“8, 7...”
Qi Zimeng covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
Huo Nanyun gripped her support sign tightly.
“6, 5...”
The spectator stands were silent.
“4, 3...”
Liu Yi closed her eyes. She trusted Ziyue; this was their only chance.
Through Ziyue's blurry vision, she saw Liu Yi's fingers tapping rhythmically against her leg.
Bingbing...
I can't lose.
I can't let my Beast Tamer be sad.
I can't end the match looking so pathetic.
Suddenly, a dazzling blue light burst forth from Ziyue's body.
Liu Yi's eyes snapped open, her heart pounding.
“2—” The referee's countdown abruptly stopped.
Ziyue's entire body was once again covered in shimmering Ice Armor, mixed with her own blood, creating a faint purple glow.
She slowly stood up, and with every step, a new layer of frost formed on the ground.
“Ice Soul Awakening!” Ning Qiu’s voice was distorted with shock. “The Ice Fox actually has the Ice Soul Awakening trait, and it triggered!”
“Under Ice Soul Awakening, the Ice Fox has recovered all its energy, significantly boosted its attack, defense, and speed, and gained immunity to all control effects!”
Tang Ningzhi shot up. “But the trait only lasts for a few short seconds! Can they really defeat the Moonlight Marten, which possesses three B-rank skills, and achieve a comeback in such a short time?!”
Su Wenxi’s expression changed drastically. “Crescent Slash followed by full-power Moonblade Dance!”
But it was too late.
Liu Yi’s voice and Ziyue’s long howl rang out simultaneously:
“Extreme Cold Storm!”
The temperature in the Longwu Central Arena instantly dropped to freezing, and the entire battle platform was immediately engulfed in a blizzard!
The next second, the Moonlight Marten, which had appeared behind Ziyue, was frozen solid into an ice sculpture in the blink of an eye!
Moonlight Slash and Moonblade Dance had no chance to be unleashed.
“An A-rank skill?!” Ning Qiu’s voice was practically a shriek. “How could a Junior pet—”
Tang Ningzhi stared intently at the arena. “The attack boost provided by Ice Soul Awakening is key... but forcefully unleashing an A-rank skill with Junior-level energy is unheard of!”
Everyone in the spectator stands rose to their feet.
“What?! An A-rank skill?!”
“Am I watching a Trainee Beast Tamer match? Am I still dreaming?”
“Hello? Doctor, I think I’m hallucinating. A Junior pet just unleashed an A-rank skill, yes, yes... You also think I’m seriously ill, right?”
In the media area beside the commentary desk, reporters furiously typed on their keyboards, the sounds blending into a cacophony.
“Quick! Change the headline to ‘Shocking Comeback! Ice Fox On-the-Spot Evolution Unleashes A-rank Skill to Snatch Victory from Defeat!’”
“No, no? Evolve in two months? Besides, it didn’t even evolve!”
“Who cares? Just publish it like that for now! The clicks are definitely going to explode!”
The blizzard gradually dispersed, revealing the Moonlight Marten, frozen in a pouncing pose, standing like an ice sculpture in the center of the field.
Ziyue’s Ice Armor began to crack, and her limbs trembled slightly, but she still stood firm, not falling.
The referee’s countdown echoed through the venue via the loudspeaker: “10, 9, 8...”
Trapped within the ice sculpture, the Moonlight Marten’s eyes darted around, but she couldn't break free from the extreme cold’s restraint.
“7, 6, 5...”
Su Wenxi’s fingertips trembled. She had never imagined her Moonlight Marten would be in such a predicament.
An A-rank skill? A defeat she had never anticipated.
“4, 3...”
The roar of voices from the spectator stands grew louder and louder:
“Ice Fox! Ice Fox! Ice Fox!”
“Liu Yi is going to win!”
“A miracle! This is truly a miracle!”
“2, 1! Match over!”
The referee loudly declared, “Moonlight Marten is incapacitated! The winner of the Finals is—”
“Liu Yi!”
