He wore a long black robe embroidered with green bamboo, his posture as tall and straight as a pine, a lazy and cynical smile on his lips, and his eyes were clear and bright, yet revealed a wisdom gained from enduring hardships and shedding all worldly desires.

Ji Lan.

The third-place winner of the previous Starsea Cup singles competition.

He was also the third-place winner of the one before that, the one before that, and the one before that.

A veteran SSS-level Beast Master from Longhua Country, he had participated in the Starsea Cup for 9 consecutive terms, winning 3 fourth-place finishes, 1 fifth-place, and 4 third-place finishes.

The 'third-place winner' in the phrase 'champions come and go, but the third-place winner is always there' refers to him.

"Senior Ji Lan?"

Seeing the 'young man' respectfully welcomed in by Fu Yifan, Mingxi was a little surprised and quickly stood up to greet him politely.

Ji Lan smiled and waved his hand, walking in casually, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "I didn't interrupt your preparations, Little Mingxi, did I?"

"No, no, Senior, you're too kind."

Mingxi quickly waved her hand, wondering about his intentions.

Ji Lan, with nine terms of competition experience, naturally couldn't be a normal young man. According to the contestant information, he was already 247 years old.

But looking at his appearance, his attire, his way of speaking, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and lips when he smiled, one could tell that this was an old man with a very youthful mindset.

There were many rumors about him, but none about him threatening other contestants.

So he shouldn't be here to pressure her.

Ji Lan seemed to read her thoughts, smiled, and his gaze swept over the eight world-renowned pet beasts beside Mingxi, a hint of undetectable complexity flashing in his eyes.

His tone was relaxed and natural: "You've seen the schedule, right? You and I are about to face off."

That's right, Ji Lan was Mingxi's opponent in the eight-to-four match.

It was an internal battle for their Dragonflower Country, which was not good for either of them.

But the match results were out, and no one could change them. Mingxi didn't have too many other thoughts.

She could only be ruthless!

"So, Senior, you're here to...?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Mingxi couldn't guess Ji Lan's intention for visiting at this crucial juncture. It couldn't be like Guan Cheng in the national competition, coming to concede to preserve his reputation as a veteran Beast Tamers, could it?

"Don't misunderstand, I just wanted to say hello before the match, as the previous year's third-place winner."

He paused, a hint of self-mockery in his voice:

"Everyone outside says I'm the 'champions come and go, but the third-place winner is always there'.

Heh!

I've competed for so many years, and the highest I've ever reached is a third-place trophy.

I've kept participating because I wanted to break this curse, even if it was just a second-place.

I didn't expect to run into a monster rookie like you in this eight-to-four match. My 'unyielding third-place winner' is probably going to end at your hands.

After this match, won't I be unable to treat you as a junior anymore?

When I thought about it, the idea just wouldn't settle in my mind."

Ah?

<(￣ ﹌ ￣)>???

Was this big shot really here to cause trouble for her?

Then Ji Lan's tone changed, "So, before I lose my senior prestige, I must come and show off in front of you, otherwise there won't be another chance."

Mingxi: (ᗜ ˰ ᗜ)

Ji Lan spoke casually.

But only he knew how sincere his words were.

He had actually been paying attention to this monstrous genius from their Dragonflower Country for a long time.

Because her experience was somewhat similar to his own.

Both came from ordinary families, both were poor, both suffered hardships in their youth, both naturally awakened, and both could only contract unpromising Transcendent creatures due to poverty... They were so similar, yet different.

He wasn't as talented as Mingxi, nor was he as lucky as her.

However, such a small monster, whose talent and opportunities could be called forbidden-level, would be a great joyous event for any country where such an existence was born.

As a qualified and morally sound person from Dragonflower Country, he naturally felt honored.

It was just a little bit of emotion.

Emotions about people having different destinies.

Mingxi looked at this senior seriously. She could feel the sincerity in his words. He wasn't being self-deprecating, nor was he trying to flatter her to death, but rather stating an upcoming fact.

This senior, he really was just here to show off his senior status?

She stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes, then walked in front of Ji Lan, bowed slightly, her attitude solemn and neither humble nor arrogant: "Mingxi, you speak too highly of me.

Regardless of who wins or loses our upcoming match, you will always be a respected senior to me, and an idol pursued by countless Beast Tamers. This will never change!"

Ji Lan was not just a simple big shot; he was a true idol in the hearts of countless commoner Beast Tamers.

He was born into an ordinary working-class family in Dragonflower Country. Both his parents were ordinary people who hadn't awakened. His family, let alone resources, couldn't even afford to buy him a decent pet beast egg.

The children of the poor learn early to manage the household.

