Liu Yi checked the time, put away her phone, and prepared to head to the School Team's training ground.
As she turned the corner of the teaching building, she ran into Wei Xiuyu.
Wei Xiuyu was holding a tablet, seemingly reviewing a training plan.
“Teacher Wei.”
Liu Yi nodded in greeting.
Wei Xiuyu looked up, her gaze sweeping over Liu Yi, and her brow slightly arched: “It's rare to see you without Silver Snow Fox and Moling Dragon by your side.”
“I just challenged the Tower of Trials; they're recovering in the Beast Taming Space right now,” Liu Yi replied truthfully.
“Oh,” Wei Xiuyu said, not surprised by Liu Yi's initiative, and asked casually, “How many floors have you cleared?”
Liu Yi: “I've already reached the 25th floor you requested yesterday.”
Wei Xiuyu's finger paused on the tablet: “I recall saying yesterday, ‘try to clear up to the 25th floor of the Tower of Trials before we depart for the Monte Region,’ didn't I?”
“There's still over a week left, and you've already reached the 25th floor this afternoon?”
Liu Yi nodded: “Yes, I just finished.”
“......” Wei Xiuyu was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly turned and walked in another direction. “Follow me.”
Liu Yi followed, puzzled, and found that Wei Xiuyu had brought her to the classroom office building.
Pushing open a room with a “Coaching Staff” sign, she saw several School Team coaches already seated inside.
Wei Xiuyu walked directly to the central holographic projection: “Coach Zhang, pull up Liu Yi's real-time data from the Tower of Trials.”
Coach Zhang quickly operated the terminal, and a set of data appeared:
【Tower of Trials Challenge Record】
【Liu Yi (First Year, Class A-1)】
【Current Highest Record Floor: 25th Floor】
【September 22nd】
【21st Floor: Cleared (Rainforest Environment + Barnacle Giant Frog)】
【21st Floor: Cleared (Hidden Combination: Desert Environment + Quicksand Ant)】
【22nd Floor: Cleared (Hidden Combination: Ice and Snow Environment + Snow-Drinking Fox)】
【22nd Floor: Cleared (Lava Cave Environment + Lava Turtle)】
【23rd Floor: Cleared (...)】
【...】
【25th Floor: Cleared (Mirror Challenge)】
Coach Zhang gasped, looking at the data before him: “For a first-year student, her luck and strength are both outrageous!”
Coach Li also leaned over to take a look: “Wait, you're saying she encountered hidden combinations on both the twenty-first and twenty-second floors? And she even cleared them? This is a first-year student?”
The room instantly erupted in an uproar.
Wei Xiuyu raised a hand to signal for quiet, then turned to Liu Yi: “Tell us about the battle process in detail.”
Liu Yi briefly described the battles against the Quicksand Ant in the Desert Environment and the Snow-Drinking Fox in the Ice and Snow Environment.
When she mentioned using Chiying's Rising Dragon Strike to create an opening by inflicting paralysis, the coaches exchanged surprised glances.
Wei Xiuyu: “Coach Zhang, pull up her match footage.”
The holographic projection began playing footage of Liu Yi's battle against the mirror image on the twenty-fifth floor.
When the footage showed Chiying using Rising Dragon Strike to create an opening by inflicting paralysis, Wei Xiuyu suddenly pressed pause.
“Did you come up with this tactic on the spot?”
Liu Yi nodded: “I realized the mirror image would copy our actions, so I wanted to see if I could use a skill's side effect to create an opening.”
Wei Xiuyu's lips curved slightly upward, and she gestured for Coach Zhang to continue playing the footage.
When the screen showed Ziyue using Ice Blast, Coach Cui suddenly leaned closer to the screen.
“Wait, this skill...” He pushed up his glasses. “If I'm not mistaken, this is the A-rank skill Ice Blast?”
Another male coach also stood up in surprise: “And the Dragon's Rage and Rising Dragon Strike that Moling Dragon just used are also A-rank skills!”
Wei Xiuyu turned to Liu Yi: “How many A-rank skills do your Silver Snow Fox and Moling Dragon each currently master?”
Liu Yi replied truthfully: “Ziyue has three A-rank skills: Extreme Cold Storm, Snowfall, and Ice Blast. Chiying has four A-rank skills: Dragon Starfall, Dragon's Rage, Rising Dragon Strike, and Death Rain.”
The room fell silent, and the coaches exchanged glances.
Coach Zhang's pen dropped to the floor with a crisp clatter.
“Th-this... how is this possible?” Coach Cui stammered. “Even for an Advanced pet of a third-year student, mastering two A-rank skills is already incredibly impressive.”
Wei Xiuyu took a deep breath: “When were these skills learned?”
“Ice Blast was comprehended by Ziyue while cultivating in the [Dragon Vein Ridge],” Liu Yi said calmly, as if discussing A-rank skills was nothing new. “Dragon's Rage, Rising Dragon Strike, and Death Rain are newly acquired skills after Chiying's evolution.”
“Wait,” Coach Zhang suddenly interjected, “I remember Death Rain as a Poison-type A-rank skill, but it's an area-of-effect indiscriminate attack skill!”
Liu Yi nodded: “Yes, but we primarily participate in 1v1 battles right now, so the impact isn't significant.”
Wei Xiuyu rubbed her temples, seemingly processing the information.
A moment later, she suddenly asked, “Liu Yi, do you know why the coaches are so surprised?”
Liu Yi was silent; she actually knew.
“Because under normal circumstances,” Wei Xiuyu continued, seeing Liu Yi's silence, “for a pet to master even one A-rank skill, from Junior to Advanced stage, is already quite difficult. Most A-rank skills require special training environments and resources, along with the pet's talent.”
She paused, looking at Liu Yi with a complicated expression: “And your two pets not only master a number of A-rank skills far exceeding their peers, but also...”
“And they are all powerful but difficult-to-master skills,” Coach Li added. “Especially an area-of-effect skill like Death Rain, which usually requires a Poison-type pet at least at the Peak stage to master.”
Wei Xiuyu: “Aside from Silver Snow Fox's Extreme Cold Storm, which was publicly used during the Longwu High School Entrance Tournament, have any other A-rank skills been used in public?”
Liu Yi thought for a moment and said: “Ziyue's Snowfall was used previously in the Misty Wetland Secret Realm. Ice Blast, Dragon Starfall, Dragon's Rage, Rising Dragon Strike, and Death Rain have only been used during School Team training and in the Tower of Trials.”
Wei Xiuyu suddenly turned to the other coaches and said, “Everything you've seen and heard just now, especially the information regarding Liu Yi's pets' skills, must not be spread externally.”
The coaches all nodded in understanding.
“Liu Yi,” Wei Xiuyu turned to her, “before the National High School League begins, do not use these A-rank skills in public. Even during the first two weeks of the first stage of the competition, try not to reveal these skills.”
Liu Yi understood: “Is Teacher Wei worried that opponents might research and target us?”
“More than that,” Wei Xiuyu said, crossing her arms, her gaze sharp. “The current skill sets of your two pets are already far beyond the level of their peers. Even under the format of this mixed-grade competition, it's highly likely they'll reach the Finals. If exposed too early, it could attract significant attention from other schools.”
Rate on N.U.
