Ice crystals condensed on its body, layer after layer, from its limbs to its torso, from its torso to its back, and from its back to its head.
It tried to struggle, tried to shatter the ice crystals with its energy.
But the power of Extreme Cold Storm was too great.
Enhanced by Snowfall, the Extreme Cold Storm was more powerful, had a larger range, and lasted longer than usual.
At the same time, Potent Poison continued to drain its stamina.
The Nightblade Wolf's struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Its blood-red eyes remained open within the ice, fixed on the silver-blue fox on the floating island.
Ziyue stood at the edge of the floating island, her two tails swaying gently behind her.
The snow was still falling.
Snowflakes landed on its fur, on the ground around it, and on the thickening ice shell covering the Nightblade Wolf.
The Nightblade Wolf became completely motionless.
It remained frozen in a struggling pose, encased in a massive ice sculpture.
...
【The Nightblade Wolf is incapacitated! Winner: Tianqi Beast Taming High School's Liu Yi!】
In the waiting zone, there was a deathly silence.
Then, murmurs surged like a tide.
“That Silver Snow Fox… how long did it take from its appearance to the end?”
“Less than ten seconds.”
“Snowfall combined with Extreme Cold Storm, a direct one-shot?”
“The Nightblade Wolf… was frozen solid?”
“An Advanced pet fighting an Intermediate one… was frozen solid?”
“It had already been significantly worn down by Moling Dragon, with Potent Poison and Rising Dragon Strike draining its stamina. When the Silver Snow Fox appeared with Snowfall and Extreme Cold Storm, it couldn't withstand it at all.”
“But it's still an Advanced pet…”
“So what if it's Advanced? Severely injured and poisoned, its stamina was nearly depleted. Being hit head-on by an A-rank skill and frozen solid is perfectly normal, isn't it?”
“And did you notice? When the Silver Snow Fox was swapped out by Shadow Banishment, it didn't hesitate at all. The moment it landed, it pinpointed the Nightblade Wolf's position and immediately unleashed its ultimate skill.”
“It knew it would be swapped out?”
“Otherwise? That reaction speed couldn't have been a spontaneous decision. Liu Yi had already anticipated the Nightblade Wolf using Shadow Banishment and had briefed the Silver Snow Fox beforehand.”
The waiting zone fell silent for a few seconds.
“So, from the very beginning, Moling Dragon's opening act, tricking the Nightblade Wolf into underestimating it and 'sleeping,' stacking Dragon Dance, casting Death Rain, using Dragon's Breath to inflict Potent Poison… it was all for this final strike?”
“Not just for this final strike. Think about it: if Moling Dragon hadn't worn down the Nightblade Wolf's condition, could the Silver Snow Fox have frozen it? An Advanced pet's defense and stamina are formidable. A full-health Nightblade Wolf, even if it stood still and let the Silver Snow Fox unleash Extreme Cold Storm, might not have been frozen.”
“So Moling Dragon's task was to deplete, and the Silver Snow Fox's task was to finish.”
“A relay.”
“Yes, a relay.”
Inside the battle zone, Pei Yingwu stood motionless on his maglev skateboard.
He stared at the ice sculpture, at the Nightblade Wolf's blood-red eyes still open within the ice, his lips slightly parted, unable to utter a single word.
His mind was blank, with only one thought echoing repeatedly.
How could this be?
That was an Advanced pet.
It was one he had inherited from his grandfather. Even if he wasn't initially meant to contract the Nightblade Wolf as his first pet, he couldn't wait; he wanted to make a name for himself in his first year of high school.
And regardless, even though the Nightblade Wolf didn't listen to him and always acted on its own accord, its strength was genuinely Advanced.
How could it lose to a first-year high school student?
Pei Yingwu recalled the entire battle.
The opponent had calculated every step.
And him?
What had he done throughout the battle?
After the match began, he called out “Shadow Claw” once, but the Nightblade Wolf ignored him. He called out a second time, and it still ignored him. Then he stopped calling out.
Because he knew it was useless to call out. The Nightblade Wolf never listened to him.
From beginning to end, he had simply stood on his skateboard, watching his Nightblade Wolf being toyed with, worn down, and severely injured by an Intermediate-stage dragon. Then he watched a Silver Snow Fox appear and, in less than ten seconds, use an Extreme Cold Storm to freeze his Advanced pet into an ice sculpture.
He had done nothing.
He could do nothing.
Pei Yingwu's hands trembled, his lips moved, and a vague syllable escaped his throat, but no sound ultimately emerged.
Ziyue shook the snowflakes from her body, glanced back at Liu Yi, then gracefully trotted back to her side along the Frost Path.
“Bingbing! Bingbing!”
She lifted her head, her tail held high, and excitedly circled Liu Yi's feet.
Liu Yi crouched down and reached out to rub Ziyue's ears, her fingertips running through the silver-blue fur, which felt cool and soft.
“You fought very well,” she said softly. “You perfectly executed the tactics I discussed with you and Chiying yesterday.”
“Bingbing!”
Ziyue nudged her palm again, her purple eyes brimming with joy.
Liu Yi's lips curved slightly upward as she stood.
This tactic was the best method she could conceive to defeat the Advanced pet, the Nightblade Wolf, without further exposing Ziyue's and Chiying's other A-rank skills.
After all, Pei Yingwu's Nightblade Wolf, in Liu Yi's mind, couldn't compare to the Advanced pets owned by those third-year seniors. It was disobedient, arrogant, and enjoyed toying with weaker opponents. Each of these traits would be fatal when facing a true powerhouse.
As for the unexposed A-rank skills, it was best to keep them hidden.
Liu Yi withdrew her gaze and told Ziyue, “Thaw the Nightblade Wolf.”
Ziyue nodded, trotted to the Nightblade Wolf's side along the Frost Path, and extended a paw to gently touch the surface of the ice sculpture.
The ice began to crack from the point of contact; a “crackling” sound spread along the ice surface, from the Nightblade Wolf's head to its torso, and from its torso to its limbs. The entire ice sculpture shattered into countless fine ice crystals within seconds.
The Nightblade Wolf emerged from the ice crystals.
Its fur was drenched, the wound on its back from Rising Dragon Strike was still bleeding, and the Potent Poison marks on its left shoulder and hind leg had spread across most of its body. Its breathing was rapid and weak, its limbs trembled slightly, and its blood-red eyes were much dimmer than at the start of the match.
The Nightblade Wolf looked at Liu Yi, its eyes devoid of anger, hostility, or even the reluctance of having lost the match.
It remembered every detail of the battle that had just occurred; it understood now. These tactics were all devised by this human Beast Tamer.
Link by link, every step had been precisely calculated.
The Nightblade Wolf withdrew its gaze and fixed it on Pei Yingwu.
Pei Yingwu still stood on his maglev skateboard, his face filled with bewilderment.
The Nightblade Wolf looked at him, and a glint flashed in its blood-red eyes.
It wasn't disappointment.
It was disdain.
An undisguised disdain that emanated from its very bones.
It stood upright, shook its drenched fur, then turned away, no longer sparing Pei Yingwu a glance.
But from those blood-red eyes, disdain and contempt were almost overflowing.
Rate on N.U.
