Astral Pet Store (WN)
chapter-331

Chapter 331 Instant Victory!

Qin Shaotian curled his lips.

The girl wore a genuinely nervous expression. Otherwise, he would have thought she was deliberately taunting him.

Did you win?

You almost killed me!

You almost killed the judge!

Did you win?!

What kind of win did you want? Were you hoping to see me get down on my knees and beg for mercy?

The judge—who was about to summon his pets to protect his life-became speechless upon hearing her question. He noticed how the ghastly dragon’s killing intent had died down. Finally, he exhaled in relief. Then he put on a mocking smile because he, the gentleman, had just wished he could hurl a few curse words at the girl. A girl who was about the same age as his daughter.

Anyways, the girl had managed to take control of the dragon in time. Otherwise, he couldn’t even begin to think what that arrow would do!

“Yes, you won.”

The judge heaved a sigh in a bitter mood. He felt a chill on his back, which was thoroughly soaked with cold sweat. The bitterness in his mood deepened further.

“Are you serious?”

Su Lingyue sounded in disbelief.

I won after only hiding in the ice for a little bit?

So soon?

Suddenly, she noticed what happened to the judge and his missing arm. She stared at him in a daze for a second. “Sir, your arm…” The judge shook his head and waved his remaining hand. “Not your fault.”

Yes, his arm had been torn off but it could grow back with the help of a ninth-rank healer pet. Of course, he would have to spend a lot of money.

“??”

Su Lingyue did not understand. Not my fault?

It sounded like she had something to do with the judge’s missing arm…

Wait a minute.

Su Lingyue stood aghast with wide-open eyes.

Did I do this? No. Did the Moonfrost Dragon do this?!

How is that possible!

She knew that the Moonfrost Dragon was powerful but the judge was a titled battle pet warrior!

Besides, she was fighting against Qin Shaotian. Why would the judge be involved?

The Moonfrost Dragon couldn’t have missed the target by such a large margin! Anyways, wasn’t it against the rules to hurt the judge?

But then again, it had been announced that she was the winner, so it looked like she didn’t break any rules. The judge should have been careful, shouldn’t he? He should have better judgment since he was a titled battle pet warrior. Look at Qin Shaotian. He didn’t even get hurt…

The more Su Lingyue thought about it, the more curious she was. She wondered what the battle had been like. She had stayed behind the protection of the Goddess of Ice for the entire time, oblivious to everything. She had no idea about what had happened. The only thing she knew about the battle was at the time when the Goddess of Ice was under attack. She heard some cracking sound, which made her nervous. She had thought the Moonfrost Dragon was losing.

“Frosty, how much strength did you use?”

Su Lingyue asked the Moonfrost Dragon in her mind. Frosty was her nickname for the dragon. She couldn’t call its full name every time. Besides, Moonfrost Dragon wasn’t exactly its name, but the name of its race. It was like a person going by the name ‘human being’.

The Moonfrost Dragon lowered its head and gave Su Lingyue a vague answer.

“About eighty percent?”

The contract helped their communication. She was surprised that the Moonfrost Dragon had not exerted its full strength yet. Her opponent turned out to be much weaker than she thought.

The images of Qin Shaotian’s previous battles leaped into her mind. She realized that it wasn’t because Qin Shaotian was weak, but because Frosty was too formidable and much more powerful than she had imagined!

The day before, Su Ping had taken her away so she could see the Moonfrost Dragon demonstrating its full strength. Still, she had merely seen how much destruction the Moonfrost Dragon could inflict. She only had a vague idea that the Moonfrost Dragon might be able to compare to the titled rankers.

But as for the specific level of the Moonfrost Dragon’s skills and how powerful Qin Shaotian actually was, she had no idea. After all, her rank was too low to tell the differences. Besides, Qin Shaotian’s previous performance had been stunning. He was much more powerful than an average sixth-rank battle pet warrior.

He’s right. Frosty can basically defeat anyone as long as my opponent does not have abilities at the upper position of the ninth rank… Su Lingyue though, then turned to look at someone in the audience.

She saw the calmness in that guy’s eyes and her mind settled down as well. She had defeated Qin Shaotian and had tided over a difficult patch. She had officially become one of the Top 10 winners!

She was one more step closer to winning the championship!

At the same time, the working staff had finally managed to open the seal.

The seal rippled as it was deactivated.

The judge didn’t hear any people cheering. He looked around and saw grave expressions on all the people present; all of them were clueless about what had happened. The judge flew up and announced the result again.

“Su Lingyue won!”

