Chapter 942: Opening Ceremony
Chapter 942: Opening Ceremony (Combined)
"This is Zhongkong Broadcasting Corporation, audience. The highly anticipated Regional Tournament officially kicks off today. With the opening ceremony just around the corner, traffic congestion is causing a delay outside the venue, and many Beastmaster fans might miss the opening. But don't worry, Zhongkong Broadcasting Corporation will provide a live stream of the Regional Tournament opening ceremony right here for you."
"It is 7:30 PM on September 1st, Zhongkong time. We are at the Central Beastmaster Association in Tianan City's Sky Beast Arena, the largest Beastmaster match venue in the Hollow Plains, covering an area of 39 hectares and able to hold approximately 172,000 spectators. This year's Regional Tournament will take place here, and we will be with you every step of the way."
"The opening ceremony of the Regional Tournament is about to begin. Beastmaster fans are already cheering for their favorite contestants, with banners hanging in the stands and faces painted with the images of their supported contestants or familiars. Who will come out on top in this year's preliminary round? Beastmaster News will provide live coverage throughout."
Neon lights illuminate the roads, and giant virtual screens on both sides display live broadcasts of the Regional Tournament from various channels.
Flying beasts with light glasses soar and hover in the sky.
The closer one gets to the Sky Beast Arena, the more crowded it becomes. Within a kilometer of the arena, movement is nearly impossible.
Qiao Sang, Liu Yao, and Migala are waiting at the base of a building six kilometers away.
Migala checks her mobile phone and says, "I'm going over now. The queue is expected to be long, and I bought the tickets, so I don't want to miss it."
She doesn't give many instructions, feeling confident about the preliminary round.
"Alright", Qiao Sang nods.
Migala glances at Air beside her.
In the next second, she vanishes into thin air.
Liu Yao looks up at the giant virtual screen broadcasting the Regional Tournament and reflects, "The last time I watched the Regional Tournament was 11 years ago."
"Why didn't you watch it after that?" Qiao Sang asks.
"Too busy", Liu Yao pauses and continues, "And partly because I couldn't get tickets."
He chuckles, "Being able to watch the Regional Tournament live this time is all thanks to you."
Qiao Sang smiles, "I'll do my best to let you see as many matches as possible."
Contestants can bring two family members to watch the matches, but this privilege is revoked once the contestant is eliminated.
"Ya!"
Liu Yao is about to say something when Fangy excitedly calls out to something ahead.
Qiao Sang looks forward and sees Unified Owl carrying his mother flying down from the sky.
He calls out happily, "Mom! Unified Owl!"
"Unified Slide!" Hearing the call, Unified Owl speeds up and lands in front of them.
Ye Xiangting dismounts from Unified Owl and greets Liu Yao politely, "Vice Principal."
"Qiao Sang's mom", Liu Yao responds.
Ye Xiangting looks at Qiao Sang, her face filled with pride and a smile, "You've grown taller."
She then notices the familiar in Qiao Sang's arms and pauses.
"Fangy looks like that?"
"Yah!"
Fangy saw the mother of his Beastmaster looking at him and gave an enthusiastic call.
"This is... Fangy?" Ye Xiangting asked hesitantly.
"Yes, it evolved", Qiao Sang said calmly, dropping a bombshell.
Ye Xiangting: "!!!"
She remembered that Fangy was previously a General-Class Beast Companion. After evolving, it would now be a Royal Beast!
"Unified Slide..."
Unified Owl looked at Fangy, his eyes filled with shock and doubt.
Then, he noticed Steel Treasure standing quietly to the side, and his eyes widened instantly.
You evolved too?
"Steel Blade."
Steel Treasure understood the look and nodded.
Unified Owl: "!!!"
Before Ye Xiangting could say anything, Qiao Sang said, "Let's go. The opening ceremony is about to start."
"We should hurry then", Ye Xiangting said, knowing the importance of the event and suppressing her urge to ask more questions.
"Treasure Seeker."
"Xunxun~" Treasure Seeker appeared, its eyes glowing blue.
The next second, they all vanished and reappeared in the contestant passage of the Sky Beast Arena.
Yesterday, Qiao Sang had brought Treasure Seeker to scout the location and familiarize herself with the artifact check area.
