Pretending to watch the ongoing match, Bai Luxin secretly focused her attention on Nuobai.
Her lips curled into a smile; she was clearly in a great mood.
Ever since she discovered that Nuobai didn’t resist being fed, she loved to give her treats whenever she had the chance.
Pinching a Snowflake Ball between her index finger and thumb, she offered it to Nuobai.
Every so often, her finger would brush against a tiny tongue or a sharp tooth, sending a ripple through her heart.
Nuobai was simply too well-behaved. If they weren’t in public, she would have loved to shower her with kisses.
‘If we were at home…’
Bai Luxin couldn’t help but think back. Over the last few days of education, Nuobai had actually run away in embarrassment just because she leaned in close.
That would not do!
She had heard that if kittens weren’t used to being cuddled by their Beast Master when they were young, they wouldn’t be affectionate when they grew up.
So, under the guise of education, she had helped Nuobai get used to it. Looking at her now, the results were excellent. She would have to keep it up.
Nuobai, lying on Bai Luxin’s lap and chewing on a Snowflake Ball, suddenly felt a slight chill on her back.
She turned her head in confusion and met Bai Luxin’s gentle, somewhat dazed eyes.
“Beast Master, what are you thinking about?”
“I was thinking about Nuobai’s heroic posture on the battlefield~”
Her answer was full of smiles and ended with a playful, coquettish lilt that made Nuobai instantly lose her composure.
Not knowing where to put her little paws, she quickly shifted her position to hide her fluster. She turned her head away, not wanting her master to see her embarrassment.
‘At least you have good taste.’
Bai Luxin continued to feed Nuobai. Even though the match on the field was exciting, it didn’t attract a shred of her attention.
No matter how good a match was, it wasn’t as good as the formidable little creature on her lap.
Yes, a formidable little one.
She hadn’t expected Nuobai to make it into the top eight so easily.
For some reason, she always felt like Nuobai was just playing around, as if she weren’t giving it her all and was merely teasing her opponents.
Every time a situation looked dangerous, she always found a way to handle it, as if she were omnipotent.
Perhaps her confidence was contagious.
The opponents from here on would not be easy to deal with. She hoped Nuobai wouldn’t get hurt.
Actually, the top eight was already good enough…
No, in her eyes, Nuobai would always be number one.
“The draw for the semifinals begins now!”
As the announcer, Lily, made the announcement, the audience’s attention shifted to the stage. Bai Luxin also looked up.
“Yuhua Academy’s Dark Water Turtle vs. Yulan Academy’s Three-Eyed Monkey.”
“Yuhua Academy’s Moon Wheel Bird vs. Yuhua Academy’s Snow Joy Cat.”
“Yulan Academy’s Sun Wheel Bird vs…”
The moment the announcement was made, everyone’s first reaction was… a collision?
The Snow Joy Cat had collided with the number one student of her own school.
“An internal war!”
“Who do you think will win?”
“Sigh, even though I support the Snow Joy Cat… there’s no way it can beat the Moon Wheel Bird.”
“I think so too. The Moon Wheel Bird is invincible at this stage. The Snow Joy Cat struggled so much in the earlier rounds… it stands no chance now.”
“Sigh.”
Two spectators who had come specifically for the Snow Joy Cat sighed in unison.
The stadium was filled with noise as everyone gossiped and discussed. They all seemed to lament that the Snow Joy Cat’s journey was coming to an end.
“Nuobai, are you okay?”
Nuobai yawned. What could possibly be wrong?
Noticing the chatter, she thought Bai Luxin was afraid she would lose.
“Don’t worry, Beast Master. I won’t lose.”
Bai Luxin’s lips trembled for a moment, but she didn’t say anything in the end. She gently kneaded the area behind Nuobai’s ears, making the cat squint her eyes in comfort.
The Moon Wheel Bird was the top pet of the academy’s Department of Beast Taming, belonging to Wei Wanqing.
Its Talent was [Moon Wheel], which enhanced its skill effects at night.
Its common skills were the melee [Wing Slash] and the long-range [Moon Blade]. Other skills had not yet been revealed.
Yes, they were unrevealed. Ever since she arrived at Yuhua Academy, her number one rank had never been shaken. No one had been able to force her to use other skills.
The unknown wasn’t the most terrifying part; the Moon Wheel Bird’s air superiority in the early stages was too massive an advantage.
Most Beast Pets could only take a beating passively without any way to fight back.
As long as it took to the sky, a series of [Moon Blade] attacks would be enough to finish off any opponent.
This was going to be a match that was impossible to win…
“Beast Master, I’m heading up.”