The judge forced himself to deliver the news in a calm voice, but he used his astral powers to amplify his voice so that everyone in the venue could hear him.

A few seconds later, people started to come around. Still, they were in astonishment and overwhelmed by disbelief but someone with faster reactions had begun to shout out in joy.

Gradually, more and more people joined in the cheering. Their loud shouts of excitement could topple the mountains and overturn the

seas.

Everyone was shouting the same name. Su Lingyue!

She had established her name in one fight!

A fight that had astounded everyone!

She had not only defeated Qin Shaotian, but also disabled the judge’s arm, who was a titled battle pet warrior!

Even the kids of ages four or five in the audience had an idea of how intimidating titled battle pet warriors were. It was unbelievable that a young girl could have hurt the judge like this!

That was another proof of the girl’s power!

The splendid and violent battle had amazed everyone!

A battle like this would be hardly seen in the finals, not to mention when this was just a match to get to the Top 10.

Many people believed that Su Lingyue and Qin Shaotian were the two most powerful participants in this year’s Elite League!

The two of them had met in the same group before the finals. Such a stunning battle could only have taken place this early because of it!

Glory and cheers always belonged to the winner!

On the other hand, the other person on stage was not in such a glamorous mood. He had the eye-catching and horrifying Bloody Servant and two dragons as his secondary pets!

So what?

He had failed anyway. Truth be told, the fact that he had so many pets was another proof of how powerful the winner was!

The moment the seal was opened up, the elder from the Qin family dashed up to the stage to reach Qin Shaotian. “How are you feeling? Any injuries?”

Qin Shaotian looked away from the girl and shook his head at the elder.

Qin Shaotian heard the people’s cheerful chanting. He looked at them and calmness returned to his eyes. The people’s acclaim? He never cared for it. But he would never forget the failure, and the shame this battle had brought to him!

“I lost. I’m still inexperienced,” Qin Shaotian commented coldly.

The elder from the Qin family felt his heart was still fluttering with fear as he thought of the dragon. Even he had sensed pressure and danger from that golden arrow, not to mention Qin Shaotian. That was why the elder had dashed to the stage, throwing caution to the wind and admitting defeat on behalf of Qin Shaotian.

Since he had felt nervous by the prospect of facing the arrow, its potential damage was not something Qin Shaotian could have withstood.

“You have another battle. Do you need to take some rest?” the elder asked.

Qin Shaotian shook his head. “No need. I’m aware of what Liu Jianxin can do. I have seen the video of his match from three years ago. Don’t worry.”

The elder wanted to speak but stopped on second thought. He wanted to tell Qin Shaotian that the next battle would be critical, so it would be for the better to play it safe.

Still, the elder decided not to caution Qin Shaotian. The ability to make sound judgments and decisions was also important. As the person who was going to lead the Qin family in the future, Qin Shaotian would have to deal with this on his own. If he couldn’t even make a correct decision now, he would only suffer more in the future.

Making the wrong call would only mean that he would lose a match. But in the future, a wrong decision could lead to grave consequences! “If you say so.”

The elder of the Qin family cast one more meaningful look at Qin Shaotian but said nothing else; then, he darted a glance to the girl in fear. He remembered what the family head had told him, so he toned down some of the killing intent in him. Without further ado, the elder left the stage.

Qin Shaotian turned to see the girl. “I hope we can have another chance to exchange experiences in the future.”

Su Lingyue was surprised that Qin Shaotian would say those words to her. Besides, she noticed that he said in the future, not in the finals.

She understood what he was implying. Her fondness for Frosty grew deeper.

“I hope so. But I’m still weak. I completely rely on my pets.” Su Lingyue smiled. She wasn’t wrong. She knew what she was capable of. Without Su Ping’s help, she wouldn’t even have a chance to enter the stage.

Qin Shaotian replied with a smile. He knew she was right. But for battle pet warriors, the power of their pets was also their power. She was powerful. End of story.

Since he had nothing else to say, Su Lingyue nodded to him and left the stage.

Deafening cheers resounded through the audience areas.

Hearing the cheers, Su Lingyue was choked up with emotions. She looked around. Countless people were shouting her name.

It was the first time in her life for her to receive this much attention.

Before the Elite League began, every piece of news about her on the internet was negative. People would eye her with contempt when she was recognized on the street. But everything had changed. People were eyeing her with excitement and respect.

Power was the ultimate rule!

She became more determined after remembering Su Ping’s words.

Su Lingyue stepped down from the stage and everyone fixed their eyes on her.

