Chapter 940: Opening Ceremony

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

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"This is Hollow Broadcasting Network. Viewers, the long-awaited Regional Championships officially kick off today! As the opening is imminent, traffic congestion has occurred outside the stadium, and a large number of beast fans might miss the ceremony. But don't worry, Hollow Broadcasting Network will be providing full live coverage of the opening ceremony right here for you."

"It is now September 1st, 7:30 PM Hollow Time. This is Zhongyu Society. We are currently at the Tianan City Sky Stadium, the largest beast competition venue in our Central Hollow Region. It covers an aerial area of 39 hectares and can accommodate approximately 172,000 spectators simultaneously. This year's Regional Championships will be held here, and we will witness it all together with you."

"The opening ceremony is about to begin, and major beast fans are showing support for their favored contestants. We can see banners everywhere in the stands, and many people have the patterns of their supported contestants or pets printed on their faces. Who will emerge victorious in the preliminaries of this year's Regional Championships? Beast News will report the entire process."

Giant virtual screens lining both sides of the neon-lit roads broadcasted live coverage of the Regional Championships from various channels. Flying pets wearing glowing sunglasses zipped and hovered high in the sky.

The closer one got to the Sky Stadium, the denser the crowd became. Within a one-kilometer radius of the stadium, it was nearly impossible to even take a single step.

Qiao Sang, Liu Yao, and Mikayla were waiting beneath a skyscraper six kilometers away.

Mikayla checked the time on her phone and said, "I'll head over first. The queue will likely take a long time, and with the tickets I bought, I'm afraid I won't make it if I don't go now." She didn't offer any extra reminders; she was very confident about the preliminaries.

"Alright." Qiao Sang nodded.

Mikayla glanced at the air beside her. The next second, she vanished into thin air.

Liu Yao looked at the giant virtual screen nearby broadcasting the Regional Championships and said with emotion, "To think the last time I watched the Regional Championships was 11 years ago."

"Why didn't you watch after that?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Too busy." 

Liu Yao paused and continued, "And partly because I couldn't get tickets." 

He smiled and added, "Being able to watch it live this time is thanks to you."

Qiao Sang smiled. "I'll try my best to let you watch a few more matches."

Contestants could bring two family members to watch. Once a contestant was eliminated, this perk would naturally be revoked.

"Yap!"

Just as Liu Yao was about to say something, Yabao let out an excited cry toward the front. Qiao Sang looked ahead and saw a Faithful Owl flying toward them from high up, carrying her mother on its back.

She couldn't help but wave happily. "Mom! Faithful Owl!"

"Tong hua!" Hearing the call, the Faithful Owl sped up and landed in front of them.

Ye Xiangting slid off the owl's back and first greeted Liu Yao politely: "Vice Principal."

"Qiao Sang's mother." Liu Yao responded.

Ye Xiangting looked at Qiao Sang, her eyes full of pride and smiles. 

"You've grown taller." Then, she looked at the pet in her daughter’s arms and froze.

Did Yabao look like this?

"Yap!"

Seeing his Beast Master's mother looking at him, Yabao gave an enthusiastic cry.

"Is this... Yabao?" Ye Xiangting asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, he evolved." Qiao Sang dropped the bombshell in a calm tone.

Ye Xiangting: !!!

She remembered Yabao's previous form was a General-level pet. After evolving, wouldn't that mean he was... a King-level pet?!

"Tong hua..." The Faithful Owl looked at Yabao, filled with uncertainty and surprise.

Immediately after, it noticed Gangbao standing quietly to the side, and its eyes widened instantly. You evolved too?

"Gang Zhan."

Gangbao understood the meaning behind its expression and nodded.

Faithful Owl: !!!

Before her mother could speak again, Qiao Sang said, "Let's head over first; the opening ceremony is about to start."

"Then let's go quickly." Ye Xiangting knew that some things took priority and suppressed her urge to ask questions immediately.

"Little Treasure." Qiao Sang said.

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure appeared, his eyes glowing with blue light.

The next second, the group vanished and reappeared at the contestant passage of the Sky Stadium. Qiao Sang had specifically come here with Little Treasure yesterday to scout the location and knew exactly where the inspection point was.

