Chapter 132: Ambush? Top of the Leaderboard! Rong Qiu's Background!

Chapter 132: Ambush? Top of the Leaderboard! Rong Qiu's Background!

"Supply box!"

All members of the Forest Wolf Battalion immediately spotted the floating supply box on the lake's surface.

Li Da furrowed his brows slightly, glancing around with caution.

Before them was a small lake nestled in a depression, a relatively hidden location.

Indeed, it was theoretically reasonable for an undiscovered supply box to be in such a place.

With this thought, Li Da's tension eased slightly.

He knew that inside the supply box, aside from various other items, there was the energy recovery potion, the most common item, which could be a lifesaver in many situations.

Even if it wasn't needed now, who could predict when it might become useful?

However, after some thought, Li Da ordered, "Don't enter the water, Da Zhuang..."

At Li Da's command, Da Zhuang's mind stirred, and a tree branch instantly grew from the shore, extending directly towards the supply box in the lake.

But Li Da's brows furrowed almost immediately.

From his perspective, the supply box didn't seem far away, just over twenty meters. Da Zhuang's tree branch could easily reach it.

Yet, as the branch extended, But as the branch extended, it didn't touch the supply box right away. Instead, the box seemed to slowly move backward in a strange manner.

In an instant, Li Da realized the danger, and he shouted, "Not good, there's an ambush!"

Simultaneously, the calm lake erupted with crashing waves.

Within the water, a massive, transparent figure appeared, leaving Li Da no time to react before a burst of water and mist exploded outwards!

Iron water cannonballs, compressed and launched from the water, didn't target the Thousand Wood Wolf on the shore but instead headed straight for the Beastmaster!

Not just one, but five of them!

"Water Serpent! A pet beast with monarch-level potential, an evolved form of the elite pet beast Vortex Python. Its main skill is compressing large amounts of water essence and firing iron water cannonballs. In places with abundant water essence, its body can merge with the water source, making it extremely difficult to detect with the naked eye..."

Almost immediately, everyone realized the strangeness of this aquatic giant. Pet beasts and their corresponding evolved forms were countless and varied.

Where could there truly be an invincible evolved pet beast?

Undoubtedly, at this moment, the Forest Wolf Battalion found themselves in a completely passive situation.

The iron water cannonballs were aimed not at the pet beasts but at the Beastmaster himself.

The four members of the team were at a distance, but Li Da was exposed to the incoming cannonballs. If hit, his Vital Sign Watch would likely trigger immediately.

Lao Yinbi's long-planned ambush was not something that could be easily avoided.

Just as the situation reached a critical point, Da Zhuang reacted without hesitation, bursting forth with all his speed. The Commander Rank Nine body covered the distance of several dozen meters and blocked the cannonballs before they could reach Li Da.

"Da Zhuang!"

Li Da was stunned, and the massive Thousand Wood Wolf froze in place.

Everyone's brows furrowed.

This was a tournament, and injuries were inevitable in such competitions, especially when pet beast battles were hard to stop. But if this attack landed, it would be more than just a simple injury.

Was Li Da willing to sacrifice his fully evolved pet beast to avoid elimination? This question arose in everyone's minds.

After all, in their eyes, such an attack, if landed, would severely injure or compensation for their efforts might be considered.

As this thought crossed their minds, everyone was once again surprised.

It wasn't that the attack was blocked or dodged, but that the compressed iron water cannonball did hit the Thousand Wood Wolf.

However, the Thousand Wood Wolf underwent an unexpected transformation.

The once lively Thousand Wood Wolf stiffened in place, and the Y-shaped tree branch on its head gently swayed. But the branches extending from its spine instantly enveloped its body, transforming it into a spherical shape.

All signs of life from the Thousand Wood Wolf vanished.

The enveloping branches rooted into the soil beneath, becoming one with the earth.

'Bang!'

The water essence cannonball hit the Thousand Wood Wolf with pinpoint accuracy.

Indeed, a spinning crater appeared on the body behind the branches.

It was as if an electric drill had bored a hole.

But when they saw this 'hole,' everyone was stunned once more.

"What is that?" someone exclaimed in disbelief.

What they saw was not bones or organs, and there was no blood flowing out.

Instead, what was revealed was a wooden fiber, like a branch that had been cut from a tree.

Strangest of all, as the branches extended, the hole was visibly healing at a speed perceivable to the naked eye!

"Wood Body?" Liu Fuhai exclaimed in a tone of surprise and certainty.

Yes, it was a Wood Body, a unique ability typically found only in some plant-type pet beasts.

"Wood Body? Isn't that a capability exclusive to some plant-type pet beasts?" asked a nearby man with a General rank, equally astonished.

The unique trait of the Plant-type Beast, as long as the damage is not directly to the roots, any injury to its body can be healed, even damage to the roots is manageable.

After all, Plant-type Beasts are generally slow.

The Wood Body ability, a core skill for many Plant-types, is undoubtedly a significant enhancement.

Plant-types have no fatal weaknesses.

