On the stands, the first row of seats closest to the arena was occupied by eight contestants sitting side by side.
One handsome boy, looking rather refined, asked, "Who do you think will win?"
"It should be the girl; her contract beast is a Fire Tooth Dog," said Zheng Yining, who had just gone closer to observe the situation. She noticed the bond between the girl and the Fire Tooth Dog seemed quite harmonious, unlike what people online said about new Beast Masters and their fire-type beasts, who looked as if they found a long-lost ancestor. It seemed like commanding the Fire Tooth Dog in battle wouldn't be an issue.
"That’s not certain. Do you guys know who that Lu Liangye is?" Li Yang chimed into the discussion.
"The one called the 'King of Show-offs.'"
"The idiot in our group who said real masters always show up last."
Li Yang replied, "……"
"He achieved self-awakening last September, and it was reported by Hanggang City News. If not for the end of that year's High School Entrance Exam, he would probably be a first-year student at Li Tan Beastmaster High School now," Li Yang explained.
"Then how did he end up taking the special admission exam at Holy Water Middle School?" The refined boy asked in disbelief.
It was not that he looked down on Holy Water Middle School; it was just that Li Tan Beastmaster High School was the only school that consistently overshadowed Holy Water Middle School in Zhehai Province. Who in their right mind would choose second place if the first was right in front of them? Not to mention that entering Holy Water should have been through a guaranteed recommendation. How did he end up taking a special admission exam? Didn't that mean one of the five spots absolutely belonged to him?!
"I don’t know," Li Yang answered.
Who could tell what this show-off Lu Liangye was thinking?
Zheng Yining listened to the conversation and felt a bit sorry for the girl in the arena. Although she had a Fire Tooth Dog, her opponent was arguably the strongest contender. To face him in the very first round, what terrible luck she had.
Meanwhile, Qiao Sang pulled out a dark green triangular pair of sunglasses from her backpack and put them on the Fire Tooth Dog. That was its favorite color and style. After training so hard for so many days, today was the big exam, the vital duel, so she had to give it her all from the start and bring out her secret weapon.
"Yah!"
Once the Fire Tooth Dog donned the glasses, it raised its head proudly, immediately changing its aura.
"The battle rules are 1v1; each of you will send out your respective contract beasts and follow my commands to fight. The first to fall or lose their combat ability will lose the right to continue," Sun Boyi announced.
This unregulated type of match had become quite popular, emphasizing unpredictability and whether the Beast Masters would play it safe or strike first.
"In the first match, I can only say sorry!" Lu Liangye said, though his expression and tone certainly contradicted the sentiment.
Qiao Sang thought, "……" This guy was so annoying.
With his pre-match speech, a beast that was entirely light blue appeared in the white star array. It had a yellow mouth and wore a circle of white around its neck. With two pairs of front limbs and tail fins, it stood on the ground supported by its tail due to its lack of legs.
It was a water-type beast, the Water Circle Carp.
"Water Circle Carp? This girl is finished. Not only is the strength a factor, but her type is also weak against his."
"Do you think you can handle a Water Circle Carp if you face one?"
"…… Mine is ground-type too; this is terrible. Please don't let me face him in the next match!"
The other contestants on the stands were discussing things fervently.
Zheng Yining sighed, feeling even more sorry for the girl below. The luck...
At that moment, Sun Boyi called for the battle to begin.
“Get close and confuse it—finish it quickly!” Qiao Sang commanded first.
In the blink of an eye, the Fire Tooth Dog charged ahead.
Not bad speed, Sun Boyi thought. Finish it? How?
Lu Liangye chuckled at Qiao Sang's confidence, actually laughing out loud.
"Haha, use a water gun to keep it away!"
The entry-level water guns were about two meters long, but the Water Circle Carp could blast water with a range of five meters, clearly at an advanced level.
The Fire Tooth Dog darted around easily.
For a fleeting moment, the Fire Tooth Dog doubled in appearance.
The Water Circle Carp was confused, unsure which target to aim for.
The two Fire Tooth Dogs soon closed in from the left and right, baring their fiery, sharp teeth wrapped in flames.
"Encase yourself with water!" Lu Liangye commanded calmly.
"Isn't the fire a bit too intense?" Li Yang raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
"Is it? I'm nearsighted," the handsome boy squinted to focus on the arena.
Li Yang: "……"
In the ring, the fire-encased fangs of the Fire Tooth Dog bit down onto the Water Circle Carp. Unlike how it should have worked normally, the water didn't negate the attack. In the next moment, the Water Circle Carp’s defenses collapsed, and the fangs viciously sank into its head.
"Circle!! Circle!!"
The Water Circle Carp let out a painful scream.
"Impossible?! Water Circle Carp!" Lu Liangye lost his calm, frantically calling out.
Meanwhile…
"That's the fire proficiency level!" Qin Wen remarked.
"That Fire Tooth Dog is impressive; looks like it really practiced before the contract," Zheng Guoping sighed in admiration.
"This Fire Tooth Dog has been trained for less than two months," said the man in the flat-top hairstyle who had been silent until now.
"No way!" Zheng Guoping looked utterly astonished.
"You don’t believe the vice principal?” Qin Wen shot him a sideways glance.
Zheng Guoping was dumbstruck by this reply.
Vice Principal Liu Yao was sought after by their school. Not only was he an A-level trainer, but he was also an award-winning senior researcher. He previously worked at the Princeton High Research Institute; had the principal not pestered him for months, leveraging their old elementary school friendship, he would never consider teaching at a Beastmaster High School.
If he said the Fire Tooth Dog had less than two months of training, then it clearly meant… less than two months.
Zheng Guoping eyed the arena, where the Water Circle Carp lay unconscious on the ground, and the Fire Tooth Dog stood proudly. Although the dark green sunglasses concealed its eyes, the way it lifted its chin, stuck out its chest, and acted like everyone should know it had won...
Could this Fire Tooth Dog really be less than two months old?
In the arena, the Water Circle Carp had already fainted.
As Sun Boyi announced the results, Qiao Sang walked over to Lu Liangye and said, "My apologies."
Lu Liangye: "……!!"
Qiao Sang carried the Fire Tooth Dog back to the stands to sit down.
Before training, she had taken the Fire Tooth Dog to the entrance of Beastmaster High for challenges against high school students, defeating them three times in a row.
Now that her Fire Tooth Dog's strength was on a completely different level, facing off against a middle school student who just signed a contract?
How could she lose?
Winning was the norm.
Just as Qiao Sang sat down, she couldn’t hold back a yawn.
The surrounding contestants looked at her with eyes full of shock and admiration.
She had won decisively and cleanly!
To win so easily against a foe that was weak against her was no small feat.
(The end of this chapter)