Chapter 151: 131: The Top Four (Part 1)
A warm, large hand emerged from the darkness and rested on Chen Lingya's shoulder.
Chen Lingya's gaze sharpened, ready to throw a shoulder throw.
"It's me." The voice from behind interrupted her shoulder throw action.
Chen Lingya paused, turned her head to look at her brother, who had appeared behind her at some unknown time, and said annoyed, "How come you make no sound when you walk? Believe it or not, next time I'll throw you so hard you might die."
"I've been standing here all along. You were just too focused to notice me," Chen Xing said.
"Why aren't you staying in the rest area? What are you doing here?"
"Checking if you were crying or not. If you shed some tears, someone has to offer you a tissue. Otherwise, wouldn't that be too miserable?"
"Get lost! I'll see how you fight him later," Chen Lingya scoffed coldly.
Then, as if sensing that her words didn't match the aura she usually presented.
Chen Lingya's expression turned cold, glancing sideways at the three teammates behind her who hadn't contributed at all.
The three teammates, who were completely useless throughout, exchanged an embarrassed look and left with their heads down.
Their Beasts had been defeated as soon as they entered the field, which was too embarrassing.
Making it into the top eight was all thanks to their big sister's lead.
"His Beast Taming skills are very strong. You must be careful when you face him."
"Don't worry, I know."
Chen Xing nodded.
"Don't just know it; to fight him, you have to get past today's opponent first," Chen Lingya said hesitantly. "Are you confident about today's opponent?"
Chen Xing laughed softly. "I was about seventy percent sure, but after sparring with you yesterday and reflecting on it, I now have a ninety percent chance."
"Then give it your all," Chen Lingya said briskly as she left the player's passage.
Watching his sister's departing figure, Chen Xing stood still for a moment then turned back to his team's rest area.
"Junior, what's the plan for when you go on stage later? Still the old plan we discussed yesterday?" Wen Jin asked Chen Xing.
Chen Xing nodded, "Stick to the original plan."
Soon, the third match ended, and the last match of the day began.
Before the match, Chen Xing took some time to give Taotie a pre-match massage and polishing.
The random Pet Posture Correction bestowed two abilities: enhance pet's quality of life (medium speed boost) and improve aesthetics (medium skill power boost).
...
The coach of the Longshang Desert school team tensely instructed his players, "Get your spirits up, the opponents are no vegetarians. Don't let us capsize in the gutter."
"Don't worry, coach," the players responded in unison.
"The tactic is still to gang up four against one, concentrate fire on their crocodile," the coach emphasized again.
Despite their young age, the players' eyes revealed a maturity and experience that belied their years.
As the eight players from both sides ascended their respective command platforms, the match officially commenced at the referee's signal.
In an instant, both sides summoned four Beasts each.
From atop the high platform, Chen Xing gazed across,
the opposing Toad Mountain Beast issued a deep croak, like thunderous rumbling.
Following that, the Toad Mountain Beast stomped fiercely, causing the whole arena to seem to tremble.
Rich earthy yellow auras rapidly congregated in the middle of the field.
Advanced Earth Element field skill—"Earth Pulse Surge, Mounds Take Shape"!
The earth quaked, and then, as if under the pressure of an invisible force, it seemed as though an enormous hand kneaded the ground, raising a mound tens of meters high out of thin air in the center of the field!
Seeing this, Chen Xing didn't hesitate to issue an instruction, "Taotie, use Great Flood!"
Upon hearing the command, Taotie howled towards the sky and then swung its claw fiercely.
A gigantic Water Column descended from behind it, like an incessant mighty river.
In an instant, the entire arena turned into a vast ocean.
The flood collided with the mounds, producing deafening thunderous noises.
Chen Xing's gaze was sharp as he quickly scanned the opposing camp's Beasts—Iron Wall Rock Rhino, Toad Mountain Beast, Falcon Feather Sharp Mantis, and Sky Light Silver Scale Tiger.
These four Beasts each had their own characteristics, forming the combination of the opponent's lineup.
Without a doubt, the Iron Wall Rock Rhino and Toad Mountain Beast were the behemoths of the formation, seated one in front and one behind on the earthen mound, like two insurmountable peaks.
Meanwhile, although the Sky Light Silver Scale Tiger and Falcon Feather Sharp Mantis were relatively smaller in size, they exuded cunning and sharpness, hiding beside the two large Beasts, ready to strike a deadly blow at any moment.
Chen Xing couldn't help but frown in contemplation.
The aquatic area created by the Great Flood had completely surrounded the central mound, turning it into the only piece of land on the field.
Though the opponents had avoided falling into the watery environment,
such a setting was advantageous for Taotie, as it could launch attacks freely in the water.