The powerful battle pet warriors from the major families and the government sitting in the front rows kept their solemn gazes on the girl. They weren’t seeing her as a member of the younger generations… but as a person who was almost an equal.

The rank of the girl herself was low but the dragon was intimidating. Those of the major families and the government believed that they wouldn’t win easily in a frontal battle against it, unless they resorted to assassination or sneak attacks. They were sure that the dragon would fight them and inflict serious wounds.

It was horrifying to find that she would have such powers at this young age.

Once the dragon and the girl grew further in the future, even amongst all the titled battle pet warriors, she would be one counted amongst those with the most domineering influence!

The man from the Zhou family who had tried to sow discord commented, “I think it’s very likely that… the girl can win first place.”

This time, he didn’t mean to stir up another fight. He was afraid, regretting his family’s involvement in the mess the Liu family had created.

The young man overpowered the entire Zhou family by himself.

Then, this girl came out. The girl herself was average but that dragon was anything but common.

If both of them were related to the store, it would be hard to imagine how powerful the person behind the store would be, for the two to have such stunning abilities!

Many who were sitting next to the man from the Zhou family were silently nodding in agreement.

Their families also had participants who also wished to win first place.

But that seemed to be a long shot…

“She is good. If that person doesn’t make an appearance… she would most likely be the next champion.” An elder from the Ye family grinned.

His words seemed to have taken others by surprise. They had forgotten about that matter. Indeed. That person was going to visit the Longjiang Base City. The champion had been predetermined.

“I think we’re going to see another fantastic match.” The elder from the Liu family laughed a grim laugh; even the wrinkles on his face had stretched out. He was in a good mood.

True. The Liu family would not claim the championship

But neither would the girl!

Yes, what she did just then had shocked him. But, however strong she was, there was always someone stronger! The elder from the Zhou family said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, “Hmm, Mr. Shui, I wonder how you can laugh right now. It’ll be Liu Jianxin’s turn soon, right?”

The elder from the Liu family didn’t see this coming. He snorted coldly. “Liu Jianxin is not one of our best but he’s not that easy to defeat!”

Although he claimed that Liu Jianxin was not one of their best, the fact was just the opposite.

The others merely responded with a sneer.

At the staging area.

Many people stood up when Su Lingyue returned; all of them wore different expressions.

Most of the participants seemed to have been swept by awe and fear. The ones from the major families nodded to Su Lingyue as an acknowledgment of her strength. The second group didn’t include the participants from the Liu family. Liu Qingfeng kept his sinister and cold gaze on the girl for a moment and looked away. “It’s your turn now. Qin Shaotian just lost a match but he’s still strong. That Bloody Servant is scary. Be careful,” Liu Qingfeng cautioned Liu Jianxin. Liu Jianxin nodded. The will to fight was surging high within him. “I might not be able to defeat him while he’s in his prime state. But his two dragons are wounded and the Bloody Servant is the only pet that can still fight. I’m more than happy to meet this crippled opponent!”

Liu Qingfeng nodded.

At the Ye family gathering area.

“That girl looks weak but she’s a freak.” Ye Longtian fixed his eyes on Su Lingyue. There was something grave in his eyes. The other Ye family disciples replied with silence. Before this match, they thought that Ye Longtian would win the championship. However, having witnessed that match, to their dismay, they realized that the odds of Ye Longtian winning first place had become slim.

On the stage. The judge had staunched the bleeding on his stump. The wound was giving him a sharp pain but he managed to stay as calm as ever. He approached Qin Shaotian and asked, “You’ve just finished a battle, so you’re entitled to an hour of rest. Do you need it?”

“No. Let me get this over with so that I can go back home and rest there.” Qin Shaotian suddenly bowed to the judge. “Thank you for saving my life.” The judge didn’t expect that such a prestigious young master would bow and thank him in public.

“I was only doing my job,” the judge replied and helped Qin Shaotian up. “Please let him come up.” Qin Shaotian looked at the judge. The judge nodded. He hovered higher in the air and shouted Liu Jianxin’s name. Liu Jianxin raised his eyebrows and sneered. He grabbed his sword and went to the stage. A huge sensation was shared by all the people in the audience who were still shouting Su Lingyue’s name. Another match was beginning just as a major battle had ended. Liu Jianxin was also a participant with huge potential and his previous performance had been excellent.

Qin Shaotian was not a weak opponent but he had just lost a match that injured two of his dragons. This upcoming match would be hard for him!

