Qiao Sang did not respond.
This was because Yi Ao had already begun the buildup for the contestants to take the stage.
The subsequent process was all too familiar.
Once the contestants of the first group were announced, a beam of light would shine down, and she would appear on the field.
Qiao Sang quickly waved her hand, recalling Little Treasure Hunter into the Beast Codex.
"I'm going!" As Qiao Sang spoke, a beam of blue light shone down.
At the same time, a white light landed on Ma Zongji.
As the two contestants suddenly appeared on the field, the entire venue erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
According to the gathered data, Ma Zongji had no special habits; the probability of either of his two pets being summoned in the first round was fifty-fifty... Qiao Sang pondered for a moment and decided which pet to bring out.
At that moment, Ma Zongji looked excited and shouted, "Qiao Sang, summon Ice-Kshiru! I'm sending out Yek-Soran for the first round!"
A wave of cheers immediately rose from the audience
"Nice! As expected of a kid from our Guwu region! Directly announcing which pet he's using, not backing down one bit!"
"Exactly! He wants to fight Ice-Kshiru! Kid! Even if you lose, it'll be worth it!"
"Since he's going to lose anyway, he might as well just demand a fight with Ice-Kshiru! I feel you!"
"Ice-Kshiru! Ice-Kshiru!"
For a moment, the entire crowd was chanting "Ice-Kshiru."
"Really?" Qiao Sang asked.
The audience's voices were too loud; Ma Zongji only saw Qiao Sang's lips move and couldn't hear what she was saying.
He yelled at the top of his lungs, "What did you say!"
Seeing this, Qiao Sang raised her hand, and the audience cooperatively fell silent.
"Really?" Qiao Sang asked again.
Ma Zongji became instantly ecstatic: "Of course it's true!"
Qiao Sang looked at him, felt that his expression was very sincere, and nodded to indicate she understood.
The audience also grew excited; Qiao Sang's nod surely meant she agreed to summon Ice-Kshiru!
For a moment, the way they looked at Ma Zongji was as if they were looking at their own successful child—utterly pleasing to the eye.
Hot-blooded BGM began to play.
Amidst the countdown of the crowd, Qiao Sang and Ma Zongji simultaneously formed hand seals.
Green and grey star arrays lit up.
In the next second, a pet that was mostly grey, with a hairstyle that drifted backward in the wind like ghost fire, entered everyone's sight.
"Xun~"
As soon as Little Treasure Hunter came out, it heard the stirring BGM, and it began spinning in circles with a joyful expression, following the rhythm of the music.
However, the music stopped abruptly.
"Xun..."
Little Treasure Hunter stopped, looked at the distant opponent, and its expression gradually became serious.
It was going to become Number Two again!
"What the... it's just a Treasure Hunter Demon."
After the first stage of the competition, most people who had watched the matches were familiar with this Ghost-type pet from the Yuhua region.
"I saw Qiao Sang nod just now, I thought she agreed to summon Ice-Kshiru..."
"Me too..."
"Now that I think about it, if Ma Zongji hadn't said which pet he was summoning, Qiao Sang might have had reservations and might not have summoned Ice-Kshiru."
"Exactly!"
The audience sighed one after another, and the way they looked at Ma Zongji instantly shifted from their successful child to their failure of a child.
...
On the field.
It wasn't Ice-Kshiru... The moment Ma Zongji saw the Treasure Hunter Demon summoned by Qiao Sang, he felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart.
Life's greatest peaks and valleys were exactly like this.
It was too painful!
At this moment, the mechanical voice announcing the start of the match rang out.
"Root!" Ma Zongji's expression immediately became serious, as if he wasn't the one who had just been heartbroken.
He had watched Qiao Sang's battles many times and reached a conclusion: he had to act first! Otherwise, the rhythm would absolutely follow her lead!
"Yek."
Yek-Soran looked like an anthropomorphic flower, with a structure similar to stems and leaves on the lower half of its body. It let out a cry, and a grey-brown root suddenly sprouted from its lower body and drilled into the ground.
