July 5th.
Qiao Sang arrived at her usual seat from the previous two days in front of the Pet Arena, and as expected, Bai Yunmiao was also there.
Since Bai Yunmiao had come for Sha Duo, she would have found another reason to be here even if her parents hadn't been fighting.
"Did you bring the mirror?" Qiao Sang asked as she sat down.
"I did." Bai Yunmiao took a mirror from her bag and handed it over. Watching Qiao Sang examine herself closely in the mirror, she said in surprise, "Genius Qiao, why are you suddenly so concerned about your appearance?"
It wasn't that Qiao Sang hadn't cared about her appearance before.
It was just that she usually wore her hair in a simple ponytail, and on the way to Shuke Garden, she always took the bus, preferring to sit by the window to feel the breeze.
As a result, by the time she reached the Pet Arena, even with her hair tied back, the front strands would often be a bit messy.
This created a certain contrast with others who were meticulously dressed, giving people the illusion that she didn't care much about her image.
After confirming that her reflection looked no different from usual, Qiao Sang said hesitantly, "I don't know if I'm being too narcissistic, but I feel like so many people are staring at me today."
Beside her, the Fire Fang Dog saw its Beast Tamer put down the mirror and immediately grabbed it with its paws to look at itself.
"Ya ya!"
The Fire Fang Dog didn't forget to nod in agreement while looking in the mirror.
Many people were indeed staring at it.
Realizing the reason, Bai Yunmiao laughed. "Sha Duo praised you so much yesterday; it's normal for people to pay attention to you. Several news reports have already come out today."
"Is the celebrity effect really that strong?" Qiao Sang asked.
"You've got it easy. Others at most glance at you. Last time, a rookie Beast Tamer who was publicly praised by Wang Dian'ao had their address found, and a crowd surrounded their house demanding a duel," Bai Yunmiao lamented. "That wasn't even a duel; it was a mob. A whole group of people doing a relay battle, besieging them for an entire week."
Qiao Sang froze for a moment, then said seriously, "I'm grateful Sha Duo isn't as famous as Wang Dian'ao."
Bai Yunmiao: "..."
...
Only eight contestants remained in the Baixin Tournament.
F-class Beast Tamers had short match times, so even with Pet Performers extending the duration, it was impossible to decide the top four in just four matches a day.
The organizers had released the tournament schedule in advance.
The top four would be decided on the morning of July 5th, and the top three would be decided directly in the afternoon.
Today was the final day of the Baixin Tournament.
As time passed, more and more people entered.
Looking at the spectator stands surrounding the Pet Arena, which were now filled to capacity, Qiao Sang sighed, "I wonder where the organizers found so many people to watch."
Yesterday, not even a quarter of the seats were filled.
Bai Yunmiao turned her gaze toward her and asked, "Do you just not check any outside information?"
She still remembered when she first added "Genius Qiao"; she had sent messages that went unanswered.
It wasn't until they met again that she realized there actually existed people in this world who could resist checking their phones.
"I do check, I just didn't check yesterday," Qiao Sang replied.
She had spent all her time training the Fire Fang Dog and researching opponents.
"The official platform released a notice yesterday saying they invited Gao Xulu and Sha Duo for an exhibition match today. After the match, they'll draw five lucky spectators to go up for photos and autographs," Bai Yunmiao explained.
Qiao Sang instantly understood why so many people had come.
Gao Xulu was also a contestant in this year's Yuhua Regional Tournament.
Although she didn't make the top ten, her ranking was quite respectable.
Most importantly, Sha Duo had lost to Gao Xulu back then.
The organizers' marketing tactics were truly brilliant.
Qiao Sang looked toward the commentary booth.
The booth, which originally seated two people, now held three.
To the left of the middle-aged commentator sat a woman with short chestnut hair.
It was Gao Xulu.
...
As the opening ceremony concluded, the photos on the large screen above the arena flickered.
A moment later, the first matchup appeared on the screen.
Hou Xiangyu vs. Yang Qi.
Both were Beast Tamers with two mid-level pets, making them strong contenders for the championship.
Qiao Sang watched the field intently.
Since these two were facing each other, they would surely use more advanced techniques.
In the previous rounds, due to the gap in strength, their matches had mostly been one-sided victories.
The pets hadn't shown much strength, making them useless for effective data analysis.
This was one of the reasons Qiao Sang felt uncertain about facing them.
However, Qiao Sang didn't have to watch for long.
A minute later, the referee announced the result.
Yang Qi, who could crush others, was instead crushed by Hou Xiangyu...
Hou Xiangyu's Control-type pet, the Sucking Doll, used "Illusionary Light," immediately sending Yang Qi's Faith Weng into a confused state.
Then, taking advantage of the confusion, the Sucking Doll used telekinesis to slam the Faith Weng hard onto the ground, ending the match.
Qiao Sang fell into deep thought.
Illusionary Light is a skill exclusive to Psychic-type pets.
It can deal damage and has a certain chance to cause confusion, but the probability isn't very high.
For it to hit a pet of the same rank so quickly, either the opponent was extremely unlucky, or this Illusionary Light had reached at least a proficient level of mastery.
Whether the move lands is largely a matter of luck.
After all, Illusionary Light is not a skill that guarantees a confused state 100% of the time.
However...
The Fire Fang Dog's luck...
Recalling the scenes where whoever the Fire Fang Dog pointed at lost, Qiao Sang couldn't help but sigh.
"A one-minute match, a half-hour performance"—that was exactly what was happening now.
Because the first match ended too quickly, the organizers had to have the Pet Performers extend their show.
Fortunately, the performers were professionals and prevented the atmosphere from cooling down.
The second match was between Wei Wenya and Luo Xinlin.
Wei Wenya was the last of the three Beast Tamers possessing two mid-level pets.
Against Luo Xinlin's Fat Home Pigeon, Wei Wenya sent out an Electric-type pet, the Electric Stubborn Cat, which perfectly countered the Flying-type.
The advantage of having two mid-level pets was displayed to the fullest at this moment.
A Beast Tamer with only one pet had no choice, whereas a Beast Tamer with two could deploy a pet that held a tactical advantage against the opponent's pet.
As expected, Wei Wenya won the match.
Once the Pet Performers had livened up the atmosphere, the third matchup appeared on the big screen.
Chen Xi vs. Qiao Sang.
In the guest seats.
"Song Yuan, you have good eyes. That Fire Fang Dog looks quite cool wearing sunglasses. With so many media outlets here today, if the Fire Fang Dog performs well, it could indeed bring significant traffic to your new online store."
"This pet named Chen Xi is a Twin-Tailed Tortoise. The level gap is a bit high; this will be difficult."
"Qiao Sang has experience defeating mid-level pets despite being at a lower level. Chen Xi's Twin-Tailed Tortoise only recently evolved, so she should be able to pull it off," said one guest who had been watching since the start of the tournament.
"By the way, Song Yuan, what did Qiao Sang say when you contacted her yesterday? Is the livestream fee calculated per session, or will it be based on sales commission later?"
"Song Yuan?"
"Song Yuan, why aren't you speaking?"
Song Yuan: "..."
She felt like saying nothing at all...
Was she supposed to tell them that she had tried calling several times only to be hung up on and then blocked?
She would surely be ruthlessly mocked...
On the field.
Both sides had taken their positions.
Following the referee's command, a Twin-Tailed Tortoise, about two meters long with a brown shell and two tails, appeared before Qiao Sang's eyes.
(End of Chapter)