Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1
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The final day of the knockout competition has one significant advantage: You can find out your opponent in advance.
When it came to Xu Yixuan, Qiao Sang knew her all too well.
During the group stage, the two of them had lived together, and there were even times when they brainstormed strategies for the next day's match together.
Controlling Blaze Dog wasn’t difficult for Little Treasure, but Qiao Sang was well aware that Xu Yixuan would make Blaze Dog go on a destructive rampage, attacking its own shadow and the surrounding area the moment Little Treasure turned invisible.
Although this tactic wasted some energy, it effectively kept Little Treasure at bay. And if by chance it managed to strike the invisible Little Treasure, that would be even better.
Qiao Sang didn’t think Little Treasure was incapable of getting close enough to control Blaze Dog.
However, if Xu Yixuan stuck to her plan, the match would drag on longer than necessary.
So, Qiao Sang came up with a new strategy.
To teleport successfully, all it needed was a momentary gap.
As long as Blaze Dog mistakenly believed it had hit Little Treasure and relaxed its guard, Little Treasure could teleport to the shadow without any interference.
Qiao Sang’s eyes were fixed on Blaze Dog’s shadow. At that moment, Little Treasure was already standing next to it.
“Xun~”
Little Finder raised its short toes and connected its own shadow to the one on the ground.
Seeing this, the audience erupted into cheers.
“Beautifully done!”
“I knew it! There’s no way they’d pull some shady tricks so openly!”
“Wow, for a second there, I really thought Little Finder was done for.”
“666! Tricking opponents like a pro!”
“This is a one-on-one battle; you can’t really call them teammates, they’re all rivals!”
On the field.
The moment Little Treasure controlled the shadow, Blaze Dog reacted immediately, opening its mouth to unleash scorching flames toward Little Treasure’s position.
Litt Treasure grinned, his short toes twitching slightly. Suddenly, Blaze Dog flipped over uncontrollably, lying belly up with its four legs in the air.
The flames it was spewing followed suit, forming a smooth semicircular arc in the air.
Stay calm. Treasure-Seeking Demon is about to start spinning it. Blaze Dog’s anti-dizzy training these past few days wasn’t for nothing… Xu Yixuan comforted herself.
Wait… spinning?
A thought struck her, and her gaze flickered rapidly between Blaze Dog and Treasure-Keeping Demon.
Ding Yanjing’s Flash-Leaving Crow couldn’t be handled because it was airborne, but if Blaze Dog were spinning while unleashing its flames, Treasure-Seeking Demon would have no choice but to withdraw its shadow control to avoid the fire.
After all, maintaining two-dimensional shadow control required staying in place.
Hurry up and spin! Why isn’t it spinning yet? No, I’m getting too excited. If Qiao the Schemer catches on to my expression, she’ll figure something’s up… Xu Yixuan suppressed the upward tug of her lips, striving to keep a neutral expression.
Little Treasure’s toes twitched. Just as he prepared to make his opponent spin, he heard his Beastmaster’s voice:
“Hypnosis.”
Xu Yixuan: ???
“Xun~”
Little Treasure hooked his toe, flipping Blaze Dog upright.
“Yap!”
Blazehound, enraged, opened its mouth to spew flames again.
But as it regained its footing and looked ahead, it locked eyes with a pair of violet eyes.
“Yap…”
Sleepiness overtook it, and it collapsed to the ground, sound asleep.
A mechanical beast floated over from the sidelines, inspecting Blazehound’s face before blowing a whistle strung around its neck.
“Tweet!”
The referee announced, “Victory goes to Qiao Sang of Shengshui High!”
The audience erupted into noisy chatter.
“Wait, that’s it? She won already?”
“This is the finals? That felt so anticlimactic, completely one-sided!”
“I checked the time. The two matches combined didn’t even last five minutes…”
“Something’s fishy. Is Hypnosis really that hard to resist? How did both of Xu Yixuan’s beasts fall for it so easily?”
“Could it be that Treasure-Seeking Demon’s Hypnosis is just that advanced?”
“That’s probably it. But seriously, how skilled must you be for the judges to declare the match over immediately?”
“Perfected… or maybe a secret technique…”
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In the contestants' area.
With the awards ceremony set to take place in ten minutes, Qiao Sang, Xu Yixuan, and Wang Rui sat together.
Xu Yixuan held back for a while but couldn’t resist asking:
“Qiao Sang, you usually have the Treasure-Seeking Demon spin the opponents. Why didn’t you do that this time?”
Qiao Sang raised an eyebrow.
“Haven’t you been training Blaze Dog’s anti-dizzy capabilities lately?”
Xu Yixuan: !!!
She felt as if she had been struck by lightning, frozen in place.
Wang Rui glanced at her sympathetically.
Now he understood why Xu Yixuan had lost so miserably. Training defenses while letting the opponent know? That was just wasted effort…
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Qiao Sang looked toward the stage, where the school leaders were exchanging pleasantries. Beside them, four Baibai Blossom beasts stood in line, holding trays.
Baibai Blossom, a Grass-type beast, emitted a soothing fragrance from the flowers on its head. Its high aesthetic appeal made it a popular ceremonial beast in the Yuhua region, often seen at award ceremonies.
Qiao Sang’s eyes fell on the trays they carried, and her spirits lifted.
The National Campus Beast Mastering League wasn’t just about earning a spot at top-tier universities. From the provincial to regional levels, reaching certain rankings came with rewards.
While her unlimited spending card for a year meant she could buy almost anything she wanted, earning prizes through her own efforts still held a special significance.
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Perhaps because it was a high school competition, the awards ceremony lacked the pomp and flair of larger tournaments.
Qiao Sang received two awards: The Most Promising Award and the first-place prize.
The prizes included an A-rank potential booster and a wearable bracelet for beasts.
Staring at the black bracelet in her hand, Qiao Sang’s mind wandered. It resembled a device she’d seen on a villain’s beast in a movie not long ago.
Lightweight Miniaturization Bracelet. It emitted waves that could shrink a beast’s size.
When this bracelet debuted, it caused a buying frenzy. After all, the increasing size of beasts as they evolved was a significant issue.
Large beasts weren’t necessarily bad, but for high-level beasts that loved to roam and play, their size could become a hindrance in non-battle or non-work scenarios.
This bracelet solved that problem.
However, its manufacturer leaned heavily into scarcity marketing. Each quarter, only a limited number were sold, and buyers had to prove they owned a beast over six meters tall to qualify.
A six-meter beast was at least general-level.
With such a specific target audience and no shortage of demand, the bracelet’s high price and limited availability became its barriers to entry.
Qiao Sang’s heartbeat quickened.
If this really was a Lightweight Miniaturization Bracelet, it would be perfect for Yabao…
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