Back to the Ye family. “Hmm, good for Liu Jianxin.” “Liu Jianxin has been so lucky. Of the three freaks in the group, he’s had the easiest time. The girl and Qin Shaotian’s battle was difficult and Qin Shaotian has revealed his ace card. The chances for Qin Shaotian don’t look so good in this next battle.”

“The Qin family is down on their luck. Without that girl, I believe the ones fighting for the championship would have been Qin Shaotian and our young master.” The disciple of the Ye family was sending looks of contempt and despise to the Liu family. Ye Longtian frowned. “Don’t say that. I don’t think Liu Jianxin’s win is certain. I think Qin Shaotian is still hiding something else. Don’t forget what he can do on his own. The dragon didn’t allow him to approach Su Lingyue. Otherwise, we would have seen the extent of what he could do during the last match.”

The other Ye family disciples never thought of this. They would have been more than happy to see a dog-eat-dog battle. The others were looking at the stage with anticipation. Qin Shaotian’s strength was unquestionable. However, he had just gone through a fierce battle and had used up much energy. The upcoming match would be an interesting one.

On the stage.

“Are you sure you want to challenge me right now?”

Liu Jianxin stood at a corner of the stage which had been turned into a mess. Qin Shaotian wanted to challenge him right then. That level of contempt enraged Liu Jianxin.

Qin Shaotian darted a look at the sword in Liu Jianxin’s hand indifferently. “I can defeat you at any time.” Killing intent glowed in Liu Jianxin’s eyes! How arrogant of him! Liu Jianxin adjusted his mood and taunted Qin Shaotian, “You loser. I wonder who gave you the courage to say those big words. But since you’re so eager to lose another match, I’m going to grant you that wish.” The latter squinted. Noticing the intensity between the two, the judge immediately announced the beginning of the match.

Having gained experience from the previous match, the judge had become smarter. He summoned his battle pet from the get-go, a rare one at the ninth rank. He sat on the pet and flew to the ceiling. This way he could oversee the fight, and at the same time the pet would not affect the contenders in any way. Besides, on the off chance something horrifying came out again, the battle pet would be able to protect him. He wouldn’t have to face the dangers by himself. “I’ve heard that you’re skilled with your sword. ‘d like to see that.”

Liu Jianxin looked at the sword in Qin Shaotian’s hand coldly, then, two black swirls abruptly appeared next to him. Two battle pets hopped out and both were at the ninth-rank. One was a Blood Crown Phoenix of the fire family while the other was a pet of the demon family. One major pet and the other a secondary pet. “I would normally have some interest in comparing notes but I don’t have time now,” Qin Shaotian answered in a chilly voice. He opened up a swirl and the Bloody Servant returned.

The Bloody Servant had sustained many wounds, but as it jumped out, people could see that the wounds had already healed. The Bloody Servant could become as strong as a dragon in recovering and surviving! Charge!

Qin Shaotian propped his sword on the ground and gave out instructions. He wasn’t going to fight personally this time. The Bloody Servant licked its lips with its crimson tongue and stared at Liu Jianxin, then lowered its body and dashed.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind sprang up. No one could see the Bloody Servant! “So fast!” Liu Jianxin was taken aback. He had lost sight of the Bloody Servant, except for a trace of a blur! But he came prepared. He summoned his pets earlier because he had devised a defense mechanism. Flames were burning around him as protection. That was a ninth-rank defensive skill and was highly lethal. “Sensor Coverage!” “Soul Targeting!” Liu Jianxin increased the power of his perception, while in parallel commanding his pet of the demon family to deploy tracking skills. Since his plain sight was unable to find it, he would capture his prey with the rest of his senses.

Thanks to his demon pet, Liu Jianxin managed to locate the Bloody Servant. Above his head!

The phoenix cried! The Blood Crown Phoenix let out a cry, loud and clear. At the same time, a Blazing Ray came out from its mouth. The Blazing Ray was sharp enough to cut through steel. However, the Bloody Servant above Liu Jianxin’s head disappeared. It was just an illusion!

Liu Jianxin was surprised. At the same time, he detected some turbulence in the air to his left!

“Charge!” Liu Jianxin commanded.

The two battle pets immediately released energy to his left side. A figure was forced out of that space. It was the Bloody Servant; dark energy fluctuated over its body. Not even flinching while facing two battle pets, it went straight to where they were instead. Blazing Ray, Flame Cut, Ball of Oblivion… All of them were advanced skills, and some were at the ninth rank! The Bloody Servant didn’t slow down at all while the blasts of energy continued. The most surprising thing was that there was barely any sign of injury on its body!

Liu Jianxin’s expression changed.

