Chapter 53

The battle between the contestants was officially established. A record terminal with small wings flew over, and the projection screen displayed the IDs of the two participants and the avatars of their battle beasts.

Both were level 3 Beast Tamers, and neither had any intention of holding back, immediately starting a full-strength 2v2 mode battle.

Mu Huiyue’s chosen battle beasts were the Blade-Toothed Soldier, Ellen, and the Little Cloud Dog, Baiya.

Lin Fei’s battle beasts included the previously seen Ribboned Coloured Kite, as well as another creature shrouded in a large, spontaneously appearing cloud.

At the center of the cloud lay an extraordinarily petite battle beast, only the size of a human palm. Its body was pink and light purple in alternating shades, with small triangular ears and a long nose, resembling a miniature Malayan tapir.

The pink-and-purple Malayan tapir curled up into a ball at the center of the cloud, peacefully asleep. Its expression was serene and tranquil, as if lost in a gentle dream.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that the tip of its tail was indistinct, blending into the layers of mist that extended from its body, forming the vast expanse of the surrounding cloud.

[Name]: Cloud Dream Tapir

[Attribute]: Psychic

[Species Level]: Intermediate Monarch

[Growth Stage]: Second Stage of Maturity

[Core Talent]: Sleepwalking (Psychic, Grade B)

[Base Hidden Energy Value]: 28,677P

[Species Description]: A Psychic-type battle beast discovered in the Grade-A secret realm “Cloud Dream Marsh.” It is the pre-evolution form of the Dream Master, Phantom Dream Tapir. This creature can project certain abilities from dreams into reality and remains in a perpetual state of peaceful slumber within its dreamscape.

Lin Fei’s second battle beast turned out to be a Cloud Dream Tapir?

Mu Huiyue’s gaze fell upon the creature sleeping soundly within the cloud.

While monarch-level species of battle beasts are relatively rare, they are not particularly difficult to form contracts with on a national scale. After all, Dayan is a nation with a long history, abundant secret-realm resources, and a greater variety of extraordinary creature species than most other regions.

Many extraordinary creatures can reach the monarch species level after one or two stages of evolution.

For example, the Wolf-Fighter lineage of the Little Cloud Dog and Ellen both achieve the monarch species level after a single stage of evolution.

However, the Cloud Dream Tapir is different—it starts as a monarch species at its initial stage.

The more stages of evolution a creature undergoes, the harder it becomes to achieve. Throughout history, since the arrival of secret realms, the vast majority of extraordinary creatures have only been able to undergo up to two stages of evolution, advancing across two major species levels.

Being a monarch species from the initial stage means that the Cloud Dream Tapir has a high probability of becoming a dazzling imperial species with a relatively simple single-stage evolution. It even has the potential for a two-stage evolution to become a miraculous and fantastical species.

Moreover, the evolved form of the Cloud Dream Tapir has long been discovered—it is none other than the master of the Grade-A secret realm “Cloud Dream Marsh,” the High Imperial Species Phantom Dream Tapir.

As a Psychic-type High Imperial Species, its destructive power and level of danger far exceed imagination. Mu Huiyue had read the investigation report on “Cloud Dream Marsh” in the Bureau’s database. It took more than 300 master-level Beast Tamers mobilized by the Bureau to barely bring the situation under control.

To this day, there is no record of any Beast Tamer within Dayan successfully contracting a Phantom Dream Tapir.

A battle beast like the Cloud Dream Tapir surpasses the limits of what wealth, power, and influence can procure. Even legendary Beast Tamers rarely have access to such resources, let alone allowing their descendants, rather than themselves, to form a contract with one.

The school records show that Lin Fei comes from an ordinary family, making it hard to imagine where he obtained the Cloud Dream Tapir.

Could this be part of the “secrets” he mentioned?

Equally stunned were the viewers on the livestream platform, watching the battle through the record terminal’s feed.

“Whoa, did this just happen?!”

“Who was just Lin God? Speak of the devil…”

“What is Lin God’s battle beast? I’ve never seen it before.”

“No way, am I seeing this right…?”

“Cloud Dream Tapir?!”

“A Beast Tamer in Dayan actually managed to contract a Cloud Dream Tapir…”

“Is it really a Cloud Dream Tapir??”

“What’s a Cloud Dream Tapir?”

“……”

“I remember it has a skill that can project dreams into reality, right?”

“Isn’t that basically unbeatable?”

“Even more overpowered than that spatial inversion ability from before…”

“These high schoolers are terrifying—first a monarch species Blade-Toothed Soldier…”

“I get it, and now they just pull out a Cloud Dream Tapir. Who wouldn’t be completely dumbfounded?”

