...

The next day, the municipal battle arena was exceptionally lively.

Reporters from every station and agency had been in position since early morning.

The organizing committee entered through the main gate and took their seats on the main dais in succession.

They were followed by officials of all ranks, scouts from major elite universities...

Finally, the circular grandstands were opened. Guided by staff, tens of thousands of lucky citizens filed in, filling the stands to capacity.

This was one of the few times a year the stands would be completely full.

In addition, all of Huai City’s television stations would broadcast the competition, allowing hundreds of thousands of citizens unable to attend in person to watch remotely.

After more than a century of tradition, the City-Wide High School League had long since become one of Huai City’s festivals, drawing massive attention every year.

Huai City had even written a city-wide public holiday during the league into local law, making it easier for citizens to follow the matches.

In truth, in the Beast Taming Era, every city had similar laws and customs.

"Hello to all our friends in the Ring 007 stream! The 156th Huai City-Wide High School League is about to begin!"

"I’m your host for Ring 007, Lu Dongjie, and it’s my honor to be commentating on this event for you all!"

In a commentary booth on the second floor of the arena, the host held a microphone, the Huai City emblem stuck to his left cheek. He had the look of a bright and cheerful young man.

The bullet comments flooded the screen—

[Frost Shadow Qtm: Ahhh, the host is so good-looking, I’m dead.]

[kuoki’s Bob: Is this cutie only commentating on one match? If you’re not in the later ones, I’m not watching!]

[-Yuren-: Just asking, does the host accept guys?]

"Thank you all for your enthusiastic support~" Lu Dongjie said, nodding and smiling at the audience.

As the vice-minister of the No. 1 High School’s New Media Department, Lu Dongjie had successfully secured the opportunity to commentate for Ring 007. After his interview with Su Zhi, this was the most exciting thing that had happened to him!

Of course, he automatically ignored the "fencing" invitations in the comments.

"As for how long I’ll be commentating, that all depends on the performance of the contestants in Ring 7.

"If the contestant who advances from Ring 7 performs exceptionally well, then we might get to follow them and commentate on their next round.

"So you’ve got to make us proud, Ring 7!"

Lu Dongjie pumped his fist with passionate fervor.

[Frost Shadow Qtm: One or two rounds might be doable, but it’ll be tough after that. None of the four seeded contestants are in Ring 7.]

[Annihilation: Ring 7 is probably a no-go, right? Some scrub from No. 3 High and an independent entrant.]

[kuoki’s Bob: @ the user above, I’m from No. 3 High. What’s your problem with us?]

[Wandering Scholar: To think this humble little Ring 7 has gathered two ’hidden geniuses’ like this. The host’s luck is just off the charts.]

"Ahaha, you’re all so humorous..." Lu Dongjie forced a smile, though he was crying on the inside.

’Damn it. The greater the excitement, the greater the disappointment.’

’The bullet comments were actually right. Compared to the other rings, the two in my ring really are a pair of ’hidden geniuses’...’

’If nothing unexpected happens, my commentating career is probably going to be over very soon.’

Lu Dongjie let out a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.

He had actually been following his junior, Su Zhi, for a while now. After seeing his performance in the qualifiers, he had been beyond excited.

’Back then, he had decided that when it was time to sign up for a commentator slot, he would definitely sign up for Su Zhi’s match!’

However, Su Zhi had been treated unfairly by the school and lost his qualification to compete just like that.

After this incident, many students spoke up for Su Zhi, and one by one, they were punished by the school.

There wasn’t much Lu Dongjie could do, either. He could only use his position to help the students who spoke out, deleting traces of their comments to save them from punishment...

’What a shame about my junior, Su Zhi.’

"Ahem, let’s get to know the two contestants in this match."

Being a semi-professional, after all, Lu Dongjie quickly composed himself and put on his energetic smile again.

"First up is Xu Mingzhi from No. 3 High! His Pet Beast is a Cyan Armor Spider, a Fighting Element Low Level Elite Race!

"Whoa, look at the murderous glint in student Xu Mingzhi’s eyes! As expected of a powerhouse who fought his way through his entire grade to qualify.

"It looks like student Xu Mingzhi is determined to win this first round!"

The bullet comments quickly followed:

[kuoki’s Bob: A pure Fighting Element Low Level Elite Race... that gives him a big advantage in a battle at this level, right?]

[Annihilation: Definitely. It’s hard to end a match with a single Skill in the High School League. The consistency of your offense has a bigger impact on winning.]