“Nuobai.”
Seeing her still-confident look, Bai Luxin swallowed the words urging her to give up.
“…Good luck.”
Having received her master’s encouragement, Nuobai didn’t say anything, but the tip of her tail flicked more cheerfully.
Wei Wanqing walked onto the field with her Moon Wheel Bird. She looked very refined and quiet, like a young girl who had just stepped out of a library.
She would have looked perfectly in place if she were holding a book.
“The match between Moon Wheel Bird and Snow Joy Cat begins!”
“Moon Wheel Bird, take flight.”
Nuobai watched as Wei Wanqing gave the order. There was nothing she could do; the initial distance between the two sides was too great. No matter how fast she was, she couldn’t pounce on the Moon Wheel Bird before it flew up.
Rather than attacking recklessly and becoming a sitting duck while having no leverage in mid-air, it was better to wait for another opportunity.
No one knew she had [Light Arrow] and [Shadow Bolt] yet. She would just wait to counter-attack.
Wait…
No one knew!
Did she forget to tell Bai Luxin as well?
‘Oh no, am I going to get “educated” again?’
Seeing Nuobai get distracted, Wei Wanqing wondered if it was a trick.
Over the past two days, Nuobai had been thoroughly researched. She was extremely fast, and her [Sharp Claw] proficiency was very high.
‘Does she want to lure me into using Wing Slash so she can counter with Sharp Claw and pull the Moon Wheel Bird down?’
‘If so, then I’m sorry.’ She had no intention of fighting in close quarters.
“Moon Wheel Bird, [Moon Sand].”
As the Moon Wheel Bird flew through the sky, layers of crystal-clear [Moon Sand] filled the arena. For a moment, the field became breathtakingly beautiful.
Nuobai snapped out of it and felt her body become slightly stiff. She was clearly being affected by the Moon Wheel Bird’s skill.
Wei Wanqing actually hadn’t launched a sneak attack. She was quite honorable, so Nuobai decided to be a bit more serious to show respect to her opponent.
Despite thinking this, Nuobai remained motionless, seemingly having given up the struggle.
Secretly, her attention was highly focused on the Moon Wheel Bird. Her muscles were tense, ready to react at any moment.
Once the [Moon Sand] was set up in the arena, Wei Wanqing commanded the Moon Wheel Bird to use [Moon Blade].
A crescent-shaped, moon-white blade sliced through the mist formed by the [Moon Sand] and flew toward Nuobai.
For others, the [Moon Blade] would be difficult to dodge, but Nuobai evaded it with ease.
‘Probably Expert level, very close to Perfection,’ Nuobai critiqued in her mind while dodging. Then, she felt something was wrong.
‘The common skill of the academy’s top student’s pet hasn’t reached the Perfection level?’
On the field, Nuobai always stood on the side illuminated by the sunlight, while the Moon Wheel Bird remained in the shadows.
Watching the low-intensity battle of “you attack, I dodge,” Lily curiously asked Dr. Qin for his insight.
“Dr. Qin, the Moon Wheel Bird doesn’t seem to be attacking with full force. Is Wei Wanqing also a cat lover, so she’s going easy on the Snow Joy Cat?”
Qin Rui was not so optimistic. “Wei Wanqing isn’t going easy. On the contrary, she is attacking without holding anything back.”
He continued to explain, “In the Beast Tamer Peak Competition twelve years ago, there was also a contestant who had a contract with a Moon Wheel Bird.”
“At that time, her opponent was a Stalker Demon Spider. Because the opponent was too fast, the Moon Wheel Bird fell into the awkward situation of being unable to hit its target.”
“It was then that the combo move of Moon Sand and Moon Blade, [Moon Thread Binding], appeared on the field for the first time.”
“Using Moon Sand to control the field and Moon Blade to force movement, they eventually formed the powerful crowd-control skill [Moon Thread Binding], before using a finishing move to defeat the opponent.”
“Student Wei Wanqing is currently replicating that scene.”
As he explained, Qin Rui thought to himself.
‘Nuobai, oh Nuobai. Can you realize it? Once the layout reaches its final stage, it’ll be too late even if you do.’
Thanks to Dr. Qin’s explanation, everyone watching from a bird’s-eye view realized it too. The Moon Wheel Bird was forcing Nuobai to stay within a certain range.
“Multiple [Moon Blade]!”
In an instant, the Moon Wheel Bird released six attacks simultaneously. Nuobai dodged them one by one, eventually stopping right in the middle of the six attacks.
Wei Wanqing’s gaze sharpened. “Moon Wheel Bird!”
“[Moon Thread Binding]!”