“Yes. The number of floating islands, their size, and their movement patterns vary in each battle zone, requiring contestants and their pets to adapt quickly. Today, you have enough time to experience the characteristics of each zone. After the official matches begin tomorrow, the battlegrounds will be randomly assigned each day.”
The staff member finished speaking and motioned for everyone to freely head to the various battle zones for adaptive training.
Wei Xiuyu clapped her hands. “Did everyone hear that? Today's goal is to get familiar with the venue. Each person must experience at least five different battle zones, record the characteristics of each area, and summarize them tonight. Dismissed.”
No sooner had she spoken than Li Chengying eagerly stepped onto her maglev skateboard and glided towards the nearest small battle zone.
“Chengying, slow down!” Gao Xue shook her head helplessly, following with her Frost Crystal Butterfly and Night Shadow Doll.
Liu Yi looked at Ziyue and Chiying. “Let's go too.”
She stepped onto her maglev skateboard, gave a gentle push, and the board steadily floated up.
After previous practice, she could now skillfully control this mode of transport. While she couldn't move as effortlessly as the locals in the Monte Region, moving freely in the air was no longer an issue.
Ziyue walked beside her, leaving a Frost Path, while Chiying hovered behind her.
They chose a medium-sized battle zone composed of five floating islands as their first testing ground.
Upon entering the zone, Liu Yi clearly felt a slight hum as the energy protection shield activated.
A faint, translucent light membrane rose from the edges of the zone, enveloping the entire battle area.
The five floating islands varied in size and moved slowly at different speeds.
The largest one rotated clockwise, while the other four bobbed up and down, constantly changing positions.
Liu Yi maneuvered her maglev skateboard to a height of about ten meters above the floating islands. From this vantage point, the layout of all five islands was clearly visible.
“Ziyue, feel it out on the floating island first,” she said softly.
Ziyue nodded and lightly leaped onto the largest floating island.
The surface of the floating island was made of special energy material, providing moderate friction—neither too slippery nor too rough.
It tried running on the floating island, its Frost Path extending with its movements, remaining stable even at the island's edge.
“Good,” Liu Yi observed from above. “Now try jumping from this floating island to another.”
Ziyue looked up at the adjacent floating island. At that moment, the two islands were at their closest, about five meters apart.
It lightly patted the ground with its front paws, and the Frost Path instantly extended to the target island. Then, it easily leaped across using the icy path.
“Moling!”
Seeing this, Chiying also flew into the battle zone. Instead of staying on a floating island like Ziyue, it directly circled in the air, using its Cloud Walking trait to freely shuttle between the various floating islands.
“Chiying, try using Dragon's Rage to attack the smallest floating island and get a feel for the difficulty of a moving target,” Liu Yi commanded.
Chiying understood. Golden light shimmered between its dragon horns, and a high-pressure Dragon Breath shot out.
But just as the energy wave was about to hit, the small floating island suddenly sank about two meters, and the Dragon Breath passed over it.
“Just as I thought,” Liu Yi's lips curved slightly. “The movement of the floating islands will affect skill accuracy. This is a huge challenge for contestants accustomed to battling on fixed ground.”
Over the next two hours, Liu Yi took Ziyue and Chiying to experience more than a dozen different battle zones.
Some zones had few floating islands but moved quickly, some had many floating islands but complex trajectories, and others had floating islands that would suddenly change direction during battle.
Ziyue went from needing to carefully observe the floating island trajectories to leap, to later instinctively predicting their movements and moving freely in complex environments.
Chiying's performance was even more surprising. With its Cloud Walking trait, it was completely at home in the air. Even with fast-moving floating islands, its Dragon Starfall and Dragon's Rage could accurately hit targets.
During their lunch break, the School Team members gathered at the player restaurant in the main arena.
“How was it?” Wei Xiuyu asked, carrying her tray. “How do you feel?”
“It was so exhilarating!” Li Chengying said indistinctly, her mouth full of food. “My Cloud Howler Sparrow couldn't keep up with the floating islands' movement speed at first, but it slowly adapted.”
Gao Xue elegantly cut her steak. “The Frost Crystal Butterfly's Ice Powder skill was weakened in this open environment; the wind was too strong, and the powder easily dispersed. However, the Night Shadow Doll's Ghost attribute had an advantage in this environment.”
Ouyang Qin put down her coffee cup. “Berserker Bear and Steel-Armored Bear aren't suited for this environment, but it's not without solutions. As long as you predict the floating islands' movement trajectories in advance and use them as springboards, you can still fight.”
Wei Tan'an looked a bit disheartened. “Sandstorm Scorpion was very uncomfortable on the floating islands. Its Sandstorm skill was greatly reduced in effectiveness in this high-altitude environment.”
Liu Yi nodded. “Ziyue and Chiying adapted quite well. Frost Path is especially useful in this environment, as it can create footholds at any time. Chiying's flying ability is an even greater advantage.”
Wei Xiuyu listened to everyone's reports and showed a satisfied expression. “Very good, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Remember, tomorrow's competition won't give you the option to choose your battleground. No matter which zone you draw, you must find a way to leverage your advantages.”
She paused, then looked at Liu Yi. “In the first week of the competition, your opponents will basically be first-year new students with only one Junior pet. For you, the difficulty isn't high.”
Liu Yi nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“However,” Wei Xiuyu's tone shifted, “since the Longwu High School Entrance Tournament, you haven't participated in any public matches. The outside world's understanding of you is still limited to the skills Ziyue had when she was an Ice Fox, only knowing Ice Spike and Extreme Cold Storm.”
She paused, her gaze fixed on Liu Yi. “Therefore, in the first week of the competition, Ziyue and Chiying are not to use their A-rank skills.”
“Ziyue's Snowfall, Ice Blast, and Chiying's Dragon Starfall, Dragon's Rage, Rising Dragon Strike, and Death Rain—these skills have not yet been publicly revealed. The opponents in the first week have limited strength; you can completely resolve them with basic skills.”
Liu Yi listened carefully, then nodded emphatically. “I understand, Teacher Wei.”
Wei Xiuyu nodded. “It's good that you understand. I'm not asking you to intentionally go easy, but winning matches with basic skills can also train your tactical adaptability. When it comes to the later weeks, if you're matched against strong opponents from the second or even third year, when opponents start studying you, these hidden skills will be your unexpected trump card.”
Liu Yi looked at Ziyue and Chiying, and both pets nodded seriously.
“One more thing,” Wei Xiuyu added. “Even though the opponents are weak in the first week, you can't let your guard down. What if someone else, like Pei Yingwu, inherited an Advanced pet—”
“I understand,” Liu Yi's gaze was calm.
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