Chapter 62: Chapter 62: This Cosplayer is Pretty Dedicated
At that moment, Yu Bao was battling a Cyan Feathered Falcon.
Peng Kai’s gaze was locked firmly on Yu Bao.
He watched, entranced, as Yu Bao used Yellow Earth Wall one moment, Sandstorm the next, and then Earth Force Field...
On the surface, these skills seemed completely random.
But Peng Kai’s intuition told him they had to be part of some greater Skill System!
And... it was a completely different approach from that exam-oriented nonsense!
Peng Kai’s breathing instantly grew heavy, like a wild beast’s.
Peng Kai called himself a rebellious and arrogant genius, but he had a very clear understanding of himself.
It was true that he trained outside the standard curriculum. However, the principles behind his methods were ultimately the same as the curriculum’s: use the Pet Beast’s Core Skill as the heart of the system and add other Skills branching out from there.
He had seen other Beast Tamers who didn’t follow the standardized path. In fact, at the international level, almost no one did. But their fundamental approach was always the same, just different paths leading to the same destination.
But today, he had witnessed a system that was a true breath of fresh air!
What was this system?
What was it built around?
How could anyone even think of a system like this?
Peng Kai, the self-proclaimed rebel, was for the first time encountering a training philosophy even more rebellious than his own.
A series of question marks exploded in Peng Kai’s mind, making him feel like he had ants crawling all over him.
"Hey, Xiaokai?"
Yan Dingyi had just exchanged a few words with an acquaintance. When he turned his head, Peng Kai was already walking impatiently toward one of the arenas.
Many people recognized the superstar and quickly made way for him, causing a commotion in the crowd.
Su Zhi and Yu Bao had just finished a match, securing their seventh consecutive victory, when they noticed the red-haired young man walking toward them.
Look at that red hair... look at that long red robe... He had even perfectly replicated Beast King Peng Kai’s wild and arrogant gaze!
Su Zhi couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up.
’This cosplayer is so dedicated.’
Peng Kai paused, taken aback.
He had expected Su Zhi to be shocked and starstruck like all those brain-dead fans, or at least show a little surprise.
He didn’t expect him to just give a thumbs-up.
’Just acknowledging my strength, but unmoved by my empty fame?’
’An interesting young man. He’s got my style from back in the day!’
Peng Kai laughed and gave Su Zhi a thumbs-up in return. "You’ve got a lot of spirit yourself!"
The sharp, up-and-coming youth and the famous, accomplished master exchanged greetings. Below the stage, the jaws of the onlookers dropped, and they scrambled to take pictures to commemorate this historic moment.
Immediately after, the air behind Peng Kai distorted, and a mass of purplish-red flame appeared.
On closer inspection, the flames had remarkably lifelike facial features, bearing a strange resemblance to a White Flame Battle Spirit—
[Pet Beast: Diya (Nether Flame Spirit)
Attribute: Telekinesis Element, Fire Element
Race: Low Level Elite Race
Real-time Energy Value: 750]
’Looks like his cosplay isn’t that professional after all. I thought he’d pull out a Dark Abyss Fish Dragon or a Blast Rock Rhinoceros...’ Su Zhi complained internally.
But those were Peng Kai’s Main Pet and secondary pet; no ordinary person could afford to form a contract with one.
However, Su Zhi’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the Nether Flame Spirit’s Real-time Energy Value.
’This cosplayer’s Pet Beast is something else!’
"Yu Bao, its Energy Value is a bit higher than yours. We need to get serious! Treat this like the city league finals!"
"Woof!"
Both Su Zhi and his Pet Beast focused their attention.
On the other side, Peng Kai was also dumbfounded as he looked at the scan results for Yu Bao.
’A Little Yu Dian Dog this tiny, yet its Real-time Energy Value is over seven hundred?’
’He must be a high school freshman. At this level, he’s definitely in the top 1% of his entire grade!’
’The last person who ignored the standard curriculum and still ranked at the top of his grade was... me!’
