Chapter 554: Zone One (Three-in-One)
Chapter 554: Zone One (Three-in-One)
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy nodded, indicating that he understood. He hadn't been watching those matches for nothing.
Qiao Sang smiled and said, "In a couple of days, there will be a team battle match, and I want the two of you to participate."
Before Fangy and Lulu could react, Qiao Sang continued:
"Only those who excel in both individual strength and team combat can truly be considered strong. I hope you two can work together during the team battle. After it's over, I'll tell you who among you is stronger."
"Ya!" Fangy called out, full of fighting spirit, indicating that there was no problem.
"Icechill." Although Lulu's expression was aloof, her eyes were also filled with determination.
Qiao Sang sighed in relief.
For a team battle to go well, the first requirement is a good relationship. If Fangy and Lulu can get along well over the next couple of days, and with Fangy's memory, he'll likely forget about their rivalry.
Speaking of which, these two used to talk about having a showdown every day during the National Campus Beastmaster League, but they always forgot. They only occasionally sparred during training, and even then, it was just for the sake of it.
"Ganggang..."
Steel Sparrow, standing nearby, looked at the human who had become their Beastmaster with admiration.
So that's how it's done...
...
After confirming the team for the team battle, Qiao Sang immediately led Fangy and the others to the open-air Training Field.
Fangy and Lulu had never fought as a team before, so they needed to practice and build chemistry quickly.
The Class Teacher's requirement was for the familiars to work together, without the need for a complex strategy. With that in mind, Qiao Sang tentatively suggested:
"Fangy will take the lead, and Lulu will stay in the back, ready to cast Healing Light on Fangy whenever needed..."
"Icechill..."
Before she could finish, Lulu began to emit a cold aura.
Qiao Sang quickly changed her tone:
"That's obviously not possible. Lulu needs to participate in the attack as well!"
Lulu's cold aura dissipated.
Qiao Sang continued, "Once Lulu casts Healing Light, the opponents will definitely focus their attacks on her. Fangy, you need to pay attention and protect your teammate. It's crucial to keep your team members safe."
"Ya!"
Fangy nodded seriously.
"Of course, Lulu, you also need to protect yourself", Qiao Sang added. "Once you cast Healing Light, you'll become everyone's target, and the pressure will be immense."
"Icechill."
Lulu nodded, indicating that she understood.
"Ganggang..."
Steel Sparrow, listening from the side, stared at Qiao Sang with increasingly bright eyes.
Impressive! On the surface, Qiao Sang was saying that everyone would focus on Lulu because she was so powerful, and that protecting teammates was important. But the underlying condition was that Lulu would cast Healing Light.
From the looks of it, Lulu had no objection to casting Healing Light to heal Fangy at any time.
Qiao Sang was unaware of Steel Sparrow's thoughts and continued explaining the battle plan:
"Fangy will be the vanguard, and Lulu will stay in the back, monitoring the situation. If there are any moves Fangy misses, Lulu should block them. Don't use Rainfall. Most of Fangy's moves are fire-type, so they will be affected."
"Or, Lulu can use Water Skills first, then merge with the water and move closer to the opponent. This will definitely divert the opponent's attention. Fangy, pay attention to Lulu's movements, and you can focus on taking out one opponent first."
"If the opponent is strong, our strategy will revolve around Lulu's Healing Light. Heal immediately after any injury. After a few rounds, the opponent's morale will surely break."
"Icechill."
Lulu's expression indicated that there was no problem.
You finally agree. All my words weren't in vain... Qiao Sang thought, but her expression remained neutral as she continued:
"There's one more important thing, a common issue in team battles."
"You might both cast skills at the same time, missing the opponent and hitting each other instead."
"So, teamwork and coordination are crucial."
"However, I have a solution that doesn't require perfect coordination", Qiao Sang said, looking at Fangy.
"Ya!"
Fangy, feeling his Beastmaster's gaze, immediately understood that the solution depended on him. He perked up and called out.
Qiao Sang smiled and said, "They say water and fire don't mix, but the brief fusion of Water Skills and Fire Skills can create a massive explosion. If Lulu's Skills accidentally collide with yours before hitting the opponent, you can use Psychic Control to redirect Lulu's Skills toward the enemy, making sure her Water Skills merge and explode with your Fire Skills around the opponent."
"The same goes the other way. If your Skills collide with Lulu's first, use Psychic Control to adjust the direction immediately."
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy nodded seriously, feeling the importance of its mission.
"Icechill."
At that moment, Lulu called out, indicating that it didn't need help and could coordinate well with Fangy.
That's what I was waiting for... Qiao Sang put on a troubled expression and said, "Since that's the case, you need to build a strong rapport. There will be two opponents, and sometimes you won't need me to tell you who to attack. A glance between you should be enough to understand each other."
