Chapter 749: Flame Ape
Chapter 749: Flame Ape (Combined)
Over the next few minutes, the Announcer introduced each of the contestants.
Each contestant had a large number of fans, and their unique and carefully designed entrances made the introductions enjoyable rather than tedious.
Except for the entrance of a certain 16-year-old girl, the atmosphere remained quite pleasant throughout.
Qiao Sang roughly counted and noted that there were over a hundred contestants.
After the Announcer finished introducing the contestants, a massive holographic screen in the center of the Arena displayed photos of all the participants.
The photos then shuffled.
Soon, they settled into pairs.
Qiao Sang saw that she was paired with a black woman with long blonde hair.
"Petra North", Birit suddenly said. "She's 31 years old, an Artificer by profession, and has three familiars, one of which is an Advanced Familiar, and two are General-Class Familiars."
"Her ace familiar is a Grass-Type Faithwarden."
He paused, then asked, "Do you know what a Faithwarden is?"
Qiao Sang nodded. "A Faithwarden is a Grass-Type General-Class familiar. The scent of its leaves can calm the mind, and in battle, if an opponent gets close enough to smell it, they will lose the desire to fight, significantly reducing their combat effectiveness."
Birit smiled in satisfaction.
Faithwardens weren't particularly common in Supernest, and he hadn't expected Qiao Sang, who was so young and had such a busy schedule, to know about them.
"You're right", Birit said calmly. "The other two familiars aren't particularly noteworthy, but the Faithwarden evolved eight years ago and has accumulated more energy than any of your familiars. It's best not to engage in a prolonged battle."
"There's one more important point", Birit added. "Don't forget that she's an Artificer."
Finding the right opponent to battle for training purposes can be tricky.
It's not just about battling anyone.
If the opponent is too strong, it might crush one's confidence and lead to self-doubt and a depressed mood, while if the opponent is too weak, it can breed arrogance and a dismissive attitude.
This was especially true for prodigies like Qiao Sang, who had reached the level of ordinary people's decades of effort in just one year as a Beastmaster.
If not handled well, it would be a waste of time.
So, he thought of the Beastmaster Star Tournament.
While everyone's talent might not compare to Qiao Sang's, their age and experience gave them an edge, and they were all experts in their respective fields, making them stand out among ordinary people.
Battling them, he believed, would help Qiao Sang improve.
"I understand", Qiao Sang said.
...
The Beastmaster Star Tournament, though not of the highest level, was limited to C-Class Beastmasters due to age restrictions.
However, with contestants from various professions and their celebrity status, the event garnered high attention and constant online buzz.
The opening ceremony alone trended on nearly ten different topics.
Many large holographic screens in public squares were live streaming the event.
In the middle of a high-rise building, a blonde man stood by the window, looking down at the holographic screen below.
"Do you remember this child? I think she's from Blue Star", the blonde man said.
Liu Yao, who was checking his familiar, stopped and turned to follow the man's gaze.
When he saw the familiar's figure, he paused, then asked, "What match is this?"
"The Beastmaster Star Tournament", the blonde man replied. "It's for celebrities."
Beastmaster Star Tournament? Qiao Sang is in the Beastmaster Star Tournament? She has a rich life... Liu Yao thought to himself.
The blonde man then said, "You haven't answered my question."
Liu Yao turned back, continuing his inspection. "Her name is Qiao Sang..."
Then, he remembered something and stopped, turning to ask, "You said 'you too'? How do you know she's from Blue Star?"
The blonde man replied, "The Announcer mentioned it. She's one of the contestants."
Liu Yao: "???"
...
At the outdoor familiar arena, the matches were in full swing.
The Beastmaster Star Tournament lasted eight days. In the early elimination rounds, a 2V2 battle format was used, ensuring that at least two prodigies could complete their matches.
Qiao Sang's name was at the top of the list, so she would be up today.
On the field.
Two General-Class Water Elemental Familiars were continuously attacking each other.
One had its entire head and limbs covered in Spirit Patterns, while the other had mechanical Artifacts equipped on its limbs.
