Chapter 759: Bellmaster
Chapter 759: Bellmaster (Combined)
"But don't underestimate him just because his combat skills aren't great." Birit continued, "A Familiar can usually perform at its best, or even exceed its limits, as long as the Spirit Pattern and Artifacts are well-matched."
However, if it hasn't been trained, the Familiar's own strength won't be much, and even if it performs beyond its level, it won't be very strong... But Gold-Spenders are often not to be judged by normal standards... Qiao Sang said seriously:
"I understand."
Birit smiled, satisfied with her attitude.
To be honest, Qiao Sang was the most easygoing Prodigy he had ever met; at least she listened to what he said.
At this moment, Qiao Sang asked:
"What type of Appraiser is he?"
Appraisers are specialized in various fields, such as Bloodline Appraisers, Fossil Appraisers, Materials Appraisers, and Artifacts Appraisers.
Birit took a sip of saliva and replied, "He's a Familiar Egg Appraiser."
Familiar Egg Appraiser... Qiao Sang pondered.
She had heard of this type of Appraiser before. They can supposedly determine the race, gender, age, and even the talent of the Familiar inside the egg based on the patterns on its surface.
While most Familiar eggs have easily identifiable patterns, there are always exceptions.
Some eggs might appear to inherit traits from the father's side but hatch a Familiar from the mother's side. Some even exhibit traits inherited from a distant ancestor.
In short, it's a profound and intricate field.
Qiao Sang then thought of something and asked, "Since he's a Familiar Egg Appraiser, does that mean he selects his Familiars from eggs?"
Young man, you're asking too many questions... Birit paused for a moment before replying, "Possibly."
Qiao Sang continued, "If he selects his Familiars from eggs, does that mean they all have excellent talents?"
No matter how good their talents are, they can't match yours... Birit mentally grumbled but maintained a composed expression, "Anyone who can achieve B-Rank as a young Appraiser must have had early training in this field. His family background wouldn't be lacking, and even if he didn't do the appraisal himself, more experienced professionals would have helped him."
It's true that you can determine a Familiar's talent just from the egg; rich people are different... Qiao Sang mused.
Her previous education taught her that a Familiar's talent could only be determined after it hatched, based on whether it inherited specific Talent Skills.
For a moment, Qiao Sang fell silent.
Finally, no more questions... Birit sighed inwardly, relieved.
He had noticed that Qiao Sang asked many questions, and while they were mostly about Familiar training, she often inquired about unrelated matters.
For example, just now, and something about the materials in the Supernest.
Heaven knows, he was just a teacher at the Beastmaster Academy who was on leave...
...
After an unknown amount of time, a staff member with a Familiar face approached and said respectfully:
"Miss Qiao Sang, please follow me to the backstage area to prepare."
It's such a high-profile match, why can't they just transfer us directly to the arena like they did in the Ancient Fog Region... Qiao Sang grumbled to herself as she stood up and smiled, "Alright."
Then, she gestured toward the backstage area and said to Birit, "Teacher, I'm going ahead."
With that, she followed the staff member.
Qiao Sang stood at the entrance of the corridor.
Tap, tap, tap... Suddenly, her ears twitched as she heard another set of footsteps approaching from the depths of the corridor. Someone was hurrying in her direction.
Half a minute later, a slightly familiar figure appeared before her.
With a medium-brown mullet and silver ear decorations, it was the man who had stood in front of her on the first day of the Beastmaster Star Tournament.
Qiao Sang remembered the Announcer's introduction of him: from the Second District, 1.88 meters tall, four-time Familiar Arena Battle champion, Apollo Novitsky.
"Miss Qiao Sang..." Apollo looked at the black-haired girl and gave a bitter smile, "I'm very sorry for what happened last time."
Huh? Qiao Sang was taken aback and asked, "What happened?"
Apollo was stunned for a moment, then saw that she really didn't seem to hold a grudge. His dark eyes brightened with hope:
"Last time, I mistook you for a fan who had sneaked in and offered to get your autograph. I'm very sorry."
Qiao Sang, unperturbed, replied, "It's nothing. I was indeed the least popular among the contestants, so it's normal that people didn't recognize me."
"How can you say that!" Apollo blurted out, "You're the most popular now!"
No need to flatter me so much... Qiao Sang coughed and asked, "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
Apollo opened his mouth, about to speak.
At that moment, the Announcer's voice echoed from outside the corridor: "The next Battle will be between contestants Erlang Priyo and Qiao Sang!"
