Chapter 353: Qiao Sang VS. Wu Chang
Qiao Sang was always a doer. Once the thought crossed her mind, she immediately wanted to experiment with training the Snowfall skill. However, after participating in two matches earlier in the day, Lubao had nearly exhausted her energy. Resting seemed like the better choice.
With this in mind, she opened the Zhejiang Province High Schools' General Forum to look for analytical posts.
Upon entering the forum, she was surprised to see that the pinned red-marked post was no longer an analysis of the province's top-tier students across different grades. Instead, it had been replaced with:
#What illnesses do you all have?#
Qiao Sang paused in confusion. At this point in time, the forum should have been buzzing with discussions about the competition. Yet, this inexplicable post had overtaken the usual analysis threads.
What illnesses do you all have? What nonsense is this?
As her thoughts wandered, Qiao Sang clicked on the thread:
"Today's matches were an eye-opener! Shengshui High School's Qiao Sang and her Ice Qiya used the Healing Light skill to bounce back to full health in an instant. They say Healing Light can cure all ailments. Why not share what illnesses you have in the comments? I'll pick one lucky person to approach Qiao Sang for help. Not to brag, but I'm currently staying in the same Beast Tamer Center as her."
The post had only been up for a short while, yet the comments had already exploded, numbering in the thousands:
"No wonder! I was wondering how the OP knew all this. The streaming platform crashed again today. If OP was competing in the same venue, it makes sense now."
"I'm constipated."
"I have trouble waking up. I always tell myself I'll nap for two more minutes, but every time I open my eyes, I'm already late for school."
"I've been so anxious lately, especially after starting my third year. I think I might be sick."
"Depression."
"I'm not sick, but someone in my family is. Can they be cured?"
"I have a severe case of Monday blues."
"I suffer from anorexia, terrified of empty promises."
So many sick people... Qiao Sang thought as she scrolled. If Lubao's Healing Light truly worked like a miracle, their needs would never end. Even if she had unlimited resources, she wouldn't have the time or inclination, to deal with this. With a wry smile, she muttered inwardly, Why does this person assume I'd help them in the first place?
"Lu!"
At that moment, Lubao called out softly from the side.
Qiao Sang turned and asked, "You've finished eating?"
"Lu." Lubao nodded, fixing a determined gaze on her.
Having bonded for so long, Qiao Sang immediately understood what she meant.
"You want to train?"
"Lu." Lubao nodded again.
Qiao Sang thought for a moment before replying, "Tomorrow. You've done enough for today. Besides, it seems the previous training method for Iceflower Seal isn't effective. I'm thinking of trying a new approach."
"Lu?" Luobao tilted her head, curiosity etched on her face.
Qiao Sang pulled up some videos of Ice-type beast tamers performing the Snowfall skill and showed them to Lubao.
"Instead of going straight for Iceflower Seal, let's start with Snowfall. The first step of the seal is to make snow fall. Since you can already use Rain Prayer, we'll convert your energy into Ice-type energy and see if it works."
Lubao listened intently, her expression growing serious.
Late Night
The steady rhythm of soft breathing filled the quiet room.
Lubao opened her eyes, glanced at the sleeping Qiao Sang, and tiptoed silently toward the bathroom. Three seconds later, a small puddle of water trickled out from under the door.
"Xun..."
Little Treasue witnessed everything from his perch.
He hesitated for a moment, then floated over to Qiao Sang's bed and decisively pinched her nose.
Qiao Sang groggily opened her eyes, greeted by Little Treasure's oversized head hovering close. Strangely, she wasn't startled. Some things, after happening often enough, build an odd sort of resilience.
Glancing at the clock, then at the peacefully sleeping Xu Yixuan beside her, Qiao Sang muttered sleepily, "What is it?"
"Xun~"
Little Treasure pointed toward the door.
Qiao Sang blinked, then sat up, scanning the room. Sure enough, Lubao was nowhere to be seen.
Don't tell me she's gone off to train... She sighed.
"Let's check it out." She said, slipping on her shoes.
"Xun~"
Five minutes later, Qiao Sang stood in the hallway, gazing at the faint blue figure tirelessly casting Rain Prayer in the training grounds. She sighed.
If it weren't for Healing Light, she'd genuinely worry about Lubao overexerting herself to the point of collapse.
Training Grounds
"Lu!"
Lubao focused intently, channeling her energy and attempting to convert it into Ice-type power.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out above it.
"Drink some recovery potion first."
"Lu?" Lubao looked up in surprise.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Qiao Sang smiled and handed over the potion.
"I'll train with you."
"Lu..."
For a brief moment, Lubao hesitated, her expression unusually bashful. Then, she reached out with a paw to accept the potion.
November 10: Final Day of the Group Stage
At 7:13 a.m., Qiao Sang returned to her room with Lubao in her arms. She was still sipping on recovery serum.
Xu Yixuan had just come out of the bathroom and froze when she saw Qiao Sang's dark circles.
"Don't tell me you've been up early training?"
"No." Qiao Sang replied simply.
Xu Yixuan sighed in relief.
Thank goodness. She had almost thought Qiao Sang was pushing herself to inhumane levels.
But before she could ask where Qiao Sang had been, Qiao Sang yawned and added, "I've been training since the middle of the night."
Xu Yixuan: !!!
An Hour Later
At Huicheng Beast Taming High School, Xu Yixuan absentmindedly munched on a sandwich. Qiao Sang's words from earlier had shaken her to the core. Talent aside, Qiao Sang's sheer effort made her deeply question her own life choices.
Am I... too lazy?
Meanwhile, revitalized by Healing Light, Qiao Sang watched the ongoing matches with enthusiasm.
Today was the final day of the group stage, and among her opponents was the so-called Child of Luck, Wu Chang.
However, with Luckbringer no longer around, Wu Chang's fortune seemed to have normalized over the past few days. Match venues no longer tilted in his favor, either.
As she thought about this, Qiao Sang suddenly froze.
Oh no! I completely forgot to ask Luckbringer to boost my own luck!
That was a mythical beast! How many chances does one have in a lifetime to encounter such a creature?
She almost cried out in regret but quickly consoled herself. Then again, my luck's been unusually good these past few days... Maybe Luckbringer already blessed me without me knowing?
Afternoon
"And now, let's welcome Qiao Sang from Shengshui High School and Wu Chang from Huicheng Beast Taming High School!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
One was a groundbreaking contestant with a rare and endangered beast; the other was a local favorite. Both had their own charm, igniting excitement throughout the audience.
"Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!"
"Ice Qiya! Ice Qiya!"
"Wu Chang! Wu Chang!"
"Come on, Wu Chang!"
Despite being in Wu Chang's hometown, the cheers for both contestants were evenly matched.