Ji Lan understood his parents' difficulties from a young age and felt even more for them. After he naturally awakened, he didn't force his parents to buy him expensive and rare pet beast eggs.

Instead, he chose a common house bug pet beast egg, which cost less than ten thousand star coins and was the cheapest at the local pet beast breeding center.

Without resources or background, relying on a pure love for pet beasts and an extraordinary spirit of research, he grew into the Ji Lan he is today.

Even though he fought in the Starsea Cup for many years and was repeatedly stopped at the semifinals, no one mocked his divine position as unstable.

Lord Lan, is a true god in the hearts of millions!

Not only because he came from a commoner family and grew to where he is today almost entirely on his own.

But also because he is the only Beast Tamers whose contracted pet beasts are all the most common and ordinary Transcendent creatures, without a single rare species.

Even after he became famous and held vast resources, he never changed his original intention.

He is a commoner Beast Tamers, dedicated to reaching the peak of Beast Tamers with the most ordinary and common pet beasts, allowing commoner Beast Tamers to also see the scenery from the world's highest peak.

To let them understand that even if they are born ordinary, they can still make the most brilliant and beautiful flowers bloom among the cliffs and precipices!

Ji Lan is not just a name.

It is a belief.

This senior deserves Mingxi's respect.

Seeing the girl's solemnity and sincerity, a hint of admiration flashed in Ji Lan's eyes, and he laughed heartily: "Old Ding said you were a girl as clear as a mirror, and he was absolutely right."

Mingxi raised an eyebrow.

Old Ding?

Ding Buxiu?

She hadn't realized that serious uncle thought so highly of her.

Tsk.

Still a tsundere.

"Alright! It's almost our turn to compete, so I won't bother you any further. See you on the field!"

He stood up and patted the girl's shoulder: "Fight well, let this old senior see how brightly you, this new star, can shine!"

"I will."

Mingxi naturally understood his meaning, an implicit instruction to give her all.

Actually, he was truly overthinking it; she was never one to hold back.

Here, Chu Kuangsheng, who had been repeatedly beaten into a dog, had the most say.

3:30 PM.

After the warm-up of the first two eight-to-four matches, the atmosphere in the arena was unprecedentedly fervent.

Mingxi vs Ji Lan.

Dragonflower Country person vs Dragonflower Country person, an internal battle.

And it was a clash between a rising star and a veteran; one was the darkest horse of this year, the most heaven-defying prodigy of the Alliance, and the other was a perennial third-place winner of the Starsea Cup for several terms, an irreplaceable idol among commoners!

The duel between these two generated immense buzz.

The referee blew the whistle, and the entire stadium watched intently.

"First round, begin!"

"Little Silver Flower, go!"

Mingxi summoned her strongest healer.

In a flash of light, both sacred and majestic, Little Silver Flower, with an angel's upper body and a silver dragon's lower body, and widely spread light wings, elegantly appeared, eliciting gasps of surprise from the audience.

As the Alliance's recognized most beautiful and powerful Transcendent creature, Little Silver Flower's every appearance was a feast of screams.

On Ji Lan's side, he summoned his first contracted pet beast, the Saint-level Bug and Steel dual-type Transcendent creature, Ironclad Pupae.

"Fight, old partner!"

Ironclad Pupae, in its primary form as a common house bug, is one of the most widespread Transcendent creatures in Dragonflower Country. Statistics show that 23.3% of Beast Tamers nationwide have contracted this pet beast.

That's nearly a quarter of the total population.

Before Ji Lan's emergence, the peak of this pet beast's evolutionary chain was only King-level, with very limited potential.

But Ji Lan, through his efforts, repeatedly venturing into high-risk secret realms, painstakingly made his common house bug evolve into a new form at the General-level, the King-level Steel-headed Grub, thereby gaining a brand new future.

However, even with the new form, and despite Ji Lan never giving up, the Steel-headed Grub stopped at the Saint-level Steel-armored Pupae, unable to evolve further for many years.

The Steel-armored Pupae's carapace displayed a dark golden luster, having undergone countless trials, its surface as smooth as a mirror, refracting strange halos. Its size was even larger than Miao Miao Sheng's Ice Crystal Behemoth, Yemilu, and its aura was as heavy as a mountain.

Although the Steel-armored Pupae seemed to have reached the limit of its species evolution, its strength was not weaker than any Venerable-level creature.

Through Ji Lan's unremitting cultivation, this Steel-armored Pupae possessed incredible defensive power, resistance to abnormal statuses, and powerful endurance.

It was the vanguard of Ji Lan's philosophy of 'creating miracles with the ordinary'.

Upon its appearance, the audience also gave it enthusiastic cheers and applause!