"Icechill!"
Lulu's eyes were resolute, showing its confidence.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy called out in agreement, indicating it had no problem with that.
"Then let's start this training", Qiao Sang said, turning to one side. "Treasure Seeker."
"Xun~"
Treasure Seeker immediately appeared.
"Steel Treasure", Qiao Sang then looked at Steel Sparrow.
"Ganggang."
Steel Sparrow looked surprised and flapped its wings closer, not expecting to be involved.
Qiao Sang continued, "You will form teams. Fangy and Lulu will be one team, and Treasure Seeker and Steel Treasure will be the other."
"Xunxun?!"
Treasure Seeker took a big step back, its expression clearly asking, "Are you serious?"
It was supposed to team up with the fourth member, who was even smaller than it, against Fangy and Lulu? That was just asking for a beating!
"Ganggang!"
Steel Sparrow, on the other hand, was initially stunned but then showed an eager expression. To it, battling stronger opponents was the fastest way to grow, and with Lulu's Healing Light, it didn't have to worry about injuries.
Qiao Sang explained, "I haven't finished. This time, the teams aren't for battle but to build rapport between Fangy and Lulu. I won't be directing you. Fangy and Lulu, you need to communicate and see if you can intuitively choose the same target to attack or different targets."
"Fangy, use Spark but control the power to be a bit weaker. Lulu, use Water Jet and also control the power."
Treasure Seeker can use Teleport to dodge, and Steel Treasure should try to avoid attacks too. If you can't dodge in time, use Iron Wall for defense. Treasure Seeker, keep an eye on your teammate. If Steel Treasure can't handle it, use Spatial Shift to move it or block the Skills."
Fangy's Spark had reached the peak of Mastery, allowing it to control the power precisely.
Lulu's Water Jet hadn't reached Mastery yet, but controlling the power was no issue.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker patted its chest, relieved.
"Ganggang..."
Steel Sparrow looked disappointed.
Qiao Sang then thought of something and continued, "Once Fangy and Lulu have built enough rapport, you will start real team battle training with these teams."
She then looked at Fangy and Lulu, "During the real team battle training, don't hold back against Treasure Seeker, but keep the Skill power to a minimum when facing Steel Treasure."
"Ya!"
"Icechill."
Fangy and Lulu called out in unison, indicating they understood.
Treasure Seeker: "!!!"
Treasure Seeker's eyes widened in horror, as if the heavens were out to get it.
Steel Sparrow, however, flapped its wings happily.
As Fangy began its training, Qiao Sang watched with satisfaction from the side.
During the usual 1v1 Treasure Seeker battles, it relied entirely on its unpredictable movements to toy with the opponent. Now, with a partner, it had to allocate some of its attention to Steel Sparrow.
This kind of training would significantly improve its reaction time and situational awareness.
As for Steel Sparrow, training in team battles against opponents far stronger than itself would undoubtedly lead to rapid improvements in all aspects of its physical condition.
Moreover, a significant reason she had bonded with Steel Sparrow was its defensive capabilities.
As a tank, it couldn't be treated like a fragile unit. Occasional injuries during training would actually help strengthen its defenses.
...
Meanwhile.
Herkim Tower.
21st Floor.
In a lavish private room, a man dressed in a shirt and vest sat on the sofa with his leg crossed, his tone impatient as he asked:
"Has that kid Qiao Sang arrived yet?"
Jude forced a smile and replied:
"Almost. She usually comes at this time, so she must have been delayed by something today."
The man glanced at his watch and said:
"I'll wait for another half hour."
Half an hour later.
The man asked again: "Has she arrived?"
Jude called the staff, then shook his head silently.
The man frowned:
"Last half hour."
Another half hour passed.
The man asked once more: "Has she arrived?"
Jude sighed: "Not yet."
The man, unable to tolerate it any longer, stood up to leave.
Jude quickly stopped him:
"Mr. Biren, you signed an agreement with us!"
The man angrily retorted: "The agreement didn't say I had to wait this long! I'm starting to doubt whether that kid Qiao Sang will even show up!"
Jude assured him:
"Now that she's tasted the sweetness, she will definitely come back!"
The man snorted: "Then contact me when she arrives."
With that, he stormed out.
Jude massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Qiao Sang hadn't signed an agreement with them, and the score was still consistently 3:0. If everyone continued to bet on this score, he wouldn't know how to explain it to his superiors.
It wasn't impossible to rig the system and prevent Qiao Sang from competing, but the higher the player's popularity, the more enthusiastic the betting. He was somewhat reluctant to do so.
So he came up with the idea of finding a strong player each day to challenge Qiao Sang's path to a perfect 3:0 victory.
This way, a prodigy like Qiao Sang, when faced with a stronger opponent, would be unwilling to accept defeat and come back, and even if she won, it wouldn't be a 3:0 victory.
