Hearing this, Huang Renbiao narrowed his eyes.
He felt that this guy was likely referring to the fact that Ding Yanjing's Valley-Tail Flower had evolved into a Valley-Tail Mallow.
He wasn't particularly surprised by this.
After all, he hadn't kept it a complete secret; rumors had been circulating among the teachers at school.
If someone like Wang Weidou had the intention to dig up intelligence on Ding Yanjing, he naturally had the capability to find out.
But even if he knew, so what? The school hadn't released an official announcement, so at most, people would be half-skeptical when the news spread.
Once Ding Yanjing's Valley-Tail Mallow actually appeared, the sense of shock would still be there.
As for developing a targeted tactical plan against the Valley-Tail Mallow, he didn't care about that at all.
Ding Yanjing's Valley-Tail Mallow was different from Ruan Yunwen's Tonghua Owl; its regenerative abilities and the chemistry it shared with Ding Yanjing ensured it wouldn't be played as miserably as the Treasure-Hunting Demon was being played by the Tonghua Owl.
Looking at the Tonghua Owl on the field, which had fallen and was still struggling desperately while bound by Dark Shadow Control, a very certain thought suddenly flashed through Huang Renbiao's mind
With Qiao Sang around, in the next and the following National Campus Beast-Taming League, Shengshui Middle School would likely overshadow Litan Beast-Taming High School...
Huang Renbiao steadied his mindset and said, "We didn't specifically hide it; it's just that the strength of the current opponents hasn't been enough to make Ding Yanjing use all his tricks."
*Heh.*
*We didn't specifically hide it...* Wang Weidou repeated those words in his mind with a sarcastic tone.
During the group stages, Ding Yanjing let the Flash-Away Crow fight its heart out for a whole week; did he think he was blind!
Compared to the hidden turbulence in the leadership area, the spectators in the back rows were far more sincere, completely unrestrained in their emotions.
"Holy crap! Dark Shadow Control?!"
"Damn, that's insane! To be able to use a Substitute move during the gap of a teleport while under such high-intensity attacks!"
"Are you sure this kid is a freshman? This doesn't look like a rookie who just became a beast-tamer! He's not even giving verbal commands; he's communicating with his pet directly through eye contact! I couldn't do that if it were me!"
"What a calculation! First, he let the Treasure-Hunting Demon provoke the Tonghua Owl to make it lose its mind and frantically consume a huge amount of energy and stamina, then used a Substitute to make the opponent lower their guard thinking they'd won, and finally unleashed a big move to reverse the situation in one go. Brilliant!"
"That's Dark Shadow Control, right! That's Dark Shadow Control!"
"It is Dark Shadow Control! And it's a damn 3D-mode Dark Shadow Control!"
"It's over, it's over. Have I been away from school for too long? Why can the Treasure-Hunting Demon ignore so many wind blades to teleport onto the Tonghua Owl?!"
"That shouldn't be teleportation, but rather... spatial movement..."
"Spa—Spatial Movement?!"
"What's going on? Two high-tier skills?!"
Almost everyone present was a beast-tamer. Although not all had chosen the path of a professional beast-tamer, they understood the basics.
For a mid-tier pet to learn a high-tier skill, both talent and time were indispensable.
Without talent, no amount of time would help; and without a certain amount of time, no matter how strong the talent, it was useless.
Learning a high-tier skill was always measured in years.
But what were they seeing now?
A Treasure-Hunting Demon belonging to a 15-year-old high schooler had learned two high-tier skills?
Was this even realistic?!
...
Regardless of how lively the atmosphere was in the stands, the air on the field remained solemn.
To become a professional beast-tamer, the ability to focus on the match and remain unaffected by the audience was a necessity.
"Tonghua!!!"
The Tonghua Owl did not pass out immediately after falling straight down from mid-air.
Despite being injured, judging by the way it continued to screech and desperately writhe its body to break free from the Dark Shadow Control, its condition was still acceptable.
Qiao Sang understood the principle of "striking while the iron is hot."
"Hypnosis!" Qiao Sang thought for a second and shouted loudly.
Little Treasure-Hunt wasn't like Yabao; it couldn't cast any skill simultaneously.
If it were to launch an attack next, the Dark Shadow Control on the Tonghua Owl would inevitably disappear. If that attack didn't achieve a great effect and gave the Tonghua Owl a chance to counter, things might take an unexpected turn.
Given the damage of all of Little Treasure-Hunt's current attack skills, none of them could instantly strip the Tonghua Owl of its combat capability. After thinking it over, the effect of Hypnosis, which had reached the Secret Art level, was the best choice.
As long as the proficiency of the two skills cast simultaneously was high enough, there was no need to worry about the other move failing to trigger.
"Xun!"
