Chapter 400: Qiao Sang vs. Tang Zhongyi

Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1 

-----

T/N: Congrats on us getting on Chapter 400!

-----

The Mandibular Electric Worm, a mid-level dual-type pet beast from the Lianke Region specializing in Bug and Electric attributes, was renowned for its acrobatic flight patterns. 

These techniques were used to confuse opponents before launching a decisive electric beam attack at the moment they faltered. As Qiao Sang observed the creature with its yellow eyes and prominent mandibles, its details came to mind.

The moment the battle was announced, the Mandibular Electric Worm launched its attack.

At this stage of the tournament, strategies were predetermined before the match. Commands were rarely issued in real-time for the first move.

“Zzzzt!”

Yellow arcs of electricity surged from the Mandibular Electric Worm’s mouth, targeting Lubao.

Lubao darted and weaved, her movements fluid and precise, dodging the incoming electric strikes.

Lightning bolts struck the ground, leaving shallow craters in their wake.

The crowd buzzed with excitement, their expressions shifting rapidly in the span of mere seconds.

“What are they going to do? The opponent’s pet beast is Electric-type! This is bad!”

“Oh my God, are they trying to fry Ice Qiya to death? That’s brutal! Where’s the referee?”

“Wow, Ice Qiya’s movement on land isn’t hindered like other Water-types. Look at how fast it is!”

“This isn’t fair! The battlefield should’ve been water! We’re in the Guwu Region, why isn’t this a water arena?”

In the arena, Lubao swiftly closed the distance between herself and the Mandibular Electric Worm.

The audience anticipated Lubao’s next move. The Mandibular Electric Worm was within range of Ice Qiya’s Water Tail. At this proximity, an Electric-type counterattack was impossible, but the bug’s powerful jaws could potentially bite down on Lubao’s tail.

Tang Zhongyi hesitated. Should he command his beast to attack, knowing the risk? Or should he have it evade, sacrificing the offensive momentum?

“Bite it!” The words escaped Tang Zhongyi’s lips as Lubao closed in.

The command was instinctual, born from countless hours of training. Yet, as soon as it left his mouth, regret consumed him.

What gave him the confidence to think his Mandibular Electric Worm could take on Ice Qiya head-on?

Tang Zhongyi’s mind spiraled. His thoughts raced with worst-case scenarios, panic washing over him.

“Ice Claw.” Qiao Sang calmly instructed.

“Lu.”

Lubao raised her paw, cold energy crystallizing into sharp claws that gleamed menacingly. She struck mercilessly. (T/n: Lubao is a girlboss!)

The Mandibular Electric Worm hesitated for a split second before opening its jaws to retaliate.

It froze mid-motion.

“Zzzzt…”

Cold. Hard.

In that instant of hesitation, frost spread across its mandibles. The icy force propelled it backward several meters, its mouth encased in a thin layer of ice.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

“Beautiful!”

“That’s what you get for trying to bite Ice Qiya!”

“Ice Qiya, you’re the best!”

Tang Zhongyi exhaled a shaky breath, feeling like he had narrowly escaped disaster. His beast shattered the ice on its jaws with a forceful chomp.

“Zzzzt!”

It then turned toward its trainer with a loud cry, snapping Tang Zhongyi out of his spiraling thoughts.

Right. What was he doing? This was a competition. He couldn’t afford to dwell on unnecessary worries.

“Take flight!” Tang Zhongyi issued his next command.

Despite its injured state, the Mandibular Electric Worm spread its wings and ascended.

But Lubao unleashed Icy Wind without hesitation.

The Mandibular Electric Worm tried to evade, but its right wing was grazed by the freezing gale, leaving it coated in frost.

Tang Zhongyi’s heart sank. His beast’s greatest strength lay in its acrobatic flight. With a frozen wing, its mobility was compromised.

Even so, the Mandibular Electric Worm persevered, pushing its wings harder to maintain flight.

