Chapter 326: The Platform Crashed
The healing soundwave's effect was to restore a calm state of mind, not to make one foolish.
Facing the sudden attack, the Blaze Dog knew how to respond.
It raised its head calmly and opened its mouth, intending to unleash a jet of flames.
However, due to its overly peaceful mindset, its movements slowed down by multiple times.
Before the flames could be fired, Lubao's attack had already landed.
Boom!!!
The Blaze Dog, hit squarely, flew back several meters, rolling over multiple times before coming to a stop.
"Yap..."
Before losing consciousness, the Blaze Dog drowsily thought:
Oh, I've been hit...
Ah, I lost...
Watching the Blaze Dog fly backward and finally faint, Xu Yixuan thought calmly: It's over.
Tweet!
At that moment, the whistle signaling the end of the match rang out.
Xu Yixuan snapped back to reality, her face changing dramatically as she saw the peacefully unconscious Blaze Dog. She cried out in grief:
"Fire Lord!"
In the stands, the audience seemed to awaken as well, gradually returning to their normal states, and the sound of chatter filled the air.
"What the heck just happened to me? Was I enchanted?!"
"Same here! I didn't even feel like screaming for Ice Qiya just now!"
"Yeah, me neither!"
"How did Xu Yixuan lose?!"
"It's the healing soundwave." A short-haired woman sitting among the front-row leaders explained.
"That endangered pet beast's healing soundwave is highly proficient. It even affected us over here."
"The Blaze Dog didn't lose unjustly. Battles require constant vigilance and preparedness." A man beside her added.
"Fire-type pet beasts are naturally spirited, but the healing soundwave dulled that spirit, relaxed its alertness, and slowed its reaction time."
"It also influenced its Beast Tamer." The short-haired woman remarked.
"What's your take on this?" The man asked seriously. This Qiao Sang's capabilities far exceeded that of a regular high schooler. Not only did she have more pet beasts than others, but each was extraordinary. Without surprises, she would definitely secure a spot in the divisional finals.
The short-haired woman kept her gaze on Lubao. After a pause, she replied:
"I want to pet it."
The man: ???
The National Campus Beast Mastering League was being live-streamed on the official platform.
Since it was still early in the competition, with numerous contestants and matches happening simultaneously across different grades, viewers had to search for their preferred school and grade to watch the streams.
At this stage, most viewers were teachers, classmates, and family or friends of the participants.
Hanggang City
In a spacious 200-square-meter apartment, the group-stage match in Hongrao Town was playing on a three-meter-wide virtual screen in the living room.
"Dad! Mom! That contestant Qiao Sang is up!" A girl on the sofa shouted excitedly.
"The one with the Flame hound?" A woman holding a spatula walked out from the kitchen.
"Yes!"
The girl nodded, then pondered, "I wonder if my brother will face her today?"
A tall, burly man resembling a bear emerged from the bedroom and said, "If they meet, they meet. Your brother will handle it just fine!"
After the preliminary round, anyone following the tournament knew that a new star had risen in the senior division, a contestant with a green star array who had contracted a Flame hound.
The man wasn't overly confident in his son but believed in offering vocal support. After all, one couldn't concede defeat before even competing.
"You're all talk." The woman teased with a smile as she sat on the sofa.
"How is it just talk? My brother is amazing!" The girl pouted in dissatisfaction.
Her earnest defense made the woman chuckle. Just as she was about to speak, her gaze was drawn to the pet beast on the screen.
After a moment of silence, she asked, "What kind of pet beast is that? It's so beautiful."
"Why isn't the Flame hound being used..." The man muttered as he instinctively took out a scanner to identify the pale-blue pet beast on the screen.
The mechanical voice announced:
[Ice Qiya: A water- and ice-type mid-tier pet beast on the verge of extinction in the Ancient Guwu Region. The gem on its forehead can emit a magical healing light.]
The living room fell silent.
Seconds later, three distinct voices broke in unison:
"An endangered pet beast?!"
Outside, a passing pigeon was startled mid-flight and nearly lost its balance.
Similar scenes unfolded across Zhejiang Sea Province as people watching the stream spread the news like wildfire.
"Did you hear? A kid summoned an endangered pet beast in the National Campus Beast Mastering League!"
"Someone at Shengshui High contracted an endangered pet beast!"
"Guess what? A brat tamed an endangered pet beast!"
"Go watch now! An endangered pet beast is live in action!"
"Wait! Which platform? You didn't tell me!"
The news spread exponentially, and the number of viewers on the official platform skyrocketed.
It wasn't long before the inevitable happened.
The platform crashed.
At Huicheng Beast Taming High School, those watching the matches in person remained oblivious to the chaos online.
At that moment, Qiao Sang and Xu Yixuan had already entered their second match.
On the field:
"Yinyin." Xu Yixuan called.
The ghostly pet beast, with its dark green body, one large red eye, and a ring of white bones as decoration, made a sound and vanished.
Dream Phantom: A ghost-type pet beast with a dream-inducing ability. Staring into its eye for more than two seconds would drag opponents into a dream realm.
Qiao Sang recalled a forum post analyzing the top contenders in the senior division. Though it had malicious intentions, it saved her a lot of time.
"Lubao." she said softly.
Lubao scanned her surroundings warily. Her cold demeanor made it appear as if she were merely glancing casually.
"Will-o'-the-wisp!" Xu Yixuan made the first move.
Though Dream Phantom remained unseen, a dozen ghostly green flames appeared around Lubao, forming a ring before rapidly closing in.