To ensure contestants could enter the arena efficiently and smoothly, the authorities had assigned a specialized Mechanical Pet to verify identities. It only needed to scan once to confirm the identity.
At the front of the passage, a black-haired man with a buzz cut was being checked. He heard the commotion, turned his head, and glanced at Liu Yao and Ye Xiangting before turning back. He picked up his backpack from the security scanner and, led by a staff member, walked inside.
Qiao Sang handed her Beastmaster Emblem to the Mechanical Pet with a work badge.
At this moment, Ye Xiangting was observing the surroundings and hadn't noticed the color of the Beastmaster Emblem.
The Mechanical Pet took the emblem and opened it. A ten-inch holographic screen immediately appeared, displaying the relevant information clearly.
The Mechanical Pet's eyes glowed green as it scanned Qiao Sang.
Meanwhile, the nearby staff members exchanged surprised glances, reading each other's thoughts:
Among these three people, the contestant is the child?
"Confirmed."
The Mechanical Pet's eyes returned to their original black, and it handed the Beastmaster Emblem back. It then called to the staff member.
"I'll guide you", one of the staff members quickly stepped forward and started leading the way.
It was still the opening ceremony, so contestants and their families could watch in the same area without being separated.
Under the staff member's guidance, the three of them arrived at a relatively front row of the Beastmaster Pavilion's audience stands.
The entire venue was bustling with noise, packed with people.
Qiao Sang's area was mainly occupied by contestants and their families.
When people in this area saw new arrivals, they glanced over. Seeing unfamiliar faces, they quickly lost interest and turned away.
Ye Xiangting looked around, feeling both excited and a bit nervous.
Although she had watched regional tournaments before, she had always been a regular audience member, only able to see the contestants from a distance.
Now, she was surrounded by contestants.
Even though it wasn't the Yuhua Region, some of the contestants from the Hollow Plains were well-known nationally. She could easily spot several Professional Beastmasters she had only seen on TV.
Thinking of her daughter competing against these people on the same stage, her heart raced with a mix of pride and tension.
"Ah! Cao Lidong!" A shrill scream echoed from the audience stands nearby.
Qiao Sang turned his head to see a man in his mid-twenties with a handsome face wave back at the source of the scream with a smile.
Cao Lidong, 31 years old, a C-Class Beastmaster, had participated in a Regional Tournament before, attracting a wave of fans due to his good looks.
While Professional Beastmasters are primarily judged by their strength, a good-looking appearance certainly adds to their popularity.
Qiao Sang perked up his ears, listening carefully to the shouts from the audience stands, but found that not a single one was calling his name.
It seems no one has recognized me as Qingqing Ni's Beastmaster...
"When is Fangy going to evolve?" Ye Xiangting asked in a low voice.
The environment and atmosphere of the Regional Tournament had somewhat dampened her initial shock over Fangy's evolution.
"Just a few days ago", Qiao Sang replied. "During the last mystery realm mission."
Ye Xiangting processed this information for a moment before asking again, "How did it evolve?"
"Fangy absorbed a Luminous Fire Seed and evolved under the sunlight", Qiao Sang explained succinctly.
Liu Yao listened, trying hard to keep his expression neutral.
He still couldn't bear how Qiao Sang could describe such a significant event so casually.
Luminous Fire Seed? Ye Xiangting had never heard of it. She wanted to ask her daughter to elaborate on the resource that enabled Fangy to evolve to the Royal Tier so quickly, but the current environment made it difficult to ask in detail.
Though she wasn't a Professional Beastmaster, she knew many of them had enhanced senses, particularly their hearing, and could often overhear private conversations.
Many Beastmasters at the Regional Tournament would hide their true strength before the competition. She didn't want their conversation to reveal too much about her daughter's capabilities to others.
Suddenly, the entire venue erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
At the same moment, a tall figure in a black short-sleeved shirt took a seat in the front row of the area.
Unlike when Qiao Sang had taken his seat, almost all the participants and their families in the area turned their attention to this tall figure.
"That's Chen Tianqin", Ye Xiangting whispered, her voice filled with surprise.
Liu Yao couldn't help but take a closer look at the man.
Chen Tianqin, 33 years old, a B-Class Beastmaster, had participated in the Yuhua Region's Regional Tournament at the age of 29, when he was still a C-Class Beastmaster, and managed to place in the top 32. Last year, he participated in the Hollow Plains Regional Tournament, where he had already become a B-Class Beastmaster and placed in the top eight, reportedly catching the attention of the national team for further training... Qiao Sang recalled the relevant information in his mind.