Qiao Sang observed the scene with a cool gaze. The Mandibular Electric Worm darted unpredictably, feigning approaches only to veer away at the last moment.

Its movements were clever, but with an injured wing, its effectiveness was diminished.

“Lu.”

Lubao remained poised, her expression unchanging.

Tang Zhongyi’s frustration grew. Ice QIya showed no signs of unease, and he couldn’t find an opening to exploit.

Then, without warning, Lubao released a stream of Fine Snow in a seemingly random direction.

To the crowd’s shock, the Mandibular Electric Worm flew straight into the snowy stream, as though drawn to it.

Ice crystals clung to its body, quickly spreading until it was entirely encased in ice.

“Water Tail.” Qiao Sang commanded, her voice calm and decisive.

“Lu.”

Water swirled around Lubao’s tail as she leaped into the air, bringing her powerful attack down onto the frozen insect.

Bam!

The impact sent the frozen beast crashing into the ground. The ice cracked, and the Mandibular Electric Worm lay motionless, its unconscious state displayed on the massive holographic screen.

The crowd went wild.

“Ice Qiya wins!”

“I knew it! I knew it!”

“Ah! Ice Qiya is so cool and composed! I’m in love!”

The spectators were ecstatic, some even shedding tears of joy.

In the competitors’ area, the other trainers exchanged uneasy glances.

“That Ice Qiya… It seems to predict its opponent’s flight path.”

“That’s impossible. The Mandibular Electric Worm was flying randomly.”

“Maybe it has a vision-based skill, allowing it to slow down its perception of the opponent’s speed.”

The skeptical trainer fell silent, pulling out a tablet to take notes.

Under Qiao Sang’s profile, he typed:

[Ice Qiya’s vision is extraordinary.]

---

The countdown to summon the next battle pet didn’t immediately appear after the first match ended. Instead, an epic, heart-pounding BGM filled the arena, its grandeur and intensity leaving everyone awestruck.

Qiao Sang rubbed her forehead in silence. This track was from a war film, symbolizing the triumph of a great battle. Yet, the earlier match was just between mid-tier battle pets, completely out of place!

“Friends! Was that match amazing or what?” Yi Ao, the enthusiastic host, hyped the crowd through his microphone.

“Amazing!” The audience roared in unison.

“Now tell me, who was the victor?” Yi Ao continued, pushing the energy higher.

“Ice Qiya!” The audience's thunderous chant echoed through the arena.

“Lu…”

For the first time, Lubao heard so many people shouting her name in unison. Stunned, she turned her gaze toward the audience.

That single glance caused an immediate uproar in the crowd.

“Oh no! Did we scare it with our loud voices?”

“Ahhh! Ice Qiya just looked at us!”

“Damn it! If I’d known, I would’ve bought tickets for Section C!”

“Ugh, I can’t believe I chose front-row seats. Big mistake!”

Yi Ao, positioned high above as the host, suddenly felt a pang of jealousy. He lamented that his elevated position meant Ice Qiya couldn’t see him at all.

“Mr. Yi, follow the schedule!” Came a reminder through his earpiece.

Yi Ao steadied himself, raising the microphone once more. 

“Next up, we have the final match of the morning! Let’s count it down together!”

“Three!”

“Two!”

As the audience counted down, Qiao Sang was already strategizing for the next battle.

Based on her research, Tang Zhongyi’s remaining pet was Light Grass. Like his pet earlier, it was a mid-tier pet with attributes that countered Lubao to some extent.

Qiao Sang considered swapping Lubao out, but one look at the enthusiastic audience cooled that thought. Given their excitement, especially after many seemed moved to tears earlier, she felt it would be almost unethical to pull Lubao from the stage on the first day.

Well, Lubao also has Ice-type moves… She shelved the idea of substitution.

“One!”

As the countdown ended, the final match began.

