The Fire Fang Dog let out a disgruntled whimper, leaning back into its seat and taking a big sip of milk to soothe its wounded heart. Once it finished, Qiao Sang, noticing its mood, handed over another bottle and comforted, "It’s okay, we’ll get our chance against the Long-eared Cat soon. You can take revenge for Little Plump Dove then."
Although the Long-eared Cat looked adorable, Qiao Sang couldn’t bring herself to feel soft-hearted. After all, the thought of a score of 50 filled her with steely resolve.
"Yah!" the Fire Fang Dog suddenly perked up, sitting upright and nodding vigorously.
It could do it!
The third match went by swiftly and smoothly, but the ending took Qiao Sang by surprise. The Zongtai Bee, as a dual-type Poison and Flying beast, had both its mouth needle and tail needle infused with poison. However, the mouth needle had to make close contact with its target, while the tail needle could attack from a distance.
Logically, with the Zongtai Bee's speed, it could have used its tail needle to hit the Short-tailed Snake from afar, but it chose to use its mouth needle instead. The poison within the Short-tailed Snake was actually stronger than that of the Zongtai Bee, and with the sting landing, the Short-tailed Snake remained unharmed while the Zongtai Bee simply passed out from its own poison.
One could say the Zongtai Bee was too foolish, but it followed the orders of its Beast Master. The command "Poison Needle" was issued by the Zongtai Bee's master.
Qiao Sang could only sigh deeply. Mouth needle or tail needle, they were all the same when it came to poison, but the failure to clarify commands showed how inexperienced this Beast Master was.
Once the round of six to three was over, they moved on to a new match where three players from the losing team would compete while one would be eliminated. Perhaps having lost so quickly had influenced Lu Liangye, as he seemed to let his emotions weigh him down in directing the battle.
When the opposing team was already exhausted, he could have ended things using the Water Gun attack, yet he opted for a water bubble to obscure their vision first, then commanded the Water Circle Carp to charge ahead.
Qiao Sang didn’t understand why he would bother. With the enemies down, what did it matter if their vision was blocked? Besides, the Water Circle Carp had no legs, only its tail—how could it muster explosive power on land? In the end, that last hit felt more like a bump than a fierce charge…
Aside from Lu Liangye, another student named Hu Cheng also made it into the top five. The ultimate victor would be chosen from the winners of the round.
“Qiao Sang, Zheng Yining, Li Yang, you three will take turns battling. The first to win two rounds will be the selected champion this time,” Sun Boyi announced.
Qin Wen pulled out that familiar wooden box, “Inside, there are only two slips of paper with numbers. Whoever pulls a blank slip will have to sit this one out.”
Fortunately for Qiao Sang, she did not pull a blank slip. Turning the slip over, she indeed found the number 1 written upon it. Pulling three 1s in a row felt like a divine sign that she was destined to take first place!
Filled with fighting spirit, she glanced at her fellow competitor Zheng Yining, who seemed a lot less enthusiastic. With her usual scores hovering around 560 points, she knew that without the special selection, her academic performance wouldn’t have granted her a spot at Holy Water Middle School. Now with the special admission, she was already set for the entrance exam.
“Qiao, make sure to be gentle,” Zheng Yining joked with a smile.
Knowing she had no hope against Qiao Sang, she thought it best to show some humility and make her loss a bit more dignified.
Qiao Sang looked over at the Fire Fang Dog, which was getting ready to warm up, and replied, “I’ll do my best.”
Hearing their exchange, Lu Liangye grew indignant. He approached Qiao Sang, his expression contorting as if he were in pain. “I... I believe you can win, but don’t let your guard down. You need to go all out from the start to prevent any surprises.”
After losing so badly to Qiao Sang without even lasting two rounds, he felt he’d lose face if she took it easy against someone named Zheng Yining.
Qiao Sang chuckled at his awkward but proud demeanor. “Thanks for the reminder, I understand.”
Zheng Yining blinked in surprise. “...?”
The two took their places on the battlefield. The Long-eared Cat daintily licked its paw, while the Fire Fang Dog fixed its intense gaze on the Long-eared Cat, its hind legs digging into the ground as if ready to leap. That stance looked familiar…
Then it hit her. Wasn’t that the same pose the Fire Fang Dog had done when it first saw that lightning horned rhinoceros on TV, frightened into learning how to create sparks?
Before she could ponder further, Sun Boyi shouted, “Begin!”
Qiao Sang quickly adapted to the moment and commanded, “Charge!”
The Fire Fang Dog was fully inclined to rush forward in that stance, and she decided to go with its instinct. It seemed that buttering up her opponent had paid off.
Zheng Yining felt pleased with Qiao Sang’s command. A charge rarely succeeded, so she thought Qiao Sang was clearly going easy on her. Had she been as aggressive as when facing Lu Liangye, how would she have coped?
“Dodge.” Zheng Yining ordered.
Dodging was a skill that never failed; regardless of what the opponent did, as long as it wasn’t a targeted skill or area attack, dodging was always safe. She learned that from dramas.
The Long-eared Cat elegantly sidestepped a couple of steps before the Fire Fang Dog crashed into it, sending it flying to the ground.
“It couldn’t dodge…”
“How is that Fire Fang Dog moving so much faster than before?” Zheng Guoping gasped.
“Maybe it hadn’t used its full strength in the earlier rounds,” Qin Wen answered casually.
Liu Yao, on the side, observed without saying a word.
“Long-eared!” Zheng Yining cried out, worried for her beloved pet. The usual type creature, the Long-eared Cat, stood out among its peers for its appearance and agility.
In a clear area where it should have been safe, how could its seemingly elegant Long-eared Cat fall prey to such a simple charge?
Despite looking a bit battered, the Long-eared Cat still managed to get up gracefully. But in the next moment—
“Bang!”
Before it could recover, it was knocked down again.
“Long-eared!”
Qiao Sang’s heart ached at the scene. The Fire Fang Dog rushed in as soon as the Long-eared Cat got back up and repeatedly charged at it, almost like a bullfight in its past life where the Long-eared Cat was the red flag…
“I give up!” Zheng Yining raised her hand after her Long-eared Cat was struck down for the fifth time.
“I declare the winner—Qiao Sang,” Sun Boyi announced.
Little Plump Dove and its master hadn't left yet, and the Fire Fang Dog, energized by victory, dashed over to celebrate with Little Plump Dove. Startled, it flapped its wings and flew up onto its master's shoulder.
That was terrifying!
The Fire Fang Dog felt dejected, as its budding friendship was shattered just like that.
It trotted back to Qiao Sang.
“Yah~”
Qiao Sang crouched down and picked it up, and the Fire Fang Dog nuzzled against her chest affectionately.
Her Beast Master was the best.
“A fine Fire Fang Dog with potential! When you go home, give it three stalks of vitality grass, two pounds of soothing powder, seven taels of fiery niter, and six taels of red honey for a bath every day for half a month. You might get excellent results,” a deep voice spoke from nearby.
Qiao Sang turned to see one of the four teachers.
“This is the vice principal of Holy Water Middle School. He is an A-level breeder; trust what he says,” Zheng Guoping introduced.
(End of Chapter)