The Regional Tournament, due to its age limit, was still predominantly made up of C-Class Beastmasters.
Although B-Class Beastmasters were few, places like Hollow Plains, which produced a lot of talent, had a few in their thirties and forties. For Chen Tianqin to stand out among so many B-Class Beastmasters and place in the top eight so soon after becoming one, it was clear that he was both talented and powerful.
Suddenly, all the lights dimmed.
The audience fell silent.
After a moment, a beam of blue light shot down from the sky, stopping in mid-air at the center of the arena, revealing two figures.
As the figures became visible, several beams of light shone on them from all directions.
A woman with black curly hair and a bold makeup look stood on a blue bird familiar about three meters tall, microphone in hand, and announced loudly:
"Ladies and gentlemen, national audience, everyone, good evening!"
"I am honored to stand here as the host of this magnificent Beastmaster feast. Today, we will witness the grand opening of the Hollow Plains Regional Tournament!"
"This year's Regional Tournament is fortunate to welcome 432 of the most talented Beastmasters from the Hollow Plains, including some from other regions."
"This is a fierce competition, a test of strength, strategy, and perseverance."
"Each Beastmaster has poured their heart and soul into a year-long mission to be here, and they will bring us the highest level of Familiar Battles in the region!"
"You are the witnesses and participants of this feast. Your enthusiasm will ignite the entire venue. Let's cheer and welcome the opening of this magnificent event!"
The entire venue erupted in thunderous applause.
Clap, clap, clap... Qiao Sang clapped enthusiastically.
So exciting! It was so exciting that she couldn't wait to step into the battle herself!
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy called excitedly.
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker appeared, visibly excited.
Lulu poked her head out of the backpack, looking at the field.
Steel Treasure glanced around at the enthusiastic audience, its eyes gleaming.
Qingbao didn't appear, but the wind it generated was more urgent than usual, showing that it too was stirred by the words.
A few beams of light in the center of the field faded away.
The blue bird familiar and the host seemed to have vanished.
Suddenly, an energetic background music began to play.
The lights in the center of the field dimmed slightly.
In the sky, countless bird familiars equipped with glowing devices flew in from all directions, gathering in a flurry.
Each bird familiar was of a different species, and their numbers reached into the thousands.
Following the rhythm of the background music, they moved at incredible speed, forming a dazzling display of light beams crisscrossing the sky. It was like different-colored meteors intersecting in a chaotic yet harmonious pattern, creating a visually stunning spectacle.
Despite the sheer number of flying beasts moving so quickly, not a single one collided. These flying beasts must have been trained for a long time... Qiao Sang marveled, pulling out her mobile phone to take photos.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker looked amazed and quietly took out its mobile phone, opening the camera function.
Just as Qiao Sang thought the performance was about to end, the glowing lights on all the bird familiars suddenly turned into a uniform fluorescent blue.
They quickly intersected and formed a massive avian pet beast that nearly filled the entire sky above the venue.
The Auspicious Raven, a Legendary Beast Companion, symbolizing good fortune. It was said that those who saw the Auspicious Raven would have smooth sailing in all their endeavors... Qiao Sang's mind flashed with the information about the bird familiar formation in the sky.
As the thought crossed her mind, all the bird familiars flapped their wings in unison.
Instantly, countless star-like energy particles, like golden gems, rained down densely toward the venue below.
Midway through their descent, all the star-like energy particles suddenly burst into a shower of sparkling light that rained down onto the audience stands.
The scene was so dreamlike that Ye Xiangting, who had been recording the entire time, was so captivated that she instinctively put down her mobile phone and looked up at the sky, mesmerized by the falling starlight.
So beautiful...
Before, she had only seen the opening ceremony of the Regional Tournament on TV. It was such a different experience to watch it live...
Over the next hour and a half, various Hollow Plains familiars took the stage to perform.
Most of them were flying beasts.
Finally, after a full hour and a half, the host, perched on the blue bird familiar, flew back onto the field and announced:
"Ladies and gentlemen, national audience! The opening ceremony is over. Now, let's take a look at the list of all the contestants this year!" (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