“Good thing I graduated early. jpg“

“……”

The heated discussion in the livestream chat didn’t affect the two contestants. Mu Huiyue glanced at her wristband, which displayed not only information about the Cloud Dream Tapir but also the status of the Ribboned Coloured Kite.

[Name]: Ribboned Coloured Kite
[Attribute]: Psychic
[Species Level]: High Elite
[Growth Stage]: First Stage of Maturity
[Core Talent]: Telekinetic Vision (Psychic, Grade C)
[Base Hidden Energy Value]: 11,452P

[Species Description]: The evolved form of the Coloured Cloud Finch. The patterns on its tail feathers have a mental suggestion effect. The longer and more vibrant the ribbons, the longer-lasting the suggestion effect. It possesses extraordinary 720-degree vision with no blind spots.

Compared to the eerie Cloud Dream Tapir, Mu Huiyue was more concerned about the Ribboned Coloured Kite’s abilities. Its flawless Telekinetic Vision was a significant counter to Ellen, who excelled in stealthy assaults. She would need to find a way to overcome this advantage during the battle.

The projection screen on the record terminal displayed the battle timer, signaling the official start of this outdoor 2v2 battle.

“Baiya, Howl!” Mu Huiyue initiated the attack.

The Little Cloud Dog raised its head and let out a long howl, enhancing its own stamina while suppressing the opponents’ movements. The Ribboned Coloured Kite’s wings faltered for a moment, while the Cloud Dream Tapir remained completely still, still lost in its pleasant dream.

Ellen seized the opportunity to slip into the shadows.

“Use Shadow Strike!”

Taking advantage of the momentum from the howl, the Little Cloud Dog moved swiftly and, in the blink of an eye, closed in on the Ribboned Coloured Kite.

Just as the Shadow Strike was about to hit, the Ribboned Coloured Kite remained unperturbed, until Lin Fei issued a command.

“Light Feather.“

Grade C Psychic-type attack skill Light Feather is the ability most commonly used by the Ribboned Coloured Kite during selection matches.

This tactic of waiting for prey to take the bait and then repeatedly defeating them is the Ribboned Coloured Kite’s most familiar strategy.

The beautiful tail feathers emitted a sharp light. Even though the Ribboned Coloured Kite did not turn around, its tail feathers seemed to have eyes of their own, striking directly at the Little Cloud Dog attacking from the rear.

“Moon Shadow!” Mu Huiyue commanded.

The Light Feather hit the approaching Little Cloud Dog. The white figure vanished into black mist on the spot, and then four identical Little Cloud Dogs attacked from different directions.

The Moon Shadow Little Cloud Dogs were identical to the real one, and the Ribboned Coloured Kite’s Telekinetic Vision couldn’t immediately distinguish which one was the real one.

But it didn’t need to distinguish. It locked onto all four targets at once, and for its Telekinetic Vision, it was merely the work of a single thought.

“Use Divine Power.”

The Ribboned Coloured Kite’s body erupted with scarlet psychic energy, suddenly spiraling toward the approaching Little Cloud Dog.

The Divine Power struck, and all four Little Cloud Dogs dissolved into black mist. Baiya’s figure appeared above the Ribboned Coloured Kite, and within the shadow cast on the ground, the Blade-Toothed Soldier wielded a long leg bone strengthened with calcium, quickly emerging from the black mist.

“Bone Spike Assault!“

“Teleportation!“

The voices of both Beast Tamers rang out almost simultaneously.

It was not the Ribboned Coloured Kite using Teleportation, but the Cloud Dream Tapir, which had remained motionless until now. The cloud smoke beneath it swirled around the Ribboned Coloured Kite, and in the next instant, it appeared at a location far from its original position.

The magnificent kite let out a pained cry. Even though the Cloud Dream Tapir had saved it in time, the Blade-Toothed Soldier’s Bone Spike Assault still managed to injure its tail feathers.

Lin Fei furrowed his brow slightly.

Mu Huiyue’s expression remained unchanged; the first round of attacks was more of a probing move.

Lin Fei’s reaction confirmed some of her suspicions.

Teleportation is a very classic Psychic-type support skill, but not every Psychic-type beast can master it smoothly. Even within the same attribute, individual beasts can have different tendencies.

It’s like Ellen and Baiya: both are Dark-type beasts, but Baiya is more suited to Shadow Step, while Ellen is more inclined to use Shadow Stealth to move.

