"Qiao Sang has once again achieved a remarkable victory through her superior tactics, advancing to the top four in the Bai Xin Competition! She is also the only one to win with a primary contract beast! What do you two think of this match?" The commentator turned to the two guests beside him.
"I still stand by what I've said; I look forward to facing her in future regional competitions," said Sha Duo with a smile.
"The turn of this match is something I did not expect. Qiao Sang is indeed outstanding. Winning in a match where she'd normally be at a disadvantage is something I couldn't do when I was young, and honestly, I still can't do it now," Gao Xu Lu said earnestly.
"Miss Xu Lu, please don't be so modest. Winning with a primary beast against a mid-level beast is definitely different from a king-level beast against a monarch-level beast," the commentator quickly interjected.
Meanwhile, Qiao Sang returned to her seat.
The commentator's voice echoed clearly from the backstage tunnel to the audience seats.
Before Bai Yun Miao could excitedly speak, Qiao Sang asked, "Who is more popular, Gao Xu Lu or Sha Duo?"
Bai Yun Miao was momentarily taken aback.
Though she didn't understand why Qiao Sang had suddenly asked that, she thought for a moment and replied, "Though Gao Xu Lu has beaten Sha Duo, it seems their fan bases are about the same. Most people support Gao Xu Lu because of her strength, while the majority who support Sha Duo do so because of his charm."
"Then I'm relieved," Qiao Sang sighed in relief.
"What were you worried about just now?" Bai Yun Miao asked, puzzled.
"Ms. Gao was praising me so much that I was afraid her fans would team up against me in a war of words. Since their popularity is comparable, I feel much better now," Qiao Sang explained.
Bai Yun Miao could only reply with silence.
In the arena, as the beast performance artists entertained the crowd, three or four staff members summoned their beasts to repair the competition grounds.
After every match, the venue must be restored to its original condition to ensure the next match isn’t affected. For F-grade Beast Masters, the number of times they need to repair the grounds after a match is relatively few.
The winner of the fourth match was Li Langyi. Though he had two contract beasts, one of them was still at a primary level. If all goes according to plan, he would likely send out his mid-level beast, the Long-tailed Snake, in the afternoon match.
Qiao Sang looked at her notes, frowning at the three remaining opponents.
Aside from Li Langyi, she felt uncertain against anyone else.
Unlike other competitors, Hou Xiangyu and Wei Wenya relied purely on their strength without any strategy to crush their enemies. They each had two mid-level beasts of different attributes, showcasing only a handful of skills, making it difficult to assess their capabilities.
Not like her.
Her tactics required intense mental effort, and her ultimate techniques had already been exhausted.
...
In the rest area of the beast fighting arena.
"What are you doing, genius Qiao?" Bai Yun Miao entered the room with takeout in hand.
Since the finals of the Bai Xin Competition would be held in the afternoon, most people stayed in the vicinity of Shouke Garden for a meal. Naturally, Qiao Sang, as a semifinalist, did not go home either.
"I’m having my Fire Tooth Dog draw lots. Whatever it picks will determine who my opponent is this afternoon," Qiao Sang said, focusing intently on her dog’s actions.
"Isn't that something the organizers should be doing?" Bai Yun Miao couldn't help but question.
She had to doubt because the method for the Fire Tooth Dog to draw lots was quite crude.
Just three balls of paper scrunched up and placed on the table, without any objects to cover them.
"Of course not, I made this myself," Qiao Sang replied.
Bai Yun Miao said nothing and could only sigh.
Really…
But did genius Qiao really have to resort to such childish antics?
She didn't seem that way on normal days…
The Fire Tooth Dog stared at the paper balls on the table but remained inactive.
It wasn’t hesitation; every time it pointed to one of the paper balls, its beast master would take a look and return it for another choice.
The poor creature couldn’t figure out where it had gone wrong.
Thirty seconds later.
"Ya."
The Fire Tooth Dog nudged one of the paper balls with its paw. Qiao Sang opened it up and nearly spat blood.
It was Hou Xiangyu again!
This was the third time!
They say bad luck comes in threes; having drawn Hou Xiangyu three times in a row—was her first opponent for the afternoon really going to be him?
Hou Xiangyu was clearly the strongest among the three.
This was just too unfortunate…
"Why let the Fire Tooth Dog draw instead of drawing yourself?" At that moment, Bai Yun Miao suddenly asked.
"Because the Fire Tooth Dog has a unique sense of luck. It says the one that wins will likely lose. It's quite accurate," Qiao Sang said.
"But if it draws someone, doesn't that mean you won’t encounter that person?" Bai Yun Miao countered.
Qiao Sang paused for a moment, feeling enlightened.
That seemed to be the case!
...
At 2 PM.
Beast Fighting Arena.
"Dear ladies and gentlemen, audience members on-site, and viewers streaming the Bai Xin Competition live, we are about to announce the first match of the semifinals. Please look at the big screen!"
The remaining four photos shuffled constantly before finally stopping after six seconds.
Staring at the matchups on the screen, Qiao Sang stiffened as she looked at her Fire Tooth Dog, which was doing its best to maintain a poker face.
"The first matchup is out! They are Wei Wenya and Li Langyi! That means Hou Xiangyu and Qiao Sang automatically become the second match opponents!"
Bai Yun Miao looked at Qiao Sang with sympathy. "It’s okay, genius Qiao. Even if you lose, you can still compete for third place. At the very least, you’ll end up in fourth place, which is already impressive."
Anyone with eyes could see that Hou Xiangyu had the strongest power among the four contestants.
And for Qiao Sang…
Qiao Sang smiled stiffly, "Thank you, that was comforting."
By this point, didn't everyone want to place higher?
If only she could face Li Langyi in the semifinals, based on what she knew about the Long-tailed Snake, she could likely win and secure a spot in the finals.
She hadn’t thought about taking first place, but she had indeed imagined taking second...
After all, the prize for second place was much better than that of third.
Not to mention the Alliance Coins; the motorcycle and water-type evolution stone were valued quite differently.
She thought about selling the water-type evolution stone on a certain website when she got her prizes…
She even had the price in mind...
...
In the arena, as the referee blew the whistle, both competitors summoned their Long-tailed Snake and the Power Duck.
No unexpected outcomes occurred in the match.
The Power Duck, being Wei Wenya’s first beast, had a slight advantage in both teamwork and skills over the other.
The skills released by the Long-tailed Snake were all dodged by the Power Duck, and in the end, the match concluded with the Power Duck finishing things off with a Water Cannon.
It seemed her next opponent would indeed be Li Langyi.
Qiao Sang was not surprised by the outcome…
Before long, the second semifinal match approached.
"Will Hou Xiangyu crush the competition again, or will Qiao Sang create another miracle and win against the odds? Who will claim the last spot in the finals!" the commentator enthusiastically voiced.
Afterward, he made sure to let the guests share their thoughts: "What do you two think?"
The majority of the audience had come for the guests, naturally wanting them to share more insights.
"Emotionally, I hope Qiao Sang wins, but rationally, I believe Hou Xiangyu will come out on top," Sha Duo said with a smile.
"And what about Miss Xu Lu?"
"I think so too," Gao Xu Lu answered.
The commentator was left stunned: "..."
"What a straightforward answer! Now let’s turn our attention back to the arena."
(The chapter ends here)