【Contestant: Qiuyu Fei (third-year)】
· Pet 1: Ice Crystal Butterfly (Ice and Flying type, Advanced rank)
· Known Skills: Ice Powder (B-rank), Ice Crystal Storm (A-rank), Butterfly Dance (B-rank)
· Trait: Ice Crystal Scales (chance to freeze opponent when attacked)
· Pet 2: Skylark (Flying type, Intermediate late-stage)
· Known Skills: High Song (B-rank), Sonic Shock (C-rank), Rapid Dive (C-rank)
· Combat Style: The Ice Crystal Butterfly utilizes Ice-type skills to create slowdown and freezing effects, combining them with high maneuverability for aerial suppression.
· Note: Reached Top 8 in last year's National High School League second-year segment individual competition.
【Contestant: Lu Mingxiao (third-year)】
· Pet 1: Thunder Eagle (Electric and Flying type, Advanced rank)
· Known Skills: Thunder Shock (C-rank), Lightning Fang (B-rank), Electromagnetic Wave (B-rank), Thunderous Dive (A-rank)
· Trait: Static (chance to paralyze opponent on contact)
· Pet 2: Swiftwind Falcon (Flying type, Intermediate stage)
· Known Skills: Wind Blade (C-rank), High-Speed Movement (B-rank), Tailwind (B-rank)
· Combat Style: Primarily focused on the Thunder Eagle's high-speed assault, using Electromagnetic Wave to disrupt opponents, then finishing with Thunderous Dive.
· Note: The Thunder Eagle's 'Thunderous Dive' releases lightning energy during the dive, possessing immense power but causing brief paralysis after hitting.
Liu Yi quickly jotted down the key points in her notebook.
After finishing, she flipped to the next few schools.
Blazing Sun High School, from the Yongyang Region, was known for its Fire-type pets.
One third-year at the school possessed an Advanced rank Lava Hound, rumored to have extremely strong burst power. However, Fire-type pets faced certain restrictions in the floating island environment; strong high-altitude winds might hinder the stable performance of flame skills.
Golden Scale Academy, from the Jinhuai Region, excelled with Water-type pets.
One third-year at the school had an Azure Dragon that had reached Advanced rank, but Water-type pets were similarly restricted in the floating island environment.
Although several other schools lacked contestants with Advanced pets, the overall strength of their second-year grade was not to be underestimated.
For instance, Fugang Beast Taming High School in the Monte Region was the school Wei Tan'an had mentioned earlier, where Pei Yingwu, the first-year new student who inherited an Advanced rank Nightblade Wolf, was located.
Liu Yi turned to Fugang Beast Taming High School's data page and found Pei Yingwu's information.
【Contestant: Pei Yingwu (first-year)】
· Pet 1: Nightblade Wolf (Dark-type, Advanced rank) — inherited from his grandfather
· Known Skills: Shadow Claw (B-rank), Howl (C-rank), Dark Pulse (A-rank), Night Raid (A-rank)
· Trait: Oppression (causes opponents to feel pressure upon entry, increasing skill energy consumption)
· Pet 2: None (Beast Taming Space development progress has not yet reached 20%)
· Note: The Nightblade Wolf was his grandfather's pet, and it is rumored to have low obedience in practical combat, often disregarding commands. Even so, its Advanced rank strength should not be underestimated.
Liu Yi's gaze lingered on the words 'low obedience' for a moment.
She recalled the cases discussed at the dessert shop: inherited high-level pets often faltered at critical moments.
Even so, an Advanced rank pet standing there, merely by releasing its pressure, could cause Junior pets to perform abnormally.
“Needs special attention,” she added another line to her notebook.
Time unknowingly passed to noon, and Liu Yi had already finished reviewing over thirty pages of data.
Ziyue had jumped down from the windowsill at some point and was napping at her feet.
Chiying was also awake, hovering behind her, curiously watching the dense text on the screen.
“Are you hungry?” Liu Yi rubbed her eyes and asked softly.
“Bingbing~”
Ziyue lifted her head, letting out a sleepy cry.
“Mo.”
Chiying also nodded.
Liu Yi was about to head downstairs when her phone suddenly rang.
It was a group message from 【Did You Work Hard Today Too?】.
