Chapter 62: Why Aren't You Speaking?
Chapter 62: Why Aren't You Speaking?
July 5th.
Qiao Sang sat in the same spot at the Familiar Arena where she had been the last two days, unsurprised to find Bai Yunmiao already there.
Since Bai Yunmiao was there for Sha Duo, she would have found some other reason to be there even if her parents hadn't been arguing.
"Did you bring the mirror?" Qiao Sang asked as she sat down.
"Of course." Bai Yunmiao pulled out a mirror from her bag and handed it over. She watched as Qiao Sang carefully examined her reflection and asked, "Genius Qiao, why are you suddenly so concerned about your appearance?"
It's not that Qiao Sang had never cared about her appearance before.
She usually just tied her hair in a ponytail and rode the bus to Shouke Park, enjoying the wind blowing through her hair.
As a result, even with her ponytail, her hair would often be a bit messy by the time she arrived at the Familiar Arena, creating a stark contrast with the people who had meticulously groomed themselves, leading others to think she didn't care much about her appearance.
After confirming that her reflection in the mirror was no different from usual, Qiao Sang hesitated and said, "I don't know if it's just my narcissism, but I feel like a lot of people are staring at me today."
Fangflare, who was sitting beside her, took the mirror from Qiao Sang and started looking at herself, nodding in agreement.
"Ya ya."
Fangflare also noticed that many people were staring at her.
Bai Yunmiao understood and smiled, "After all the praise Sha Duo gave you yesterday, it's normal for people to pay attention to you. There were several news articles about it today."
"Is the celebrity effect really that strong?" Qiao Sang asked.
"You're lucky. Some people just glance at you, but I remember a new Beastmaster who was publicly praised by Wang Dian'ao. People found his address and besieged his house, demanding a one-on-one match." Bai Yunmiao sighed, "It wasn't a one-on-one match; it was a group attack. They surrounded him for a whole week."
Qiao Sang paused and said seriously, "I'm grateful that Sha Duo isn't as famous as Wang Dian'ao."
Bai Yunmiao: "..."
...
Only eight contestants remained in the Newcomer Competition.
F-Class Beastmasters had short matches, and even with the added time from Familiar performances, it was impossible to hold four matches a day and determine the semifinalists.
The organizers had already published the competition schedule.
On the morning of July 5th, the semifinalists would be decided, and in the afternoon, the final three would be determined.
Today was the last day of the Newcomer Competition.
As time passed, the crowd grew larger.
Qiao Sang looked at the packed audience stands and sighed, "I wonder where the organizers found so many people to watch."
Yesterday, not even a quarter of the seats had been filled.
Bai Yunmiao glanced at her and asked, "Do you never check the outside world?"
She still remembered when she first added Qiao Genius as a friend and received no response. It was only later that she discovered there were people who could resist checking their phones.
"I do, but I didn't yesterday", Qiao Sang replied.
She had spent her time training with Fangflare and studying her opponents.
"Yesterday, the platform announced that Gao Xulu and Sha Duo would be holding a performance match today. After the match, they would select five lucky audience members to take photos and get autographs", Bai Yunmiao explained.
Qiao Sang immediately understood why so many people had shown up.
Gao Xulu was also a participant in this year's Yuhua Regional Tournament.
Although he didn't make it to the top ten, his ranking was still impressive.
Most importantly, Sha Duo had lost to Gao Xulu in the past.
The organizers' marketing strategy was brilliant.
Qiao Sang looked toward the Commentator Booth.
The booth, which usually had two people, now had three.
A chestnut-haired woman had joined the middle-aged commentator.
It was Gao Xulu.
...
As the opening ceremony concluded, the photos on the large screen above the arena began to shuffle.
Soon, the first match-up appeared on the screen.
Hou Xiangyu versus Yang Qi.
Both were Beastmasters with two Intermediate Familiars and strong contenders for the championship.
Qiao Sang focused intently on the field.
These two would definitely employ a variety of tactics once they engaged.
In the previous matches, due to the disparity in strength, their victories had been overwhelming.
Familiar hadn't shown much of its true capabilities, making it difficult to gather effective analytical data.
This was one of the reasons Qiao Sang lacked confidence when facing them.
However, Qiao Sang didn't stay focused for long.
A minute later, the referee announced the result.
Yang Qi, who had been overwhelming others, ended up being overwhelmed by Hou Xiangyu...
Hou Xiangyu's Shadow Puppet used a single Illusion Beam to put Yang Qi's Faithwarden into a state of confusion.
Then, while Faithwarden was disoriented, Shadow Puppet used telekinesis to slam it to the ground, ending the match.
Qiao Sang fell into deep thought.
Illusion Beam was a Skill unique to Psionic Familiars.
It could deal damage and had a chance to cause confusion, but the probability wasn't high.
For a Familiar of the same rank to fall so quickly, it could either be bad luck or the Illusion Beam had reached a minor mastery level.
Whether it would work largely depended on luck.
After all, Illusion Beam wasn't a Skill that could guarantee confusion with a 100% success rate.
However...
Fangflare's luck...
Qiao Sang couldn't help but sigh, remembering how Fangflare's predictions always seemed to backfire.
A one-minute match, followed by a thirty-minute performance. This was a perfect example of the current situation.
Since the first match ended so quickly, the organizers had to extend the performance time for the Familiar Performers.
Fortunately, the Familiar Performers were professionals and managed to keep the atmosphere lively.
The second match was between Wei Wenyi and Luo Xinlin.
Wei Wenyi was the last of the three Beastmasters who owned two Intermediate Familiars.
To counter Luo Xinlin's Plump Homing Dove, Wei Wenyi sent out her Electric Familiar, Electrocat, which was effective against Flying Types.
The advantage of owning two Intermediate Familiars was evident.
A Beastmaster with only one Familiar had no choice, while a Beastmaster with two could strategically choose which Familiar to send out based on the opponent's Familiar.
The outcome was as expected.
Wei Wenyi won the match.
After the Familiar Performers livened up the atmosphere, the third match's lineup appeared on the large screen.
Chen Qian vs. Qiao Sang.
In the Guest Stand.
"Song Yuan, you have good taste. That Fangflare with the Sunglasses looks pretty cool. With so many media outlets here today, if Fangflare performs well, it could bring a lot of traffic to your new online store."
"This Chen Qian's Familiar is a Dual-Tailed Land Turtle, which is a higher level. It's going to be tough."
"Qiao Sang has a history of defeating higher-ranked Intermediate Familiars. Chen Qian's Dual-Tailed Land Turtle only recently evolved, so it should be a close match", a guest who had been following the Newcomer Competition from the beginning said.
"By the way, Song Yuan, how did Qiao Sang respond when you contacted him yesterday? Is the live stream payment per session or a percentage of sales?"
"Song Yuan?"
"Song Yuan, why aren't you saying anything?"
Song Yuan: "……"
She really didn't want to speak...
Was she supposed to tell them that she had been hung up on multiple times and then blocked?
She would definitely be mercilessly ridiculed...
On the field.
Both sides were in position.
Following the referee's command, a Dual-Tailed Land Turtle, about two meters tall with a brown shell and two tails, appeared in front of Qiao Sang.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