Chen Xing had a plan in mind; he turned his head to the senior beside him, Wen Jin, and said, "Senior, have your Beast Taming release 'Wildwood Dance' on the opponent's earth mound."
Wen Jin nodded in understanding at the words.
He commanded the Giant Tree Turtle to slowly float to the surface of the water, then advance a distance toward the direction of the earth mound.
Following that, the Giant Tree Turtle began to unleash the Wildwood Dance!
One could see the earth layer on the mound suddenly split open, and countless thick vines grabbed toward the four Beast Tamings above like crazy tentacles.
The Mountain Toad's eyes snapped open, revealing sharp and dangerous glints.
Then, the next second, it disappeared into thin air, leaving only a ripple of fluctuating air waves.
In the sky, a dark shadow passed with the speed of lightning.
Huge gusts of wind howled, as if to devour the whole arena.
The Giant Tree Turtle seemed to sense the impending danger; it quickly tucked its head and limbs into its hard shell, attempting to protect itself. Nonetheless, the powerful impact arrived as expected.
"Boom!!!"
A deafening explosion rang out, and the ground instantly burst into a spray of water. The trees on the back of the Giant Tree Turtle were directly broken by the enormous force, and the fragmented trunks and leaves danced in the air before falling into the water.
The turtle's shell spun as it flew hundreds of meters into the distance, splashing a great amount of water on the surface.
Countless viewers in front of their televisions couldn't help but inhale sharply at this scene.
This Mountain Toad was like a cannonball that could go off at any moment.
Rampaging across the battlefield.
"3." Chen Xing gave the calm order.
The Taotie, that had been lurking in the water all along, responded instantly. It swam rapidly underwater, pulling a long trail behind it.
Thanks to the Taotie's Passive Skill, its body was almost completely invisible in the water, with no specific contours visible, only a vague and transparent current surging forward, rapidly approaching the Mountain Toad.
However, the Mountain Toad's reaction was also exceedingly quick.
It seemed to sense the approach of the Taotie,
and the next second, leaped high, not only easily avoiding the Taotie's attack range but also crossing hundreds of meters before slamming heavily back onto the already heavily injured Giant Tree Turtle.
"Bang!" Another loud noise, and the Giant Tree Turtle was smashed into a daze, its entire shell appearing to fall apart.
The Mountain Toad, with its swollen bulbous eyes, looked at the approaching Taotie with a hint of mockery in its eyes.
It was about to use its incredible leaping ability again to escape the Taotie's pursuit.
The next second, the Taotie's form exploded upward.
Incredibly, it leaped out of the water.
Its massive body displayed an extremely fierce burst of speed, leaping up twenty or thirty meters high.
It bit onto the Mountain Toad's hind leg.
The Taotie's cold little eyes were filled with ferocity, as if to convey a message to the Mountain Toad—do you really think my forty-meter body length is a joke?
Though it was not flexible, this referred to small-scale maneuvering.
In terms of burst speed, the Taotie was second to none.
Its enormous body length signified great strength and attack range, needing only to leap out of the water to easily reach heights of ten or twenty meters.
The Mountain Toad, halfway through its leap, was brutally pulled down to the ground by the Taotie's terrifying maw.
A thudding noise resounded!
Water splashed up in large quantities.
The Mountain Toad, plummeted to the ground, did not give up; its sturdy hind legs kicked crazily in the Taotie's face.
Each kick, capable of easily sending a small car flying, only made the Taotie close its eyelids and bite down even harder.
On the small mound, a slender blue-white silhouette dragged a long shadow behind it.
Like a scalpel, it skimmed the surface of the water, covering hundreds of meters toward the back of the Taotie's head.
Violent sparks flew, and the back of the Taotie's head was sliced open with a half-meter-long gash.
Such a deep wound would be mortal for a Beast Taming of ordinary size, but for the Taotie, it only just penetrated the thick exoskeleton.
Even so, Chen Xing was surprised by the armor-piercing ability of the Sky Cutter Mantis.
Because during last night's sparring, Chi Yu's claws could only leave a few centimeters deep scratches on the Taotie's surface at most.
Chi Yu could only deal damage to the Taotie with its Skills.
The white silhouette grazing past the Taotie's carapace made a U-shaped arc in midair and charged again at the Taotie's eyes.
Almost simultaneously, the Sky Light Silver Scale Tiger on the earth mound opened its wide mouth, and a thick yellow-white Water Column blasted onto the back of the Taotie.
The Taotie's carapace was instantly vaporized in part.
Meanwhile, the Iron Wall Rock Rhino charged, its body covered with a layer of black film, and rushed toward the Taotie with a fierce momentum, stomping through the waves.
In almost an instant, the situation on the field became a four-against-one scenario.