The snowflakes were no longer merely falling; they spun, danced, and converged, forming a colossal vortex of ice and snow around Ziyue.
The vortex grew larger and faster, sweeping towards the Torrent Hound with bone-chilling cold and a force capable of tearing everything apart.
Ice crystals spun rapidly within the vortex, like countless sharp Ice Blades, cutting through everything in their path.
The air froze, emitting a sharp shriek.
The surface of the floating island rapidly froze, covered by a thick layer of ice.
The energy shield trembled slightly under the impact of the extreme cold, emitting a buzzing sound.
The Torrent Hound tried to dodge, but the Snowfall environment had already drastically reduced its speed, and the range of the Extreme Cold Storm was astonishingly vast, leaving it nowhere to escape.
"High-Pressure Water Cannon! Break through it!" Fang Mingming shouted the command at the last moment.
The Torrent Hound suppressed its fear and opened its mouth, spewing an intensely concentrated high-pressure water jet towards the center of the ice and snow vortex.
The water jet collided with the ice crystals, erupting in blinding white light and a deafening roar.
Steam diffused, and ice flakes scattered.
But the High-Pressure Water Cannon only lasted a second.
A second later, the water jet froze solid and shattered within the vortex.
The Extreme Cold Storm swallowed the Torrent Hound without a doubt.
The Torrent Hound tried to struggle, but the extreme cold had already permeated its entire body, and a thick layer of ice quickly formed on its dark blue fur.
The last thing it saw was the Silver Snow Fox calmly watching it from the center of the storm, its purple eyes unwavering.
Then, the world froze.
The Torrent Hound remained in its struggling posture, transforming into a crystalline ice sculpture, frozen at the edge of the floating island.
Inside the ice sculpture, its dark blue fur and fin-like structures were clearly visible; one could even see its sharp teeth as it roared.
Snowflakes continued to fall, accumulating on the surface of the ice sculpture, covering it with a thin white veil.
The entire Arena 1 in District F was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained.
Fang Mingming stood on his maglev skateboard, his mouth slightly agape, his pupils contracted to pinpricks.
His mind was blank, with only one thought echoing repeatedly.
How is this possible?
It just… froze solid?
It wasn't knocked down, nor was it sent flying; it was completely frozen into an ice sculpture.
From the start of the match to its end, he clearly remembered every detail.
He had used Rain to seal off the area, Bubble to interfere, and Aqua Tail to counterattack, and for a moment, he thought victory was assured.
The Silver Snow Fox was pushed back repeatedly, its Ice Armor covered in cracks, its fur soaked and clinging to its body, looking utterly disheveled.
Then, it cast Snowfall.
Then, it unleashed an Extreme Cold Storm.
And then, there was nothing else.
Fang Mingming's hands were trembling. He opened his mouth, wanting to call the Torrent Hound's name, wanting to shout "Break free!", but his throat felt clogged, and he couldn't utter a single word.
He stared blankly at the ice sculpture, watching the snowflakes accumulate on its surface, watching the ice crystals refract a cold light in the sunlight.
The referee's mechanical voice finally broke the deadly silence.
【The Torrent Hound is incapacitated! Winner, Tianqi Beast Taming High School, Liu Yi!】
In the waiting zone, Bai Lu finally snapped back to reality and bent down to pick up her drink bottle.
She looked at the ice sculpture on the screen, then at the Silver Snow Fox, which was licking ice shards off its paws, and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Fang Mingming really lost big this time," she muttered to herself, a hint of schadenfreude in her tone. "Didn't even get 5 points."
The nearby Contestants finally reacted, and a flurry of discussions erupted.
"Extreme Cold Storm? That Silver Snow Fox hadn't used that skill before, had it?"
"It did, actually. It used it during the Longwu High School Entrance Tournament in the Longwu Region. But it just cast Snowfall; how could it still have the energy for Extreme Cold Storm?"
"Is that the Silver Snow Fox? I thought the forum was exaggerating when they hyped it up so much..."
"Fang Mingming really became a backdrop now, a second-year losing to a first-year, and with a zero-score loss, tsk tsk."
Within the battle zone, Ziyue slowly descended from the air. When her four paws touched the surface of the floating island, the ice beneath her feet made a crisp "crack" sound.
Its breathing was a little hurried, but its purple eyes were still bright. That last Extreme Cold Storm had nearly depleted most of its energy, but the effect was even better than she had anticipated.
Liu Yi landed beside Ziyue on her maglev skateboard, then knelt down and gently rubbed its ears.
"You worked hard," she said, taking out an energy liquid and carefully feeding it to Ziyue. "You fought very well."
Ziyue drank in small sips, its two tails gently swaying behind it, and let out a cry.
"Bingbing."
"He was quite fierce at first."
Liu Yi's lips curved into a slight smile. "Yes, but you still won."
Ziyue proudly raised its head and took another lick of the energy liquid.
Liu Yi stood up, her gaze fixed on the opposite floating island.
Fang Mingming was still standing on his maglev skateboard, his face ashen. He stared at the ice sculpture for a long time, his lips trembling slightly, as if he was holding something back.
Finally, he took a deep breath and descended on his skateboard next to the Torrent Hound.
He reached out and gently touched the surface of the ice sculpture.
The ice layer was thicker and harder than he had imagined; the chill radiating from his fingertips made him shiver.
His Torrent Hound remained in a struggling posture within the ice, its eyes still open, but it had already lost consciousness.
Fang Mingming's hand hovered in mid-air, frozen for a few seconds.
Then he withdrew his hand, silently recalling the Torrent Hound into his Beast Taming Space.
The moment it touched the Beast Taming Space, the ice sculpture shattered into countless specks of light, transforming into a dark blue glow that merged into his palm.
【Points settlement in progress…】
【Liu Yi (first-year student) defeated Fang Mingming (second-year student), gaining 15 points.】
【Current total personal points: 75】
【Current Tianqi Beast Taming High School total points: 915】
The light of teleportation flared, and Liu Yi's figure vanished from the floating island.
Fang Mingming remained rooted to the spot, staring at the empty floating island opposite him. It took him a long while to regain his composure. He stepped onto his maglev skateboard and slowly flew towards the exit, muttering something under his breath.
In the waiting zone, as Liu Yi stepped off the teleportation platform, several unfamiliar Contestants were standing by the passage.
Seeing her emerge, some actively cleared the way, some quietly said, "Good fight," while most simply watched her in silence, their eyes holding an an indescribable mix of emotions.
There was surprise, curiosity, and a faint hint of apprehension.
Liu Yi gave a slight nod to the Contestant who had complimented her, then quickly moved through the passage and headed towards the player waiting area.
Rate on N.U.