【The Beautiful Master of Cute Shadow: @Yi Our school is leaving for the Zell Region tomorrow! What about you guys?】
【Yi: We leave on October 4th.】
【Zimeng's Dream: We also leave on October 4th! The Yunlin Region is rumored to have been raining these past few days, I wonder if it'll rain during the matches...】
【Green Lamp with Clouds: Rain is good for Thunder-patterned Hounds, you can look forward to it.】
【Zimeng's Dream: !! Nanyun's right! Then let it rain, let it rain! Hopefully, it'll rain on the field!】
【The Beautiful Master of Cute Shadow: ...The Zell Region has a swamp environment, I'm already worried Shadow will get stuck in the mud.】
【Yi: Phantom Cat is Psychic-type, it can use Telekinesis for assisted movement, so it should be fine.】
【The Beautiful Master of Cute Shadow: Oh, right! I almost forgot! (╹▽╹)】
【Zimeng's Dream: @Yi Have you received the data for your Monte Competition Zone? Are there any particularly strong opponents?】
Liu Yi thought for a moment, then replied in the chat.
【Yi: There are nine third-years with Advanced pets, and one first-year also has an Advanced pet, but it was inherited.】
【Zimeng's Dream: ??? A first-year with an Advanced pet?! How are we supposed to fight that!】
【Green Lamp with Clouds: Inherited pets usually have low obedience, so they might not be a threat.】
【The Beautiful Master of Cute Shadow: Nanyun's right! And Liu Yi's Ziyue and Chiying are so strong, it'll definitely be fine! ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ】
【Yi: Thanks. You guys too.】
Putting down her phone, Liu Yi went downstairs with Ziyue and Chiying.
Auntie Chen had already prepared lunch. Seeing them come down, she greeted them with a smile, “Perfect, it’s just ready. Today I made your favorite pork rib soup.”
At the dining table, Liu Yi ate while continuing to ponder the information she had reviewed that morning.
With nine third-years possessing Advanced pets, plus the powerful second-year contestants, the first stage points-based competition would be incredibly fierce.
But she wasn't without advantages.
Although Ziyue and Chiying were only at the Intermediate stage, the number of A-rank skills they had mastered far exceeded that of pets at the same level.
Ziyue's Ice Blade and Frost Breath had already reached Arcane proficiency, which was a huge advantage in practical combat.
Among Chiying's four new traits, 'True Dragon's Eye' and 'Cloud Walking' were practically custom-made cheat devices for the floating island environment.
More importantly, the tacit understanding between her, Ziyue, and Chiying, as well as their on-the-spot adaptability, had been honed through countless real battles.
“Thinking about the competition?” Auntie Chen asked with concern, seeing her lost in thought.
Liu Yi snapped back, nodding, “Yes, I just finished reading the data for the other schools.”
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Auntie Chen said gently. “You’ve already done so well. Whatever the outcome of the competition, just do your best.”
“I know, Auntie Chen.”
After lunch, Liu Yi didn't rest; she immediately took Ziyue and Chiying to the backyard training ground.
With only a week left until their departure for the Monte Region, every day of training was invaluable.
She opened the ecological training target terminal and brought up today's training schedule.
First was Ziyue's Ice Blast, requiring precise control over the distribution and detonation timing of ice crystals while moving.
Yesterday's battle made her realize that if this skill was used properly, it could serve multiple roles: attack, containment, and cover.
Next was Chiying's Dragon Dance and Dragon's Rage combination.
After Dragon Dance boosted its stats, could it follow up with Dragon's Rage to deliver higher burst damage in a short time?
“Let’s begin,” Liu Yi said softly.
Ziyue and Chiying immediately plunged into training; one moved swiftly across the field on a Frost Path, shimmering ice crystals constantly appearing around her body; the other circled in the air, golden light flashing between its dragon horns, ready to unleash Dragon's Rage at any moment.
As the sun set, the training session concluded.
Liu Yi sat in the rest pavilion, watching her two tired but bright-eyed pets, a smile unconsciously curving her lips.
In a week, they would set foot on the floating islands of the Monte Region, facing formidable opponents from all over the country.
But she knew that no matter how strong their opponents were, she, Ziyue, and Chiying would give it their all.
Because their goal was never just “doing your best is enough.”
It was—
to win.
Rate on N.U.
