Free Web NovelChapter 9: Chapter 9: Doing Your Best is Good Enough
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That afternoon, during the long break between classes.
A crowd had gathered on the athletic field. It wasn’t just students from Class 9 and Class 10; plenty of curious onlookers had also shown up after hearing the news.
Everyone knew what a "showdown" was, but holding one on the athletic field was truly rare. This was clearly being set up for a public humiliation!
Not that anyone was complaining. After all, they were just here for the entertainment.
Class 10 and Class 9 split into two groups, leaving a standard 10x10, one-hundred-square-meter arena open between them.
"In this crisp autumn air, with the sweet scent of osmanthus, our two classes hereby commence a friendly tournament..."
The Class 9 president recited the pre-match speech with great emotion and flair.
Shao Ya stood to the side, her hands stuffed in her pockets.
The other Class 10 students also wore hostile expressions.
’It’s May, and you’re going on about the scent of osmanthus? If you’re going to copy-paste, at least be a little sincere about it.’
’And who the hell wants a "friendly tournament" with you? We’ve been sick of your class for ages.’
’This is the last straw.’
’Your Class 9 is in for a world of hurt today!’
"Alright, thank you to the Class 9 president for that... heartfelt speech~"
Shao Ya smiled and nodded to the crowd. "Shall we officially begin the ’friendly tournament’ then?"
"Yes, fine. Send out your contestant for the first round."
Shao Ya’s gaze became dangerously friendly. "That would be me."
A pale white summoning Light Array appeared. Xiaoyue slowly walked out of it and into the center of the arena, her light green pupils sweeping over every Pet Beast from Class 9.
[Pet Beast: Xiaoyue (Huajing Cat)]
[Attribute: Wood Element]
[Race: Intermediate Extraordinary]
[Real-time Energy Value: 609]
"Holy shit..."
A few spectators scanned her with their Beast Taming-specialized phones and were left completely stunned.
Not a single Pet Beast dared to meet Xiaoyue’s gaze. Class 9’s morale was instantly crushed.
"The Class President will definitely win!"
"Who dares say Class 10 has no Great Emperor!!!"
When they saw that Class 9 was sending out an Ice Armor Scorpion with an Energy Value of only 167, Class 10’s morale soared even higher.
The Ice Armor Scorpion was a High Level Extraordinary Race of the Ice Element, giving it an advantage over the Huajing Cat in both Attribute and Racial Tier.
However, when the difference in power is great enough, Attribute Suppression becomes meaningless.
Class 10 had already locked in their victory for the first round!
Su Zhi, however, was frowning.
Liu Yuhang noticed his strange expression. "What’s wrong, Brother Shu?"
"Their first contestant is just average. Class 9’s top fighters might not be on Shao Ya’s level, but they shouldn’t be *this* weak."
Yu Bao raised a paw. "WOOF!" (I know, sweet chicken horse race!)
"That’s right, Tian Ji’s horse race."
Su Zhi took a breath.
"Their strongest fighters, the brothers Wang Zijie and Wang Zihao, didn’t fight in the first round... which means we’ll probably have to face them."
Liu Yuhang froze for a moment, then fell silent.
On the arena, the battle proceeded quickly in a one-sided fashion.
The Ice Armor Scorpion tried to use Severe Cold Tail Needle, coordinating it with an attack from its Double Clamp to strike Xiaoyue.
But in the face of such an absolute gap in power, all its struggles were futile.
Xiaoyue didn’t even use any Skills. She gave the Ice Armor Scorpion a thorough thrashing using only her lightning-fast reflexes and ferocious Body Techniques.
The Ice Armor Scorpion was beaten half to death without even managing to touch a single hair on Xiaoyue.
Su Zhi and Yu Bao had originally intended to observe the battle and analyze it...
But it turned out there was jack squat to analyze. It wasn’t about technique; it was a pure, emotional beatdown.
"Meow." (Serves you right.)
Xiaoyue’s body dissolved into faint white light and returned to the Beast Taming Space.
Shao Ya stepped down from the arena, biting her lip.
Her Class 10 classmates quickly gathered around her.
"What’s wrong, Class President?"
"Didn’t we win?"
"Class President, don’t tell me..."
"Class 9 is using the Tian Ji’s horse race strategy against us! They sent out their third-string Pet Beast for the first round!"
Shao Ya shot a fierce glare in Class 9’s direction.
In the crowd were two curly-haired guys not wearing school uniforms, each with headphones slung around their necks. It was none other than the "Brother Fu" duo, the brothers Wang Zihao and Wang Zijie.
According to the unwritten rules, they should have gone first.
An uproar swept through Class 10.
"Damn it, they’re cheating, aren’t they?"
"Is Class 9 out of their minds? So shameless!"
"When the □ are you going to □?"
