Chapter 39

“Next, we have another contestant from Yunzhou, known nationwide for their breeding of the Chi Lian Turtle lineage, the Xu family of Yunzhou—Contestant Xu Chenglu!”

The screen switched again, this time showing a boy wearing the uniform of another high school in Yunzhou.

Beside him was a massive tortoise, its tail resembling a long snake, and its shell resembling molten lava, forming a towering volcanic crater.

Bright sparks floated around the Chi Lian Turtle, with high-temperature magma surging beneath the patterns on its shell. The volcano-like crater on its back seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

The fire-type mid-level warrior species, Chi Lian Turtle, possesses extraordinary offensive power typical of fire-type beasts, as well as a formidable defense that can completely immune it to fire-based attacks. It is a rare creature with both excellent offense and defense.

“It also has a stable evolutionary path as a monarch species and the evolutionary potential of an imperial species, making it a tough opponent on the battlefield.

The introduction scene froze at the moment when Xu Chenglu and the Chi Lian Turtle were battling together, with a spectacular volcanic eruption scene in the background, reflecting the natural environment.

“Next, we have Contestant Lu Ai from Lishang High School in Lizhou!”

“As we all know, the Beastmasters of Lizhou are skilled in breeding wood-type and earth-type beasts. Lishang High School, in particular, is renowned for its high-level elite wood-type species, the Ba Le Flower, and has become one of the most famous Beastmaster high schools in the country.”

“This year, Lishang High School has four contestants, and the Ba Le Flower, which thrives in outdoor environments, will surely bring exciting battles to the competition. Let’s look forward to it!”

The background of the video shifted to scenes of Beastmasters in Lishang High School uniforms, fighting alongside the Ba Le Flower.

Finally, the screen switched back to the Ba Le Flower, controlling the battlefield in a tropical rainforest environment, showcasing its excellent performance in several strong counterattacks against formidable enemies.”

“Next, let’s introduce the contestants from Xingzhou!”

“Speaking of this year’s Xingzhou contestants, many viewers, just like Kumaxi, must have already called out that name in their minds!”

“Yes, representing Changning First Beastmaster High School in Xingzhou, we have the super genius who swept the national high school league, with nearly an undefeated record in the individual competition. He has the innate talent for Mind Control Beastmastery—Contestant Lin Fei!”

The screen shows a smiling young man in a Changning First High School sports uniform, alongside his signature pet, the Sui Dai Cai Yuan.

Lin Fei’s popularity is evidently very high. As the introduction scene shifted to him, the number of video comments and live messages skyrocketed.

He is one of the few contestants who, even before graduating from high school, already possesses the strength of a top university’s sports team ace. His future potential in Mind Control Beastmastery is also beyond measure.

No matter which Beastmaster university Lin Fei attends, he is sure to lead a team that will rewrite the landscape of the national competition over the next four years.

“Furthermore, among the contestants representing Xingzhou, there are also many new faces that everyone is looking forward to.”

“Contestant Chen Jiashu, who has contracted the rare multi-attribute pure elemental pet, the low-level Lord Beast, Chaos Thundercloud!”

“Yes, this is the first time a Lord Beast has appeared in this year’s ranking competition!”

“According to Kumaxi, Chen Jiashu is also the only contestant who has submitted a Lord Beast as his primary pet in the pre-registration.”

“Undoubtedly, he is very confident in his own strength!”

The screen shows an enormous thundercloud-shaped extraordinary creature, faintly visible amidst the rumbling thunder and heavy rain, already exuding a powerful aura before it even makes its appearance.

In terms of sheer oppressive presence, the Chaos Thundercloud even surpassed Lin Fei, who always wore a gentle smile, and his signature pet, the Sui Dai Cai Yuan.

“Next, the legendary Mu Tong’s twin daughters, both of whom have contracted the Little Cloud Dogs, Mu Shuangyue and Mu Yixia!”

As the enormous thundercloud dissipated, the screen displayed a pair of twin sisters who resembled each other closely. Each of them was accompanied by a Little Cloud Dog, and behind them stood a blazing Solar Flame Wolf, emitting holy light and intense heat, its claws rending the earth apart.

The Little Cloud Dog is a mid-level warrior species, and with its unique potential and traits, it has long been a well-known and popular pet in Dayan.

Every viewer watching the video knew of the existence of the high-level emperor species, the Solar Flame Wolf.