Hearing its beast-tamer's words, Little Treasure-Hunt floated in front of the Tonghua Owl.
"Close your eyes!" Just as the words "Hypnosis" left Qiao Sang's mouth, Ruan Yunwen forced herself to stay calm and responded quickly.
"Tonghua!"
The Tonghua Owl's entire body was still in a state of bristling fur, its eyes filled with rage; it couldn't listen to its beast-tamer's words at all.
As it opened its beak, a terrifying energy began to condense inside.
Close its eyes?
No.
It wanted to attack!
In the blink of an eye, the Dark Shadow Control bound to the Tonghua Owl rapidly extended a shadow that firmly sealed its beak shut.
The Tonghua Owl widened its eyes, making muffled sounds, struggling even more violently.
"Close your eyes, quickly!" Ruan Yunwen's voice carried a hint of crying.
Hearing this voice, the Tonghua Owl paused, and its rationality finally returned slightly. It struggled internally and prepared to close its eyes.
At that moment, the Dark Shadow Control binding the Tonghua Owl's mouth extended two more shadows from the center, forcibly prying open its eyelids before they could fully close.
"Wuu wuu!" the Tonghua Owl cursed instantly.
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure-Hunt covered its mouth and giggled, looking at the state of the big fellow in front of it.
It hadn't forgotten its beast-tamer's words. After laughing, its eyes turned purple, and it assumed a serious expression.
Drowsiness washed over the Tonghua Owl, and its gaze began to blur.
Simultaneously, the two shadows supporting the Tonghua Owl's eyelids retracted.
The Tonghua Owl's eyes closed, its head tilted, and it fell fast asleep.
The spectator stands were noisy, with discussions rising one after another.
"Even if the Tonghua Owl's condition wasn't great, it wasn't at the point of collapse. How could it be hypnotized by a Treasure-Hunting Demon?"
"It should wake up in a bit, right? After all, it's a high-tier pet..."
"The proficiency of this Treasure-Hunting Demon's Dark Shadow Control and Hypnosis is very high..."
"I've got it! This kid from Shengshui Middle School must have contracted an elderly Treasure-Hunting Demon! Otherwise, two high-tier skills with such high proficiency makes no sense!"
"Bullshit! Look at how tender this Treasure-Hunting Demon is; it's clearly still a child."
On the field.
Ruan Yunwen looked at the closed eyes of the Tonghua Owl, her gaze somewhat unfocused.
Was she going to lose just like this?
This was her final National Campus Beast-Taming League.
The remaining Double-Tailed Land Tortoise had no possibility of winning against Qiao Sang.
She had finally managed to get the Tonghua Owl to listen to her, but why...
No, she wasn't reconciled to this!
Ruan Yunwen suddenly shouted with intense emotion, "Da Tong! Wake up! You promised to stay with me and win until the end! You promised!"
This voice seemed to pierce through the haze and reach the Tonghua Owl's ears.
The Tonghua Owl's eyelids twitched slightly.
In the live stream, a close-up shot of the Tonghua Owl's face was clearly imprinted in the viewers' eyes.
【Look at that eyelid twitch; looks like it's about to wake up.】
【High-tier pets are truly high-tier pets. This Treasure-Hunting Demon's Hypnosis can be used alongside Dark Shadow Control, meaning the proficiency is clearly very high, yet it can wake up this quickly.】
【Why isn't Qiao Sang taking the opportunity to attack! I'm dying of anxiety!】
【I feel like there's still a fight left. Even if Qiao Sang attacks now, the Tonghua Owl will probably only take some injuries but will wake up.】
【The gap between mid-tier and high-tier pets isn't just talk. If it were any other mid-tier pet, it would have been played to death by the Treasure-Hunting Demon long ago.】
Whether it was the audience on-site or the viewers watching the stream, everyone felt the match wouldn't end just like this.
...
On the Kainan Pet Battleground.
*Good grief, is she trying to use the power of bonds to wake up the Tonghua Owl...* Qiao Sang's eyelid twitched. Remembering a post he had once seen analyzing Xu Yixuan's Dream-Inducing Spirit, he spoke
"Throw it out of the bounds."
"Xun~"
Little Treasure-Hunt extended its short toes, and the shadow bound to the Tonghua Owl rapidly shifted down to the ground.
The shadow was still connected to the Tonghua Owl, but it had switched from 3D mode to 2D mode.
Then, with a gentle hook of its short toes, Little Treasure-Hunt gave the shadow a tug and a pull, dragging the Tonghua Owl outside the designated boundary of the competition area.
Just as the Tonghua Owl was dragged out of bounds, its eyes slowly opened.
At the same time, the whistle signaling the end of the match sounded.
The spectator stands fell into a dead silence, and the bullet chat on the live stream vanished for a moment.