Inside the player restaurant, Liu Yi took a tray and found a seat.
Ziyue sat obediently beside her, with recovery liquid, energy liquid, and the energy meal specially provided by the player restaurant laid out before her.
A circular big screen in the center of the restaurant was continuously playing highlights of the contestants' exciting matches.
On screen, the Moonlight Marten moved elegantly, transforming into a streak of silver light the moment the referee announced the start.
The Moonlight Marten then vanished from the field, reappearing a second later directly behind its opponent, the Kung Fu Monkey.
A silver-white, crescent-shaped light blade swept past, and the Kung Fu Monkey was knocked to the ground before it even had a chance to turn around.
The entire battle took less than ten seconds.
People in the restaurant began to discuss.
"That was too fast, wasn't it?"
"This Moonlight Marten can teleport, how do you counter that?!"
"I heard Su Wenxi withdrew last year due to illness; she's probably aiming for the championship this year..."
Liu Yi stared at the screen, and Ziyue also stopped eating, her eyes fixed intently on the replay.
"Did you notice anything?" Liu Yi asked softly.
Ziyue tilted her head in thought, then mimicked a jumping motion with her paw, followed by a cutting gesture.
"Hmm, New Moon Leap's teleportation range is about ten meters..." Liu Yi analyzed. "Moonlight Slash is very powerful, but it requires half a second of charging."
Ziyue nodded, her ears twitching.
Just then, a stir of noise came from the restaurant entrance.
Liu Yi looked up to see Su Wenxi herself entering the restaurant.
Her Moonlight Marten followed beside her, attracting the attention of many contestants.
As if sensing their gazes, Su Wenxi turned to look towards Liu Yi, and their eyes briefly met in the air.
Su Wenxi nodded slightly, as a greeting.
Liu Yi nodded back in response.
"Is that Su Wenxi? She's so beautiful..."
"Don't just look at her appearance, she's a genuine powerhouse!"
"I heard there was some shady business behind her withdrawal due to high fever last year and Cui Xiangming advancing to the Top 8. She's here for revenge this year!"
"Where did you get that rumor from?"
Whispers continuously drifted from the surroundings.
Liu Yi averted her gaze and continued her meal.
Ziyue also resumed eating her energy meal, but her ears twitched occasionally, clearly paying attention to her surroundings.
...
In the afternoon, Liu Yi took Ziyue back home.
Instead of staying at the arena to watch the matches, she turned on her computer and searched for the keywords 【teleportation skills + countermeasures】.
A series of battle videos quickly popped up on the screen.
Ziyue squatted in front of the keyboard, staring intently at the screen.
"Let's watch this one first." Liu Yi clicked on a video titled 【Giant Thunder Tiger VS Phantom Shadow Cat】.
In the video, the Phantom Shadow Cat continuously teleported using "Shadow Teleport," while the Giant Thunder Tiger stood still, allowing the Phantom Shadow Cat to attack.
"What is it waiting for...?"
Just as the Phantom Shadow Cat attacked with its fifth teleport, the Giant Thunder Tiger suddenly lunged, biting the Phantom Shadow Cat's back neck!
"I see." Liu Yi pressed pause. "It was calculating the Phantom Shadow Cat's teleportation pattern."
"But they were pets of the same Level battling. The Giant Thunder Tiger's defense was strong enough to withstand so many attacks from the Phantom Shadow Cat for the follow-up to be possible."
Ziyue nodded thoughtfully.
The next video was 【Ice Plain Wolf VS Dream Monster】.
As soon as the Dream Monster disappeared from the field, the Ice Plain Wolf immediately released "Ice Mist," and the entire arena was instantly enveloped in white mist.
When the Dream Monster reappeared, a layer of frost had formed on its body, and its speed had also slowed down.
"Area-of-effect skills restrict teleportation landing points..." Liu Yi noted down this tactic.
Suddenly, Ziyue's paw tapped the screen.
"What's wrong?"
Following her guidance, Liu Yi saw a video titled 【Extreme Cold Storm! Ice-type A-rank Skill Practical Combat Demonstration】.
The cover featured an ice sculpture, with some gaudy text photoshopped onto it.
After clicking it, an Ice Wing Bird spread its wings on screen, and the entire arena was instantly engulfed in a blizzard.
The opponent's pet was frozen into an ice sculpture the moment it appeared; the scene was incredibly stunning.
"Bingbing!"
Ziyue's eyes lit up, and her tail unconsciously wagged.
Liu Yi chuckled, "You like this skill?"
Ziyue nodded vigorously, gesturing with her small paws in the air, seemingly trying to imitate the Ice Wing Bird's movements.
"Extreme Cold Storm is an A-rank skill, and a Junior pet's energy probably isn't enough to sustain its release," Liu Yi said, rubbing her head.
"But we can practice energy control first."
Liu Yi didn't doubt whether Ziyue could learn it.
It was just that, normally, the higher the skill's Level, the more energy it consumes.
Ziyue's current energy being able to release the B-rank skill Ice Spike already far surpasses other Junior pets.
"Bingbing."
Ziyue suddenly jumped off the table and ran to the backyard training ground.
Liu Yi quickly followed.
Ziyue took a deep breath, and cold energy began to condense around itself.
Ice crystals swirled around her, gradually forming a small whirlwind.
However, in less than three seconds, the whirlwind exploded out of control, knocking itself over.
"Bingbing..."
Ziyue dizzily got up, her ears drooping.
Liu Yi quickly walked over to check if she was injured: "It's okay, lasting three seconds is already very good."
She gently wiped the ice shards from Ziyue's fur: "The general direction is correct; we just need to slowly practice controlling the energy's range and duration."
Liu Yi hadn't expected that Ziyue could control Ice-type energy to form a small whirlwind just by watching Extreme Cold Storm once.
"Bingbing."
Ziyue barked earnestly, indicating its understanding, and wanted to continue practicing.
Liu Yi put Ziyue down to let her continue practicing, then went back to her room to get her notebook and sat in the rest pavilion.
She occasionally kept an eye on Ziyue's practice while browsing information on her phone, then noted down key points in her notebook:
Predict landing points: Teleportation-type skills usually have fixed movement trajectories or cooldown times. Observing the opponent's habits can help predict in advance.
Area restriction: Use large area-of-effect skills (like Frost Breath) to cover the field, forcing the opponent to appear in an unfavorable position.
Defensive counterattack: Use Ice Armor to withstand the first wave of attacks, seizing the opportunity to counterattack the moment the opponent appears.
...
The subsequent matches also went smoothly:
August 16th, Qualifiers Round Two.
The Honeydew Butterfly's Paralysis Powder was frozen into ice crystals by Ziyue's Frost Breath, and Ice Blade precisely hit the butterfly's wings, securing an easy victory.
August 17th, Qualifiers Round Three.
The Acorn Warrior's Headbutt Charge was reflected by Ziyue's Ice Armor. Ice Spike froze the Acorn Warrior and its thrown nut bomb, and seven Ice Blades ended the match.
August 18th, Qualifiers Round Four.
Facing the Wrestling Bear Cub's Brute Force Pounce, Ziyue nimbly dodged. After Ice Spike blocked the opponent's movements, Frost Breath followed by an Ice Blade combo finished the match.
When the last Qualifiers match ended, the electronic bracelet updated:
【Congratulations on advancing to the Top 16! The Top 16 matches will be held on August 20th!】
Rate on N.U.
