Free Web NovelChapter 39: Chapter 39: Young Man, Look Out for Yourself
The Valley Tiger Hunter could no longer be found amidst the sand and wind.
But the Earth Force Field wasn’t just limited to the sandstorm.
Following Su Zhi’s instructions, Yu Bao constantly maintained an Earth Force Field within a certain radius of its body.
This very contingency allowed Yu Bao to successfully detect the Valley Tiger Hunter that had suddenly appeared behind it.
—Ghost Element Low Level Elite Skill, Shadow Flash. It allowed the user to control Ghost Element Energy to execute a fixed-distance teleportation dash in a specific direction.
The moment it used this skill, Yinzangsi began treating Yu Bao as an equal, not as prey to be toyed with.
The instant Yinzangsi appeared behind it with claws raised, Yu Bao activated Desert Concealment and successfully dodged!
Yan Shouzheng quickly gave a counter-order: "Yinzangsi, don’t give it a chance to pull away! Get in close and fight!"
But Su Zhi was no pushover either. "Yu Bao, don’t give it a chance to get in close! Create distance!"
The contest of tempo and counter-tempo grew white-hot.
’Awoo? (You actually tried to dodge my Shadow Flash? Quite the brave one!)’
’Woof woof. (You’re getting ahead of yourself. No dog knows more about dodging than me.)’
’AWOO!! (I’m a freaking tiger!)’
Yu Bao activated Desert Concealment, dashing, doubling back, spinning, and juking left and right.
Yinzangsi stayed right on its tail, pursuing and keeping pace, not losing ground for a second.
The opponent was showing off in what it considered its own specialty. Both Pet Beasts wanted to smack the other one down a peg.
And when they realized the other was just as skilled in their own area of expertise—and just as eager to show off—the urge to put them in their place...
grew even stronger!
’Awoo? (You can keep up with my dance moves? Interesting!)’
’Woof! (Looks like I’ve met my match. Time to get serious!)’
Sand and wind swirled across the field as flashes of purple, dark light flickered relentlessly. The faint sounds of the two Pet Beasts’ paws tapping the ground were almost perfectly in rhythm.
Zhou Shengfa watched, dumbfounded.
’He had the strangest urge to shout, "You two, stop fighting..."’
Feeling rather ignored, Liu Junpo and his Envoy’s Pet sat at the edge of the field, quietly watching the match.
’Chiri... (That underclassman is actually fighting the Little Brain Axe to a standstill...)’ Wanzi mumbled, a bottle of sports drink in its mouth as it blinked.
’The last Pet Beast to run the Little Brain Axe ragged like this was me.’
’And I just trounced Yu Bao a little while ago...’
"It’s consistency."
Liu Junpo took the sports drink from Wanzi’s mouth, took a long swig, and began to calmly analyze the situation.
"Yu Bao’s dashes, reversals, and spins all have the exact same wind-up. It’s difficult for the Valley Tiger Hunter to predict its moves, so it can only react and follow."
’...Chiri? (But isn’t Shadow Flash faster than Desert Concealment?)’
"Remember, superior awareness trumps superior ability."
Liu Junpo handed the sports drink back to Wanzi.
"Shadow Flash is indeed faster than Desert Concealment, but its dash distance is fixed at a given Skill Level. It can only make a small leap forward or backward at the very last second to slightly adjust its landing."
"Yu Bao’s Desert Concealment, on the other hand, is more flexible despite being slower. It allows for much more complex changes in direction."
"Plus, have you noticed? Yu Bao is constantly analyzing data from the fight. A few of its dodges were nearly identical; it was probing to see where Yinzangsi habitually lands when it gives chase... so it could set up a targeted counter."
"It’s hard for Yinzangsi to figure out the evasion patterns of Desert Concealment, but Yu Bao is gradually figuring out the patterns of Shadow Flash!"
’Crap!’
Yan Shouzheng’s face twitched as he overheard the commentary from the peanut gallery.
Even though he had started taking it more seriously, Su Zhi was just a student. He couldn’t possibly treat this like a major championship.
And in that moment of distraction, the time to spring the trap had arrived!
"CRACK—"
’Awoo? (What’s happening?)’
