Chapter 125

“On the third day of the university battle preliminary rounds, the Xingyao battle arena was packed with spectators, and the atmosphere was as lively as the Xingyao Festival held during the summer holidays.

The beast tamers stepping onto the arena were particularly young, mostly first-year students from major universities, and the audience treated them like star players, with cheers almost reaching the sky.

The 32 beast tamers advancing to the elimination rounds were the ones who stood out from over 600 participants.

They were the brightest prospects of this generation, the fresh blood about to bring exciting performances to the Dayan Beast Taming Championship.

Currently, the third match of the Top 16 elimination round was underway.

It was Mu Huiyue, a first-year from the Battle Department of Jingzhou University, vs Fang Xuyang, a first-year from the Battle Department of Hongzhou University.

Both were from families of legendary beast tamers, but the spectators in Jingzhou didn’t care about that. They just hoped to see an exciting match worth the ticket price.”

Mu Huiyue stepped onto the battlefield and looked at the spiky-haired boy on the opposite side.

It had been several months since their last meeting, and Fang Xuyang appeared more composed now. After all, he was from Hongzhou University, which had a history of producing multiple national champions. Even he couldn’t expect to command attention like he did in high school, where he was the center of every crowd.

Fang Xuyang’s gaze also fell on the black-haired girl, faint traces of lightning flickering in his eyes.

Being eliminated by Mu Huiyue in the national ranking competition had become the stain on his high school career, and Fang Xuyang had been brooding over it ever since.

To redeem his pride, the best way was to defeat Mu Huiyue head-on in a public match.

For this, Fang Xuyang had trained relentlessly at Hongzhou University, pushing himself to improve in preparation for this very moment.

Fate had favored him, and in the Top 16 elimination round, he was set to face Mu Huiyue, giving her a taste of the frustration he had felt when he was eliminated early back then.

The vice-captain of Hongzhou University’s school team, Yang Lei, is also an expert in using dark-type beasts and commands the representative beast, Shifang Moxia.

This semester, Fang Xuyang had fought countless battles against him, accumulating a wealth of experience in dealing with dark-type beasts.

He was no longer the naive rookie he had been in the national ranking competition.

Fang Xuyang stepped onto the battlefield and stood firm, a summoning array with four layers of spirit inscriptions appearing before him.

A large, powerful male lion materialized within the summoning array, its fluffy mane turning into flickering lightning, and as its paws stepped onto the battlefield, numerous sharp arcs of electricity sprang up.

Mu Huiyue’s gaze fixed on the beast. Fang Xuyang’s Thunder Roar Lion had evolved.

Her investigator’s wristband detected a new extraordinary creature, displaying the corresponding information in the beast’s guide.

[Name]: Flash Thunder Lion King
[Attribute]: Thunder
[Species Rank]: Medium Monarch
[Growth Rank]: Growth Stage 8
[Talent Core]: Thunderstorm Impact (Thunder Type, B-Class)
[Species Description]: A species discovered in the B-class secret realm Thunderstrike Marsh, the evolved form of the Thunder Roar Lion. The Flash Thunder Lion King generates high voltage around its body and moves quickly through electromagnetic acceleration. It is naturally proud and noble, difficult to subdue, and establishes its authority through large-scale thunderstorm assaults.
[Normal Hidden Energy Value]: 88,954P

Looking at his contracted pet beast, Fang Xuyang revealed a confident expression as if victory was already in his grasp.

The Thunderstrike Lion King, under electromagnetic acceleration, could exceed the speed of sound. In combat, there was almost no pet beast faster than it. Coupled with his Beastmaster talent, [Wind Thunder Monarch], no matter whether Mu Huiyue sent out the Fang Tooth Warrior or the Frostnight Fighting Wolf, the Thunderstrike Lion King would completely suppress them.

The last battle was when he failed to recognize the Thunder Roar Lion’s advantage. The Fang Tooth Warrior’s movements were mysterious in the shadows, and the Thunder Roar Lion could completely use its speed advantage to avoid each ambush.

