Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Raging Sand Versus Vines

The peculiar sand shield blocked the entire Flying Leaf Storm hurtling toward Yu Bao.

The fallen leaves, now coated in sand, swirled in the air. The yellow and green spun and blended, looking like a watercolor painting.

WHOOSH!

Yu Bao stomped, and the Quicksand Shield shot out, flying rapidly toward Xiaoyue.

Xiaoyue leaped aside to dodge. The Quicksand Shield slammed into the Energy Wall at the edge of the arena, making a heavy thud like a dump truck crashing.

"THUD—"

There weren’t many people in the venue, and the sound of striking sand and gravel echoed through the room for a long time.

The sparring attendant was in the middle of making coffee when he saw this. He jolted so hard he spilled coffee all over his crotch without even realizing it.

A huge question mark appeared over his head.

’That Pet Beast... it’s a Yu Dian Dog, right?’

’Do Yu Dian Dogs even learn this Skill? Wait... does this Skill even exist?’

’It looks exactly like Flowing Shield!’

’So...’

’Is that little dirt dog actually a duck??’

On the stage, Xiaoyue glared at Yu Bao, its heart still pounding with fear.

’Alright, you dumb little dog, you’re actually playing for real!’

Numerous pale green Energy Light Arrays materialized around Xiaoyue.

Countless vines surged forth like writhing serpents, blotting out the sky as they descended upon Yu Bao.

This was far more violent than the drill last Saturday.

A full-powered Tier Two Vine Fury. Masses of tough vines sealed off Yu Bao from every angle, leaving almost no chance to break through.

It was suffocating, unbeatable, hopeless.

This was the true power of Xiaoyue’s mastered Vine Fury!

Yu Bao didn’t even have time to activate Desert Concealment before it was swallowed by the surging green tide and tightly encased.

If this were a real battle and Xiaoyue had been going for the kill, the Pet Beast inside would have suffocated in moments.

This was a spar, so of course, Xiaoyue left Yu Bao some room to struggle, but it still sealed the vine prison as tightly as possible.

’First, I’ll scare this dumb little dog. Once he’s about to give up all hope, I’ll pretend to have an opening and let him out...’

"PFFT!"

A muffled slicing sound suddenly rang out. A large gash was instantly torn through the tough vine barrier that was Xiaoyue’s pride and joy.

The Furious Sand Blade, like a box cutter slicing through thick cardboard, tore through the vines and continued onward with unabated power, speeding toward Xiaoyue.

’What is that?!’

Xiaoyue’s eyes widened in an instant.

’Is that a Sandstorm? No, compared to a Sandstorm, it lacks that same overwhelming presence...’

’But it’s faster, and stronger!’

With no time to dodge, Xiaoyue could only hastily mobilize its vines to defend.

But the vines that swarmed before the Furious Sand Blade were all cleanly severed, offering not even a hint of resistance.

Only when the Furious Sand Blade was nearly upon Xiaoyue did the ceaseless stream of vines finally manage to neutralize the attack.

And Yu Bao had already broken out, following the opening created by its Furious Sand Blade!

The sparring attendant was dumbfounded.

He was a graduate of Shanyou University’s theory department, a veteran sparring attendant. What kind of scene hadn’t he witnessed?

This, he had truly never seen before.

Shao Ya, too, covered her mouth in astonishment.

’There are no Skills with similar effects in the Skill Atlas. Could it be that Yu Bao and Su Zhi created it themselves?’

Shao Ya stole a glance at Su Zhi, a newfound layer of admiration and gratification in her eyes.

On the field, Xiaoyue no longer held back—it didn’t dare to. It threw itself into the spar with everything it had.

Yu Bao’s rate of improvement was simply absurd. It had grown exponentially stronger since the exhibition match just two days ago.

It had even gained several mind-boggling new Skills!

Its Pet Beast instincts told it that if it let its guard down for even a moment, it might actually lose!

"SWISH— SWISH—"

Successive, larger-scale uses of Vine Fury were unleashed, blanketing the entire arena.

It was an incredibly versatile Skill, integrating offense, defense, and control. In the past, Xiaoyue could defeat opponents of the same level using nothing but Vine Fury for the entire match.

