Free Web NovelChapter 79: Chapter 76: Desperate Counterattack
With the matter settled, the big shots returned to the examination hall to continue observing.
"Attention, candidate. The break is over. The second round of the assessment will now begin."
Su Zhi nodded. "I’m ready."
"Round two: Tier Jumping Combat. You will need to command your Pet Beast in a free-form battle and last for ten minutes against a One-star Pet Beast."
"Understood."
"Okay~"
A slight smile graced Yang Shuyue’s lips as a deep blue Beast Taming Light Array materialized beside her—the sign of a Tier Five Beast Taming Space!
Once a Beast Taming Space reached Tier Five, a Beast Tamer could contract three Two-star Level Pet Beasts!
The Light Array faded, and a large, pale-yellow dog slowly walked out. The Yu Dian Dog had many subspecies; they weren’t all the black-and-tan, ’four-eyed’ variety like Yu Bao.
The big dog looked completely unremarkable...
[Pet Beast: Mars (Yu Dian Farm Dog)
Attributes: Earth Element, Fire Element
Race: Middle Elite Race
Real-time Energy Value: 4998]
...my ass!
Su Zhi was dumbfounded. "Didn’t you say it would be a One-star?!"
"Oh?"
Yang Shuyue blinked playfully. "Anything with a Real-time Energy Value above 2000 and below 5000 counts as One-star, you know, candidate~"
Fuck! Su Zhi’s nerves instantly tensed.
If it were just barely a One-star, Yu Bao would have no problem lasting a while. But this Yu Dian Farm Dog was a Quasi-Two-star!
’So this is what Hall Master Yan meant by "they might be a little moody"?’
"Arf." (Let’s begin.)
Mars nodded in acknowledgment, then shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Speed wasn’t a Yu Dian Dog’s strong suit, but against an opponent of a higher tier, even their weaknesses could crush your strengths!
"Yu Bao, dodge!"
Even with Spiritual Communication, Su Zhi didn’t have time to issue a complete command.
Fortunately, Yu Bao’s Perception and agility far surpassed that of an ordinary Yu Dian Dog, and he activated Desert Concealment almost instinctively.
Mars’s paw was a hair’s breadth away from pinning Yu Bao down!
"SWOOSH—"
Sand and dust flew.
Yu Bao appeared at Mars’s four o’clock. The moment he landed, he unleashed a Sandstorm that completely enveloped Mars.
Even a Quasi-Two-star Level Pet Beast couldn’t just casually block a Tier Two Output Skill!
To withstand the impact, Mars lowered his head slightly.
It had an effect, but not much of one.
"Mars, don’t rush to catch him. Let’s serve up a few appetizers for the little guy to taste!"
"Arf." (Okay.)
After landing, Yu Bao watched for Mars’s next move, only to find the other dog wasn’t moving much at all.
At the same time, a fiery red Energy Light Array instantly lit up beneath Yu Bao’s paws!
A pillar of fire over two meters tall erupted in an instant, blasting Yu Bao’s body into a cloud of fine sand and dust.
The Fire Element Low Level Elite Skill, Giant Fire Pillar, had no wind-up before being cast and could even be used multiple times in succession, making it perfect for catching an enemy off guard.
However, after unleashing Giant Fire Pillar, the one who was shocked was Mars himself.
’A Stand-In?’
’But he had just witnessed Yu Bao’s Sand Shadow Guard, and that was definitely detectable before it was used.’
’...It was the Sandstorm!’
’Yu Bao’s Sandstorm counterattack was a feint! The real purpose was to cover the escape of his "real body"!’
Sensing a presence behind him, Mars decisively whipped his head around.
He saw Yu Bao, who had been lying in wait at his four o’clock, and the massive, coalescing Furious Sand Blade.
"BARK!"
Yu Bao slammed his paw on the ground as if pressing a nuclear launch button.
"WHOOSH!"
The Furious Sand Blade struck out like a heavy fist.
Mars leaned back on his hind legs, bracing his front paws against the Furious Sand Blade and struggling slightly to resist its force.
Mars had intentionally taken the Sandstorm head-on to gauge its power, but now, he had no choice but to block the Furious Sand Blade.
—It was simply too fast! Even for a Quasi-Two-star Level Pet Beast, it was difficult to dodge on instinct when caught so completely off guard!