Its momentum was by no means weaker than that of Little Silver Flower's fans!

Mingxi's expression was solemn, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

She knew deeply that Ji Lan's 'unyielding third-place winner' title wasn't just something the common people had hyped up!

He was very strong!

Not just ordinarily strong!

If she underestimated him because of his pet beast's commonness, then she would be very close to defeat.

"Match start!"

"Dragon's Rage, test."

Mingxi made the first move, a domineering wave of Dragon-type energy blasting towards the Ironclad Pupae.

Ji Lan looked at the awe-inspiring Little Silver Flower, his eyes calm, even with a hint of composed smile.

He whispered: "Harden."

A flash of light enveloped the Ironclad Pupae, and its carapace became even deeper in color.

Dragon's Rage struck it, leaving only shallow marks, with most of the energy deflected or absorbed!

As expected, it was the Steel-armored Pupae, the Steel-armored Pupae with ultimate defensive capabilities!

"Psychic Power."

Mingxi changed tactics, attempting to control the opponent first with psychic power.

The Ironclad Pupae swayed slightly, but a shimmering light flashed on its carapace, actually interfering with the psychic lock to some extent!

"String Shot."

Ji Lan's command was concise and decisive.

The Ironclad Pupae sprayed extremely viscous, metallic-glowing silk threads, not attacking Little Silver Flower, but quickly weaving a huge, intricate net around itself.

This large-scale net, to some extent, hindered Little Silver Flower's movement and vision.

Mingxi frowned.

As expected of Lord Lan.

In a ground-to-air situation, a pet beast that can only move on the ground is greatly restricted, but covering the entire field with String Shot not only changes the environment but also maximizes the restriction of the opponent's high-speed and high-mobility advantages.

Moreover, these silk threads can also play unexpected roles during the battle.

Killing three birds with one stone!

"Holy Light Guard, Wing Control, Space Flash, Teleport, dodge, destroy threads."

Mingxi analyzed and responded simultaneously.

Little Silver Flower descended to the ground, its light wings forming rotating blades that spread out to destroy the threads.

At the same time, Holy Light shone around its body, increasing special defense, and then it used Teleport and Space Flash alternately to move quickly, avoiding the Steel-armored Pupae's attacks.

"Continue."

Ji Lan did not change his tactics because of Little Silver Flower's steady approach; the Steel-armored Pupae continued to release String Shot.

More and more fine, sticky threads accumulated on ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the ground.

Gradually, Little Silver Flower had no space left to land.

Disengage Wing Control, or be bound by the threads on the ground, one or the other!

Mingxi mused: "It's indeed very tricky."

Even the most ordinary and common skills, in the hands of Ji Lan and his pet beast, could achieve an effect of 1 + 1 > 2.

"Silent Chains!"

Disengaging Wing Control, Little Silver Flower's light wings behind it vibrated, re-coiling and flying back into the air.

Upon hearing Mingxi's command, Ji Lan's expression changed slightly.

He hadn't expected Mingxi to make Luo Xu Jingtian use such a self-harming skill as Silent Chains again.

Did she not care at all about Luo Xu Jingtian's talent being affected?

Mingxi didn't look like the kind of person who would resort to any means for victory either.

Thoughts raced through his mind, but he didn't get distracted by these questions.

Before Mingxi finished speaking, he had already reacted: "Cocoon."

Cocoon, as in 'spinning a cocoon around oneself'.

A high-level Bug-type skill, a relatively special defensive skill.

The moment the command was given, the Steel-armored Pupae switched from String Shot to Cocoon. The chaotic, dense threads on the battle stage, under its rotational pull, quickly wrapped around itself, and a huge white cocoon formed with incredible speed.

The movement, the posture, was incredibly fluid and natural, even smoother than Dongfang Bubai spinning and leaping to put on a bathrobe after bathing!

It turned out Mingxi was wrong; String Shot was never just about killing three birds with one stone!

At the same time, Silent Chains also acted on it, freezing it within the white cocoon.

Time stopped, skills silenced.

Mingxi didn't have time to marvel at Ji Lan's reaction speed and the Steel-armored Pupae's skill connection ability.

The duration of Silent Chains was limited.

Without the cooperation of other pet beasts, Little Silver Flower could only rely on itself.

"Dragon's Might."

"Dragon Breath."

Within the duration of Silent Chains, Little Silver Flower only had time to use two skills.

But the effect was minimal.

Far from Mingxi and Little Silver Flower's expectations!

The Steel-armored Pupae's own defense was already ridiculously strong, and with the protection of the white cocoon, one Dragon Breath only corroded a small part of the white cocoon.

It didn't even scratch the Steel-armored Pupae's skin!