Chapter 988: The Final Four

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

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The entire arena was a boiling cauldron of noise. Screams and cheers filled every corner.

"Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!"

"Great Qiao! Great Qiao!"

"Aaaah! That was so cool! I knew you'd make the Final Four!"

"Bond Evolution is terrifying! I didn't see Qiao Sang give a single command the whole match, but the Steel Sword Falcon reacted perfectly every time."

"A General-level pet using super-tier skills is basically invincible within its rank. I never doubted her once she sent it out."

"Honestly, compared to other pets of the same rank, the Steel Sword Falcon just has a face that says 'I'm going to win.'"

"It’s mostly because it’s so huge, right?"

"Don't just look at size; even Qiao Sang's Ghost Ring King won."

"To be honest, the moment it spat into the water shocked me more than the Holy Sword..."

"Who cares what tactics it uses as long as they work?"

"I was praising its wit!"

"Qiao Sang must have suggested it. A pet wouldn't think of that on its own."

"As long as she doesn't run into Yuan Tianlong in the next round, she’s a lock for the runner-up spot."

"She’s likely the youngest semi-finalist since the Regional Tournament began."

In Section A, Row 6:

"Aaaah! Great Qiao! Great Qiao!"

"Ji ji! Ji!"

The youth and the Little Song Swallow cheered frantically, forming a stark contrast with the man beside them, who sat in grim, silent defeat.

Amidst the roar of the crowd, Gangbao remained impassive. She spread her wings, and the purple feathers, their ice shells just having melted, flew toward her in unison, slotting back into her body.

Bond power isn't just a buzzword, our coordination is getting tighter and tighter... Qiao Sang felt a swell of pride. With a wave of her hand, she recalled Gangbao to her Beast Codex.

The ground slowly opened into a tunnel. A Cyan Bird pet carrying Qiao Sang flew toward the underground passage.

"And now for the final match of the Quarter-Finals..."

The tunnel closed, and the commentator's voice faded away. Qiao Sang dismounted, and a respectful staff member approached her.

"Miss Qiao, once the final match concludes, we will conduct the semi-final group draw. We’ll need you to head to the player area to watch the results live."

"Understood." Qiao Sang nodded and walked toward the back. She wasn't surprised, while regional rules varied slightly, by the semi-final stage, they always announced the pairings immediately to build hype.

---

As she walked through the backstage corridor, the sound of rhythmic footsteps approached. A man in his early twenties wearing a white shirt and rimless glasses appeared. He had a gentle but somewhat sophisticated rogue aura about him.

Yuan Tianlong... Qiao Sang recognized him instantly. He was one of the competitors in the final quarter-final match.

As they passed each other, Yuan Tianlong said with a smile, "We meet again."

Qiao Sang: ???

She turned to look at his departing back, completely bewildered. Wait... have we met?

Back in the player area, Qiao Sang sat down with Yabao. Looking at the thin figure on the giant screen, she thought of the corridor encounter and asked her pets: "Do any of you remember him?"

She had a photographic memory and wasn't face-blind. She remembered everyone she'd ever spoken to. Yet she had no recollection of meeting Yuan Tianlong in person.

"Yap yap." Yabao shook his head without thinking.

"Gang Zhan." Gangbao chirped a negative.

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure followed her gaze, thinking hard, then suddenly looked like he’d realized something.

"Where did we see him?" Qiao Sang asked eagerly.

"Xun xun!" Little Treasure chirped confidently.

Translation: On the internet! Everyone says he's your strongest opponent in this tournament!

Yabao's expression immediately turned serious upon hearing that.

Qiao Sang: ...

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On the field, the final match concluded. Yuan Tianlong had won with ease.

He used a Sawtooth Dragon, a Dragon-type with massive ears, a sawtooth pattern around its neck, and giant purple sawtooth wings. Qiao Sang watched it, suddenly reminded of the Sawtooth Dragon that had once helped her brain reach 50% development.

"Yap yap!" Yabao chirped, pointing out that this guy looked a lot like the one who had once knocked her out of the sky.

"That's because they are both Sawtooth Dragons." Qiao Sang smiled. The King-level form of the Little Tone Dragon is the Sawtooth Dragon.

