Ji Hongyuan paused, his gaze falling on the screen: "But this Moling Dragon's stiffness at the start was an act. Its eyes never changed, which means the Nightblade Wolf's Oppression had minimal effect on it."
His teammate was silent for a few seconds: "Doesn't that mean your Rockwing Giant Lizard's suppression effect on it would also..."
"Not necessarily." Ji Hongyuan interrupted him. "The Nightblade Wolf didn't listen to Pei Yingwu, which affected its combat state. How can you expect a pet that doesn't even bother with its Beast Tamer to display the strength an Advanced pet should have?"
He leaned back on the sofa, a slight curve to his lips that made it hard to tell if he was smiling or something else: "Pei Yingwu's Nightblade Wolf, despite its Advanced rank, might not even be able to beat an Intermediate peak stage pet in actual combat. It's perfectly normal for it to be worn down by two Intermediate pets in a relay and then frozen."
"So you think Liu Yi and her pets are nothing special?"
"I didn't say that." Ji Hongyuan picked up an energy drink, twisted open the cap, and took a sip. "Winning is a skill. But if you want to use this match to measure her strength, it's not enough. The Nightblade Wolf performed too poorly; so poorly that this match is almost useless as a reference."
He put down the drink bottle and stood up: "Let's discuss it when she faces a truly Advanced pet."
...
Skywing High School conference room.
Lu Mingxiao sat by the window, his Thunder Eagle crouching at his feet, tiny arcs of electricity occasionally leaping from between its feathers.
The screen in front of him was also playing the same match, but the progress was much faster than Ji Hongyuan's. The scene had already reached the end, with the Silver Snow Fox running back to Liu Yi along a Frost Path, its two tails held high.
Lu Mingxiao pressed pause, his gaze fixed on the silver-blue fox on the screen.
"Snowfall and Extreme Cold Storm, two A-rank skills." He said softly, tapping his finger lightly on the armrest. "And seamlessly chained together. The moment the Silver Snow Fox was swapped in by Shadow Banishment, it landed, immediately pinpointed the Nightblade Wolf's position, cast Snowfall, and followed up with Extreme Cold Storm. This combo isn't a spontaneous reaction; it was practiced in advance."
His teammate beside him leaned over: "You mean Liu Yi already anticipated the Nightblade Wolf would use Shadow Banishment?"
"It wasn't that she anticipated the Nightblade Wolf might use it, but that she anticipated it definitely would."
He paused, his tone becoming serious: "So she had Moling Dragon act at the start to trick the Nightblade Wolf into underestimating it; then it stacked Dragon Dance, using Death Rain and Dragon's Breath for continuous attrition. By the time the Nightblade Wolf was forced to use Shadow Banishment, the Silver Snow Fox was already prepared, entering with Snowfall and Extreme Cold Storm for a one-shot."
"So, every step, from the first second of the match to the end, was within her calculations?"
"At least the critical points were." Lu Mingxiao turned off the screen and looked at his teammate: "What do you think of Pei Yingwu's Nightblade Wolf's strength?"
His teammate thought for a moment: "Although it didn't listen to commands, it's still an Advanced pet. Its Attack and Defense are there; Intermediate pets can't compare."
"True. But Liu Yi didn't confront it head-on at all." Lu Mingxiao stood up and walked to the window. "Chiying was skirmishing the entire time, using Venom Spray and Dragon's Breath, all for ranged attrition. Only when the Nightblade Wolf's stamina was almost depleted did it use Rising Dragon Strike for a burst. Then Ziyue came out, with Snowfall and Extreme Cold Storm, directly finishing it off."
He was silent for a few seconds: "This first-year new student is quite interesting."
...
Qiuyu Fei sat in a corner of the rest area, an open notebook spread before her, densely filled with writing.
Her left hand propped up her chin, her right hand held a pen, drawing something on the paper. Her Ice Crystal Butterfly rested quietly on her shoulder.
The match replay on the screen had finished, the image frozen on the points settlement page. She stared at the "100 points" for a few seconds, then lowered her head and added a few more lines to her notebook.
"Moling Dragon: Immune to Poison-type (Counter-Poison), immune to Psychic-type skills (unknown trait), immune to negative statuses (Burn, Feather Dance both ineffective), wingless flight (Cloud Walking). Suspected to have extremely high resistance to Advanced pets' Oppression."
"Silver Snow Fox: Ice-type A-rank skills Snowfall, Extreme Cold Storm. Extremely fast skill chaining, proficiency at least Expert level or higher. Frost Path can be laid in the air, high maneuverability. Suspected to have unrevealed trump cards."
She finished writing the last stroke and closed her notebook.
"Finished watching?"
A voice came from behind her.
Qiuyu Fei turned her head and saw Yun Wangqing standing behind her, holding a cup of coffee. Her Cloudwing Dragon was not with her; it must have been recalled to her Beast Taming Space.
"Mhm." Qiuyu Fei put her notebook into her backpack. "What do you think?"
Yun Wangqing sat beside her, taking a sip of coffee: "The tactical arrangement was very clever, and the pets' execution ability was also very strong. But Pei Yingwu's Nightblade Wolf was in too poor a state, so there's limited information to reference from this match."
"Then why did you specifically come to watch?"
"Because next week, we might encounter her." Yun Wangqing put down her coffee cup. "According to the points matching mechanism, contestants with similar personal points, pet numbers, and levels are matched together. Liu Yi currently has 100 points, a perfect record. After a few more wins, she'll likely be matched with us."
Qiuyu Fei was silent for a moment: "You think she's a threat to us?"
"It's too early to talk about a threat." Yun Wangqing leaned back in her chair, her gaze falling on the distant outline of the floating islands outside the window. "But for her to cultivate both pets to the Intermediate stage in her first year, and to have mastered so many A-rank skills, it shows her cultivation methods and training techniques are unique."
She paused, her tone softening slightly: "Moreover, her tactical thinking is very strong. She's not the type of contestant who just follows fixed routines, but one who can formulate tactics on the spot based on the opponent's characteristics. This type of contestant is the most difficult to deal with."
Qiuyu Fei didn't immediately respond, looking down at the notebook she had just closed.
"What do you think would happen if her Silver Snow Fox faced your Ice Crystal Butterfly?" Yun Wangqing suddenly asked.
Qiuyu Fei thought for a moment: "It's a same-type battle, so there's no type advantage or disadvantage. Her Silver Snow Fox has two A-rank Ice-type skills, but my Ice Crystal Butterfly is Advanced, and also has A-rank skills."
"I won't underestimate her."
Yun Wangqing's lips curved slightly upward: "That's good."
She stood up, picking up her coffee cup: "But you still need to be prepared. If you're matched with her next week, I wouldn't want to see you lose to anyone other than me."
Qiuyu Fei smiled, slinging her backpack on and standing up.
"I've remembered her name." Yun Wangqing said, then turned and walked out of the rest area.
Qiuyu Fei watched her retreating back, softly repeating the name: "Liu Yi."
Then she too turned and walked in another direction.
Rate on N.U.