But against the current Yu Bao, Vine Fury alone was no longer enough!

"FWIP! FWIP!"

A faint, snow-white glimmer appeared in Xiaoyue’s pale green pupils.

In that instant, countless dandelion flowers blossomed on the vines. Snow-white pappi carried seeds drifting in every direction, like a shower of white cherry blossoms.

"Yu Bao, watch out! They explode!"

"Arf!" (*Got it!*)

Yu Bao keenly sensed the danger hidden beneath the beauty and instinctively dodged a cluster of dandelion seeds.

Sure enough, the moment they landed, the seeds swelled violently, bursting in a powerful wave of Energy.

The beautiful dandelions were, in fact, bombs packed with high-pressure Wood Energy!

More and more dandelions exploded on contact, shrouding the entire arena in a spectacular display like blooming fireworks!

"A Wood Element Middle Elite Skill, White Bulb Waltz..."

The sparring attendant, shocked yet again, realized he hadn’t drunk a single drop of his coffee. It was all gone, spilled.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The falling dandelions were endless, and so were the explosions.

Xiaoyue sat perched at the very top of the vines like a forest king, gazing down upon the magnificent scene of destruction amidst wave after wave of explosions.

By now, the sparring attendant had already brewed a new cup of coffee and was watching the scene with a sigh.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. General Shao’s daughter might grow up to be even more formidable than him. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’That little dog and Su Zhi definitely have some tricks up their sleeves, but not enough.’

’In the face of absolute power, all techniques are probably futile.’

However...

On the arena, Xiaoyue, perched atop the vines, narrowed its pale green pupils.

Amidst the ceaseless explosions, a sandy shadow weaved about freely, like a storm petrel in a gale.

Yu Bao had summoned numerous Yellow Earth Walls to trigger the dandelions prematurely, while using Desert Concealment to follow in their wake and break through.

"Yu Bao! Keep this tempo! Pull Xiaoyue into your rhythm!"

"Arf!" (*Got it!*)

In the endless sea of explosions, a path had faintly appeared, leading directly to Xiaoyue at the top of the vines.

"Mrow!" (*I won’t let you!*)

The faint white glimmer in Xiaoyue’s eyes instantly turned crimson.

The unexploded dandelions all turned red as well, swarming toward Yu Bao like a volley of cruise missiles!

White Bulb Waltz: Second Act - Scarlet Rhapsody!

With nowhere left to retreat, Yu Bao activated Desert Concealment, shooting upward.

A flash of triumphant pride glinted in Xiaoyue’s eyes.

’There are no footholds in the air, and that dumb little dog doesn’t have any escape skills besides Desert Concealment.’

’Hmph, that dumb little dog is done for!’

But Yu Bao’s next move left Xiaoyue utterly stunned.

Below its body, a storm of sand and wind suddenly gathered out of nowhere and plunged downward.

The raging sandstorm collided with the scarlet dandelions, causing all of them to detonate at once.

The concentrated cluster of dandelions created an explosion even more powerful than before, blasting a huge gap in the vines covering the arena, like the blooming of a great, fiery jewel.

Xiaoyue’s eyes flew wide open.

’That was a Skill unleashed without the limitation of gathering Energy in its mouth.’

’Its Sandstorm has broken through to Tier Two!’

"SPLASH—"

The sparring attendant’s hand trembled, and the remaining half-cup of coffee soaked his nearly-dry pants all over again.

"SWOOSH!"

Propelled by the blast wave, Yu Bao shot straight up, its pupils reflecting the image of Xiaoyue on the vines above!

Xiaoyue finally stood up on its Throne of vines, though it seemed a little unsteady on its feet.

In the blink of an eye, the two Pet Beasts were upon each other.

Yu Bao had Skybound Strike, and Xiaoyue had formidable Fighting Techniques, but Skybound Strike was a Skill, making it faster than a normal physical attack.

In an instantaneous close-quarters exchange, Yu Bao had the advantage!

Yu Bao raised a hind leg and kicked viciously at its "big brother," its rebellious streak on full display.

Under the heavy blow, Xiaoyue dissolved with a "POP," turning into two vines that fell limply through the air.

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