The entire venue erupted!
Qi Zimeng hugged Huo Nanyun, crying and laughing. “They won! They won! A Junior pet defeated an Intermediate pet!”
Huo Nanyun’s eyes shone with disbelief. “She really... did it...”
She did what Huo Nanyun couldn't.
Baili Jinxuan had already jumped up, waving her support sign wildly. “Liu Yi! Ziyue! Champion!”
Yu Qianfan gently applauded beside Baili Jinxuan, a smile in her eyes.
From the commentary desk, Ning Qiu’s voice, tinged with a slight tremble, rang out: “Let’s congratulate Contestant Liu Yi and her Ice Fox, who, as a Junior pet, defeated Contestant Su Wenxi and her Intermediate pet Moonlight Marten, to claim the Grand Champion of the 77th Longwu High School Entrance Tournament!”
Tang Ningzhi took a deep breath and solemnly declared, “This match will undoubtedly be etched into the Annals of the Longwu High School Entrance Tournament!”
Only then did Ziyue, in the center of the field, dare to relax, letting herself collapse to the ground.
Su Wenxi quietly gazed at the Moonlight Marten’s ice sculpture, then suddenly smiled. “Brilliant.”
The medical team quickly rushed onto the field, using a special thawing agent to melt the ice encasing the Moonlight Marten, while carefully administering emergency treatment to Ziyue.
Liu Yi hurried to Ziyue’s side, her fingertips gently touching its scarred fur. “Ziyue, you did it.”
The already unconscious Ziyue unconsciously nudged her fingers with her head.
Su Wenxi stood by, watching as medical staff checked the Moonlight Marten’s injuries, and softly said, “You worked hard.”
As the medical staff transported both pets to the Medical Room, Ning Qiu’s voice timely announced: “Ladies and gentlemen, please take a short break! After both contestants’ pets have completed their treatment, we will proceed with the awards ceremony!”
The large screen began to replay the highlights of the Finals.
The shocking scene of the Moonlight Marten being frozen the moment Ziyue unleashed Extreme Cold Storm was repeatedly shown.
Discussions in the spectator stands rose and fell:
“That Ice Fox is clearly a Junior pet, so why could it unleash an A-rank skill?”
“Ice Soul Awakening! It’s the Ice Soul Awakening trait!”
“But even with the trait’s boost, Junior-level energy shouldn’t be enough to sustain an A-rank skill! Forget Junior, even Intermediate pets would struggle. An A-rank skill usually requires at least an Advanced pet to unleash, right?!”
“That can only prove that Liu Yi and her Ice Fox are geniuses! You’re all focused on the Ice Fox’s energy issue, but if you ask me, the fact that they can learn the A-rank skill Extreme Cold Storm right now is also ridiculous! Plenty of Advanced pets don’t even know one A-rank skill!”
...
Inside the Medical Room.
Ziyue and the Moonlight Marten were placed into separate treatment chambers, and pale blue treatment liquid slowly flowed in.
Liu Yi stood before Ziyue’s treatment chamber, looking at her curled-up form through the glass.
Her consciousness, however, had already brought up Ziyue’s information:
【Name: Ice Fox】
【Attribute: Ice】
【Level: Junior stage (110%)】
【Skills: Ice Blade (Expert 45%), Frost Breath (Expert 44%), Ice Armor (Proficient 63%), Ice Spike (Proficient 11%), Extreme Cold Storm (Entry level 10%)】
【Trait: Ice Soul Awakening (Proficient 11%)】
Her latent energy had reached 110%, and the Level section began to flash.
And after Ice Spike, Extreme Cold Storm was added!
Liu Yi pressed her hand against the treatment chamber’s glass.
Ziyue, you truly mastered the A-rank skill Extreme Cold Storm.
Inside the treatment chamber, Ziyue seemed to sense something, and her ears twitched slightly.
Rate on N.U.