But the question remains, is this wolf a Plant-type? Its lively and agile movements in the jungle, leaping and dashing around with no trace, hardly resembled a Plant-type Beast! A pure wolf-type pet with the 'Wood Body' ability of a Plant-type? At this moment, everyone's complex gazes fell upon the ever-calm Su Ping.

This included Liu Fuhai.

Even those seated on the other side, among the Beastmaster seats of the Lin Wolf Battalion, couldn't help but turn their attention to Su Ping.

How did this kid achieve this? How could the evolved Lin Wolf be so freakishly powerful?

They didn't understand.

Among them, the one with the most dramatic reaction was Ding Yanding, the Cultivator from Huaiyang Province, and the black-clothed woman named Rong Qiu from Beiyuan Province.

The former naturally felt a deep sense of regret, wondering why such a talented Cultivator would choose to stay in Jianghai Province.

As for the latter, her reaction was more complex. A hint of indescribable complexity played at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes showed no interest in the performance of her own Snow Wolf Battalion.

It was as if she didn't care about their achievements at all, and her gaze remained fixed on the Lin Wolf Battalion and Su Ping.

They were unaware of the secrets still hidden within the Thousand Wood Wolf.

Initially, they had some dissatisfaction with Qin Erlong and Liu Fuhai for favoring this young man and letting him sit in the front row. But at this moment, they were genuinely impressed.

The Legion was a place where strength was paramount.

Su Ping's talent for cultivation and the Thousand Wood Wolf he had cultivated undoubtedly conquered them.

However, the battle on the screen was not over yet.

Da Zhuang, with his mutated Wood Body, entered the Wood Transformation state, but his actions didn't stop.

On the shore, on the land of the Earth Mountain Tiger,

The Forest Tide, once again, surged.

Su Ping slowly exhaled.

The final result was still not unexpected.

Even though the Water Serpent could enter the water and even survive indefinitely underwater, the Beastmaster could not.

Beastmasters had to come up for air eventually.

Moreover, who said the Thousand Wood Wolf was helpless underwater? After all, this was just a small lake, with a diameter of only a few kilometers and not very deep. The five Thousand Wood Wolves directly dragged the Tree Prison, which was five times larger and connected to the natural language effect, into the lake by the water's edge!

With the combined effect of the five-fold Tree Prison and the natural language, the entire lake surface was connected by tree branches.

It was still the familiar Forest Web, but this time, it covered the lake's surface.

And the final result was that the Lin Wolf Battalion's final score increased by another 7 points.

Additionally, they earned 5 points for surviving for over two hours.

Although the process was convoluted and extremely risky, everyone fell silent again as they witnessed the massive web in the footage, almost entirely covering the small lake with its endless branches and leaves.

Reality had slapped them in the face.

Unconsciously, they began to ponder the question once more.

Did the Thousand Wood Wolf's skill activation not require energy consumption?

The Water Serpent, supported by the water element's energy in the lake, could quickly recover its energy.

However, facing the blockade of the Forest Web, the 'Iron Water Cannon' attack, even at full power, could only fire continuously for about twenty shots.

This frequency and number were already incredibly exaggerated and terrifying.

The power of the Iron Water Cannon was extraordinary.

Even the lush forest web, when directly hit by the Iron Water Cannon, would explode, leaving a large blank area.

If these Water Serpents, instead of continuously activating the skill like the Thousand Wood Wolf, had fired just a few dozen more shots, the outcome might have been different.

Even if they couldn't defeat them, they could have safely retreated without any issues.

But how could such a skill be used so casually? Yet, the Thousand Wood Wolves managed to do just that.

Even legendary Spirit-grade and legendary Beast-grade pets should obey the law of energy conservation, right? But this giant wolf, like a Qilin, seemed completely oblivious to the concept.

Such unrestrained use of abilities showed no sign of energy depletion or fatigue.

Instead, it remained as vibrant as ever.

It was evident that even these experienced elders, with their vast knowledge, had not considered that energy conservation was indeed a factor, but the energy didn't solely come from the Thousand Wood Wolf's internal energy storage or the food and potions from the supply box.

The energy came directly from the sun above.

From the perspective of physics in the previous life, the nuclear fusion energy of the sun was absorbed in large quantities by the Thousand Wood Wolf, converted through photosynthesis, and utilized through the Wood Heart.

Fortunately, the Lin Wolf Battalion didn't leave again and instead rested at this small lake.

This lake in the depression was already relatively central.

Additionally, although the Thousand Wood Wolf could quickly recover its energy with the support of the water element in the lake, the 'Sun Formula,' which combined the skills 'Sunlight Absorption,' 'Photosynthesis,' and 'Wood Heart,' placed a tremendous burden on the body and mind.

Su Ping had experienced this burden before with Lao Sha.

Moreover, Da Zhuang had suffered non-trivial injuries while helping Li Da withstand the Iron Water Cannon of the Water Serpent, and he needed to enter the Wood Transformation state to recover.

No matter which angle you look at it from, Li Da's decision not to continue leading the team forward was a very wise move.

The first day of the competition slowly came to an end as the sun set in the west, and night fell.

In just one day, over forty people were eliminated, nearly ten teams' worth of members.

Beside the huge live broadcast screen, there was also a real-time leaderboard.