The instant Yinzangsi landed at the end of its Shadow Flash, the ground beneath its paws gave way, causing it to lose its balance.
In that moment, the tiger in question realized the gravity of the situation.
Yu Bao gave it no chance to react, pouncing forward as sand and wind began to sparkle in its mouth.
’WOOF— (Eat my point-blank AoE!)’
"BOOM!"
A purple light swelled around Yinzangsi’s body and suddenly exploded outward.
With a look of utter confusion, Yu Bao was sent flying backward, smoke trailing from its body...
The spar was over.
At the very last moment, the Valley Tiger Hunter had pulled off a clutch reversal, turning the tables and defeating Yu Bao.
After checking that neither Pet Beast was injured, Yan Shouzheng recalled Yinzangsi to his Beast Taming Space.
He had wanted to see how the arrogant young man would react to defeat, what sort of blow it would be to his ego.
Then he discovered...
Su Zhi looked perfectly calm. In fact, his eyes were shining as if he’d just thought of something wonderful, as though he hadn’t been the one to lose at all.
"Ahem."
Yan Shouzheng couldn’t help but remind him, "You lost."
Su Zhi nodded. "Oh."
Yan Shouzheng: "..."
’Your calm reaction is really taking the fun out of my victory!’
"In that case, I hope you will keep your promise and train your Pet Beast according to the outline."
"I refuse."
"Good. It’s never too late to mend... huh?"
Yan Shouzheng had been on autopilot, already starting his prepared speech. He never expected Su Zhi to say that.
’Don’t get angry... I’m a teacher...’
Yan Shouzheng said in a grave, heartfelt tone, "Son, your Pet Beast has real talent. Training it so haphazardly is just wasting that talent."
"You might feel good about your progress now, but a hodgepodge of disconnected skills is nothing compared to a proper Skill System like the one in the outline. If you keep going down the wrong path, you’ll only end up squandering your Pet Beast’s potential!"
Su Zhi replied calmly, "You preach against it, but in practice, you do the same thing, don’t you?"
"What?" free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Your Valley Tiger Hunter used Ghost Shock to defeat my Yu Bao at the end. Ghost Shock is a teachable Skill from a Lantern Ghost; it’s not part of the traditional moveset for a Valley Tiger Hunter."
"If not for that ’off-the-books’ skill, the outcome of the battle would have been far from certain."
"You..."
Yan Shouzheng was momentarily speechless. It was the first time a student had ever dared to defy him so brazenly.
But he couldn’t find the words to argue, nor could he get angry, because Su Zhi was right... Without Ghost Shock, Yinzangsi really would have lost... freewebnσvel.cøm
Yan Shouzheng opened and closed his mouth, finally settling on a curt, "Then do as you please," before turning and leaving the field.
Zhou Shengfa glared at Su Zhi and followed Yan Shouzheng out.
Su Zhi held up a lumpy object. "Sir! You forgot something!"
’I’m trying to placate the principal here! Can’t you just give it to me tomorrow? This kid has no tact...’ Zhou Shengfa thought resentfully. He glanced back, only to find himself rushing back over.
Because that lumpy object in Su Zhi’s hand... was his toupee.
·
After putting his toupee back on, Zhou Shengfa also left with a "Do as you please," snarled through gritted teeth, and hurried after Yan Shouzheng.
Su Zhi nodded, in high spirits.
[Assignable Attribute Points... 0.05]
’That old gardener sure pays out well~’
Liu Junpo had sidled over at some point. "What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean, ’what am I going to do’?"
"I mean... about that spar with the old man."
"Just pretend it never happened, of course," Su Zhi said, taking a sip of water.
"Woof." Yu Bao nodded in agreement.
"He’s just a gardener. What’s he going to do if I refuse to play by the rules? I didn’t expect him to be a Master Level Beast Tamer, though. Goes to show you that masters can be found in the most unexpected places."
Liu Junpo said nonchalantly, "Well then, have you ever heard that the vice-principal’s third Sub-Pet is a Valley Tiger Hunter?"
"PFFT!"
Su Zhi spat a mouthful of water all over Yu Bao’s face.
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