The Spirit Patterns seemed to speed up the release of Skills, while the Artifacts appeared to enhance the Familiar’s movement speed. Qiao Sang watched the battle, her mind racing with speculations.
She had a basic understanding of the races, attributes, and distinctive habits of these Familiars from Supernest, but she lacked detailed knowledge of their combat strengths and weaknesses.
Therefore, she was unsure which aspects the Artifacts and Spirit Patterns enhanced.
At this moment, Birit spoke up:
"The Spirit Patterns on that Water Sprout can accelerate the flow of its energy, shortening the time it takes to release Skills. It looks like it can reduce the time by 1.5 seconds."
Qiao Sang was amazed: "How can you tell it’s 1.5 seconds?"
Birit patiently explained:
"Spirit Patterns don’t work all the time. Most of them only activate when needed. When they do, they emit a corresponding glow. This Water Sprout released a Water Ripple twice. The second time, the Spirit Pattern activated, and the time was reduced by 1.5 seconds."
Impressive... Qiao Sang admired, then asked: "Teacher, are you so well-versed in Spirit Patterns?"
"I know the general effects", Birit replied casually. "To truly excel as a Professional Beastmaster, it’s not just about matches. The matches you may participate in later might not allow the use of Spirit Patterns and Artifacts, but the Hidden Realm does."
"In the Hidden Realm, all means of strengthening oneself are permissible."
"You will become familiar with these things just like I am."
Qiao Sang sensed a heavy tone in his words.
"Let’s get back on track", Birit said, his gaze returning to the battle. "The Four-Tailed Water Fox is equipped with Artifacts. If I’m not mistaken, they allow it to quickly ascend to the sky."
As if on cue, the Four-Tailed Water Fox suddenly opened its mouth and released a white mist, enveloping everything on the field.
Then, a massive figure shot up into the sky.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the Four-Tailed Water Fox.
The devices on its limbs were spraying high-pressure gas, clearly propelling it upward.
So, they’re like thrusters... Qiao Sang thought.
Taking advantage of the obscured vision and its elevated position, the Four-Tailed Water Fox quickly ended the match.
At that moment, a staff member approached, bent down, and whispered respectfully:
"Miss Qiao Sang, it’s your turn next. Please follow me; I’ll take you to the backstage to prepare."
Birit naturally overheard the conversation and smiled faintly. "Go ahead."
"Okay." Qiao Sang stood up and followed the staff member to the backstage corridor.
After waiting for about two minutes, the staff member with headphones gestured for her to proceed. "Miss Qiao Sang, it’s your turn."
Qiao Sang took a deep breath and stepped out of the corridor.
Logically, having experienced the National School League, she shouldn’t be this nervous about a large-scale match.
But perhaps due to the favoritism and the awkwardness of her earlier appearance, Qiao Sang felt more nervous than she had anticipated.
The Announcer’s voice rang out:
"Approaching us are Petra North and Qiao Sang!"
"Petra! Petra!"
"Petra! I love you!"
"Petra! Show her what Supernest is made of!"
The audience stands erupted in a cacophony of cheers, all shouting Petra’s name.
Qiao Sang had mentally prepared for the one-sided support and wasn’t too affected by it. She steadied her nerves as she gazed at the blonde, black-haired woman emerging from the distant corridor.
This is just the beginning...
"3, 2, 1, match start!" The mechanical voice echoed throughout the arena.
Qiao Sang’s hands moved quickly to form seals.
Although Birit hadn’t mentioned the pre-match appearance, he had emphasized the key points of the match.
The Beastmaster Star Tournament differed from the National School Beastmaster League and the Familiar Arena. When the match started, it meant the sealing could begin immediately, rather than having the Familiars summoned first for a preliminary inspection.
This format was more intense, with the initial seal speed being a critical factor, followed by the Familiars’ reaction times.
Generally, once the Familiars appeared, they needed to act immediately.
But because the opponent's summoned familiar was unknown and immediate action was required, sometimes they would find themselves in a favorable situation.
For instance, in the second match, one contestant had a hand speed 0.01 second faster, summoning a bird familiar first.
