaster, had participated in the Regional Competition twice. The first time, he was eliminated in the preliminaries. The second time, he achieved a good result, making it into the top 100… Looking at the dark-skinned, thick-browed man in the photo, Qiao Sang’s mind flashed with relevant information.

She had seen this person’s information on a certain marketing account.

She remembered that his last participation in the Regional Competition was two years ago. In two years, his strength could have undergone a significant change, so past information was no longer very useful.

At the same time, five rows behind her, the thick-browed man saw his opponent’s name and photo, paused, and then rejoiced.

Qiao Sang, never heard of her. It seems she’s participating for the first time. Her photo looks so young, like a child. She must be a relatively talented Yu Beast Master who received feedback at a very young age, causing her appearance to age more slowly.

However, being this young suggests that her actual age isn’t particularly old.

This match should be a sure win.

The Host announced loudly:

“Next, we will announce the battle rules. Contestants are only allowed to use registered Pets. Pets are not allowed to use potions, items, or Spiritual Marks. Anyone who uses them will be directly disqualified from the competition. If a Pet evolves during the battle, it cannot be interrupted. The competition will be in a 3V3 format, where each contestant will select three Pets to participate. After each battle, contestants can choose whether or not to recall their Pets into the yu beast codex. The side whose three Pets are all knocked out first will be eliminated…”

“Tonight’s preliminary round will be kicked off by the contestants from the first ten groups to start this battle feast for us!”

The opening ceremony of the Regional Competition is usually held in the evening.

Originally, according to the initial format, battles were held on the second day.

However, too many people later protested, wanting to see the battles immediately.

Given that the opening ceremony only takes about one or two hours, there was indeed enough time left to watch a few battles. So, the officials later changed the rules, and the first ten groups on the battle list would compete directly.

This allowed everyone to see the battles immediately and also prevented them from having to stay up late to watch them.

Most contestants hoped to appear in the top ten groups.

Everyone was well-prepared for the battles and didn’t mind when they took place.

And the battles of the first ten groups were held directly after the opening ceremony, watched by almost everyone in the Zhongkong region, generating the highest buzz. Even unknown Yu Beast Masters participating in the Regional Competition for the first time would gain high popularity.

Otherwise, subsequent battle lists would precisely indicate the month, day, morning, afternoon, or evening, and many people would specifically watch the battles of contestants they were interested in at the scheduled time.

Qiao Sang looked at the virtual screen and counted. She was in the fifth group, so it would be her turn tonight.

Almost at the same time she counted her order, the contestant list on the giant virtual screen disappeared one by one, leaving only the names and photos of the first ten groups of contestants.

The entire venue cheered, shouting the names of the contestants they were interested in from the top ten groups.

No one was shouting her name… Qiao Sang pricked up her ears and listened, feeling unsurprised.

Ye Xiangting finished looking at the list and looked at her daughter with shining eyes, her face even a little nervous.

The Regional Competition, to be honest, although she felt her daughter’s Yu Beast talent was extraordinarily high, participating in the Regional Competition was a normal thing, after all, no one in the entire Longguo could become a C-level Beastmaster at such a young age.

But realizing that she was really about to see her daughter debut in the Regional Competition, she still felt a sense of unreality.

The Regional Competition, a competition that gathered the most outstanding young Yu Beast Masters in the entire region, and her underage daughter, who used to fail exams, was actually going to compete…

Ye Xiangting took a deep breath, intending to say words like “Good luck with the match, cheer up,” but what came out was:

“Don’t be nervous…”

Mom, it looks like you’re the one who’s more nervous… Qiao Sang saw her mother’s slightly nervous expression and comforted her:

“I’m not nervous.”

She was telling the truth. She was excited, but not nervous at all. Her opponent was a full level below her, so there was no reason for her to be nervous.

The one who should be nervous now should be her opponent.

This is the Regional Competition, how could she not be nervous… Ye Xiangting didn’t believe it at all.

Just as she was about to say something, Liu Yao, who was beside them, spoke up:

“Qiao Sang’s mom, don’t be nervous. Qiao Sang can win.”

In the preliminary stage, it’s almost impossible for a B-level Beast Tamer to face another B-level Beast Tamer, so she’s guaranteed to advance.

Ye Xiangting was immediately speechless.

Was her nervousness really that obvious…? She took another deep breath, feeling a bit like wanting to refute the Vice Principal.

Although Tooth had recently evolved to the King-level, it didn’t guarantee a 100% win in battle. Would being so confident that her daughter would win put too much pressure on her?

In her opinion, for her daughter to be qualified to participate in the Regional Competition at this age was already excellent; winning or losing wasn’t that important.

Just as Ye Xiangting was preparing to organize her words, wanting to tell her daughter not to feel too much pressure, a Staff member walked over and said:

“Please, the contestants from the first ten groups, follow me backstage to prepare.”

The contestants on the list stood up one after another.

Qiao Sang stood up and said:

“Mom, Vice Principal, I’ll be going now.”

As soon as she spoke, the surrounding contestants and their families looked over, examining her with surprise.

Earlier, they had been focused on their own grouping situations and hadn’t paid attention to others. Now they realized that among this year’s contestants, there was one who looked like an underage child.

The short-haired man she had met at the contestant entrance was even more stunned, with only one thought in his mind:

Among the three, this girl is the contestant?!