[DandanTheNoob: I’m also from No. 3 High, and this is the guy who eliminated me in the qualifiers. Trust me, that independent contestant has no chance. Xu Mingzhi’s Cyan Armor Spider is too fast!]

[Annihilation: [victim_comes_forward_with_testimony.jpg]]

[GummyBear: That’s not a given. We don’t even know who his opponent is yet.]

[DandanTheNoob: ? Wanna bet?! If Xu Mingzhi doesn’t win, I’ll eat a hundred eggs today!]

[Golden Rare: The betting’s open, the betting’s open! I’m all in on Xu Mingzhi from No. 3 High.]

[Annihilation: +1]

[kuoki’s Bob: +1]

"Betting on Pet Beasts is discouraged. Please help maintain a positive comment environment~"

Lu Dongjie reminded them with a smile.

’Of course, that was just lip service. How could you not bet on a match like this? He even placed some secret bets himself.’

’I’ll see what the opponent is like in a bit. If they look like a scrub, I’ll bet on Xu Mingzhi too.’

Neither the audience in the stream nor Lu Dongjie himself had high hopes for the so-called independent entrant.

These types were usually from families with a bit of money who hadn’t even attended a Beast Taming High School. On a whim, they’d buy a Pet Beast and a wildcard entry, thinking they’d make a name for themselves at a major tournament.

Expecting this kind of amateur thrill-seeker to beat an honor student from a Beast Taming High School was basically unrealistic.

Lu Dongjie flipped through his notes:

"Our second contestant is an independent entrant, name... Su Zhi. Pet Beast... a Yu Dian Dog?!"

Lu Dongjie shuddered.

He hadn’t looked closely after the commentary booths were assigned. Without clicking into the backend interface, he could only see the prefixes "No. 3 High" and "Independent Entrant," not the contestants’ real names. So he hadn’t bothered to look...

Now, he wasn’t looking at his screen anymore. He shot up and looked down below the audience stands—

Su Zhi walked onto Ring 7, as calm as ever.

Yu Bao followed him onto the ring, greeting the camera with its trademark smile: ⌓‿⌓

In that moment, Lu Dongjie’s eyes welled up with hot tears. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

’There’s no mistake.’

’That composed aura. Those calm eyes. That smile that makes your blood pressure skyrocket.’

’It really is God Su and Yu Bao!’

The bullet comments had already exploded:

[kuoki’s Bob: What’s going on? Why’s the host so worked up?]

[Annihilation: Probably shocked that someone so garbage would dare to compete. Guess he thinks it’s brave.]

[DandanTheNoob: Well, this is a done deal. A trash Pet Beast like a Yu Dian Dog...]

[Frost Shadow Qtm: Xu Mingzhi +1]

"My apologies, everyone. I lost my composure for a moment. Let’s continue the commentary."

Lu Dongjie sat back down in his seat.

But this time, a light had ignited in his eyes.

"And also—I’m betting on Su Zhi!"

[Frost Shadow Qtm: ???]

[DandanTheNoob: ?]

[Jade Balance 001: Don’t do it, cutie!]

[Golden Rare: Wait, Su Zhi... it couldn’t be *that* one, could it???]

On Ring 7, the match light turned from red to blue as the Energy Barrier began to form around the perimeter.

Xu Mingzhi stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fierce.

His Beast Taming Talent was [Combat Mastery], which could enhance a Pet Beast’s performance in non-Skill-based combat, allowing it to execute more unpredictable attacks.

Su Zhi had humiliated him so badly yesterday. Today, he would settle the score!

The match light turned from blue to green. The match officially began.

Following its pre-set tactic, the Cyan Armor Spider became a streak of cyan light as it shot toward Yu Bao.

In a flash, the distance between the two Pet Beasts closed rapidly.

But Yu Bao remained perfectly still, like a reef facing a storm.

’Something’s not right.’ Seeing his opponent’s reaction, a thought suddenly struck Xu Mingzhi, and terror instantly filled his eyes.

’Name, Su Zhi. Pet Beast, Yu Dian Dog...’

’Could he be...?!’

"BOOM—"

Before he could process the thought, a raging Sandstorm instantly engulfed half the ring.

The sand and dust settled.

The Cyan Armor Spider lay on the ground, its eight legs facing the sky, knocked out before it could display any of its combat techniques.

The ring referee declared the winner: Su Zhi (Independent Entrant) / Yu Bao.

The timer on the side of the ring stopped simultaneously—00:00:02.51

An instant kill!

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