"Ghost Shock??" Su Zhi said in surprise. "Isn’t that a Ghost Element skill?"

"That’s right. But Pet Beasts can learn skills outside of their own Attributes! Fellow Daoist Su, your Beast Taming Dao has deeply inspired me!"

Peng Kai’s face was filled with fanaticism.

’Since when was my Beast Taming Dao like that...?’ Su Zhi opened his mouth, speechless.

Seeing Yu Bao’s thoughtful expression, Diya felt a thrill of satisfaction.

It had always been Yu Bao taking advantage of the information gap to shock him. Today, he finally got to shock Yu Bao for a change!

"Sa!"

’Brace yourself, my friend Yu Bao!’

’Even though you gave me those delicious spicy strips, for the glory of the Nether Flame Spirits, I must defeat you here!’

Diya raised its claws, forming an arrowhead of purplish-red flame and sending it whistling toward Yu Bao.

Nether Flame·Blade Form, a Low Level Elite Skill of both the Fire and Telekinesis Elements, possessing considerable Defense-breaking Ability and attack speed.

It had repeatedly observed Yu Bao’s Furious Sand Blade, which seemed to be an imitation of this very move.

Faced with the menacing flame, Yu Bao raised its paw and summoned a Yellow Earth Wall to block it.

A look of disdain appeared on Diya’s face.

’How naive of Yu Bao, trying to block my Strong Attack with such a garbage Defense Skill.’

’Nether Flame·Blade Form inherently has an Armor Piercing effect. Never mind a Yellow Earth Wall—even a Quicksand Shield might not withstand it!’

"FWOOSH!"

The purplish-red flame struck the Yellow Earth Wall, leaving a spiderweb of cracks on its surface but failing to penetrate it.

Behind the Yellow Earth Wall, the corners of Yu Bao’s mouth tilted up in a slight smirk.

’Sorry, we failed to penetrate their armor~’

"Sa?!" Diya took two tactical steps back, feeling its entire worldview begin to crumble.

’What’s going on? My Nether Flame·Blade Form couldn’t even get through a Yellow Earth Wall?’

’No, wait...’

’Is that thing of Yu Bao’s really a Yellow Earth Wall?!’

The elders below began to discuss amongst themselves:

"Diya’s Nether Flame·Blade Form has been at Tier Two for a long time. A typical Tier Two Defense Skill shouldn’t be able to stop it..."

"The defensive Effect shown by Yu Bao’s Yellow Earth Wall is approaching that of a Tier Two Flowing Shield. How on earth did it manage that?"

"No, the energy consumption for a Flowing Shield isn’t trivial, but Yu Bao’s Yellow Earth Wall consumes far less. Its cost-effectiveness is much higher than a Flowing Shield..."

"It’s simply incredible..."

"Here you go, everyone, have some tea!"

"Thanks, Old Yan."

The kind-hearted Yan Dingyi brought tea to each of the elders. Seeing everyone holding a cup of hot tea, he nodded in satisfaction.

As if remembering something, he then glanced toward the white-haired girl in the back row.

Shao Ya sat with her legs crossed, her azure-blue eyes reflecting the firelight from the arena, glittering from time to time.

Her gaze alone held unwavering trust, never changing.

"Yu Bao, counterattack with Furious Sand Blade!"

The roles of attacker and defender had reversed. Su Zhi decisively issued the order to counterattack.

Yu Bao unleashed its Furious Sand Blade. A volley of three maintained a dense barrage of firepower, shooting at Diya without pause.

"Sa!"

Diya could only rely on its superior speed to dodge.

’Nether Flame Spirits aren’t a Race known for defense; a head-on clash would be foolish. Preserving my strength is the current meta...’

"SWOOSH!"

A fierce wind whistled from behind. Startled, Diya dodged on instinct, tilting its head.

The Furious Sand Blade grazed past, and the near-miss was enough to make the ball of flame break out in a cold sweat.

A Tier Two Furious Sand Blade could change direction after missing, adjusting its trajectory until it hit its opponent!

Activated by Thick Earth Blessing, the Skill’s precision and maneuverability were enhanced even further.

If guiding it before was like steering with a button-based remote control, now it was as easy as dragging a mouse!

Diya was completely stunned. ’What is this, an intercontinental ballistic missile?’

"Sa!"

Faced with the relentlessly pursuing Furious Sand Blades, Diya gritted its teeth, and a purplish-red Energy Light Array began to circle its body.

’Furious Sand Blade is nothing! I’ll just take it with Refusing Flame Blessing!’

’Yu Bao broke ten layers of Refusing Flame Blessing in one go during the finals, but that was only because it was performing way above its usual level. There’s no way it can do that again—’

"CRACK!"

