Monday, September 29th.
The morning sun shone upon the campus of Tianqi Beast Taming High School, and an unusual atmosphere could already be sensed in the air.
As Liu Yi stepped through the school gates, she immediately felt an atmosphere distinctly different from usual.
In the Central Plaza, several large school flags fluttered in the wind, and beneath the flagpoles stood a brand-new electronic billboard, continuously displaying the names and battle photos of the School Team members.
“Liu Yi! Over here!”
Chen Yutong’s voice came from beside the billboard; she was standing with Li Hao, Lin Xiaomeng, and a few others, pointing at the display.
Liu Yi walked over and saw the billboard prominently displaying:
【Tianqi Beast Taming High School · 99th National High School League Participating School Team】
【Third-year Group: Ouyang Qin, Gao Xue, Li Chengying, Chu Qian, Xie Jing】
【Second-year Group: Wei Tan'an, Han Feiyu, Meng Xinghai, Bai Yutang, Qiulan】
【First-year Group: Liu Yi, Song Qingshu, Lu Yiming, Tang Xuejian, Murong Qing】
“Your photo is the biggest one!” Li Chengying appeared from nowhere, excitedly pointing at Liu Yi’s picture on the billboard. “Look, look, this one looks so cool!”
In the photo, Liu Yi stood before the Tower of Trials, with Ziyue crouching at her feet and Chiying hovering beside her, one person and two pets looking steadily at the camera.
“When was this taken?” Liu Yi asked, a little surprised.
“The school magazine editorial department snapped it during an event last Friday,” Chen Yutong explained. “Yin Huaixia was so excited, saying they finally had some usable photos.”
Li Hao leaned in, “I heard the school is really emphasizing the National League this time. Not only did they put up a billboard at the school entrance, but the cafeteria will also provide special nutrient meals for School Team members.”
“That’s a thing?” Liu Yi raised an eyebrow.
“Of course!” Lin Xiaomeng nodded. “I saw the announcement when I passed the cafeteria this morning. It said that to keep the School Team members in top condition, they can enjoy special meals for free starting today until departure.”
The group walked towards the main teaching building as they spoke.
Along the way, Liu Yi felt more gazes from her classmates than usual, but this time it wasn’t pure curiosity or surprise, but rather a look of expectation and trust.
“Go, Liu Yi!”
“You have to win!”
“Bring glory to Tianqi!”
Classmates shouted loudly as they passed by.
Ziyue walked proudly beside Liu Yi, her two tails swaying elegantly.
Chiying’s crimson eyes calmly scanned her surroundings, already accustomed to all of this.
Walking into the First Year, Class A-1 classroom, Yan Xinliu was already in her seat. Seeing Liu Yi enter, she pushed up her glasses. “The School Team’s departure ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow after the third period in the afternoon. All teachers and students will attend.”
“Departure ceremony?” Liu Yi put down her backpack.
“Yes, it’s a tradition,” Yan Xinliu explained. “Every year before the National League, the school holds a departure ceremony for the School Team, where the Principal personally presents the flag. This year, it’s said to be even bigger, and they’ve invited the media.”
She paused, then looked at Liu Yi. “Are you ready?”
Liu Yi thought for a moment, then nodded gently. “Always preparing.”
“That’s good then.” Yan Xinliu’s lips curved slightly upward. “Good luck.”
The morning classes quickly passed.
At noon, Liu Yi followed the directions to the “Special Supply Zone” on the second floor of the cafeteria.
This area was originally the faculty dining section, but it had been temporarily converted for the exclusive use of the School Team.
A prominent sign stood at the entrance, and several School Team members were already seated inside, eating.
“Liu Yi! Over here!” Li Chengying waved her chopsticks, calling out.
Liu Yi walked over with her tray, noticing that the food on it was indeed much more refined than what was offered at the regular counters.
Special pet meals were also laid out before Ziyue and Chiying.
Ziyue’s was a special Ice-type Frostfall Jelly, with several blueberry-sized Ice Crystal Fruits sealed within the clear, translucent jelly.
Chiying’s was an exclusive Dragon-type energy jerky, its meat a tempting golden-red, emitting a faint aroma.
“This treatment is really too good,” Liu Yi chuckled softly.
“You bet!” Li Chengying mumbled, her mouth full of food. “The school really went all out this time. I heard the special meals are up to professional competition standards.”
Gao Xue elegantly cut the steak on her plate. “After all, with the format reforms this year, getting good results would greatly enhance the school’s reputation.”
Ouyang Qin sat at the other end of the long table, her Berserker Bear and Steel-Armored Bear engrossed in their respective meals.
Noticing Liu Yi’s gaze, she nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
“Oh, right,” Li Chengying suddenly lowered her voice. “A few people have been doing extra training very late these past few days. It seems they want to break through before departure.”
“That’s normal,” Gao Xue said, taking a sip of soup. “Who wouldn’t want to perform better in the league?”
Liu Yi nodded thoughtfully.
Just then, Wei Xiuyu walked into the Special Supply Zone. She looked around, her gaze landing on Liu Yi. “Come find me after you finish eating.”
“Okay, Teacher Wei.”
After the afternoon classes, Liu Yi went to the teachers' office.
Wei Xiuyu was standing by the window, holding a document.
Hearing a knock, she turned around. “You’re here? Sit.”
Liu Yi sat in the chair opposite her, with Ziyue and Chiying quietly guarding her side.
“Starting today, you’ll go directly to the training base every day at five in the afternoon,” Wei Xiuyu said directly. “Professor Lin has contacted several Beast Tamers with Advanced pets to serve as your sparring partners in rotation. Each training session will consist of two 1v1 battles, with Ziyue and Chiying taking turns.”
Liu Yi’s eyes lit up slightly. “Really?”
“Yes,” Wei Xiuyu nodded. “You’ve met Xu Yukun, with her Winged Blade Eagle and Thunder-patterned Leopard. Besides her, there are several other Beast Tamers with Advanced pets of different attributes. You need to fully experience various types of Advanced pets before you depart.”
She paused, then added, “But you need to be mentally prepared; these sparring partners won’t go easy on you. You’ll only use one pet each time, and you need to learn how to deal with Level suppression in a 1v1 battle.”
Liu Yi looked at Ziyue and Chiying, and both pets’ eyes gleamed with determined light.
“We’re not afraid.”
...
Five in the afternoon, Special Training Base.
Inside the training hall, Liu Yi stood at the edge of the field, Ziyue by her side, and Chiying hovering in the air.
Professor Lin smiled kindly. “These past few days, I’ve arranged different sparring partners for you to experience various types of Advanced pets. Today’s first one is Meng Tao; his Poison-tail Scorpion is at the Advanced mid-stage.”
A male Beast Tamer, around thirty years old, walked out from the side, accompanied by a giant scorpion that was entirely black.
Liu Yi carefully observed the Poison-tail Scorpion.
It was a giant scorpion over four meters long, its dark carapace covered in dark red patterns. Deep purple venom gathered at the tip of its tail stinger, dripping onto the ground and corroding small pits.
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