“Not necessarily,” Ouyang Qin said. “Ziyue’s Ice attribute deals double damage to the Rockwing Giant Lizard, and I suspect they might be hiding something else.”
Gao Xue sat beside them, a cup of coffee in her hand, remaining silent.
Li Chengying turned to her. “What do you think, Xiao Xue?”
Gao Xue took a sip of her coffee and slowly said, “Watch the match.”
“Can’t you say a little more?”
“No.”
Player waiting area.
Ji Hongyuan leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the player tunnel opposite him.
His Rockwing Giant Lizard lay at his feet, its massive body occupying a corner of the waiting area.
Ji Hongyuan glanced down at it.
“Today’s opponent is that first-year new student.”
The Rockwing Giant Lizard’s ears twitched, but it didn’t open its eyes.
“She previously defeated Pei Yingwu’s Nightblade Wolf,” Ji Hongyuan continued. “Even though that Nightblade Wolf didn’t listen to commands, it was still Advanced rank. Her Moling Dragon and Silver Snow Fox have excellent teamwork.”
The Rockwing Giant Lizard finally opened one eye, its vertical pupil gazing at him before closing again.
Its gaze held no nervousness or underestimation of the opponent, only a customary calm.
A slight smile played on Ji Hongyuan’s lips.
“You’re quite composed.”
The Rockwing Giant Lizard gently swayed its tail.
...
The broadcast sounded.
“Contestants for Arena 1 in District A, please proceed to the teleportation point. Repeat, contestants for Arena 1 in District A, please proceed to the teleportation point.”
The white light of the teleportation platform lit up.
When her vision cleared, Liu Yi was already standing on the floating island in Arena 1 in District A.
Liu Yi stepped onto a maglev skateboard and ascended about fifteen meters into the air.
Across from her, Ji Hongyuan’s figure also appeared.
He also ascended on a maglev skateboard, meeting Liu Yi’s gaze across the distance.
Neither of them spoke.
【Arena 1 in District A, National High School League First Stage, Fourth Round, Sixth Match: Liu Yi of Tianqi Beast Taming High School versus Ji Hongyuan of Monte Beast Taming Academy.】
A mechanical voice echoed throughout the battle zone.
【Match Rules: Both sides may deploy two pets for 1v1 combat. The match ends when both pets of one side are incapacitated.】
【Both sides, please release your first pet for battle.】
Liu Yi didn’t hesitate.
“Ziyue.”
A silver-blue figure leaped out from her Beast Taming Space.
Ji Hongyuan summoned his pet simultaneously.
The Rockwing Giant Lizard.
Its four-meter-long body landed on the floating island, its heavy weight causing the island’s edge to dip slightly. Its grayish-brown scales gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the sunlight, and the rock ridges on its back resembled a series of raised mountain ranges. Its wings were folded at its sides, the bony protrusions at their tips reflecting dazzling white light.
The aura of an Advanced pet spread outwards like an invisible, heavy pressure.
【First pets confirmed for both sides. Match start!】
Ji Hongyuan stood on his maglev skateboard, hands in his pockets, his expression calm. He didn’t rush to give commands, simply watching the Rockwing Giant Lizard in silence.
The Tailwind Wings trait had already activated.
For a period after its deployment, the Rockwing Giant Lizard’s Speed increased by 30%. This was a rhythm it knew all too well: opening with a probe, mid-game pressure, and late-game harvesting. It had executed this sequence countless times.
Liu Yi didn’t wait.
“Ziyue, Frost Path, full-coverage deployment.”
Ziyue lightly tapped the ground with its front paw, and ice-blue paths instantly extended from its feet in all directions. Over a dozen ice paths simultaneously spread out from the central main island to the four surrounding secondary islands.
The ice paths wove between the floating islands; some extended along the ground, some climbed diagonally upwards, and others passed through the gaps between two floating islands.
The shimmering ice surface refracted brilliant light in the sun, weaving a three-dimensional network of ice between the five floating islands in the blink of an eye.
Ji Hongyuan slightly narrowed his eyes.
This opening was different from what he had expected.
He had watched Liu Yi’s match footage. The Silver Snow Fox’s Frost Path was usually used for self-acceleration or chasing opponents. This was the first time he had seen it deploy a large-scale ice path network right at the start.
He had no time to ponder, for Ziyue had already moved.
The silver-blue figure dashed out along the ice path, its speed astonishing. The acceleration effect of Frost Path made it like an arrow loosed from a bow, carving a smooth, silver-blue trajectory across the ice.
It didn’t charge towards the Rockwing Giant Lizard. Instead, it rapidly moved along the periphery of the ice path network, gliding from the central main island to the left secondary island, then ascending from the left secondary island to the upper floating island, before diving down from the upper floating island and circling to the right secondary island.
It was familiarizing itself with the terrain and probing its opponent.
Ji Hongyuan didn’t give her any more time.
“Rockwing Giant Lizard, Air Slash, block its path.”
The Rockwing Giant Lizard abruptly spread its wings, and the bony protrusions at their tips glowed with a faint cyan light. It didn’t flap its wings; with a mere twitch, dozens of translucent Air Slashes shot forth from its wingtips.
Those wind blades weren’t aimed at Ziyue, but rather blocked the critical nodes of the ice path network.
Ji Hongyuan clearly saw that while Ziyue’s Frost Path was widely spread, each ice path had fixed intersection points at its beginning and end. By cutting off these intersection points, the ice path network’s continuity would be destroyed, and Ziyue’s mobility would be severely hampered.
Mid-dash, Ziyue sharply changed direction, and twelve Ice Blades shot out from its body. The Ice Blades clashed with the wind blades in mid-air, exploding into bursts of white airwaves and ice flakes.
But not all the wind blades were intercepted.
Three wind blades pierced through the Ice Blade interception net, accurately striking the ice path intersection point between the central main island and the left secondary island.
“Crack—”
The ice surface shattered, and the ice path connecting the central main island and the left secondary island broke at the intersection point. Losing its energy support, it quickly dissolved into fine ice crystals and vanished into the air.
One of Ziyue’s movement routes was cut off.
A slight smile played on Ji Hongyuan’s lips.
“Continue.”
The Rockwing Giant Lizard flapped its wings again, unleashing another wave of Air Slashes. This time, there were more targets, with five intersection points locked on simultaneously.
Ziyue continuously released Ice Blades to intercept, but the Rockwing Giant Lizard’s wind blades were too numerous and too fast. After the second wave of wind blades, three more ice paths were severed.
Gaps appeared in the ice path network, and Ziyue’s movement space was compressed.
Ji Hongyuan seized the opportunity. “Winged Flash Strike!”
The Rockwing Giant Lizard abruptly folded its wings, its entire body plunging downwards like a grayish-brown meteor towards Ziyue’s location.
Rate on N.U.