As Diya watched, dumbfounded, a Furious Sand Blade with its tip coated in Golden Light effortlessly shattered the Refusing Flame Blessing and continued its assault.

Unlike a normal Furious Sand Blade, this one possessed a stronger Armor Piercing Ability and a superior tracking Effect.

None of Diya’s defensive measures could block it, and none of its evasive maneuvers could shake it off.

"QAQ Sa!!!"

Diya scrambled around the arena in a panic, a swarm of Furious Sand Blades chasing its tail. Finally, in a flash of desperate genius, it ran to the edge of the stage, spun, and leaped.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

The Furious Sand Blades, unable to turn in time, slammed into the Energy Barrier, causing the orange-yellow shield to flicker erratically before the assault finally ceased.

’So scary...’

Diya shivered with belated fear.

Peng Kai frowned as well, his gaze shifting to Yu Bao, his expression suddenly becoming intensely serious.

’Looks like Fellow Daoist Su and Yu Bao have been figuring out a lot of things I can’t comprehend. Fighting an opponent like this is incredibly stressful.’

’No, I can’t give him any more chances to show off. I have to end this battle quickly!’

"Sa!"

Diya simplified its approach, spreading its claws. Its Nether Flame Body slowly emerged from within its Flame Body, glowing brighter and brighter.

Nether Flame Spirit Core Skill, Ghost Explosion Shockwave!

"BOOM—"

The purplish-red wave of light engulfed Yu Bao’s form. The aftershocks of the Ghost Explosion Shockwave crashed against the Energy Barriers around the arena, causing the Energy Barrier to flicker violently.

Diya knew, of course, that an attack of this level couldn’t finish Yu Bao, just as a flood cannot dislodge a reef.

But taking the hit directly would still be taxing, and that would be Diya’s chance!

"SWISH—"

The Ghost Explosion Shockwave instantly dissipated. Diya, having readjusted with extreme speed, charged toward Yu Bao.

This was one of the signs of a Skill Level about to break through to Tier Three—the ability to deploy and retract one’s power freely.

No matter how immense the Skill’s power or cost, it could be adjusted at will, minimizing the openings created by its wind-up and recovery.

Yu Bao had just withstood the Ghost Explosion Shockwave. It would be difficult for it to readjust its defensive posture in such a short time, and this was Diya’s chance to break through its defenses!

In the blink of an eye, Diya had flashed behind Yu Bao.

As punishment for the spicy strips, Peng Kai often made Diya practice shuttle runs. It had now successfully trained its back-and-forth dashes to a level of pure perfection.

’Brace yourself, my friend Yu Bao!’

’Let me use the progress you brought me to defeat you!’

However, the moment the Ghost Explosion Shockwave completely dissipated and Yu Bao’s form was revealed, Diya froze for an instant.

Yu Bao indeed hadn’t had time to readjust its defensive posture, but now, there were three identical Yu Baos standing before it.

’Did it sense my intention and instinctively use Sand Shadow Guard to create a diversion?’

’Which one is the real body?’

In a split second, Diya rapidly observed and analyzed, quickly locking onto the middle Yu Bao, which was emitting a faint Golden Light.

It had watched yesterday’s finals, where Yu Bao had awakened Thick Earth Blessing on the spot and turned the tables to defeat 004.

And in its memory, the Sand Shadow Guards were incapable of using any Skills.

’Found you!’

With a look that screamed ’The advantage is mine,’ Diya launched a full-power Nether Flame Spike at Yu Bao.

’Thick Earth Blessing drastically increases a Yu Dian Dog’s Defense Power and condition. A normal attack would struggle to break through its defense. Only by going all out is there a chance!’

’As they say, the arena leaves no room for the timid. Victory belongs to the bold and—’

"POOF—"

"Sa???"

To Diya’s astonishment, the Yu Bao empowered by Thick Earth Blessing disintegrated under its punch, crumbling into a pile of dust.

"Woof."

The Yu Bao on the left kicked it.

Diya scrambled to parry, but the Yu Bao on the left also dissolved into sand and vanished.

"BONK—"

The Yu Bao on the right delivered a headbutt.

Diya was knocked flat on the ground, unable to get back up. Yu Bao circled the downed Diya, spinning excitedly.

"SPLASH—"

The sound of tea being spilled echoed through the audience, immediately followed by a chorus of sharp, hissing gasps...

Yan Dingyi took a satisfied sip of his fragrant tea. His deed was done; he flicked his sleeves and went, merit and fame concealed.

[Assignable Attribute Points: 0.14...0.22]

Snapping out of his state of intense concentration, Su Zhi let out a breath of relief.

His gaze traveled to the audience, past countless figures, and landed on the very last row.

The girl with long, bright white hair tilted her head, winked her right eye, and gave him a thumbs-up.

’A beautiful win~!’

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Day 12 of updating 10,000 words daily!