As the first Beastmaster to cultivate the Solar Flame Wolf, Mu Tong’s daughters’ Little Cloud Dogs would undoubtedly possess the same potential. No one would underestimate their strength.

“When mentioning Xingzhou, we must also talk about the players from Hongzhou, home to the nationally renowned Beastmaster high school, Shengshuitan High School.”

“Ranked first is the legendary son of Fang Chuan, the outstanding Fang Xuyang, who has also shown excellent performance in various high school leagues!”

“He perfectly inherited his father’s [Wind Thunder Sovereign] talent, which greatly enhances the combat power and evolutionary potential of Thunder-type pets. He can even use high-level powerful skills at lower stages!”

“In all the competitions he has participated in so far, Fang Xuyang’s talent has consistently countered the ace player Chen Jiashu from Changning First High School, and he has never been at a disadvantage when facing Lin Fei!”

The introduction shows a young man dressed in Shengshuitan High School’s uniform, with a confident and carefree expression, just like the electric lion behind him, its thick mane radiating a dazzling flash of lightning.

“Hongzhou University was the champion of the last national competition, and under Fang Xuyang’s leadership, Shengshuitan High School narrowly defeated Changning First Beastmaster High School to win the last national high school league championship.”

“This year, Shengshuitan High School has a total of twelve selected players, and we believe they will bring an exciting competition to everyone!”

“……”

“Next, let’s introduce the players from Jingzhou!”

“She has inherited the legacy of the Sun God Phoenix Witch Clan, and is the legendary Beastmaster performer Wen Lin’s daughter—”

“The highly popular Wen Li!”

“With her outstanding [Burning Blood] talent and solid foundation inherited from her performing arts background, she has also achieved impressive results in Beastmaster battles!”

The introduction shows a beautiful woman dressed in a luxurious performance costume with flowing water sleeves, her age indiscernible. Behind her is a Fire-type pet with burning wings, as magnificent as a Phoenix.

It is rumored that she is descended from the same lineage as the Sun God Phoenix from the Da Yan faith, the Fire-type High-level Imperial Beast Race—Zhu Yan Bird.

The scene shifts, and the young girl Wen Li appears on the screen. She has inherited her mother’s Fire-type talent and stunning beauty. Her eyes, gazing at the camera, seem to sparkle like embers, radiating such passion that viewers can almost feel it through the screen.

However, the Fire-type pet she carries is not in the form of the Zhu Yan Bird’s evolution, but rather a Fire-type High-level Elite Race—Yanwei Miao, a more suitable pet for beginner contracts and cultivation.

…

“Finally, representing the Xizhou Beastmaster High School, from a mysterious family of blacksmiths—Han Ruoyun!”

The screen shows a young girl dressed in a tight-fitting tank top and work pants, wearing protective goggles, leaning against a red brick wall with her arms crossed.

Beside her is an unusually designed massive steel hammer, almost as tall as she is. The hammerhead is covered in intricate patterns resembling circuit boards, a blend of ancient style and modern technological fluidity.

Han Ruoyun’s partner is the Steel-type High-level Warrior Race—Forged Hammer Minion.

A small, cute humanoid creature, about the height of her knee, is covered in steel armor. It holds a massive forging hammer, similar to the one wielded by Beastmasters, and coolly strikes the same pose as Han Ruoyun, leaning against the wall with one arm resting.

Xizhou is the region where the Da Yan guardian deity, the mythical Wood and Earth-type race, the Ultimate Form “Withered and Flourishing Spirit Deer,” resides.

Since ancient times, the “Harvest Blessing” of the Withered and Flourishing Spirit Deer has protected this land, ensuring that Xizhou enjoys favorable weather, fertile fields, and prosperity. It is known as the “Land of Abundance” and has preserved countless ancient traditions.

Even today, Xizhou’s heritage remains unique in the Beastmaster system.

Although Kumaxi doesn’t know much about the mysterious families of Xizhou, this doesn’t stop the Puppet Bear from excitedly shouting in the background.

“This is the first time the heir of the blacksmith family has participated in a public competition! I’m sure all the viewers, just like me, are looking forward to her performance!”

“…………”

“….”

The video was nearing its end, and finally, it was time for the host, Kumaxi, to share his personal opinions and commentary. Watching this in front of President Kang felt a bit like showing off in the wrong place, so Guan Yu skipped that part and ended the video early.

Kang Yao withdrew his gaze.