The Ribboned Coloured Kite excels at using Telekinetic Vision to control the battlefield. It’s highly likely that it would not favor suddenly switching positions with Teleportation, as this would require it to re-establish its visual focus.

Baiya’s several feints also confirmed that Telekinetic Vision can only focus on movements and still images within its line of sight. It cannot detect things like the true form of Moon Shadow or the Blade-Toothed Soldier hidden in the black mist and shadows.

After a round of exchanges, Mu Huiyue had already formed a strategy in her mind. As long as she could determine the level of threat posed by the Cloud Dream Tapir, she was confident she could win the battle.

“As expected… I can’t afford to lose focus, even for a moment,” Lin Fei said, rubbing his eyes, sounding as though he was resigned to the situation.

His eyes were slightly red, and ripples of mist-like clouds appeared in his pupils.

“Cloud Dream Tapir, enjoy your beautiful dream.”

Here it comes!

Mu Huiyue’s senses sharpened, and Ellen and Baiya on the battlefield also closely observed the movements of the Cloud Dream Tapir.

The Cloud Dream Tapir, lying in the cloud, completely vanished into the cloud layers. The mist dissipated, and both the Cloud Dream Tapir and the cloud it had been resting on disappeared from their original position.

In its place was… a Flame Strike Cat?

“Ellen!” Mu Huiyue shouted sharply.

The shadows on the ground immediately wrapped around Little Cloud Dog, pulling it into a shadow space for stealth.

In the next moment, a rain of fireballs descended from the sky, their intense heat scorching the battlefield. It was like a burning meteor shower, leaving scorched earth in its wake.

B-Class Fire-type Attack Skill: Meteor Fireball!

The powerful fire-based attack that had once wiped out the Guava Blossom Domain was now fully recreated by the Cloud Dream Tapir. Huge fireballs crashed down, creating uneven craters on the ground.

Fortunately, Ellen had already taken the initiative, using Shadow Stealth with Baiya, and narrowly avoided the Meteor Fireball’s attack.

Little Cloud Dog couldn’t remain in the shadow space for too long without holding its breath. Once the Meteor Fireball attack ended, it reappeared on the battlefield.

The shadows on the ground had become irregular due to the newly formed craters, now swirling like waves on the surface of the earth, making it difficult to determine the exact location of the shadows.

“Ambush!”

Baiya surged forward with Shadow Step, but the Sui Dai Cai Yuan blocked the Flame Strike Cat projected by the Cloud Dream Tapir.

“Sui Dai Cai Yuan, use your Divine Power.”

The crimson mental energy spread out, striking Little Cloud Dog at the front, causing it to dissolve into black mist and vanish.

Sui Dai Cai Yuan was unfazed, showing no signs of moving. Its tail feathers glowed softly, turning to strike in another direction.

The tail feathers, like ribbon strands, seemed to have eyes, directly targeting Baiya’s real form. Little Cloud Dog used Shadow Step to dodge the Light Feather, but its momentum from charging forward caused it to hesitate for a moment.

“The first to attack is usually Moon Shadow… It’s your bad habit, Mu Huiyue,” Lin Fei smiled. “Sui Dai Cai Yuan, use Hypnosis.”

The beautiful tail feathers glowed softly again, and the colors and patterns on them seemed to be magnified infinitely, carrying an enchanting, sleep-inducing magic.

Baiya was caught off guard. Even though it immediately closed its eyes, it had already seen the changing tail feathers of the Sui Dai Cai Yuan.

Sleepiness surged over it, and Little Cloud Dog’s eyes half-closed, on the verge of falling from the air.

In this crucial moment on the battlefield, countless thoughts flashed through Mu Huiyue’s mind.

A pet beast like the Cloud Dream Boar, which excels at controlling dreams, has a high probability of learning the Dream Devour skill, which can deliver a fatal blow to opponents who fall into a sleep state.

Once the sleep-bound Baiya is hit by the Dream Devour skill, it is very likely to lose its combat ability instantly.

The hypnosis skill is difficult to defend against; not only Sui Dai Cai Yuan, but the Cloud Dream Boar itself might also be capable of using it.

A skill that cannot be defended against can only be countered.

The two prerequisites for the Dream Devour skill to deliver a fatal blow are: one, the skill must hit, and two, the target must be in a sleep state.

Given the current battlefield situation, it is difficult to prevent the Cloud Dream Boar from using a long-range psychic skill like Dream Devour, so the only option is to address the second condition.

In the blink of an eye, Mu Huiyue came up with a countermeasure.

“Ellen, use Soul Tremor on White Fang!”