The Thunderstorm Impact would envelop the Thunderstrike Lion King in intense light, fundamentally eliminating the possibility of shadow-stealth ambushes. With unmatched speed and the newly learned light-based skills, Fang Xuyang was confident that he had blocked all of Mu Huiyue’s possibilities.

On the other side of the battlefield, the black-haired girl tapped her chin thoughtfully.

Mu Huiyue was indeed thinking, but it had nothing to do with what Fang Xuyang had in mind.

After evolution, the Thunderstrike Lion King did indeed have an advantage against shadow-stealth. However, having Ellen on the field also presented an opportunity for victory. The Fang Tooth Warrior, now in its mature phase, could endure damage due to the difference in its inherent energy levels and find chances to strike back.

White Fang was the same. It was a rare opportunity to face an opponent like the Thunderstrike Lion King in an official match, and Mu Huiyue intended to make this battle as “resourceful” as possible.

“Harvey,” she called softly.

A five-tiered summoning circle appeared in front of the black-haired girl, with a pitch-black crucifix-shaped wooden stake floating above the array. It was as if a night breeze swept through the arena, bringing with it the eerie and mysterious Night Demon Scarecrow.

A wave of surprise rippled through the audience. The sight of this pet beast was rare in the Great Yan realm, and most of the people watching the match had never even heard of the Night Demon Scarecrow. They began urgently asking those around them for information.

What surprised Fang Xuyang, however, was Mu Huiyue herself. A five-tiered summoning circle… She was already a Level 5 Beastmaster!?

Fortunately, the scarecrow hadn’t reached its mature stage. Its inherent energy was almost the same as that of the Thunderstrike Lion King.

Fang Xuyang had no idea what kind of strange beast Mu Huiyue had contracted, but no matter which beast she sent out, it couldn’t possibly rival the Thunderstrike Lion King’s dominance.

“This is your first time participating in an official 1v1 match, right, Harvey?”

Mu Huiyue looked at the Night Demon Scarecrow. Harvey, born to follow the harvest, was the most calm and composed of her three contracted pet beasts, unlike Ellen and White Fang, who had strong competitive spirits.

She hoped the Night Demon Scarecrow would enjoy the battle more.

“How do you feel before the match begins?”

“Rustle—” Harvey gently swayed its body.

(If I win this match, will I be able to get more drops of water that bring seeds from the spring?)

Mu Huiyue nodded. Winning against a strong opponent in a large official tournament like the preliminary rounds would yield plenty of battle task rewards from the system.

“Rustle.” (Then, I’ll do my best to win, Huiyue.)

Upon hearing this, Mu Huiyue smiled slightly.

The referee had taken their position. The third match of the top 16 elimination round was officially starting!

“Thunderstrike Lion King, Thunderstorm Field!” Fang Xuyang shouted loudly.

The mighty lion let out a roar, and the entire battlefield was covered with a layer of dazzling electric light. Invisible energy waves rippled from it, with bouncing arcs of electricity suddenly expanding outward.

This was a combination technique of [Thunderstorm Field] and [Intimidation]!

A bright arc of electricity flashed in Fang Xuyang’s eyes as well. The Thunderstrike Lion King’s inherent energy value surged significantly. A thunderbolt suddenly fell from the sky, directly striking the center of the battlefield and transforming the entire space into an electrically charged domain.

Beastmaster Talent: Wind Thunder Monarch!

Unlike the limited Thunderstorm Field of the Thunder Roar Lion, the Thunderstrike Lion King, after evolution and with the Beastmaster’s talent, truly achieved an imperial domain that altered the battle environment.

Once the imperial domain was established, it couldn’t be dispelled by [Intimidation]. Unless Mu Huiyue could make the Night Demon Scarecrow evolve into an imperial species on the spot, this battle would undoubtedly take place within the Thunderstorm Field!