The style of the video was somewhat exaggerated, with many gimmicks designed to attract attention, but surprisingly, the content was quite solid.

The list Kumaxi presented mostly featured frontline competitors with impressive battle power, with their main beasts having a normal latent energy value exceeding 10,000 P, as indicated in their registration materials.

“How do you feel about it, Elder Kang?” Guan Yu asked.

“Aside from familiar faces from the league like Lin Fei, Fang Xuyang, and Chen Jiashu, the rest are either legendary Beastmasters or heirs from well-known ancestral families.”

Kang Yao stroked his chin, his tone somewhat contemplative.

In fact, the gimmicks in this video also proved this point.

In today’s mainstream society, raising a beast requires a lot of investment—time, energy, money, resources, and talent—all of which are essential.

The beast’s species, potential, and characteristics are also very important.

Beasts with high species rank, great potential, and unique traits are each an expensive investment that ordinary families cannot afford.

To stand out as an apprentice Beastmaster and rank among the top nationwide at the beginner level, it’s impossible to achieve without some kind of background.

Even with full family support, many Beastmasters still end up achieving little in the end.

This is the current state of society—relying solely on personal talent is not enough to reach the peak in the path of a Beastmaster.

Competitions like the professional assessment ranking tournament are also meant to give more rookie Beastmasters a chance to showcase themselves and obtain national resources for support.

As long as it helps Da Yan select truly outstanding talents, Kang Yao treats all Beastmasters equally, regardless of their background.

“This is just a pre-competition review. Perhaps there will be some unexpected surprises when the actual competition begins.”

Guan Yu smiled and said, “The one I have the most faith in is still Lin Fei. I saw him compete in person before, and wow… to be that strong as a high school student, it’s really terrifying.”

Kang Yao glanced at him. This A-grade investigator’s achievements during his high school years were still a legend in Li Zhou, and he wasn’t much behind Lin Fei. The few fellow competitors from his hometown participating in the ranking tournament this year were simply no match.

Guan Yu’s remark was clearly more teasing than anything else, and as a staff member overseeing the event, he showed no formality.

“Who do you think is more promising, Kang Lao?” Guan Yu knew Kang Yao didn’t care much about these things. After being glanced at, his expression didn’t change, and he continued asking.

Kang Yao’s gaze fell on the enormous screen being set up in the office. Soon, it would display real-time footage of the assessment event.

In the high school league, most students who are familiar with the competition are Beastmasters who have awakened for more than a year, while those who only awaken near graduation find it difficult to catch up due to the gap in strength caused by time.

Mu Tong’s two daughters seem to have only barely awakened around the age of eighteen. Apart from contracting the Little Cloud Dogs, they have no combat records displayed in public competitions.

Given Mu Tong’s authoritarian nature, Kang Yao didn’t believe that he would wait until now without making any moves.

Unfortunately, ever since the accident involving the Aisha legend ten years ago, Mu Tong lost his trust in the Da Yan Beastmaster Association. Over the years, aside from attending mandatory public events, there has been no further contact.

“I am looking forward to every contestant,” Kang Yao said, turning to the young A-grade investigator beside him and answering with a kind expression, “Just like that vengeful spirit, the Plush Bear said, let’s let the competition results give us the answer.”

“Haha, as expected of President Kang, your answer is flawless…”

During their conversation, the door to the office was knocked again, and the master-level Beastmasters responsible for the supervision of the exam began to arrive.

Because President Kang Yao placed great importance on the professional assessment ranking competition and even personally came to supervise, the other relevant departments in the capital also took the supervision work seriously.

In addition to members of the Beastmasters Association, those who arrived included the Vice President of the Capital’s Jingzhou University and the head of the nationally renowned battle club “Xingyao Club” in the capital.

“Everyone is here, let’s begin,” President Kang said, glancing at the time on his phone and nodding at the crowd.

The large screen and the “Video System V-type” had been fully calibrated. The Beastmasters issued commands to the contracted artificial lifeforms, and the main console immediately lit up with layers of glowing rings. The subsystem of the “Video System V-type” projected the scene from miles away onto the screen.

The 200 participants had gathered, boarding a private jet provided by the Beastmasters Association, heading to the independent island secret realm located off the coast, which would serve as the venue for this round of the ranking competition’s preliminary assessment.

The “Video System V-type” divided into over 200 subsystems to monitor the exam in real-time, ensuring that the assessment process of every participant was recorded.