At this moment, the top of the leaderboard was none other than the Lin Wolf Squad, a team that no one had expected to be in the lead! With a high score of 29 points, they were in first place.

Eliminating two entire teams earned them a full 14 points! The remaining 15 points were for surviving unharmed in the battlefield for six hours.

Right behind them was the 'Shadow Tiger', a previous favorite for the championship.

They were only three points behind the Lin Wolf Squad because earlier, they had failed to eliminate the entire team and let one escape.

Next was the Shadow Leopard Squad, a less well-known but formidable team.

The Shadow Leopard and Shadow Wolf had a similar yet distinct charm; both were assassin-type pets that attacked from the shadows.

However, the Shadow Leopard Squad did not uphold martial ethics. Among the participating teams, they had not only the Shadow Leopard but also the Shadow Flower Leopard, and even the rare spiritual evolution branch of the Soul Devouring Leopard.

The five combat groups had different evolutions, indicating a well-planned deployment.

In addition, the Titan Python of the Bull Python Squad, led by the Serpent Master, was also a formidable evolution.

This Titan Python was known for its reckless and headstrong nature, even eliminating the Mighty King Kong Ape, renowned for its physical combat prowess.

Of course, the cost was that this was the only team in the top five to lose a member.

However, no one could have guessed who would be in fifth place.

It wasn't any of the other Ape D Teams; it was another squad from the Wolf Fang A Division.

It was the Snow Wolf Squad, a team that no one had expected to perform so well! The Snow Wolf Squad, along with the Lin Wolf Squad and the Desert Wolf Squad, were once considered the weakest teams of the Wolf Fang A Division, but this competition proved otherwise.

Even Su Ping couldn't help but pay attention to the Snow Wolf Squad.

The breeder of the Snow Wolf Squad was a woman named Rong Qiu, who had come from Beiyuan Province.

This evolution was her independently developed 'Frostwater Wolf'.

The name of this evolution wasn't impressive, but its ability was extremely powerful.

It could infuse water with toxins, and even a slight touch would render enemies powerless to resist within a short time.

Su Ping was shocked by its capabilities.

Poison-type pets were indeed terrifying.

On the first day of the competition, Lin Lei, the Lin Division Commander, was in high spirits.

Out of the six participating teams, the Hunt Wolf Battalion was unlucky to encounter the Ace of the Tiger C Squadron, the Shadow Tiger, which eliminated their entire team. The Shadow Wolf Battalion also faced strong opponents and lost three members, although they avoided total annihilation.

Even so, Lin Lei did not criticize anyone.

Although it was only the first day, the Lin Wolf Squad was in the lead.

The Snow Wolf Squad was in fifth place.

Even the Flame Wolf Battalion and the Desert Wolf Battalion, which came after them, had high rankings.

Lin Lei's elation was evident.

The leader of the Ape D Team, whose team didn't even make it to the top five, had a dark expression. He cursed the nearly eliminated members, but there's no need to elaborate on that.

The competition on the battlefield didn't stop at night; on the contrary, some groups specifically chose to hunt other pet squads during the night.

However, Su Ping didn't continue watching. After a day of observation and gaining new insights, he had some fresh ideas about pet breeding and needed to organize his thoughts.

Most people, however, remained in the square, continuing to watch the competition.

After all, those who could appear here were not low-level Beastmasters; Senior Beastmasters had strong physical feedback, so staying up all night was not a problem.

But what Su Ping never expected was that, aside from him, another person also returned to their accommodation at night and picked up their phone.

It was none other than the breeder of the Snow Wolf Squad, whose performance had far exceeded Lin Lei's expectations.

It was Rong Qiu, the breeder who had attracted much attention during the day's competition.

Rong Qiu didn't seem to care about the rankings; all her attention was on Su Ping.

Like Su Ping, she had also returned to her accommodation early.

She immediately made a call, which was quickly answered. A cheerful voice came through the receiver:

"Hello?"

"I saw Su Ping, and his Thousand Wood Wolf Squad!"

Rong Qiu smiled slightly and then lit a slender lady's cigarette, slowly exhaling a smoke ring.

If Su Ping were there, he would have heard that the person on the other end of the line was none other than his own eccentric old man.

And he probably wouldn't have guessed that the two people he never expected to know each other were already acquainted.

In fact, the reason why the breeder of the Snow Wolf Squad, who had given Lin Lei an unexpected surprise, became their breeder was probably mainly connected to Su Ping.

"Hahaha, how is it?"

"We're temporarily in first place in today's competition, but that might change after tonight."

"Hahahaha, I told you, my son inherited my breeding talent! He's truly remarkable."

Rong Qiu smiled, struggling to keep a straight face:

"If he's such a talented breeder, why does he need my help?"

The voice on the other end continued:

"What do you mean, help you? We agreed that it would be Rong Family, not you!"

"The Rong Family won't help without my say-so."

Rong Qiu said calmly.

"Okay, okay, good Qiuqiu, just do this favor for the captain. I'll make it worth your while... You can even be a stepmother if you don't mind."

"Pfft, you're ridiculous..."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end