Suddenly, a stray thought flashed in Qiao Sang's mind, one that wasn't hers. She looked at Gangbao. "You think they might be the same one?"

"Gang Zhan..." Gangbao froze. She hadn't said anything or even tried to communicate. Can she read my mind even when I don't want her to? Is our bond so strong that my thoughts just leak out?

Gangbao’s expression became grave. This wasn't great. If this kept up, wouldn't Qiao Sang know every time Gangbao thought she was being a bit dim?

"I heard that..." Qiao Sang gave her a reproachful look. Gangbao awkwardly turned her head away.

---

The matches were over. Yuan Tianlong had advanced to the Final Four.

"The Quarter-Finals have concluded!" The host announced from mid-air. 

"Our Final Four are: Wen Ruihe, Wu Tianjiao, Qiao Sang, and Yuan Tianlong!"

The giant screen showed the four players. Each time a face appeared, the crowd roared.

"And now, we will draw the pairings for the semi-finals!"

"Do you think we'll run into each other?" A familiar voice spoke from behind. Qiao Sang turned to see Yuan Tianlong.

"It’s possible." She replied.

"You really don't recognize me?" He laughed.

Qiao Sang scrutinized his face again. She was certain she hadn't met this man. Then, the miniature Sawtooth Dragon beside him chirped enthusiastically: "Saw saw!"

"Yap yap!" Yabao's eyes widened. It's you!

Qiao Sang put the pieces together, remembering Gangbao's stray thought. "Are you the Sawtooth Dragon that carried me and then got suddenly recalled by its Master?"

The dragon nodded. Qiao Sang looked at Yuan Tianlong.

"I changed my appearance back then." He explained helplessly. 

"You know how it is. Once a Beast Master gets a bit of fame, it's hard to walk around in public."

It really was him... Qiao Sang felt a sudden kinship, thinking about how she was constantly hounded for photos lately. Since his dragon had helped her reach the 50% brain development milestone, her gaze softened significantly. 

"I was worried my memory was failing me."

"It's my fault for not mentioning the disguise." He smiled. He was secretly amazed that the girl the Sawtooth Dragon had chosen to help was actually the Master of the Qinyin Fairy and a top-four regional contender.

"How did you change your face?" Qiao Sang asked. None of his registered pets had transformation skills.

"A Face-Molder." He said. 

"I hired one long-term."

As expected of a tycoon with a full team of dragons, he even has a long-term Face-Molder on retainer... Qiao Sang was about to ask where one even hires such a rare pet when the host shouted: "The Semi-Final pairings are out! Look at the big screen!"

[ Yuan Tianlong VS Wen Ruihe ]

[ Wu Tianjiao VS Qiao Sang ]

"Looks like I'll see you in the finals." Yuan Tianlong said. He stood up to leave, his Sawtooth Dragon waving a polite claw at Qiao Sang.

See me in the finals... he’s very confident in me, Qiao Sang thought, her eyes shifting to her opponent’s name. Wu Tianjiao. She was the only player with a Thunder-Numb Spirit.

The very pet that appeared in Gangbao’s dream of evolution.

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Back at the Beast Center, the first thing Qiao Sang did was pack.

"You're moving?" Mikayla asked.

"Too many people know I live here." Qiao Sang explained, thinking of the fan who had asked for an autograph earlier. 

"It’s the semi-finals, I need a more secure spot."

Ye Xiangting put down her phone. "Actually, many hotels have reached out offering free stays for the publicity. Several five-star hotels have high security. If you want, I’ll pick one."

"Let's do it." Qiao Sang said. 

"Ideally the one closest to the Sky Beast Arena."

As they packed, Mikayla asked, "By the way, whose idea was it to spit in the water?"

"Gang Zhan!" Gangbao chirped proudly.

"I didn't even think of it." Qiao Sang admitted. 

"But it worked like a charm."

Mikayla laughed. "A great tactic. Achieving the goal without wasting a drop of energy. How did you think of it?"

Gangbao looked at Lubao. Qiao Sang translated: "Because Lubao is a Water-type and is obsessed with cleanliness, Gangbao figured all Water-types might be the same. So she used that against it."

Lubao looked up, blinked, and then went back to her Ice Armor training.

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T/n: My suffering's end is near. One final approval✊

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