A staff member who had been standing by respectfully said, "Miss Qiao Sang, it's your turn to enter the arena."
With that, he made a gesture inviting her to proceed.
"I'll go first", Qiao Sang said, and she walked toward the corridor.
"Contact me after your match!" Apollo called out to Qiao Sang's retreating figure, his tone slightly anxious.
Something must be up for him to change his attitude so suddenly... He didn’t come earlier, but now that Lulu’s Healing Light ability has been exposed, he’s showing up. Could it be that he’s suffering from a terminal illness, or maybe someone in his family is? Qiao Sang raised her hand and waved it behind her, acknowledging his words.
Meanwhile, the audience stands erupted in cheers.
The Announcer's voice rang out:
"Contestant Qiao Sang is waving to the audience as she enters the arena!"
Qiao Sang: "..."
Qiao Sang switched from a casual wave to a formal one as she stepped into the arena and took her position.
She gazed at her opponent, a young man with short brown hair who looked to be in his mid-twenties, and the detailed information about him flashed through her mind.
Erlang Priyo, 35 years old. Although he only has three familiars, all of them are General-Class.
Stargazer Beetle, a Flying and Bug-type Champion-level familiar, enjoys flying under the stars while scattering a magical powder that is said to bring good fortune to those it touches. It has the Hyper Vision trait, allowing it to see bacteria on objects when it focuses on them.
Mafu, a Grass-type Champion-level familiar, whose body powder, when inhaled, can induce hallucinations for a short period.
Finally, Bellmaster, a Psychic-type Champion-level familiar, emits a bell-like sound. The bells on its body can produce high-frequency sounds inaudible to human ears, causing temporary deafness in opponents.
She wondered which familiar he would summon first...
Erlang looked over with a polite smile on his face:
"Miss Qiao Sang, go easy on me."
Big Brother, you’re 35 years old and your familiars are loaded with Spirit Patterns and Artifacts. Asking me to go easy on you is a bit much, isn’t it? Qiao Sang thought to herself, but on the surface, she pretended not to hear:
"What did you say?"
Erlang didn’t repeat himself. Mentioning "go easy on me" once might earn a chuckle from the audience, but saying it twice would be embarrassing.
At that moment, a mechanical voice echoed throughout the arena:
"3, 2, 1, the match begins!"
Qiao Sang immediately cast a seal. After two days of training, her hand speed had improved significantly.
Unfortunately, her opponent’s age and experience were on his side.
Qiao Sang’s hand speed was still 0.5 seconds slower.
The Green Star Array lit up first on the field.
Then, the Orange-Yellow Star Array followed.
Bellmaster... Qiao Sang looked at the two-meter-tall familiar, which had two yellow bells on its head, a silver bell around its neck, and silver bells tied to each of its claws. Its body was covered in white Spirit Patterns, and it floated in mid-air. The name of its species flashed through her mind.
Her gaze quickly swept over the silver bells on Bellmaster’s neck and claws.
The bells didn’t match the images she had seen; these were Artifacts...
Just as she was thinking this, Bellmaster’s eyes glowed with a blue light.
Fangy, who had just appeared in the Star Array, was immediately controlled and lifted into the air.
"Bellmaster launched a Psychic Power attack, controlling Flame Kiru!" the Announcer explained the current situation.
At the same time, the audience stands buzzed with discussion.
"Qiao Sang seems strong, but she always seems to start at a disadvantage."
"That’s because her hand speed isn’t as fast as the others."
"Why is her hand speed so slow?"
"It’s already pretty fast, considering her age."
"Right, I forgot how young she is..."
"Bellmaster is a Psionic Familiar, making it hard to get close. This match is going to be tough."
As the audience continued their discussion, Bellmaster controlled Fangy to move closer.
"Shake!" Erlang commanded.
As soon as he spoke, the two yellow bells on Bellmaster’s head began to shake.
An invisible sound wave shot toward the approaching Fangy.
Using Psychic Power to control Fangy and then using the bell sounds to make it deaf, so it can’t hear my commands? Qiao Sang analyzed her opponent’s strategy.
Honestly, she thought it was a good combination of moves.
Unfortunately, Fangy was the one in the field.
With Fangy’s strength, it could handle any situation quickly, even without her commands.
Erlang’s biggest mistake was letting Fangy get close to Bellmaster...
And in a straight line...
"Claw!"
