The arena was set.
A gray star formation lit up before Hou Xiangyu.
In the center of this array floated a soft, light gray beast resembling a weight, yet not rigid like one. It looked quite endearing and was known as the Control Scale Absorber.
Seeing that his opponent only had a Fire Tooth Dog, Hou Xiangyu did not summon the slightly weaker Ba Xue Die. Instead, he proudly called forth his Control Scale Absorber.
With admiration, he surveyed the Fire Tooth Dog, which was already brimming with energy and ready to attack.
He had only watched the first day of the Hundred New Tournament to gauge the contestants' skill levels and had not been paying attention in the following days, except for the quarterfinals today.
Though he had not watched Qiao Sang's previous matches, he had heard her name. After all, there were only a few standout contestants in the Hundred New Tournament that the media focused on repeatedly.
Being the only contestant with a contracted fire-type beast made her highly noticeable, especially since Sanduo publicly deemed her a future rival. It was hard not to pay attention to her.
The morning match was indeed worthy of the media’s praise, as she demonstrated the classic saying of overcoming the strong through tactical finesse. The strategy was clever.
Yet many overlooked the fact that tactics also required beasts with sufficient power to back them up.
In just that single battle, the Fire Tooth Dog had already showcased four skills: Shadow Clone, Flame Charge, Flame Vortex, and Sparks. The scene where it leaped across stones on a collapsing ground while rushing toward the Twin-tailed Land Tortoise was a testament to its impressive reflexes.
It was hard to believe that this was a contracted beast of a junior high graduate. Watching that match made Hou Xiangyu want a Fire Tooth Dog of his own.
He summoned the Control Scale Absorber not because he thought Ba Xue Die would lose, but rather as a sign of respect for his opponent's strength.
Everything was in place.
With the referee's whistle, both sides immediately unleashed their skills.
A translucent wave of psychic energy emerged from the Control Scale Absorber as its tiny claws pointed at the Fire Tooth Dog.
As soon as the whistle blew, the Fire Tooth Dog dashed toward the Control Scale Absorber.
In an instant, its form shimmered; one became two, and two became four.
Four Fire Tooth Dogs charged forward together, launching a powerful blow.
The energy wave on the Control Scale Absorber hesitated momentarily, unsure of which target to focus its psychic energy on.
In that split-second distraction, a Fire Tooth Dog appeared right in front of it.
The Control Scale Absorber snapped back to focus, shifting its body to another side.
The Fire Tooth Dog missed its target.
This was tough...
Qiao Sang sighed inwardly.
To her surprise, this Control Scale Absorber could also teleport, a skill it hadn't shown in previous matches.
She had considered several ways to defeat this Control Scale Absorber. Superpowered beasts could either exhaust their energy or attack with faster reflexes to win.
However, this Control Scale Absorber had teleportation.
It was going to be tricky to land a hit. After all, teleportation was a skill that could be executed with just a flick of thought, making it inherently faster than the Fire Tooth Dog.
Even if she managed to close the gap and get within a meter, the Control Scale Absorber could just teleport away.
Long-range attacks would also be difficult to land.
It seemed the only option left was to wear it out...
Both sides maintained their distance, locked in a stalemate.
"Holographic Beam."
Hou Xiangyu was the first to issue a command.
The Control Scale Absorber stretched its claws forward, emitting beams of mixed colors from its paws.
After striking one of the Fire Tooth Dogs, that particular beast vanished.
It was a clone.
Once the clone was resolved, the Holographic Beams continued to sweep across the remaining three Fire Tooth Dogs. The energy of a clone couldn't compare to the real deal, not to mention that its speed was inferior as well.
Soon enough, two of the Fire Tooth Dog clones vanished under the onslaught of Holographic Beams, leaving only the real one left dodging.
Just as the Control Scale Absorber focused its efforts on the only remaining Fire Tooth Dog, Qiao Sang reacted by calling out, "Shadow Clone!"
The Fire Tooth Dog flickered and split into four once again.
The Control Scale Absorber: “...!”
Hou Xiangyu frowned, realizing his opponent’s strategy.
The Holographic Beam consumed considerable energy, especially to maintain such a sweeping attack.
The Fire Tooth Dog only had to dodge and use Shadow Clone, which didn’t require much energy at all.
Even though the Control Scale Absorber was a mid-level beast with more energy than a Fire Tooth Dog, given the unequal energy depletion, it seemed that the Control Scale Absorber would run out of energy first.
"Stop." Hou Xiangyu said calmly.
The Control Scale Absorber lowered its claws, and once again, they found themselves in a standoff.
He needed a quick resolution, and looking at the battlefield, he quickly made a decision.
"Shadow Clone."
The energy within the Control Scale Absorber stirred, and four more emerged onto the field.
Qiao Sang was taken aback.
This was an abundance of hidden skills!
None of these had appeared in previous matches!
The four Control Scale Absorbers shimmered with energy, positioned behind the four Fire Tooth Dogs.
"Four Fire Tooth Dogs against four Control Scale Absorbers, this situation has become thrilling. I didn’t expect the match to go on this long. Unlike the previous rounds, Hou Xiangyu isn't finishing it off quickly. What do you think is the issue here?" The commentator remarked, observing the unfolding events.
Before Sanduo could respond, Gao Xu spoke up, “Naturally, it’s because Qiao Sang is strong enough.”
The commentator: “…”
“Alright, let’s continue to see how this unfolds.”
“Holographic Beam.” Hou Xiangyu swiftly issued another command.
Four beams shot out simultaneously toward the four Fire Tooth Dogs.
Just as the audience thought the match would come to an end,
"Shadow Clone!" Qiao Sang shouted.
Shadow Clone?
Those present and watching the live broadcast were momentarily baffled.
Wasn't that skill already in use?
The Fire Tooth Dog also paused.
But quickly, it sensed a change in its energy reserves.
Its form quivered, and the four Fire Tooth Dogs transformed into eight in an instant.
“Yar?”
The Fire Tooth Dog tilted its head.
Why did its clones suddenly feel so strong?
The entire arena was taken aback.
Were the newcomers hiding their abilities so well?
In the guest area, someone commented, “I didn’t expect that the Fire Tooth Dog had been holding back in the earlier matches.”
“Indeed. From what I observed in the previous matches, this Fire Tooth Dog’s Fire Fang and Sparks had already reached a minor mastery stage, and it was proficient with the Flame Vortex. I didn’t expect its Shadow Clone to also reach proficiency.”
“This Fire Tooth Dog may look small, but assumably, it is no youngling after all.”
“Not really. By right, a Fire Tooth Dog’s orange-red short fur atop its head should turn red like the rest of its fur when it reaches one year old. Yet this one clearly still has the orange-red fur on its head.” A guest who had passed the Breeder qualification exam remarked.
“Are you suggesting that a Fire Tooth Dog with so many skills and such high proficiency is still under a year old?”
“Don’t listen to him; he couldn’t even pass the F-Level Breeder exam.”
The qualified guest responded: “…”
Seeing the Fire Tooth Dogs multiply into eight, Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief.
Just in time.
(End of Chapter)