Chapter 53: No Effort Wasted in Dressing Up

“One move! It only took one move! Sha Duo, how do you view this match?” the middle-aged commentator began.

A one-hit KO wasn't anything special in a competition of this level.

The duration was too short and the atmosphere lacked tension; the audience couldn't discern much professional depth. This was precisely when the roles of the commentator and the guest became vital.

“Fire Fang Dog's attack speed and move power are both a step above the Fire Chain Snake, especially its attack speed. It launched its skill almost as soon as the match began, while contestant Xie Jianyin was still issuing commands,” Sha Duo analyzed.

The middle-aged commentator, listening from the side, held a different view.

Attack speed was certainly important, but he felt the key to victory lay in that spark.

That was a spark at the "Minor Success" stage.

If that spark had only been at the "Entry" stage, its power wouldn't have been sufficient, and the resulting explosion wouldn't have had enough impact to knock out the Fire Chain Snake.

He remembered reading in Qiao Sang's profile that she was a recent junior high school graduate...

The host continued with the proceedings, introducing the names of the fourth group of contestants, while the audience was still discussing the previous match.

“What was wrong with Xie Jianyin? Why send out a Fire Chain Snake instead of a Long-tailed Snake?”

“Maybe he thought he could win even with a Fire Chain Snake.”

“It felt like feeding the enemy in a game. Was there some kind of private deal going on?”

“Fire Fang Dog isn't weak to begin with; it's not strange that it won. If it were a fixed match, they would have traded at least a few blows. How could it lose so quickly? Besides, what's the point of match-fixing in a small-scale competition like this?”

In this era, matches were watched by many, especially large-scale ones, which were eagerly reported by major media and online platforms.

For high-level tournaments that only A-grade Beast Tamers could participate in, the number of online viewers would be at least in the hundreds of millions.

Any Beast Tamer who gained exposure in such tournaments could harvest a massive following, and their market value would skyrocket.

Not to mention the prestige of achieving a certain rank in such events.

Match-fixing generally only occurred in those high-level competitions.

Whether it was the capitalists manipulating things from behind or Beast Tamers looking for a sudden burst of fame, both would find ways to pull strings.

But for a competition like the Baixin Tournament, where viewership relied on the relatives and friends of the contestants to increase, match-fixing held no meaning whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Qiao Sang had just sat down, holding Fire Fang Dog.

“Genius Qiao, that was so cool! I didn't even realize you had won,” Bai Yunmiao said with a smile.

“Actually, I didn't realize it either,” Qiao Sang replied.

“Ya!”

Fire Fang Dog nodded, indicating it felt the same way.

“Haha, that look of confusion on Fire Fang Dog's face right after it realized it won was hilarious. It's a pity it wasn't recorded. You can check online later; it's perfect for making memes,” Bai Yunmiao continued laughing.

“Ya!”

Fire Fang Dog suddenly became restless.

Wasn't what was recorded online its cool side during the battle?

What was wrong with its expression?

How was it funny?

Qiao Sang was also curious. During the battle, Fire Fang Dog had been facing away from her, so she hadn't seen its expression at all.

However, since the platform was currently live-streaming, she would have to wait until the morning matches ended and go back to watch the replay to see it.

The matches proceeded efficiently.

By the time the 20th group of contestants entered the arena, Bai Yunmiao took a mirror out of her crossbody bag to check herself.

Then, she pulled a comb from her bag and tidied her air bangs.

Qiao Sang couldn't help but say, “You even brought a comb.”

Bai Yunmiao said seriously, “As an exquisite Beast Tamer, one must always maintain their image when facing the camera.”

Qiao Sang: “...”

This was the first time she had heard the word "exquisite" used to describe a Beast Tamer; that term was more suited for a Coordinator.

After all, besides focusing on their pets' appearance, Coordinators also managed their own looks.

She felt Bai Yunmiao had the potential to be a Coordinator...

Bai Yunmiao was the 25th contestant, and her opponent was not on Qiao Sang's memo list.

“Fire Fang Dog, who do you think will win?” Qiao Sang asked as usual.

“Ya.”

Fire Fang Dog pointed toward the figure in the sky that it had grown fond of—the Chubby Pigeon.

Qiao Sang figured that since Bai Yunmiao hadn't just praised Fire Fang Dog's coolness, Fire Fang Dog must be making a fair judgment by choosing the pet it thought might win...

Bai Yunmiao's pet was a Gilded Vine.

It was about 90 centimeters tall, with a small, round, teal body and golden eyes without pupils, only about the size of a bean. A vine tendril about 5 centimeters long grew from its head, giving it a somewhat dorky and cute appearance.

On the field, both sides had sparred for two minutes and had consumed a bit of stamina.

The Chubby Pigeon's flight altitude had also dropped slightly.

The Gilded Vine's head swung in a large arc, and several leaf-shaped blades shot toward the Chubby Pigeon in the air.

The Chubby Pigeon flapped its wings, dodging frantically. Just as it managed to escape this wave of leaf blades and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, two vines emerged from the Gilded Vine's "index fingers" and bound it tightly.

In the next second, the Chubby Pigeon's field of vision flipped 180 degrees.

“Jiu!!”

Under the control of the vines, the Chubby Pigeon slammed headfirst into the ground.

“Contestant Bai Yunmiao is the winner,” the referee announced.

Fire Fang Dog covered its eyes, unable to bear the sight.

Qiao Sang looked at the eye-covering Fire Fang Dog.

Was this pet a "jinx"?

“How was it? How was it? Was my hair messy on the field just now?” Bai Yunmiao asked as soon as she sat back down.

“It was fine,” Qiao Sang replied.

Bai Yunmiao's hair was in a bun, tied together meticulously; unless there was intense movement, it wouldn't get messy.

Bai Yunmiao was very satisfied with this answer, then took out her mirror and comb to tidy her air bangs again.

...

As the morning matches concluded, the contestants and spectators began to exit the arena.

At the arena entrance.

Bai Yunmiao pointed at a reporter holding a microphone not far away and said nervously, “What should I do? I'm getting nervous. If they interview me when we pass them, what should I say?”

Qiao Sang said, “That depends on what they ask. Usually, it's things like why you joined the competition or your thoughts on the matches.”

Bai Yunmiao nodded and asked, “How do I look right now?”

“Beautiful,” Qiao Sang complimented.

“Then I... Ah! They're looking over! Ahhh! They're walking toward us!” Bai Yunmiao said excitedly.

“Calm down. Maintain your image,” Qiao Sang said.

“You're right... It looks like they are walking toward us!” Bai Yunmiao whispered excitedly.

Qiao Sang looked over; the reporter with the microphone was indeed walking in their direction.

It seemed Bai Yunmiao's foresight was correct.

The grooming hadn't been in vain.

Soon, the reporter and his team arrived in front of them.

“Contestant Qiao Sang, I am a reporter from the Hanggang Aggregation Platform. I would like to conduct an interview regarding Fire Fang Dog and your match. I wonder if you have a moment?”

Qiao Sang stared at the microphone placed before her and fell into silence.

Bai Yunmiao: "...!"