But he hadn't expected that the strong players he called in wouldn't be enough to stop Qiao Sang from showing up.
No, just because she didn't come today didn't mean she wouldn't come tomorrow. For safety, he decided to continue contacting top-ranked players every day...
...
Two days later, morning.
Qiao Sang finished breakfast, washed up, and packed her belongings into the Treasure Seeker's Ring. She then carried Fangy out of the dormitory.
Steel Sparrow followed alongside. Qiao Sang didn't put it into the Beastmaster Codex.
Internal breath hold training could be done anywhere, and having Steel Sparrow outside made it easier for it to train at any time.
The assembly time was 9:00 AM.
At the school gate, a large bird familiar was already waiting.
Five people were sitting on it: two men, two women, all wearing Sai Nan High School uniforms, and a young white man with curly brown hair.
When they saw Qiao Sang approaching, their eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity, and they began to murmur among themselves.
The champion from Dragon Nation, who had reached 39% brain domain at the age of 15, was a topic of discussion throughout the school.
To be honest, they hadn't seen such an impressive prodigy at this age even in history books.
"Qiao Sang, over here", Hylis waved to greet her.
Hylis, the second member of the Junior Year 6 team, had a reputation for excellent team battle skills, though Qiao Sang hadn't been present during the selection process.
Qiao Sang climbed onto the large bird familiar.
The young white man, seeing everyone had arrived, patted the bird familiar's back.
The bird familiar immediately flapped its wings, stirring up dust, and soared into the sky.
At the same time, a blue light spread, enveloping the large bird familiar.
Within the blue light, everyone sat steadily on its back.
"We will be staying in the first district for five days. I'm sure your class teachers have already told you about this friendly match", the young white man turned and paused his gaze on Qiao Sang and Fangy before continuing, "Top schools from the upper districts will be here, and there are many strong players. Our main goal is to exchange skills, so do your best, and don't take the results too seriously."
How could it not be important? I came here to win... Qiao Sang grumbled inwardly.
At that moment, a red-haired girl asked:
"Teacher, since the focus is on communication, will we still receive credits even if we don't place in the top three?"
The young Caucasian man glanced at her.
"What do you think?"
Everyone immediately understood.
Communication wasn't the priority; winning and losing were the key points.
...
The aerial vehicles in the Upper Ten Districts were primarily airships.
Looking at the airship in front of him, which was clearly different from others, Qiao Sang finally realized the stark difference between ordinary high schools and aristocratic high schools.
He had thought that the best the aristocratic school could do was buy first-class, but they had gone all out and got a private airship...
On the airship, the young Caucasian man sat in the co-pilot's seat.
Seeing that the teacher wasn't around, the red-haired girl turned her gaze to Qiao Sang and became more lively. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Gota, and I'm from Junior Year 1."
After introducing herself, she urged, "Everyone, introduce yourselves. We may know each other, but Qiao Sang clearly doesn't know us yet."
Sai Nan High School had only a dozen or so students per class, and most of them were part of the same social circle, even if they weren't in the same class.
The first to respond was Hylis, who smiled. "I don't need to introduce myself. I'm in the same class as Qiao Sang."
Next was a blond boy with a few freckles on his cheeks. "I'm Pellegr, also from 1st Year 1."
Finally, a shy black girl smiled. "I'm Mabel, from 3rd Year 1."
It seemed that two spots were allocated from each of the two key classes, and only one was chosen from the regular class... Qiao Sang immediately said, "I'm Qiao Sang, from 6th Year 1."
Gota covered her mouth and smiled. "We already know that."
She then thought of something and asked, "Do you want to add each other as friends?"
"Sure." Qiao Sang took out his mobile phone.
The others didn't say much but all took out their phones.
Hylis's lips twitched. He and Qiao Sang had been classmates for a long time, but they had never added each other as friends individually.
Thinking about it, he silently took out his phone as well.
Once Qiao Sang had added everyone as friends, Gota thought of something and her eyes lit up. "Qiao Sang, you're from Blue Star, so you probably don't care much about credits, right?"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately turned their gaze toward her.
Their eyes looked like wolves who had spotted meat.
They can't be after my credits... Qiao Sang instinctively became wary but kept a calm expression. "Credits are pretty useful. You can exchange them for things."
Gota, hearing this, felt hopeful and smiled. "If there's something you want, you can trade with me. I'll give you a better deal than the school's credit exchange."
Pellegr, hearing this, said seriously, "You can also trade with me."
"You guys are thinking too much." Hylis frowned. "Qiao Sang and I are classmates. If you want to trade, you should come to me."
Right, almost forgot. The students at Sai Nan High School mainly need credits to solidify their positions in their families, which is different from my goal. They don't lack resources; they lack credits. If that's the case... Qiao Sang's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Do you have any Dream Insight Stones?"
