"One move! Just one move! Sha Duo, what do you think of this match?" the middle-aged commentator spoke excitedly.
In a competition of this level, winning with just one move was nothing particularly special. The duration was too short and the atmosphere too subdued for the audience to discern any professional techniques. This was the moment when the commentator and guest analysts stepped in to fill the gap.
"The Fire Tooth Dog’s attack speed and power of moves are both a notch above that of the Fire Chain Snake, especially its attack speed. Almost as soon as the match started, while Xie Jianyin was still giving instructions, it had already launched its skill," Sha Duo analyzed.
The middle-aged commentator, listening closely, had a different opinion.
While attack speed was indeed important, he believed that the true key to victory lay in that spark. That was a spark of the small achievement realm. If that spark were only at the entry level, it wouldn’t possess the power, and the shockwave generated from the explosion wouldn’t be enough to knock out the Fire Chain Snake.
He recalled that the profile on Qiao Sang stated she was a fresh middle school graduate...
The host continued with the program, introducing the names of the fourth group of participants as the audience buzzed about the previous match.
"What's up with Xie Jianyin? Why didn’t he send out the Long Tail Snake and just let the Fire Chain Snake fight?"
"Maybe he thinks the Fire Chain Snake could win anyway."
"It feels like he’s throwing the match on purpose. Is there some kind of deal behind the scenes?"
"Fire Tooth Dog isn’t weak. It's not surprising it won; if they were rigging the match, at least there should’ve been a few exchanges. How could it end so quickly? Besides, what’s the point of rigging such a small match?"
Nowadays, competitions attract many viewers, especially larger scale events, where media and online platforms compete to report on them. For high-tier events, only A-ranked Beast Masters participating would attract millions of viewers online.
Any Beast Master who appeared in these events could gain a massive following, their value skyrocketing. Not to mention the significant advantage of placing high in such competitions. It was during those elite events when match-fixing became evident, with manipulative capitalists and aspiring Beast Masters finding ways to orchestrate behind the scenes. However, for a small event like the Bai Xin match, which depended heavily on support from family and friends of competitors to boost viewership, there was no point in match-fixing.
Meanwhile, Qiao Sang had just sat down with her Fire Tooth Dog.
"Qiao genius, that was so cool! I didn’t even have time to react before you won," Bai Yunmiao exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
"Honestly, I didn’t process it either," replied Qiao Sang.
"Yaya!"
The Fire Tooth Dog nodded, agreeing that it felt the same.
"Haha, just now, Fire Tooth Dog was so confused after winning, that expression was hilarious! What a shame we didn't capture it; you can check it out online later. It could totally be a meme!" Bai Yunmiao continued laughing.
"Yar!"
The Fire Tooth Dog twitched, feeling agitated.
Wasn’t what was recorded online showing its heroics during the match? What was so funny about its expression?
Qiao Sang was curious too; during the battle, the Fire Tooth Dog had its back to her, so she hadn’t seen any of its expressions. However, during the livestream, she would have to wait until the morning matches were over to watch the replay and see.
The matches continued to progress swiftly. When it was time for the twentieth group of competitors to take the stage, Bai Yunmiao pulled out a mirror from her crossbody bag.
Then she took out a comb and brushed her air bangs.
Qiao Sang couldn’t help but comment, "You actually brought a comb."
Bai Yunmiao stated earnestly, "As a refined Beast Master, I always have to pay attention to my image before the camera."
Qiao Sang responded, "..."
This was the first time she heard "refined" used to describe a Beast Master; that word suited a Coordinator better. After all, Coordinators not only paid attention to their beasts' appearances but also managed their own.
She thought Bai Yunmiao had potential to be a Coordinator... Bai Yunmiao was part of the twenty-fifth group, and her opponent wasn’t on Qiao Sang’s memo list.
"Fire Tooth Dog, who do you think will win?" Qiao Sang asked as usual.
"Yar."
The Fire Tooth Dog pointed at the little plump dove soaring in the sky, the one it loved dearly.
Qiao Sang thought that Bai Yunmiao hadn’t exaggerated in saying the Fire Tooth Dog was handsome, so it must’ve made a fair judgment in picking what it thought could win...
Bai Yunmiao’s beast was a Golden Vine, standing around ninety centimeters tall, with a small, round, turquoise body and yellowish eyes that lacked pupils. It had a five-centimeter tendril on its head, giving it a somewhat silly and adorable appearance.
On the field, both sides had already sparred for two minutes and had started to run out of stamina. The little plump dove's flight height had slightly diminished as well.
Suddenly, the Golden Vine's head swung violently, launching leaf-shaped blades towards the little plump dove in the air.
Flapping its wings furiously, the dove desperately tried to dodge. Just as it managed to catch its breath after the leaf blades passed, two tendrils appeared from the Golden Vine's forefingers, quickly binding the dove tightly.
The next second, the little plump dove's perspective was flipped a full 180 degrees.
"Dove!!"
Controlled by the tendrils, the little plump dove crashed headfirst onto the ground.
"The contestant Bai Yunmiao wins!" the judge announced.
The Fire Tooth Dog covered its eyes, unable to watch.
Qiao Sang looked at her Fire Tooth Dog hiding its eyes.
Wasn't this a classic case of being a 'toxic milk'?
"How was I? Was my hairstyle messed up during the match?" Bai Yunmiao asked excitedly as she returned to her seat.
"Pretty good," Qiao Sang replied.
Bai Yunmiao’s hairstyle was a bun, tightly gathered, and unless she engaged in vigorous activity, it wouldn't get messy.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yunmiao was very pleased, then pulled out the mirror and comb to tidy her bangs again.
...
As the morning matches concluded, contestants and the audience began leaving the arena one after another.
At the entrance, Bai Yunmiao pointed nervously at a reporter holding a microphone not far away. "What should I do? I’m feeling a bit anxious now. What if they interview me when we pass by? What should I say?"
Qiao Sang answered, "Well, it depends on what they ask, but they usually ask why you joined the competition and what your views are on it."
Bai Yunmiao nodded, then asked, "How do I look right now?"
"Beautiful." Qiao Sang praised.
"Then I... ah! They are looking over here! Ahh! They are coming over!" Bai Yunmiao squealed with excitement.
"Calm down, maintain your image," Qiao Sang advised.
"You’re right… it looks like they are indeed walking this way!" Bai Yunmiao whispered excitedly.
Qiao Sang turned to look and saw the reporter with the microphone was truly heading in their direction.
It seemed Bai Yunmiao’s intuition was spot on.
No white dressing up.
Soon, the reporter approached them with his team.
"Contestant Qiao Sang, I am a reporter for the Hanggang Aggregation Platform and would like to conduct an interview with you about your Fire Tooth Dog and the match. Are you available right now?"
Qiao Sang stared at the microphone presented before her and fell silent.
Bai Yunmiao was utterly shocked, "......!"
(End of Chapter)