Mu Huiyue’s expression showed no fluctuations, and the Night Demon Scarecrow remained motionless, allowing the Thunderstorm Field to settle on the battlefield.

Since she already knew Fang Xuyang’s Beastmaster talent, the realization of the imperial domain through a monarch species was a completely foreseeable development.

What surprised her a bit was the way the Thunderstrike Lion King triggered the Thunderstorm Field. It was still [Thunderstorm Field]. Although it had gained [Intimidation] after evolution, this skill hadn’t evolved into a higher-level domain skill that would better complement the Beastmaster talent.

This was the downside of rushing pet beasts to evolve quickly.

If Fang Xuyang had waited for the Thunder Roar Lion to reach its mature phase at level 10, and if he himself had broken through to a Level 5 Beastmaster, the evolved Thunderstrike Lion King would definitely have awakened the A-grade higher-level domain skill, [Thunderstorm Domain], and become a high-level monarch species.

“Harvey, Harvest.” Mu Huiyue spoke to the Night Demon Scarecrow.

After her battle with Fel from the Hella Exchange Group, Mu Huiyue realized that prematurely using domain skills could be problematic. While in doubles, two pet beasts with higher-level domain skills could counteract it, in a 1v1 battle, it would be impossible to directly dispel the imperial domain.

Therefore, after upgrading the [Training Grounds], she had been training her pet beasts to fight in different environments.

The Night Demon Scarecrow radiated a rich energy that completely contradicted its usual impression, like a gentle autumn breeze with the fragrance of wheat, bringing a sense of fullness and pleasant joy.

It precisely controlled the scale of the Harvest skill, focusing it on itself. The abundant wood-type energy swirled around and enveloped the Night Demon Scarecrow, like placing a continuous healing and skill-enhancing buff on itself.

Under the influence of the Harvest energy, the Night Demon Scarecrow was able to remain stable within the Thunderstorm Field.

Unlike the Firestorm Field of Fel and the Sunfire Pegasus, the Thunder-type domain did not have a suppressive effect on the Night Demon Scarecrow. Harvey stretched out its body amidst the thunderous lightning, with dark crows perched on its arms.

“Thunderstorm Impact!” Fang Xuyang continued issuing commands, a hint of joy crossing his eyes.

He had been worried that the Thunderstrike Lion King wouldn’t be able to catch the Shadow Tooth Warrior, but this scarecrow looked immobile, so the Thunderstrike Lion King’s attack would definitely hit!

The powerful lion roared, bursting with dazzling electric light, and charged fiercely toward the Night Demon Scarecrow.

“Crowfeather Storm.”

Mu Huiyue remained unmoved. As the Thunderstrike Lion King was about to charge in, Harvey stayed where it was, gently swaying its body made of wheat stalks and withered fruit.

The crows on the scarecrow’s arms took flight, transforming into a Crowfeather Storm that rushed toward the Thunderstrike Lion King. The lion, however, did not dodge or avoid, but met it head-on.

The violent electric light scattered the crow feathers in the storm. The Thunderstrike Lion King leapt high into the air, and the bright thunderstorm, like the fangs of a beast, savagely tore into the enemy’s body.

Thunderstorm Impact · Perfect Hit!

The Night Demon Scarecrow was knocked sideways, its body wrapped in crackling arcs of electricity. The areas where it was struck were scorched with large burn marks, indicating it had taken considerable damage.

The Thunderstrike Lion King landed lightly after its successful hit, and Fang Xuyang was about to press the advantage when he saw his contracted beast also tilt forward, stumbling and falling to the ground.

“Thunderstrike Lion King?!”

The golden electric lion displayed a look of pain, with large scars appearing on its body, mixed with burns from the intense heat, exactly like the condition of the Night Demon Scarecrow.

It was as though the one hit by the Thunderstorm Impact had been it instead.

Fang Xuyang suddenly realized—this was a C-grade wood-type status skill, [Wood Thorn]!