To ensure contestants could enter smoothly, the officials had sent specialized Mechanical-type pets to check IDs. With just one scan, they could confirm identities.

A black-haired man with a buzz cut was being checked at the front of the passage. Hearing the commotion, he turned and glanced at Liu Yao and Ye Xiangting before looking away. He picked up his backpack from the security scanner and walked inside, led by a staff member.

Qiao Sang handed her Beast Master badge to the Mechanical pet wearing a staff ID. At this time, Ye Xiangting was looking around and didn't notice the color of the badge.

The Mechanical pet took the badge and opened it. A virtual screen about ten inches wide appeared, clearly recording the relevant data. The Mechanical pet’s eyes then glowed green as it looked at Qiao Sang and began scanning.

Meanwhile, several staff members nearby exchanged surprised looks, each reading the same thought on the other's face: Out of these three, the contestant is actually this kid?

"Que-que."

The Mechanical pet’s eyes returned to their original black color. It handed back the badge and let out a cry to the staff members nearby.

"I'll lead the way for you." One of the staff members hurried forward.

Since it was just the opening ceremony, contestants and family members could watch from the same area, there was no need to separate yet. Guided by the staff member, the three arrived at a seat near the front of the stands.

The entire stadium was a cacophony of voices, a sea of people as far as the eye could see. The area where Qiao Sang sat was mostly reserved for contestants and their families. People in this section glanced over as they arrived, but seeing no one they recognized, they looked away uninterestedly.

Ye Xiangting looked around, feeling both excited and a bit reserved. Although she had watched the Regional Championships before, it had always been as a regular spectator, watching the contestants from afar. It wasn't like now, where she was surrounded by them.

Even though this wasn't the Yuhua Region, some famous contestants in the Central Hollow Region had a national reputation. With a casual glance, she saw several professional Beast Masters she had only seen on TV. 

The thought of her daughter competing on the same stage as these people made her heart race instinctively, she felt an indescribable mix of pride and nervousness.

"Ah! Cao Lidong!" A scream came from the stands not far away.

A handsome man in his twenties sitting next to Qiao Sang turned and waved with a smile toward the source of the sound.

Cao Lidong, 31 years old, C-rank Beast Master. He had participated in the Regional Championships once before and attracted a wave of fans due to his handsome looks. Although professional Beast Masters are judged primarily on strength, a good-looking face certainly adds to one's popularity.

Qiao Sang twitched her ears, specifically listening to the shouts from the stands, and found that not a single person called her name. It seemed that no one recognized her as the Beast Master of the Qingqingni from before...

"When did Yabao evolve?" Ye Xiangting asked in a lowered voice. The environment and atmosphere of the Regional Championships had buffered her earlier shock regarding Yabao's evolution.

"Just a few days ago." Qiao Sang replied. 

"During the last secret realm mission."

Ye Xiangting digested this and asked again, "How did he evolve?"

"He absorbed a Molten Flame Seed and evolved under the sunlight." Qiao Sang said succinctly.

Liu Yao listened from the side, trying his best to restrain his expression. Even now, he couldn't stand how Qiao Sang described such a thing so nonchalantly.

Molten Flame Seed? Never heard of it... Ye Xiangting really wanted her daughter to elaborate on what kind of resource could make Yabao evolve to the King-level in such a short time, but given the current environment, it wasn't appropriate to ask in detail. 

Although she wasn't a professional Beast Master, she knew that many professional Beast Masters had received feedback that granted them excellent hearing, allowing them to often eavesdrop on others' privacy. 

Many Beast Masters in the Regional Championships hide their strength before the match, she didn't want others to learn about her daughter's situation or gauge her strength through their conversation.

Suddenly, the whole stadium erupted in cheers.

At the same time, a tall figure wearing a black short-sleeved shirt came and sat in the front row of this section. Unlike when Qiao Sang had sat down, almost all the contestants and their families in the area turned their gaze toward this tall figure.

"That looks like Chen Tianqin." Ye Xiangting whispered in surprise.

Liu Yao couldn't help but take a few extra looks as well.