As soon as it appeared, it immediately launched a Brave Bird Assault.
However, the opponent summoned a Grass-type Companion, which immediately condensed a Vine Net, enveloping the bird familiar and gaining the upper hand.
Qiao Sang didn't dare to be careless and increased the speed of the seal.
Under the Panoramic View, the orange-yellow and Green Star Arrays lit up almost simultaneously.
The audience, who had been shouting Petra's name, suddenly fell silent, as if muted.
Then, the scene became noisy again:
"Amber Star Array? I thought she was only 16 years old?"
"She must have changed her age, she definitely did!"
"But she does look like a minor..."
"16-year-old Amber Star Array, do you believe it? I don't."
Everyone's attention immediately focused on Qiao Sang.
The audience, all Beastmasters, were well aware of the difficulty of Brain Domain Development.
Talent was understandable.
But to develop 30% of the brain domain at 16 years old was incomprehensible.
How twisted must one be to achieve such a level of brain domain development at this age?
In the arena.
The silhouette of the Treasure Seeker appeared within the Star Array.
The next second, it vanished from its original spot.
Amber Star Array... Petra was still in shock.
However, due to the tournament rules, most contestants would instruct their familiars to initiate specific skills as soon as they appeared, so there was no need for verbal commands.
"Chimpanzee."
A monkey familiar, about six meters tall, with a predominantly red body, opened its mouth and spat out flame bullets at the opponent.
Flame Ape, a Fire-type and Combat-type Dual-Attribute General-Class familiar, excelled in boxing and kicking, with strong legs and waist. When it repeatedly used flying kicks, its feet would ignite due to friction with the air, raising its body temperature and further enhancing its energy and speed... Qiao Sang's mind flashed with the data on the opponent's familiar.
His gaze then shifted to the red equipment resembling a collar on Flame Ape's neck.
HK Flame Expander, which could expand the range of Flame Skills...
For matches involving well-known figures, the artifacts frequently worn by familiars were not hard to find, especially for those who were active online, constantly taking ads, and becoming public figures.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Dense flame bullets exploded in the air.
"Will the Invisibility-possessing Ghost Ring King be forced to appear due to the barrage of Flame Bullets!" the Announcer commented on the situation in the arena.
Suddenly, he saw something and exclaimed, "Ghost Ring King has appeared! But it wasn't forced out by the Flame Bullets! It directly appeared behind the Flame Ape! How did it manage to weave through the Flame Bullets and circle around to the Flame Ape's back so quickly?"
In the arena.
The Treasure Seeker suddenly appeared behind the Flame Ape, extending its claws. Two black, silk-like shadows swiftly and fiercely attacked the Flame Ape's neck.
3D Shadow Control... the audience stands erupted into a cacophony of noise.
Just as the shadows were about to wrap around, Petra called out:
"Chim!"
The shadows touched the Flame Ape's neck.
But at that moment, a burst of flame erupted from the Flame Ape's body.
The heat wave swept toward the Treasure Seeker, forcing it to disappear from its original position.
The fiery silhouette flickered, and the Flame Ape's eyes turned a fiery red.
Flame Body... this Trait must be at least A-rank, otherwise, how could it be triggered so easily... And why did Petra call "Chim"? Is it the Flame Ape's name? Qiao Sang gathered his thoughts, focused, and issued a command:
"Dark Shadow."
"Seek~"
The Treasure Seeker appeared in the air a hundred meters away, its claws merging upward.
A Ghost Ring King, about six meters tall, instantly appeared in the arena.
"Too strange!" The Announcer, not distracted by the Dark Shadow, commented on something else: "This Ghost Ring King's movement speed is too bizarre! How can it move to another location so quickly, like a Psionic Familiar?"
Petra also noticed the Ghost Ring King's abnormal movement speed. She paused, then shouted:
"Chim, chim, chim!"
The Flame Ape used its limbs to charge forward, transforming into a fiery blur. When it reached close range, it leaped over the six-meter-tall Ghost Ring King, swinging a flaming fist at the Treasure Seeker in mid-air.
(End of Chapter)
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