“Go ahead,” Liu Yao nodded.

Ye Xiangting had a thousand words in her heart, but in the end, she only said two: “Good luck!”

Qiao Sang gave a firm “Mm,” turned, and followed the Staff member away, heading towards the backstage passage.

…

The contestant backstage was exceptionally spacious and well soundproofed, making it almost impossible to hear the outside sounds.

Against the wall was a giant virtual screen that occupied almost half the wall, broadcasting the outside scene live.

Some contestants were chatting, while others quietly kept to themselves, looking unapproachable.

Soon, two of the contestants followed the Staff members in different directions.

On the virtual screen, two people were sitting in front of the Commentator’s desk.

The handsome man in a suit said, “Hello everyone, I am this event’s Commentator, Tian Yiwan.”

“I’m the Commentator, Tang Xueran,” said the woman with long chestnut hair next to him, who looked very capable, with a smile.

“This Regional Competition will be fully commentated by us,” Tian Yiwan said, looking at the list with a smile. “The first pair of opponents to appear are Tang Chao and Wang Yike. Tang Chao is participating in the Regional Competition for the third time, so he’s a familiar face. Last time he participated, I remember he was eliminated in the second round.”

“That’s right. I wonder if he has made progress in this year’s competition and will achieve a higher ranking,” Tang Xueran said cooperatively.

Tian Yiwan continued:

“Wang Yike is an unfamiliar name. This is her first time participating in the Regional Competition, and she’s very young, only 27 years old.”

Tang Xueran smiled and said, “I have expectations for all Yu Beast Masters participating in the Regional Competition for the first time. I hope they can bring us different surprises.”

At this moment, the camera zoomed out to show the arena.

Suddenly, the ground on both sides of the arena automatically opened to a width of about two meters.

Tian Yiwan looked at the arena and said, “They’re here.”

As soon as his words fell, two blue bird-like Pets, about two meters in size and identical in appearance, simultaneously shot up from underground, flying straight into the sky. They stopped at a height of about ten meters, hovering steadily in mid-air.

Two figures stood on top of them respectively.

They were Tang Chao and Wang Yike.

…

The Zhongkong region’s Regional Competition has its own unique characteristics, even the entrance requires Flying-type Pets… However, commanding from a Flying-type Pet is also quite good. Pets are large, and only from a high vantage point can one better see the overall situation… Qiao Sang stared at the entrance scene on the giant virtual screen, a series of thoughts flashing through her mind.

Suddenly, a voice sounded beside her:

“Hello, I’m Lu Fengba.”

Qiao Sang turned her head, saw her upcoming opponent, and replied, “Hello, Qiao Sang.”

“I know,” Lu Fengba said with a smile. “We’ll be opponents later. By the way, you look really young. May I ask how old you are?”

Before a match, once opponents are known, many people will try to obtain information about their opponents by any means necessary.

Qiao Sang thought about it. Her age didn’t seem to be particularly important information, so she answered honestly:

“17 years old.”

Lu Fengba paused, then laughed, “You’re really humorous.”

What’s so humorous about me? Qiao Sang didn’t understand.

Seeing that the other party didn’t reveal her true age, Lu Fengba suddenly felt it was a bit uninteresting, revealing a social smile, and said, “See you in the match later.”

After speaking, he turned and left.

Qiao Sang turned her head, continuing to watch the virtual screen.

Time passed by second by second, and the matches were in full swing.

When the contestants of the fourth group left the stage, Tian Yiwan said, “The next group of contestants are Lu Fengba and Qiao Sang.”

When he read out the names of this group of contestants, his tone was noticeably more excited than before, and his speaking speed increased significantly:

“Lu Fengba is also a familiar face. This is his third time participating in the Regional Competition. The first time, he was eliminated in the preliminaries, but the second time, he directly entered the top 100. This time, his strength should be even greater.”

“And the other contestant, Qiao Sang, is participating in the Regional Competition for the first time. She is not from our Zhongkong region, yet she chose to register her first Regional Competition in our Zhongkong region.”

As Commentators for the Regional Competition, they received detailed information about the contestants before the match, so they didn’t need to specifically look at the data; they could just rattle off the contestants’ information.

“Contestant Qiao Sang can be said to be one of the contestants I’m most looking forward to in this year’s Regional Competition,” Tang Xueran continued. “She is the youngest contestant in the history of our Zhongkong region, at 17 years old.”

Upon hearing this, the entire venue erupted in an uproar, with expressions of shock and astonishment on everyone’s faces.

17 years old?

At 17, she successfully registered to participate in the Regional Competition?

Doesn’t that mean she became a C-level Beastmaster at 17?!

Ye Xiangting listened to the relevant introduction, holding her head high, her face filled with pride.

“Not only that,” Tian Yiwan took a deep breath, enunciating each word, “She is also a B-level Beast Tamer!”

The entire competition venue instantly fell silent.

It was a venue filled with 172,000 spectators, yet at this moment, it was as quiet as if no one was there.

Ye Xiangting: “?!!”

B-level Beast Tamer?

Who?

Her daughter?

Only Liu Yao maintained his previous expression.

He had already received this outrageous news a few days ago.

He looked at the bewildered faces around him and felt a sense of balance.

“They’re appearing,” Tang Xueran said.

As her words fell, two blue bird-like Pets rose directly from underground.