"Interesting."
Peng Kai licked his lips in excitement, his eyes burning with a feverish, beast-like intensity.
If a middle-aged man did that, he’d be called a creep. But Peng Kai’s handsomeness, second only to the reader’s, was seen as untamable flamboyance in the eyes of his fangirls.
The women in the crowd immediately erupted in screams, cheering for Peng Kai.
"Fuck!" Liu Junpo suddenly shuddered.
Cao Mingyu asked, confused, "What’s wrong, senior?"
"This might be the real fucking Peng Kai!"
"What? But Peng Kai doesn’t have a Nether Flame..."
Before Cao Mingyu could finish, Liu Junpo typed a keyword into his browser, and the latest news popped up—
"National Team’s Peng Kai Announces Third Pet, Contracted Two Weeks Ago! The Nether Flame Spirit—Diya!" (2 hours ago)
"..."
"..."
Liu Junpo and Cao Mingyu looked at each other, seemingly hesitating on whether to tell Su Zhi.
But the crowd’s cheers had reached a fever pitch. Su Zhi probably wouldn’t have been able to hear them anyway...
The match light turned from blue to green.
Round 8 of the arena battle began!
Unlike the jubilant atmosphere outside the ring, the air on the stage felt as if it had frozen solid.
The Nether Flame Spirit didn’t launch a preemptive Strong Attack as Su Zhi had expected. Instead, it remained in place, leaving the prepared Yu Bao at a loss for what to do.
Su Zhi’s brow furrowed sharply.
The Nether Flame Spirit was a mobile Pet Beast. Using its speed to launch a preemptive strike was a standard tactic for almost every Beast Tamer.
And for that very reason, the opponent’s choice to remain stationary gave Su Zhi a strong sense of dissonance.
Having watched countless matches, Su Zhi instantly sensed the gravity of the situation—
’This cosplayer is intentionally throwing off my rhythm right from the start!’
"Yu Bao, full power on the Earth Force Field! Keep scouting!"
"Woof!"
Yu Bao remained still, but more dust particles in the air began to float in a regular pattern.
The spectators below, not seeing the rivers of blood they’d hoped for, started making bored noises. But this didn’t affect the two pairs of Beast Tamers and their pets on the stage in the slightest.
Su Zhi stared at Peng Kai, and Yu Bao stared at the Nether Flame Spirit. It was a silent game of wits.
Both sides were completely immersed in the battle. It was unclear how long this stillness lasted.
Peng Kai was a little surprised. He’d already had his Nether Flame Spirit set up a trap, but he hadn’t expected a mere kid to be so composed and not fall for it.
Both sides were like samurai in a standoff, searching for an opening in their opponent’s defense, waiting for the right moment to strike.
In that case...
"Diya, variation!"
"Ssa!" (As you command!)
On the other side of the arena, Yu Bao was growing visibly anxious. The opponent hadn’t done anything, yet it felt an inexplicable pressure.
What could it be?
"Yu Bao, anything unusual?"
"Woof..." (I still can’t find anything...)
"Don’t get discouraged, don’t let your guard down, and stay focused!"
"Woof!" (Right!)
With its Beast Tamer’s encouragement, Yu Bao’s confidence was restored.
At the same time, its mind started racing—
’If the Nether Flame Spirit is really more skilled than us, it definitely wouldn’t just be standing there foolishly...’
’Has the opponent already made a move, and I’ve overlooked it for some reason?’
’What’s the easiest thing to overlook?’
Yu Bao’s gaze drifted around, sweeping over the Nether Flame Spirit, over Peng Kai, over the empty surface of the arena itself, and over the spectators outside the ring...
The arena.
Yu Bao’s eyes shot open as it focused its attention even further.
The range of its Earth Force Field, which had originally only been detecting the edge of the arena, expanded further, encompassing a portion of the area outside the ring as well.
Yu Bao finally discovered it: invisible, strip-like objects were creeping along the edge of the arena, closing in to surround it!
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