---

Light Grass, a mid-tier Grass-type pet from the Lianke region, absorbed sunlight to convert it into energy. Thankfully, the arena’s ceiling was closed, so no sunlight could enter. Qiao Sang eyed the mostly yellow pet before her with a calculating gaze.

Lubao initiated with a water gun attack. A strong stream of water shot directly toward Light Grass.

Why isn’t she using Ice-type moves? Water-based attacks won’t deal much damage… Tang Zhongyi countered quickly, “Dodge and use Green Field!”

The water stream, being a linear attack, was easily avoided as Light Grass sidestepped thrice.

“Guang Guang!”

Light Grass let out a cry, and its feet emitted a soft green glow. The light penetrated the ground, and in the blink of an eye, lush greenery spread across most of the field before it.

Green Field restored a portion of the energy of any pet standing on the ground and enhanced Grass-type moves by 30%.

Lubao had Healing Light, and Green Field only replenished stamina, not energy, so the benefit to Lubao was minimal. The biggest advantage would undoubtedly go to Light Grass. 

Qiao Sang decisively commanded, “Melting Water!”

Hearing her trainer’s words, Lubao leapt forward, seemingly disappearing into the puddle of water she had created earlier.

The water gun wasn’t meant to attack, it was meant to hide Lubao.

At this level of competition, opponents would have studied the pets’ characteristics from previous matches. Lubao’s Melting Water traitt wasn’t a surprise to Tang Zhongyi, who quickly countered, “Grass Knot!”

Light Grass closed its eyes, and Qiao Sang suddenly felt a twinge of unease. Was it the enhancement from Green Field? Or was it simply because she had only seen Grass Knot used in videos? Either way, she sensed danger.

Grass Knot, a mid-tier Grass-type skill, caused vines to emerge from the ground, tripping opponents and dealing damage. The heavier the opponent, the greater the damage.

Logically, Lubao, in her liquid state, shouldn’t be affected. Could Light Grass somehow sense where Lubao would emerge and target that spot?

Always assume the opponent is stronger. Let’s act as though it can predict Lubao’s movements! Qiao Sang raised her hand and gave a clear command, “Ice Claw, now!”

A ripple spread across the puddle, and just as Lubao’s head emerged, Light Grass opened its glowing green eyes.

At that moment, glowing vines shot up on either side of the puddle, linking above it to form a trap.

If Lubao fully emerged, it would undoubtedly be tripped.

The audience collectively held their breath, wishing they could jump in and rip those vines apart themselves.

On the field, Lubao shot out of the water at lightning speed, unhindered.

Half her body was out of the puddle, and her front claws gleamed with icy sharpness. She slashed forward, instantly slicing the vines in two.

Immediately after, water swirled around her body, propelling Lubao into the air.

Though water-based moves weren’t particularly threatening, Water Steam Jet had physical impact, which could still deal damage. However, if Light Grass endured this, its boosted Grass-type skills would pose a significant threat.

Tang Zhongyi’s mind raced. He locked eyes on the descending Lubao, hesitating before giving a command.

“Bind it! Use Leech Seed!” he finally shouted.

Tang Zhongyi’s strategy was clear: If Light Grass could bind Ice Qiya and land Leech Seed, the seed would continuously drain the Ice Qiya’s energy over time. While Ice Qiya could counter with Healing Light, the persistent drain would eventually exhaust it.

“Guang Guang!”

Light Grass extended its short claws, launching vines that shot toward Lubao.

The seeds were effective, but no pet would stand still and allow them to land. Tang Zhongyi aimed to restrain Lubao with the vines, creating an opportunity for a close-range attack.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the strength of Lubao’s attacks, amplified by the S-tier potential enhancer.

“Lu!”

With a cry, the water surrounding Lubao expanded threefold just as she closed in on Light Grass.

“Guang Guang!!!”

Light Grass couldn’t withstand the attack and was sent flying.

“Guang Guang!” Tang Zhongyi’s disbelief was written all over his face.

-----

Previous Chapter_Next Chapter

-----