Fangy, seeing its opponent getting closer, couldn’t help but focus intently, its expression one of excitement.
“Momo……”
Bellmaster felt the intense gaze of its opponent, causing a slight tingling at the back of its neck.
It recalled the pre-match instructions from its Beastmaster, and the bells around its neck and claws began to jingle.
Invisible sound waves instantly spread out in a wider range.
“Fang!”
Fangyears twitched, sensing something was amiss.
Its body did not struggle, allowing the opponent to pull it closer. Instead, it opened its mouth.
A beam of red light tinged with gold, carrying terrifying energy, shot directly toward Bellmaster’s position.
“Momo!”
Bellmaster was startled and instinctively vanished from its spot, teleporting to a hundred meters above.
This action also caused it to lose control over Fangy.
“Bang!”
The red-gold beam shot through Bellmaster’s original position, followed by a violent explosion. A wave of flames surged in the air.
“Momo……”
Bellmaster watched the surging flames, its expression filled with fear.
Suddenly, it felt a chill on its back.
“Momo……”
Bellmaster, sensing something, stiffly turned its head.
Seeing Flame Kiru appear behind its familiar, Erlang was about to issue an order.
At that moment, Qiao Sang said with a teasing tone, “If I were you, I would have had Bellmaster control the opponent from the start, including parts like its mouth that can launch skills.”
That makes sense... but why are you telling me this now... Erlang glanced at the black-haired girl in the distance, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Qiao Sang stared at him and smiled slightly.
“Bang!”
A loud explosion echoed in the air.
Erlang instinctively looked up and saw Flame Kiru using Flame Fang, biting Bellmaster fiercely.
He suddenly realized something and looked at Qiao Sang in disbelief, his voice filled with anger:
“You were intentionally distracting me just now!”
Congratulations, you’re right... It must have taken a lot of effort to become a B-Rank Appraiser at 35, leaving little time for practical training with your familiar. No wonder you lack battle experience and didn’t know not to let the opponent’s words affect you during a fight... Qiao Sang thought to herself, but on the surface, she acted as if she hadn’t heard:
“What are you talking about?”
It wasn’t entirely her fault. She hadn’t experienced the effects of Bellmaster’s bell sounds. If they had the same power as the Xianbao Butterfly’s Wave of Peace, Fangy would likely already be unable to hear her commands.
Since that was the case, she had to find another way to intervene; she couldn’t just stand there doing nothing.
Erlang: “……”
Erlang was certain this was intentional!
“Flame Kiru used Blazing Bomb to force Bellmaster to leave its position! It broke free from control and teleported behind Bellmaster! Flame Kiru bit Bellmaster with Flame Fang!” The Announcer’s voice grew more passionate:
“Oh! Bellmaster used Substitute!”
Qiao Sang looked up and saw that Bellmaster, which had been bitten by Fangy, had vanished and reappeared a hundred meters away.
Forcing out a Substitute was a good outcome, as it consumed a significant amount of energy... Qiao Sang was relatively satisfied with the current situation.
“Go!” Erlang, seeing Bellmaster’s timid appearance, felt dissatisfied and shouted loudly.
“Magic!”
Hearing its Beastmaster’s voice, Bellmaster mustered its courage and adopted a serious expression.
Just as it was about to launch an attack, Fangy opened its mouth.
A thick, swirling flame shot out, heading straight for Bellmaster’s position.
Bellmaster raised its claws, and a translucent barrier about three meters in diameter appeared in front of it.
The flame collided with the barrier but didn’t immediately shatter it or explode.
“Magic...”
Bellmaster gritted its teeth, maintaining the energy of the translucent barrier.
Mirror Reflect can reflect special attack damage back to the opponent at double strength... Qiao Sang recognized the skill Bellmaster was using and frowned.
Fangy’s Flame Vortex, though only a mid-tier skill, had been mastered. The fact that it didn’t directly break through this skill indicated that Bellmaster’s proficiency with Mirror Reflect was high, and even after using Substitute, it still had more energy than Fangy...
With Mirror Reflect, most special attack skills were difficult to use unless the attack skill was far stronger than Mirror Reflect...
As she thought, the flame on the barrier suddenly changed direction, its power increasing as it rushed toward Fangy’s position.
Fangy disappeared from its spot and reappeared above Bellmaster.
The flame missed its target.
Since Fangy couldn’t hear her commands, she would have to use visual cues... Qiao Sang, thinking this, raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
(End of Chapter)
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