Chapter 88: Chapter 84: Towering Waves
Su Zhi walked onto the arena and met Liu Yuhang’s gaze.
As Su Zhi recalled, Liu Yuhang, the class academic representative, had always been a down-to-earth, by-the-book person—a little more outstanding than the average Joe, but still ordinary.
He wasn’t dazzling, nor did he particularly stand out.
Su Zhi had never considered Liu Yuhang a potential rival.
But now, Su Zhi’s opinion had completely changed.
Liu Yuhang had been chasing his own light all along; he just wasn’t flashy about it, so he seemed to fly under the radar.
He was someone with the "Dao" in his eyes.
"Alright."
Su Zhi smiled. "I’m going to give this my all. I won’t give you a single opening—my rival!"
Liu Yuhang laughed heartily as well. "...Same here!"
Separated by the arena’s center line, they stood on opposite sides and shook hands across it.
This was the highest pre-match etiquette for Beast Tamers in professional competitions, reserved only for a rival they truly respected.
Their respects paid, they both turned and backed away.
The crowd roared with excitement. Many were recording videos and taking photos, camera flashes flickering intermittently.
Compared to the other, less-heralded semi-final exhibition match, most students had their eyes glued to this one.
At this moment, the venue felt like a professional stadium, and they were the stars of the tournament.
After backing away ten paces, Liu Yuhang and Su Zhi turned simultaneously, their eyes locking.
The match began!
"White Mist Shroud!"
"QUACK!"
Xue Li stepped forward with its left foot, leaning its weight into the stance.
In an instant, a dense mist billowed out, completely shrouding the twenty-meter-diameter arena in a sea of white.
"Holy shit! That White Mist is picture-perfect!"
"Isn’t this just a semi-final exhibition? Why are they going so hard right from the start?"
"After fighting so many rounds, they’re still going all out? This is even more intense than the qualifying matches!"
"Awesome! This was totally worth seeing!"
The crowd instantly went wild.
Things were just as heated in the teachers’ office, where several instructors were chattering away:
"That’s a Tier Two White Mist at least, possibly even bordering on Tier Three."
"Based on the Skill Level Scale, that Hao Waterfowl must have at least four other Tier Two Skills..."
"Can Su Zhi win against that?"
"It’s hard to say. This isn’t a match where the winner is obvious from the start."
"Old Zhou! Liu Yuhang and Su Zhi are both in your class, right? What’s your take on this?"
It was unclear who spoke up, but all eyes turned to Zhou Shengfa.
"This match will be more spectacular than any of the previous ones. Even the official city league might not have a match this spectacular."
Zhou Shengfa adjusted his glasses and let out a sudden sigh.
"Liu Yuhang is a very grounded kid. He always seems so gentle and calm.
"...But you only realize how fiercely competitive and determined he is once you get to know him."
·
Inside the White Mist, Yu Bao kept its eyes slightly closed, cautiously sensing its surroundings.
"Yu Bao, anything?"
"WOOF." (’Nothing. I can’t see a thing.’)
Yu Bao closed its eyes, concentrating on listening with its ears.
A Tier One White Mist was just a hazy, normal fog, but a Tier Two White Mist offered absolutely zero visibility.
In such a high-humidity environment, all suspended dust had settled, making it nearly impossible to activate the Earth Force Field.
But thanks to its outstanding Perception, Yu Bao still instinctively sensed something approaching.
’No... I can’t sense its edges... It’s too big!’
Hearing the sound of rushing water grow clearer, Yu Bao finally realized what it was and snapped its eyes open.
"WHOOSH!"
The White Mist dissipated, and raging currents shot out in all directions, making the entire arena tremble.
A towering wave, like some indescribable, ferocious Giant Beast, swept toward the other half of the arena.
A Water Element High Level Extraordinary Skill, Towering Waves!
A collective gasp of "holy shit" swept through the seated audience.
Although Towering Waves was a common Water Element Skill, typically only large Water Beasts could unleash its full power.
For a small Water Element Pet Beast like the Hao Waterfowl, this skill was generally used for small-area AoE or as a disruption technique.
And yet, Xue Li’s Towering Waves was nearly on par with one from a Sea Giant Beast.
To reach this level, the amount of effort it must have taken was unimaginable!
Su Zhi’s chosen response was just as hardcore—
"Yu Bao! Sandstorm! Push it back!"
"AWOOF!"
Yu Bao stomped its foot on the ground, and a massive cloud of sand and dust swept up, likewise engulfing half the arena.
"BOOM!!!"
Near the center line of the arena, the Sandstorm and the massive wave collided.
Spray shot high into the air as gravel flew wildly.
Ultimately, the Towering Waves proved more powerful, dissipating the massive Sandstorm.
"SPLAT!"
The murky water crashed down heavily, sending spray flying in all directions.
Even the students sitting in the front rows felt the spray on their skin, shouting and cheering in excitement.
On the arena, however, Liu Yuhang showed no sign of relief.
"Xue Li, watch out!"
"QUACK!"
Xue Li swiftly ducked and rolled.
"THWACK—"
The next moment, a swift Furious Sand Blade pierced through the curtain of water with a whistle, gouging the spot where Xue Li had just been standing.
Liu Yuhang broke out in a cold sweat.
He had only seen this skill in the [Hair Growth Group]’s private chat. In the video, Yu Bao was being trained by Wanzi; he’d heard it was an original skill Yu Bao had developed.
Only now, standing here in person, could he feel just how fast that strike was.
Even Xue Li, in its current state, had only barely managed to dodge it!
"SWOOSH—"
A dark shadow shot out from the lingering mist.
In mid-air, Yu Bao activated Desert Concealment and charged toward Xue Li at incredible speed.
The Hao Waterfowl excelled at ranged damage, but was weak in close-quarters combat. Otherwise, Xue Li wouldn’t have been sent flying by Yu Bao’s kick during that first quiz.
’If I can just close the distance, I can establish a combat rhythm that favors me!’
"AWOOF!"
Yu Bao aimed both its legs at Xue Li.
Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Double Kick!
This time, however, Yu Bao didn’t end the fight as it had four weeks prior.
Faced with the ferocious Skybound Strike, Xue Li reacted with incredible speed, leaning back to dodge it.
At the same time, it snapped its beak shut, catching both of Yu Bao’s feet.
Then, to the utter shock of Yu Bao, Su Zhi, and all the spectating students, Xue Li performed a massive windmill throw, flinging Yu Bao high into the air.
The stands erupted in an uproar.
But Class 10 was dead silent.
Everyone knew their class academic representative was strong, but they also thought he wasn’t *that* strong.
In everyone’s minds, Liu Yuhang had always been "better than the average person, but unable to touch the level of a genius."
If hard work was that effective, what would be the point of talent?
But today, their representative’s performance had completely shattered all their stereotypes.
It turned out that someone who worked hard enough could truly stand up to a genius.
After a long silence, someone couldn’t help but ask, "Isn’t the Hao Waterfowl supposed to be a glass cannon...?"
"That’s true. Generally speaking, close-quarters combat is indeed the Hao Waterfowl’s shortcoming."
Shao Ya leaned over the stands’ railing, her azure eyes reflecting the Envoy’s Pets on the arena.
"But he and Xue Li, through sheer diligence, have turned that weakness into a strength."
"Damn, that’s insane... just from hard work alone?"
"Of course."
Shao Ya smiled gently, her eyes filled with admiration.
"Being able to work harder than anyone else is a talent in itself!"
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