Free Web NovelChapter 45: Chapter 45: Making a Killing
Could the White Flame Battle Spirit really just *poof* and vanish into thin air?
Yu Bao’s mind started racing.
’Without a doubt, anything that exists must leave a trace.’
Burning Ash Divine Concealment might be a powerful Stealth Skill, but it couldn’t be a perfect counter to everything. There had to be a way to perceive and detect it.
His gaze swept over the scattered specks of dirt floating in the air.
A possibility suddenly occurred to Yu Bao.
’Maybe... I’ve already sensed it, but I subconsciously ignored it!’
Yu Bao quickly scanned his surroundings, his eyes finally locking onto the air conditioning vent not far from the arena.
The battle hall was constantly ventilated, so there was always a gentle crosswind on the field. That was why these specks of dirt were moving with the wind.
’Perhaps the White Flame Battle Spirit is mimicking the trajectory of the dirt specks as they move with the wind, so none of the dirt in the area shows any sign of abnormal movement.’
’What if they started moving chaotically?’
"Woof!" (Come on out!)
Yu Bao stomped his little paw, and all the dirt specks on the field froze in mid-air. Then—
Every speck of dirt flew off in its own random direction!
"Brilliant! To think he’d come up with such a way to break the stalemate!"
Zhou Shengfa subconsciously clenched his fist. As he processed what he had seen, he was filled with genuine shock.
Controlling tiny dirt particles to move or combine in a specific way was already difficult.
But to make them fly chaotically in an organized manner, a Pet Beast needed to possess outstanding Elemental Perception!
And that was not a known strength of the Yu Dian Dog!
Zhou Shengfa’s eyes suddenly grew misty. "Su Zhi, thank goodness you talked back to me and didn’t listen..."
"Stop getting all sentimental! Just watch the match!" Shao Ya punched him lightly.
Under Yu Bao’s control, all the dust on the field now had different flight paths.
Now, the White Flame Battle Spirit finally had nowhere to hide. An unnatural silhouette faintly appeared amid the floating dust.
"Woof!" (Found you!)
had been secretly waiting for an opportunity. Upon being exposed, it didn’t hesitate, immediately launching a fierce attack.
Yu Bao didn’t hesitate either, opening his mouth and blasting a Sandstorm straight at 004.
This time, 004 couldn’t dodge.
The Sandstorm mercilessly shattered 004. The white Flame struggled within the storm before finally dissipating into faint embers and vanishing completely.
Yu Bao felt a subconscious flicker of joy, but he quickly came to his senses.
’Getting knocked back would be one thing, but how could the White Flame Battle Spirit be so fragile as to be dispersed so easily?’
At the same time, Yu Bao sensed movement behind him—something was approaching at high speed!
The White Flame Battle Spirit had used some unknown method to actually appear behind him!
WHOOSH!
The Burning Ash Divine Concealment state vanished.
The White Flame Battle Spirit raised its chain-wrapped fists, its pale pink eyes flashing with fervent battle lust. The runes on the chains faintly glowed, but now they were a red that symbolized combat!
Yu Bao didn’t know what kind of Skill this was.
But his instincts told him that if he took the hit head-on, he might not remain in one piece.
In a split second, Yu Bao made a quick decision—
Run!
SWISH!
004’s surprise attack was extremely fast, but thanks to his high Perception and agility, Yu Bao managed to react before being flattened.
He activated Desert Concealment, turning into a gust of sand and instinctively moving in a straight line to create distance.
The moment he landed, he saw the White Flame Battle Spirit rapidly receding in the distance. Yu Bao let out a subconscious sigh of relief and turned his head to look at Su Zhi.
However, Su Zhi’s expression was extremely tense. "Yu Bao, watch out! Dodge!"
’Huh? Dodge what?’
Yu Bao turned his head in confusion, only to see the White Flame Battle Spirit behind him, its fist already raised...
BANG!
"QAQ... woof..." (So many little butterflies...)
Yu Bao collapsed, unable to get back up.
Before completely blacking out, he saw that the 004 which had just lunged at him was already turning into an illusion and slowly disappearing.
"A Telekinesis Element Middle Elite Skill, Telekinesis Clone. It’s highly deceptive because Telekinesis can be used to simulate the effect of a physical collision."
Yan Shouzheng finished his explanation and nudged the dumbfounded host with his elbow.
