Qiao Sang's tone turned dangerous: "Little Treasure Hunter!"
"Hun..."
Little Treasure Hunter let out a weak cry, indicating that it had just been speaking casually yesterday...
"Ya?"
Ya Bao tilted its head in confusion upon hearing the conversation.
Was Little Treasure Hunter wrong?
"Of course it was wrong!" Qiao Sang said as she picked Little Treasure Hunter up from her head.
"Hun..."
Little Treasure Hunter revealed itself, blinking its eyes in an attempt to use cuteness to get away with it.
*You think acting cute will stop me from scolding you...* Qiao Sang's mouth twitched, but her tone eventually softened: "If I use the food in this basket to trade for your diamond gloves, would you trade?"
"Hun hun!"
Little Treasure Hunter shook its head like a rattle. Of course it wouldn't trade!
"Exactly." Qiao Sang looked at Ya Bao and said earnestly, "See, Little Treasure Hunter wouldn't trade. Every item has a different value; not everything can be exchanged for something of equal value."
"Ya ya..."
Ya Bao nodded, looking a bit depressed.
Seeing Ya Bao's expression, Qiao Sang said gently, "If you want to compete, just tell me. There's no need to do all this."
"Ya ya..."
Ya Bao looked up at Qiao Sang with moist eyes. Could it go up and compete today?
Qiao Sang's expression was serious: "Of course."
"Ya ya!"
Ya Bao immediately looked excited and wagged its tail wildly.
Seeing this, Qiao Sang finally revealed her true intention: "So, don't always listen to Little Treasure Hunter's nonsense. It's still young and doesn't understand some things. As the big brother, you should have your own judgment."
"Ya!"
Ya Bao nodded seriously, then glanced at Little Treasure Hunter with an expression that said, "Why on earth did I listen to you back then?"
Little Treasure Hunter: "..."
Qiao Sang smiled with satisfaction.
Ya Bao was such a simple child; if it continued to listen to Little Treasure Hunter like this, how could she easily trick it in the future? Fortunately, she had nipped this trend in the bud just in time.
...
After the familiar routine was completed.
Soon, the battle list appeared on the virtual screen.
【Yuhua Region, Qiao Sang VS Zhongkong Region, Wu Chongyu】
【Zhitia Region, Zhou Shanliang VS Zhongdao Region, Liu Yongming】
【Beilun Region, Tao Rong VS Zhongdao Region, Zhang Wandi】
【Xilv Region, Shao Liben VS Zhongkong Region, Tang Yi】
...
【Zhongkong Region, Zhao Chuanyu VS Liaoxi Region, Cui Pingkun】
...
There were 9 groups in total, including the contestants who had re-advanced from the eliminated pool, totaling 18 people.
Looking at the battle list, the scene suddenly became noisy, with discussions breaking out one after another.
"Is it this exciting? The first match is already a highlight."
"Holy crap! The last match is Zhao Chuanyu against Cui Pingkun! This is only the top 18 down to 9! They've already paired those two together?!"
"Ahhh! Tao Rong actually got matched with Zhang Wandi! He's the last remaining seed of our Beilun Region! He won't stop here today, will he?!"
At this stage of the competition, the remaining contestants were all familiar faces.
Across the 13 regions of the Dragon Kingdom, there were currently 18 contestants. Some regions were left with only a single representative, like Tao Rong from the Beilun Region and Qiao Sang from the Yuhua Region.
Whenever this happened, the atmosphere in the regions with only one seed left became exceptionally tense.
However, the vibe for the Yuhua Region in this session was somewhat different.
"The Zhongkong Region still has so many contestants; it's time for Qiao Sang to help them reduce their numbers!"
"Wu Chongyu, right? I know him. One mid-level Dragon-type pet and one high-level Electric-type pet. Not a big problem. I bet Qiao Sang will just sweep both of them."
"Whether she sweeps them or not isn't important, as long as she wins. Although Wu Chongyu's Ice-Plain Dragon is only mid-level, its capabilities in all aspects are comparable to an ordinary high-level pet."
"You said 'ordinary' high-level pet. Let me ask you, which one of Qiao Sang's pets is 'ordinary'?"
"I didn't say Qiao Sang couldn't win, I just think you guys shouldn't put too much pressure on her. Why does she have to sweep both? As long as she wins in the end, isn't that enough?"
"True... Qiao Sang must win!"
...
In the contestant area.
"Wu Chongyu, one high-level..." Sun Boyi flipped through the notes in his hand, just about to give a detailed introduction.
Qiao Sang stood up and interrupted: "No time, I'm in the first match. I have to go."
Having said that, she walked along the steps toward the contestant entrance tunnel.
"Sigh..." Sun Boyi closed his notes and let out a long sigh as he watched Qiao Sang's receding figure.
Why was it so hard for him to be useful?
Liu Yao offered a rare bit of comfort: "Whether you give her this information or not, it's the same. Qiao Sang can find out everything she needs to know. And for the things she can't find, like Tian Xiaoyun last time, you didn't know either, did you?"
Sun Boyi: "..."
On the other side.
"Teacher Li..." Wu Chongyu looked nervously at the middle-aged man beside him.
"Sigh..." The middle-aged man sighed and patted Wu Chongyu on the shoulder: "Go on."
Wu Chongyu: "..."
*Say a few more words, damn it!*
...
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Qiao Sang and Wu Chongyu appeared on the field.
Looking at the girl in the distance, Wu Chongyu was so nervous that his palms were sweating.
He was truly unlucky to encounter the "Freak Qiao" before even making it into the top ten... Wu Chongyu felt mentally exhausted at this moment.
Actually, having three high-level pets wasn't insurmountable for the 2v2 format of the National Campus Pet League, because there were differences between high-level pets.
Factors such as the length of time since evolution and the innate abilities of the species created significant gaps in strength between pets of the same level.
If one high-level pet had been evolved for three years while another had just evolved, anyone would know which one had the better chance of winning.
But the "freakish" thing about Qiao Sang was that she didn't just have three high-level pets; moreover, the stamina, speed, explosive power, reaction time, skill proficiency, and coordination with herself for every single pet had absolutely no shortcomings. They weren't like high-level pets that had just evolved at all.
That was terrifying.
And now he actually had to compete against such a terrifying person...
"Qu!"
The whistle signaling the summoning of pets sounded.
*I'm fucking unlucky to the core, I'd rather have faced Zhao Chuanyu...* Wu Chongyu exhaled a breath of turbid air and began to form hand seals.
A grey star array and a green star array lit up simultaneously.
Soon, the pets deployed by both sides appeared within their respective star arrays.
Electro-Slasher, a high-level Electric-type pet. It had a violent temperament and possessed explosive power like a bolt of lightning. When enraged, electric shocks would shoot in all directions from its mane. Its traits were Lightning Rod and Electric Engine; these two traits meant that when hit by an Electric-type move, it would take no damage, and instead, one would increase its Special Attack while the other increased its Speed... As Qiao Sang looked at the lion-tiger-like pet before her—primarily yellow with many orange stripes and a single pointed horn standing upright on its head—the relevant information flashed through her mind.
"Ya!"
"Electro-Slash!"
Ya Bao and Electro-Slasher bared their teeth at each other from a distance.
"Zizi..."
Yellow electric arcs surged across Electro-Slasher's body, its smooth and flamboyant mane fluttering continuously with the airflow.
"Whoosh..."
The wings formed of fire on Ya Bao's sides suddenly expanded slightly, and a wave of heat surged around it, its red and white fur dancing wildly.
In terms of aura, for a moment, neither side was willing to yield to the other.
(End of Chapter)