"BZZZZZZ—"
The rapidly churning sand sliced at Mars’s paws, successfully inflicting a tiny, insignificant wound.
The big shots watched the entire battle unfold.
Even though they had already seen videos of Su Zhi’s battles, they were still utterly shocked.
They had expected Su Zhi’s Pet Beast to perform well, but they never imagined that strange, Battle Saber-like skill could actually injure a Quasi-Two-star Pet Beast.
In this Tier Jumping Combat, Yu Bao was still showing more than enough aggression!
"SWOOSH—"
A vast, red Light Array lit up, roaring with a sky-high blaze that completely enveloped Mars.
Flaming grains of sand drifted out from the pillar of fire as the Furious Sand Blade was finally dispersed by the inferno.
At the same time, Mars shot out from the pillar of fire completely unscathed and lunged toward Yu Bao.
Mars had used Giant Fire Pillar on himself! Since he possessed the Fire Element Attribute, he was unaffected by his own flames!
"Woof-woof!" (Master, I’m gonna have to try harder!)
In past assessments, he had only ever needed to use ten percent of his strength before the rookie Pet Beasts were left gasping for air.
Yu Bao was the first dog that had forced him to use twenty percent!
On the other side, Su Zhi and Yu Bao were also giving it their all. "Don’t give him a moment’s rest! Use a combination of Yellow Earth Wall and Quicksand Shield!"
"Arf!"
A pale-yellow, circular Light Array covered Mars’s entire charge path.
Yellow Earth Walls surged up one after another, forming a series of barriers to block Mars.
Mars’s assault didn’t slow; he continuously swiped his claws, shattering the Yellow Earth Walls in his path.
Against Pet Beasts with such a massive gap in energy levels, any defensive or offensive measures would seem feeble.
But at the very least, the Yellow Earth Walls successfully forced Mars to divert some of his attention to the obstacles!
"BANG!"
Mars shattered the final Yellow Earth Wall with unstoppable force.
But what greeted him wasn’t Yu Bao, but a rapidly spinning Quicksand Shield hovering in mid-air.
"BZZZ!"
The extremely obstructive Quicksand Shield successfully made Mars pause for a fraction of a second.
This time, Mars chose not to force his way through. Instead, he dodged to the side, neatly avoiding the Flying Shield that Yu Bao had launched in a defensive counter-attack.
Yu Bao hadn’t expected the veteran dog to avoid the trap and hastily used Desert Concealment to dodge.
But this was the exact moment Mars had been waiting for. The instant Yu Bao activated the skill, Mars followed him.
The moment Yu Bao landed, he saw Mars right in front of him and could only scramble to activate Desert Concealment once more.
Mars faithfully followed, appearing wherever the sand reformed.
Yu Bao’s room to react was compressed to a minimum, trapping him in a vicious cycle of having to constantly use Desert Concealment.
Mars stuck to him so closely that Yu Bao had no opening to use any other skills, not even the quick-to-cast Tier Two Sandstorm.
The Energy drain from using Desert Concealment repeatedly was staggering.
Even in training, Yu Bao could never use it continuously for five minutes without a break.
The countdown ticked away, second by second. Nine minutes of the ten-minute assessment had passed, but the final forty seconds felt agonizingly long.
"Arf..."
Yu Bao responded through the Beast Taming Space that he could only hold on for another half-minute at most.
After that, he would hit a point of physical exhaustion, unable to use any skills for several seconds.
For the first time, Su Zhi felt a wave of despair, like someone who had finally scaled a great mountain only to collapse before the final, gentle slope.
Countdown: 00:22
The young man’s gaze swept over every face in the examination hall.
The examiners’ gazes had already returned to their initial coldness, despite their shock just moments before.
Yang Shuyue was completely focused, seemingly determined not to give him any opening.
’Am I really going to be eliminated here?’
Countdown: 00:20
His gaze shifted further, landing on a row of glass in the distance. That was the waiting area for the candidates’ families. The side facing the hall was frosted, so the candidates couldn’t see out, but those in the waiting area could see in.
But Su Zhi froze.
Even so, he couldn’t mistake that flash of bright white.
At that moment, he subconsciously clenched his fists, and his gaze snapped back to the battlefield.
Countdown: 00:12
"Yu Bao! Dodge upwards!" freēwēbnovel.com
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