The host, stunned for a moment, quickly took the microphone. "The, the nineteenth match of the exchange competition... Fang Yuan of No. 2 High wins!"
The teachers and students from No. 2 High burst into excited applause, while the students from No. 1 High, who had a strong sense of group honor, all hung their heads.
In recent years, this was the first time No. 1 High had more losses than wins in the exchange competition.
The host asked, "So... Teacher Yan, do you have any other thoughts on today’s matches?"
Yan Shouzheng forced a smile. "All the students’ performances were commendable; they are all outstanding. There are wins and losses in today’s sparring, but temporary success or failure isn’t important. Our goal is the sea of stars..."
"..."
On the arena stage, Fang Yuan slowly walked toward Su Zhi. "You’re not as strong as I thought."
To be honest, in order to understand this opponent, Fang Yuan had been giving it 120 percent.
If Yu Bao’s instant Sandstorm had been just a little more powerful, 004 might have been the one knocked out of the ring.
But in the end, that was just a "what if."
had only been hit back then because it had gotten impatient. If it had played it safe and steady, Yu Bao still wouldn’t have stood a chance.
There were still over ten days until the city league tournament. 004 could definitely improve significantly in that time, leaving Yu Bao even further behind.
Confirmed: Su Zhi was no threat.
"There are always wins and losses in sparring. Thanks for the lesson!" Su Zhi said with a smile, extending his right hand.
Fang Yuan didn’t take it, turning and walking away directly.
At the Shanda University Affiliated School he attended, there was an unspoken rule: the winner of a sparring match could refuse the loser’s handshake.
After all, the only mission was to make one’s Pet Beast stronger.
Befriending the weak was a pointless and useless endeavor.
"...Woof?"
Having recovered a bit, Yu Bao trotted over, tilting his head curiously.
He hadn’t had such a satisfying spar in a long time. He wanted to say hello to 004, so why had they already left?
"They looked so gloomy even though they won. They probably have their own troubles."
Su Zhi chuckled softly and ruffled Yu Bao’s head. "You did a good job!"
[Assignable Attribute Points... 0.10]
Seeing the Points he had ’farmed’, Su Zhi couldn’t stop grinning.
’With an artifact like this, who cares about winning or losing? All I can think about is how to allocate my points.’
’Of course, I still have to give it my all during a real match. This system is smart; you can’t fool it into giving you points by just messing around.’
’In any case, Yu Bao worked hard. I should reward him with some barbecue skewers tonight...’
Musing over what to eat, Su Zhi walked off the stage and greeted Zhou Shengfa, who was already waiting by the side of the arena to welcome him.
Zhou Shengfa looked like he wanted to say something, then stopped, then wanted to speak again, all while watching Su Zhi return to his seat with a relaxed expression.
’Wait, I was all ready to console you...’
’But you don’t look like you need any consoling at all?’
·
「Seven o’clock that evening, in the school’s senior management conference room—」
"It’s mainly that Su Zhi’s fault!"
During the post-competition debriefing, Fang Lihua slammed his hand on the table. "If Su Zhi hadn’t lost to Fang Yuan at the very end, we wouldn’t have lost the entire exchange competition!"
Yan Shouzheng said in a low voice, "The loss in the exchange competition shouldn’t be blamed on a single student. This reflects the fact that our No. 1 High’s overall advantage is shrinking..."
"The other students all did their best. A loss is a loss. But Su Zhi is a huge problem!" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
As if he had prepared for this, Fang Lihua flicked the attendance sheet in his hand. "This student’s training attendance rate for the past month is 0%! A student like this is allowed to represent the school’s honor in the exchange competition? Who is his homeroom teacher!"
Zhou Shengfa stood up, feeling the pressure.
"Principal, please let me explain! Su Zhi isn’t lazy, he just chose an unconventional training method, so his attendance rate is—"
"That’s enough, Teacher Zhou! Say no more!"
Fang Lihua forcefully threw the attendance sheet back on the table.
"Su Zhi’s influence is deplorable, and he must be made an example of to correct this behavior! I will have the Dean’s Office arrange for a corresponding suspension! Cao Mingyu, have the student council organize an arbitration match against Su Zhi to criticize and educate him!"
"Yes, sir."
Cao Mingyu nodded in agreement, a barely perceptible flicker of disgust in his eyes, quickly followed by a much clearer look of delight.
·
·