Chen Tianqin, 33 years old, B-rank Beast Master. At age 29, he had cross-regionally participated in the Yuhua Regional Championships; at the time, he was only a C-rank Beast Master but achieved an impressive Top 32 finish. 

Last year, he participated in the Central Hollow Regional Championships. Not only was he already a B-rank Beast Master, but he also directly made the Top 8. It is said he has already been scouted by the national team for specialized training... Relevant information surfaced in Qiao Sang's mind.

Because the Regional Championships have age limits, C-rank Beast Masters actually make up the vast majority. Although the number of B-rank Beast Masters is not large, in a place like the Central Hollow Region where talent is abundant, there are still thirty or forty of them. 

For Chen Tianqin to stand out among so many B-rank Beast Masters and reach the Top 8 shortly after becoming one himself was proof of his extraordinary talent and strength.

Suddenly, all the lights went out. The audience fell silent.

A moment later, a blue beam of light fell rapidly from the sky into the center of the field, stopping mid-air to reveal two figures. As the two figures appeared, several beams of fluorescence shone on them from all directions.

A woman with black curly hair and bold makeup held a microphone, standing atop a blue avian pet about three meters tall. She shouted:

"Distinguished guests, viewers across the nation, good evening!"

"I am honored to stand here as the host of this magnificent beast feast. Today, we will witness the grand opening of this year's Central Hollow Regional Championships!"

"In this edition of the championships, we have the honor of welcoming 432 of the most talented Beast Masters from the Central Hollow Region, including some from other regions."

"This is a fierce contest, a battle of strength, tactics, and perseverance."

"Every Beast Master has given their all, completing a year of arduous tasks to be here. They will present to us a feast of beast battles at the highest regional level!"

"You will be the witnesses and participants of this feast. Your passion will ignite the entire stadium. Let us cheer! Welcome the opening of this feast!"

The entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause.

Clap clap clap... Qiao Sang applauded passionately.

So hot-blooded! These words made her itch to get on the field and fight immediately!

"Yap yap!" Yabao cried out excitedly.

"Xun xun!" Little Treasure appeared in excitement.

Lubao poked her head out of the backpack, looking at the field. Gangbao watched the cheering crowd, her eyes flickering. Qingbao didn't appear, but the wind she became blew a bit harder than usual, showing she was also somewhat excited by the speech.

The beams of light concentrated in the center vanished. The blue avian pet and the host seemed to disappear. Immediately after, a passionate BGM played. The lights in the stadium dimmed slightly.

Countless avian pets equipped with fluorescent gear converged from all directions high in the sky. Each bird belonged to a different race, and there were over a thousand of them. 

Following the rhythm of the BGM, they transformed into beams of light at extremely high speeds, constantly crisscrossing in the sky like meteors of different colors moving in irregular patterns, a visual sensory feast.

So many flying pets moving at such speed without a single collision. These pets must have trained for a long time... While marvelling, Qiao Sang took out her phone and kept taking pictures.

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure showed an impressed expression and silently took out his own phone, opening the video function.

Just as Qiao Sang thought the performance was ending, the fluorescence on all the avian pets in the sky suddenly turned a uniform fluorescent blue. They quickly intersected, forming a gargantuan bird pet that occupied almost the entire sky above the stadium.

Juan Xuan Wu, a legendary pet symbolizing auspiciousness. It is said that people who see the Juan Xuan Wu will have everything go smoothly... Information about the pet forming in the sky flashed through Qiao Sang's mind.

As the thought flickered, all the avian pets flapped their wings downward in unison. Instantly, countless bits of star energy, like brilliant golden gems, swarmed toward the bottom of the stadium. Mid-air, all the star energy suddenly exploded, turning into points of starlight that scattered over the audience.

The scene was so dreamlike that Ye Xiangting, who had been recording, unconsciously put down her phone and looked up at the points of starlight falling from the sky.

So beautiful...

I used to see the opening ceremony on TV, but the feeling of watching it live is actually so different...

In the following time, various pets from the Central Hollow Region took the field to perform. Among them, flying pets were the majority. After a full hour and a half, the host, standing on the blue avian pet, flew back onto the field and spoke:

"Guests! Viewers across the nation! The opening ceremony has concluded. Next, let us look at the list of all contestants for this year!"

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