Chapter 64: Just In Time
On the Field.
A gray star array lit up in front of Hou Xiangyu. A pale gray beast, shaped like a weight but with a body that appeared soft and squishy rather than hard, floated above the star array.
Knowing that his opponent only had one Fire fang Dog, Hou Xiangyu didn't summon his slightly weaker Snow Butterfly.
Instead, he respectfully called forth his strongest beast, the Scale Controller Doll.
Hou Xiangyu gazed at the Fire fang Dog across from him, fully charged and ready, with admiration.
He had only watched the first day of the Bai Xin Competition to gauge the general level of the participants, and hadn't paid much attention afterward, except for this morning's quarterfinal match.
Although he hadn't watched all of Qiao Sang's previous matches, her name was one he recognized.
After all, there were only a handful of standout competitors in the Bai Xin Competition, and the reports kept circling back to them.
As the only contestant contracted with a fire-type beast, and with San Duo publicly recognizing her as a future rival, it was hard not to notice her.
This morning's match certainly lived up to the media hype. Through strategy, she perfectly embodied the concept of the underdog triumphing over a stronger opponent.
The strategy was brilliant, but many people overlooked the fact that the strategy also required a capable beast to execute it.
In just that one match, the Fire fang Dog had already demonstrated four skills: Shadow Clone, Flame Charge, Fire Whirl, and Ember.
And then there was that moment when it leapt towards the Two-tailed Land Tortoise by jumping across the crumbling ground.
Without quick reflexes, that would have been impossible.
It's hard to believe this was a beast contracted by a middle school graduate.
After watching that match, even he was tempted to contract a Fire fang Dog.
The reason he summoned the Scale Controller Doll wasn't because he thought the Snow Butterfly would lose, but rather because summoning his strongest beast was a recognition and respect for his opponent's strength.
Everything was set.
As the referee's whistle blew, both sides immediately launched their attacks.
The Scale Controller Doll's body began to emit a faint, translucent psychic energy. It pointed its small, clawed hands towards the Fire fang Dog.
The Fire fang Dog, upon hearing the whistle, dashed towards the Scale Controller Doll, its form flickering as it split from one into two, then two into four.
All four Fire fang Dogs simultaneously used Charge.
The psychic energy surrounding the Scale Controller Doll's claws faltered, unsure of which target to focus on.
In that brief moment of hesitation, one of the Fire fang Dogs appeared right in front of it.
The Scale Controller Doll snapped back to its senses, shifted its energy, and instantly teleported to another location, leaving the Fire fang Dog striking empty air.
This is tough...
Qiao Sang sighed inwardly.
This Scale Controller Doll can teleport? It never showed that ability in the previous matches.
She had thought of several strategies to defeat the Scale Controller Doll.
With a psychic-type beast, one could either exhaust its energy or attack with faster reflexes.
But this Scale Controller Doll could teleport.
This makes it much harder to land a hit on it.
Teleportation is a skill that can be activated as soon as the mind wills it, making it faster than the Fire fang Dog.
Even if it managed to get within a meter of the Scale Controller Doll, it could still instantly teleport elsewhere.
Long-range attacks would also be difficult to land.
It seems she would have to drag this out...
The two sides kept their distance, leading to a temporary standoff.
"Illusion Ray." Hou Xiangyu commanded first.
The Scale Controller Doll extended its short claws, releasing beams of mixed colors from them.
The Illusion Ray struck one of the Fire fang Dogs, which quickly disappeared—it was a clone.
The Illusion Ray continued sweeping across the remaining three Fire fang Dogs, quickly taking out two more clones.
Only the real Fire fang Dog was left, dodging the attacks.
As the Scale Controller Doll focused its energy on attacking the last Fire fang Dog on the field, Qiao Sang issued her counter-command: "Shadow Clone."
The Fire fang Dog flickered and split into four once more.
The Scale Controller Doll: ...!
Hou Xiangyu frowned, realizing her strategy.
Illusion Ray required a lot of energy, especially to maintain a sweeping attack.
Meanwhile, the Fire fang Dog only needed to dodge and use Shadow Clone, which didn't require much energy.
Even though the Scale Controller Doll was a mid-tier beast with much more energy than the Fire fang Dog, in this unequal energy consumption, it was likely the Scale Controller Doll's energy would be depleted first.
"Stop." Hou Xiangyu ordered calmly.
The Scale Controller Doll lowered its claws, and the two sides once again entered a standoff.
This needed to end quickly. Hou Xiangyu analyzed the situation and made a decision.
"Shadow Clone."
With a slight shift in its energy, four Scale Controller Dolls appeared on the field.
Qiao Sang was slightly stunned.
How many hidden skills does it have?
These were all skills that hadn't shown up in previous matches!
The four Scale Controller Dolls shimmered and each one appeared behind a Fire fang Dog.
"Four Fire fang Dogs against four Scale Controller Dolls. The situation is getting intense. It's surprising that both sides have exchanged this many blows. Hou Xiangyu hasn't ended the match as quickly as he did in previous rounds. What do you think the issue is?" The commentator asked as he observed the field.
This time, before San Duo could speak, Gao Xulu responded first. "Obviously, it's because Qiao Sang is strong."
Commentator: ...
"Alright then, let's continue watching the match."
"Ignite Beam." Hou Xiangyu commanded.
Four beams of mixed colors simultaneously shot towards the four Fire fang Dogs.
Just when everyone thought the match was about to end...
"Shadow Clone!" Qiao Sang shouted.
Shadow Clone?
Everyone, whether present or watching the livestream, was taken aback.
Wasn't Shadow Clone already in use?
The Fire fang Dog also paused in confusion.
But it quickly felt a change in its internal energy.
Its form flickered, and the four Fire fang Dogs suddenly multiplied into eight.
"Yap?"
The Firefang Dog tilted its head.
How did its clones suddenly get stronger?
The entire arena was stunned.
Are all the rookies hiding their true capabilities these days?
In the guest seats:
"I didn't expect the Fire fang Dog had hidden its strength in previous matches."
"Yes, I watched the earlier matches. This Fire fang Dog has already mastered Fire Fang and Ember to a significant degree, and its Fire Whirl is also at a proficient level. But I didn't expect its Shadow Clone to be so advanced as well."
"This Fire fang Dog looks small, so I thought it was young. But it seems it might be older than it appears."
"That shouldn't be. Normally, when a Fire fang Dog turns one year old, the orange-red fur on its head would turn the same red color as its body fur. But the fur on this one's head is still orange-red." Commented a guest who had passed the Beast Breeder certification exam.
"So, you're saying that this Fire fang Dog, which knows so many advanced skills, isn't even a year old?"
"Don't listen to him. He couldn't even pass the F-level Breeder exam."
The guest who had passed the certification exam: ...
Seeing the eight Fire fang Dogs on the field, Qiao Sang let out a sigh of relief.
Just in time.