Why is this happening? The Bloody Servant was not like this in the last game. How could the Bloody Servant go through so many ninth-rank skills without getting hurt?! In the distance, a glint of contempt appeared in Qin Shaotian’s eyes. The ninth-rank skills of Liu Jianxin’s pets were much weaker than what the dragon was capable of! The difference stemmed from the richness of energy. The skills displayed by Liu Jianxin’s pets were as soft as cotton and the dragon’s skills were as firm as a stick. There was a world of difference!

When the energy levels were different, skills could exert different kinds of impact, even when all the skills were at the ninth rank. Besides, those skills used by Liu Jianxin were only at the intermediate or lower position of the ninth rank. None were at the upper position.

Liu Jianxin’s pets had yet to reach the ninth rank. To use ninth-rank skills was in fact just for show. His two pets were still unable to tap into the strength needed for the ninth-rank skills. That dragon had profound energy. Therefore, the effect of the dragon’s skills was almost on par with that of an actual ninth-rank beast!

“Secret Skill, Ghost Charge!” Qin Shaotian mumbled. That was a secret skill that could enable him to sneak up on his enemy! That skill would allow him to reach his enemy within an instant. But the sheer speed would have to use up quite a bit of energy. Therefore, the strength of his attack would be weakened. This skill would not be useful while fighting the Moonfrost Dragon because a weakened attack would not help him, even when he could reach the dragon instantly. At best, he would leave a mark on the dragon’s skin. Therefore, he didn’t use this in the previous battle. Still, this would be a perfect time to use the skill on Liu Jianxin.

Whoosh!

The already running Bloody Servant sped up again and disappeared from Liu Jianxi’s monitoring!

What!

Liu Jianxin was frightened. The next second, behind him, a ferocious figure appeared out of thin air. Liu Jianxin felt a chill running down his spine. His heart was trembling and he gave instructions to his pets at once.

Roar!!

The two pets pounced at the Bloody Servant. He had no time to figure out how the Bloody Servant reached him. Either way, he had to kill it!

Liu Jianxin’s demon family pet was also good at close-range combat. The pet bellowed and charged at the Bloody Servant.

Pff!

The Bloody Servant waved its sharp blades wildly. Blood poured down. Liu Jianxin’s pet collapsed and died instantly! Liu Jianxin stared with open eyes.

That was impossible! There was a buzzing noise in his head!

It couldn’t have just happened! The Bloody Servant pressed forward. The Blood Crown Phoenix had just breathed out a fire burst without being able to unleash the skill when it was thrown to the side with several wounds on its body. The seven to eight-meter tall evil figure was finally standing in front of Liu Jianxin, overlooking the latter. A sharp blade had pierced through the skin between his eyebrows for one-third of a centimeter, just reaching his skull!

If the Bloody Servant pushed its blade a little bit harder, Liu Jianxin’s skull would have cracked!

That was an accurate mastery of strength!

Checkmate! Liu Jianxin was stunned still. Qin Shaotian didn’t give him the least bit of chance to fight back.

Liu Jianxin had always been confident about his combat abilities. However, compared to the Bloody Servant that was in its element while at close-range combat, he was as weak as a baby! There were still some people among the audience who had not stopped their cheering from the very beginning. Right after this happened, everyone turned as silent as a mouse. Less than a minute had passed since the two finished their conversation; the battle ended, just like that! Shouldn’t there be a long and intense struggle between the two since they were supposed to be well-matched in strength? How could it end so quickly?! Besides, why would Qin Shaotian’s Bloody Servant grow so powerful, as if it were on drugs? Ah, comparisons were odious. The audience didn’t find anything particularly threatening about the Bloody Servant when it was fighting against the Moonfrost Dragon. They thought that the stories of the Bloody Servant were too exaggerated. However, this time, the Bloody Servant managed to stay unharmed even while many advanced skills were targeting it. The Bloody Servant had managed to reach its enemy in an instant and demonstrated its excellent skills in a fight at close-quarters. Only till then did people realize that the Bloody Servant was a monster!

The Bloody Servant overwhelmed the opposing side easily!

Those ninth-rank skills with glamourous effects were as ineffective as an illusion to the Bloody Servant. This monster lost to the dragon?! The dragon had even landed a crushing blow on the Bloody Servant! No one could understand this sharp contrast. Was the dragon too threatening or were Liu Jianxin’s pets too weak? “You lost.” Liu Jianxin heard Qin Shaotian’s voice. Qin Shaotian delivered the verdict, as he looked down on Liu Jianxin.