The air suddenly grew quiet. A few seconds later, Hylis was the first to speak. "You want a Dream Insight Stone?"
Qiao Sang nodded vigorously.
Hylis looked at her with a complex expression. "That costs 1000 credits to exchange."
I know that... Qiao Sang smiled. "Didn't you say you'd give me a better deal if I wanted something?"
Everyone: "..."
But they need to have it first!
For the rest of the time, everyone was silent, and Gota wasn't as active as before.
...
By the time they reached the first district, it was already the morning of the second day.
After disembarking from the airship, the young Caucasian man made a hand sign, and the Amber Star Array lit up. He quickly summoned the large bird familiar from the previous day.
He then made another hand sign and summoned another familiar, about three meters tall, mostly pink, with a shell on its back.
The familiar seemed to know why the Beastmaster had summoned it.
"Shell, shell."
It called out, and the shell on its back slowly opened, revealing some miscellaneous items and a large Sai Nan High School emblem.
The bird familiar spread its wings and took out the Sai Nan High School emblem. With practiced ease, it turned the back of the emblem toward itself, then spat some saliva on it, and pressed it onto its other wing, sticking it securely in place.
Is that saliva some kind of glue...? Qiao Sang silently complained in her mind.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy, nestled in her arms, seemed to have an idea and called out to the side.
"Xunxun~"
In the next second, Treasure Seeker appeared, took off the Ring, fished around inside, and handed Fangy a pair of the familiar's dark green triangular sunglasses.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy took them and put them on, looking satisfied.
Treasure Seeker then faded away, having completed its task.
Qiao Sang was already used to this.
But Gota and the others were seeing this scene for the first time. They looked at Fangy in surprise, then scanned the surroundings, trying to spot Treasure Seeker.
"You've bonded with a Ghost-type familiar?" Gota asked.
Qiao Sang nodded.
Gota glanced at the quiet Steel Sparrow, thinking to himself that it was no wonder someone who had reached 39% brain domain at 15 would bond with such difficult familiars.
At that moment, the shyest of the group, Mabel, approached. She stared at Fangy and timidly asked:
"Can I pet it?"
"Ya."
Fangy proudly puffed out its chest.
Indeed, it seemed that even on a different planet, Fangy still had its charm.
Does wearing sunglasses make a difference? Why didn't anyone want to pet it on the spaceship... Qiao Sang was about to agree, as Fangy was already used to being petted and didn't mind it, but then she had a sudden thought. She looked at Mabel and said:
"You can, but it costs one credit for a pet."
Gota, who was about to step forward and say he wanted to pet it too, stopped in his tracks.
What the heck? A credit just to pet it?!
Mabel clenched her teeth and said, "Sure!"
I was just joking, and you really agreed! Qiao Sang excitedly held Fangy in front of Mabel. "Go ahead!"
Fangy: "..."
This feels so strange...
After Mabel finished petting Fangy and transferred one credit through her mobile phone to the school's website, Qiao Sang put a hand on her shoulder, her eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement. "I have two more Supernest familiars. Want to pet them?"
Mabel's eyes lit up, then she looked conflicted, and finally, she bit her lip and said, "Sure!"
Qiao Sang: "!!!"
What a generous customer!
...
At first glance, the First District in the morning didn't seem much different from the Third District.
However, the pedestrians on the streets were all mindful of their appearance and demeanor. The men were dressed in suits, looking quite gentlemanly, while the women had impeccable makeup, exuding a sense of elegance and wealth.
Sahel High School, the host of the exchange tournament, was the destination.
Large familiars adorned with various school emblems slowly landed at the school gate.
Qiao Sang dismounted from her bird familiar, and many people immediately turned to look at her.
They were surprised to see someone carrying a familiar, especially one they had never seen before.
A student from Sahel High School, dressed in the school uniform, approached each large familiar, apparently serving as volunteers for the Friendly Match.
"Are you from Sai Nan High School in the Third District?" a girl in the Sahel School Uniform asked.
"Yes, we are", the young Caucasian man, who was leading the team, nodded and replied.
The girl checked the list, confirmed the number of people, and smiled. "Please follow me."
At that moment, Qiao Sang felt a strong gaze on her. She turned to see a Caucasian boy staring at her with a displeased expression.
To be precise, he was staring at Steel Treasure.
"Do you remember the B-Class Beastmaster whose bond with his familiar was forcibly dissolved by Yuto Koyori, as I mentioned in the Climate Pavilion?" Hylis suddenly leaned in and asked.
Qiao Sang was taken aback. "Yes, I remember. What about it?"
Hylis gestured with his eyes.
"The person staring at you and Steel Sparrow from that direction is the son of that B-Class Beastmaster."
(End of Chapter)
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