"Alright, there’s no point arguing. Don’t waste your breath on them."
Shao Ya was the class president, after all. After a brief moment of frustration, she quickly calmed down.
She looked at Liu Yuhang and Su Zhi. "It’s fine. Just do your best."
Liu Yuhang nodded, clenched his fists, and walked up to the arena.
Brother Fu Number One, Wang Zijie of Class 9, had been waiting for a while. The nearly two-meter-tall dragon-like Pet Beast beside him radiated an intense, oppressive aura.
[Pet Beast: Thorn King (Thorn Armor Dragon)]
[Attribute: Gold Element]
[Race: Middle Elite]
[Real-time Energy Value: 172]
Just standing before such a Pet Beast was enough to make the Hao Waterfowl feel fear.
It was a racial suppression imprinted in its very genes.
The Tiers of Pet Beasts are divided into Extraordinary, Elite, Commander, and Monarch based on their potential, and each tier is further divided into Low, Middle, and High Levels.
The 67 conventional Pet Beasts that normal students could contract in the breeding park ranged from Low Level Extraordinary to Low Level Elite Races, so the difference wasn’t that significant.
But the Thorn Armor Dragon started as a Middle Elite Race!
This kind of Pet Beast had a high floor and a high ceiling, and it was not something an ordinary family could afford.
However—
Xue Li still puffed out her chest and widened her eyes defiantly.
Even though she was terrified, and even though there was still a bandage on her butt.
Even though she knew she definitely couldn’t win.
But her Beast Tamer had told her that even when facing an unbeatable opponent, you must never show fear!
"Such a tiny duck? It’s probably not even big enough to get stuck in Thorn King’s teeth."
Wang Zijie laughed scornfully. "I’d suggest you just give up now. It’ll save us the trouble and prevent any hard feelings."
Liu Yuhang said in a low voice, "You’re full of shit."
’In truth, the second-string position is an awkward one.’
’No matter how Class 9 arranged their lineup, Liu Yuhang was almost guaranteed to face one of their two strongest fighters.’
’When he accepted this position, he had basically anticipated this outcome.’
’But he was the academic representative, and he was Class 10’s third strongest after Shao Ya and Su Zhi.’
’The second-string spot—he was the only one who could take it!’
"We’ll see if we’re evenly matched once we fight!"
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Xue Li shot forward, kicking off the ground as water rapidly gathered in front of her, forming a shield.
Liu Yuhang hadn’t stopped training, not even over the weekend.
Xue Li’s Flowing Shield was already a bit smoother than it had been during Saturday’s quiz!
This time, the targeted countermeasures Liu Yuhang had developed based on the outline were paying off.
The Thorn Armor Dragon was a large Pet Beast and wasn’t very agile when it came to sudden stops and turns. Xue Li perfectly dodged its counterattacks several times.
’After all, not just anyone could handle her like that stupid little dog did!’
’This duck is no pushover!’
Liu Yuhang directed her in real-time, and Xue Li used a hit-and-run tactic with her Flowing Shield to continuously strike the Thorn Armor Dragon’s weak points.
Wang Zijie’s expression turned ugly.
Under the continuous assault of the Flowing Shield, the two-meter-tall Thorn Armor Dragon was actually starting to lose its balance!
And the one who had done all this was Xue Li the Hao Waterfowl, who was less than a tenth of the Thorn Armor Dragon’s size!
Everyone in Class 10, including Su Zhi and Shao Ya, was deeply impressed by Liu Yuhang’s performance.
In reality, the gap between the two was enormous. A single moment of carelessness from Xue Li would mean total defeat.
To be able to drag the fight to a stalemate and maintain it for so long—Liu Yuhang and Xue Li had already pushed themselves to their absolute limit.
Win or lose, the academic representative had done himself proud in this match.
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Ultimately, the racial gap was not something that could be overcome by skill alone.
After a brief, accidental lapse in concentration, Xue Li was sent flying by a tail swipe from the Thorn Armor Dragon, unable to get back up.
"Quack..." (I’m sorry, I’m too weak, quack QAQ)
"It’s okay!"
Liu Yuhang rubbed Xue Li’s head and recalled her to the Beast Taming Space.
"You did your best, and that’s what matters."
As he stood up and walked back toward his class, he stumbled slightly.
That strategy had required a lot of micromanagement, forcing the Beast Tamer to maintain constant focus to direct his Pet Beast in real-time. It was a huge mental strain.
He was greeted by a round of applause.
It wasn’t just his Class 10 classmates clapping; many of the spectators joined in, and even some from Class 9.
Even Wang Zijie, who had been so arrogant just moments before, gave a thumbs-up to his retreating figure.
The spirit of competition knows no boundaries. A strong opponent will win everyone’s respect.
Class 9 had evened the score. One to one.
The third round. The tiebreaker!
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