When a Grass-type pet enters the Rooted state, it recovers its energy at regular intervals. Most importantly, Little Treasure Hunter's Dark Shadow Control would be hindered to some extent. However, staying in one place without moving wasn't a great idea... Qiao Sang analyzed the situation internally while watching Yek-Soran's movements.
By now, Little Treasure Hunter had habitually turned invisible.
A black Shadow Ball suddenly appeared about one meter above Yek-Soran's head.
"Vine Whip!" Ma Zongji commanded decisively.
Two vine whips quickly emerged from both sides of Yek-Soran. The whips did not attack but instead circled around, enveloping the pet.
Judging by the size of the circle formed by the vine whips, it was easy to see that there was still plenty of space between the perimeter and Yek-Soran at the center.
*No wonder he dares to stay still; he already planned to use Vine Whip as a defense...* Qiao Sang thought.
The black Shadow Ball slammed into the defensive circle of vine whips.
Once the vine whips retracted, the Yek-Soran inside was unscathed.
At this moment, Qiao Sang spoke
"Burn it."
*Burn it?* Ma Zongji's heart tightened.
The gathered data didn't say Qiao Sang's Treasure Hunter Demon used Fire-type skills!
He didn't dare gamble and hurriedly shouted, "Razor Leaf!"
"Yek."
Yek-Soran swung both arms forward, and green leaves emitting a faint green light appeared, spinning around itself.
Simultaneously, several eerie green ghost fires carrying a cold aura attacked from behind Yek-Soran.
The ghost fires collided with the leaves, instantly burning them to ash.
Seeing this scene, the audience above began to discuss.
"Ma Zongji is quite capable. Yek-Soran doesn't have defensive skills, so he modified its existing skills for defense. He even thought to make the Vine Whip defensive circle larger, so even if the vines couldn't withstand the damage, they would act as a buffer to prevent Yek-Soran from taking a direct hit."
"Look at you making a fuss; he used this trick during the group stages."
"I wasn't watching back then!"
"Speaking of which, I really didn't expect this Treasure Hunter Demon to know Ghost Fire. In that case, doesn't that mean it knows skills of three different attributes?"
"Your research is lacking. Let me educate you: Treasure Hunter Demons from the Yuhua region with two yellow rings can both use Ghost Fire. Look at it—one on its head and one on its ear."
"Good grief, I thought those were decorations..."
"What are you thinking? In a competition like this, how could pets be allowed to wear such things."
"That's true..."
...
While the audience discussed, the match on the field continued.
The moment the Ghost Fire collided with the Razor Leaf, Ma Zongji's mind raced.
*Holy crap! It really has a Fire-type skill... Calm down, calm down, it's still a match... Whether it's Shadow Ball or Ghost Fire, the positions the Treasure Hunter Demon casts from are very close to Yek-Soran. It must be nearby—now is the perfect time to attack!* Thinking this, he quickly shouted, "Stun Spore!"
Stun Spore, a mid-tier Grass-type skill, can put the target into a paralyzed state.
Just as Ma Zongji finished speaking, Qiao Sang said, "Come back."
At the same time, Yek-Soran opened its mouth, and a burst of brown powder surged out, slowly diffusing into the surroundings.
Although Little Treasure Hunter hadn't revealed itself, Qiao Sang, as its Beast Tamer, could clearly sense its position.
By now, Little Treasure Hunter had teleported to a position about three meters in front of her.
"Shadow Ball," Qiao Sang said unhurriedly.
A Shadow Ball appeared abruptly and shot rapidly toward Yek-Soran.
"Yek."
Yek-Soran was very experienced in battle. Seeing the Shadow Ball attacking head-on, it quickly used Vine Whip to envelop itself.
Seeing this, the corner of Qiao Sang's mouth curled up
"Go in."
"Xun~"
Little Treasure Hunter instantly understood its tamer's meaning. It let out a joyful cry and vanished from its spot.
*Go in?*
*Go in where?*
Ma Zongji didn't react in time.
At the same time, inside the perimeter of the vine whips, Yek-Soran came face-to-face with a pair of purple eyes.
(End of Chapter)