Humans cannot understand the language of Spirit Beasts.
At least Lin Chuan and Sun Yinyin did not possess the Beast Master talent of direct telepathy to understand Spirit Beast language; they only felt that the two Spirit Beasts were brimming with battle intent at this moment.
The referee, Shi Jie, gazed at both Spirit Beasts, confirming they were fine, then he waved the small flag signaling the start of the match.
Instantly, the two Spirit Beasts moved.
Lin Chuan: "Rooting."
It was a customary Rooting opening, activating a blood tank mode to prevent being instantly killed.
Based on yesterday's observation, Sun Yinyin's Golden Silk Werewolf, Da Yin, its specific level was unclear, but it was definitely above Tier 1. Lin Chuan estimated it should be around level 12 or 13. If he wasn't cautious and didn't activate the blood tank mode in time, it was indeed possible for it to instantly kill Guoguo.
Guoguo's small, chubby legs instantly extended many roots, formed by Wood Attribute energy, which drilled into the ground. Specks of green light were absorbed into Guoguo's body along the roots.
Sun Yinyin, however, was not in a hurry to attack. She narrowed her eyes slightly: "Warm up, run around it! Concentrate, pay attention to the opponent's reactions."
Warming up is not a skill but a small combat tip for matches.
Any flesh-and-blood life, whether human or Spirit Beast, benefits from a slight warm-up before strenuous exercise. This loosens muscles and bones, accelerates blood flow, increases internal energy activity, boosts adrenaline, and thoroughly excites the mind, which is conducive to combat performance. According to reliable research data, the state of the same Spirit Beast after warming up will be about 10% better overall than when it hasn't warmed up.
Of course, this small tip does not apply to certain mineral or inorganic Spirit Beasts; they can output full power in combat without warming up.
Lin Chuan: "Chase it."
Sun Yinyin was stunned for a moment, not expecting Lin Chuan to give such an order. She had thought Lin Chuan would remain still to counter movement.
One must know that the Golden Silk Werewolf's speed was not something Flower Leaf Leaf could compare to; it was absolutely impossible to catch up.
The only consequence would be being kited by her.
If it were an experienced Professional Beastmaster, they might have already guessed Lin Chuan's idea at this point, just like Tang Heshan, who was now nodding slightly, approving Lin Chuan's command.
But Sun Yinyin was not such a Beast Master. Although she was also an excellent rookie Beast Master, she still lacked experience. She couldn't immediately grasp the meaning of Lin Chuan's command.
However, this did not prevent her from responding.
Sun Yinyin: "Keep it on a leash, maintain a speed just slightly faster than it!"
Since it's delivered right to her, how could she not kite it?
At the spectator stand closest to the arena, Tang Heshan stroked his chin.
From the current perspective, Sun Yinyin has fallen into Lin Chuan's pace, but the outcome is still uncertain. After all, Flower Leaf Leaf is a typical support-type Spirit Beast, and there is still a significant gap compared to the agile attack-type Golden Silk Werewolf. This gap is especially evident during the rookie Beast Master period and cannot be overcome by simple command tactics.
Speaking of command, Tang Heshan couldn't help but glance at Lin Chuan and Sun Yinyin respectively.
The differences in their command styles were already very obvious.
Lin Chuan minimized his language as much as possible, using two words instead of three if he could.
Sun Yinyin, on the other hand, tried to speak faster and give as detailed commands as possible.
Tang Heshan remained silent, noncommittal. He did not evaluate the superiority or inferiority of Lin Chuan's and Sun Yinyin's command performances, or rather, it would be too hasty to make such a judgment based solely on this. Specific matters must be viewed within specific practical contexts.
The further one progresses on the Beast Master path, the more concise a Beast Master's commands in combat will become.
Beast Masters who pursue a small, elite cultivation path focus their emotional energy on their Spirit Beasts, deepening their bond. With the aid of the power of the contract, this can eventually develop into telepathy, allowing them to command their Spirit Beasts in battle with just a thought, without needing words.
And Beast Masters who follow the large-scale troop cultivation route are destined to be unable to concentrate their emotional energy, making telepathy very difficult. They will then choose to cultivate the independent combat abilities of some Spirit Beasts, thereby only giving commands on the general direction of operations, coordinating the macroscopic tactics of numerous contracted Spirit Beasts, while leaving the specific combat details to the Spirit Beasts themselves to judge and decide. In short, it is also a way to simplify commands.
Therefore, Lin Chuan's concise command approach is not wrong.
As for Sun Yinyin's situation, her commands are too cumbersome and complex, but it cannot be said to be wrong, at least not at this rookie Beast Master stage.
The tacit understanding between rookie Beast Masters and Spirit Beasts is often not high, and Spirit Beasts in their infancy are relatively less intelligent. Detailed commands are more helpful in controlling Spirit Beasts during battle, and can greatly avoid situations where Spirit Beasts get carried away or are at a loss when encountering sudden situations.
As long as the tacit understanding improves later, and Spirit Beasts' intelligence increases with growth, then correspondingly concise commands will suffice.
Well, in short, it's still the same saying: specific matters must be viewed within specific practical contexts.
...
With substantial spending, the Spiritual Wood Heart's accelerated cultivation buff, the farm's concentrating mirror field, and Expert Grade Photosynthesis, Guoguo and Sakura's growth efficiency was maximized. Their foundations, while not absolutely unprecedented, were certainly very solid and firm.
However, there are ultimately inherent specialty differences between species.
Even with the most solid foundation, the Flower Leaf Leaf species cannot surpass the Golden Silk Werewolf in terms of strength and agility, unless the Golden Silk Werewolf's Beast Master cultivates it poorly. Otherwise, the Golden Silk Werewolf's movement speed and reaction ability will always be faster than Flower Leaf Leaf's.
"Don't waste your effort, your Flower Leaf Leaf cannot keep up with my Da Yin's speed."
Sun Yinyin chuckled, looking at Guoguo, who was being perfectly kited by Da Yin.
Lin Chuan's lips curved slightly into a noncommittal, shallow smile.
"Of course I know, but if I didn't make Guoguo run and chase your Golden Silk Werewolf, following your tactical thinking, how could your Golden Silk Werewolf run even faster? And it's been running continuously, that must be very tiring, right?"
It was almost time; Lin Chuan hadn't intended to hide his thoughts for too long, so he spoke them directly. It also served as a form of verbal harassment, disrupting his opponent's mood.
Sun Yinyin's expression changed slightly. Only at this moment did she realize that Lin Chuan intended to fight a war of attrition with her!
However, after a brief thought, Sun Yinyin didn't feel surprised.
Because when Flower Leaf Leaf and Golden Silk Werewolf face off, normally, the only path is a war of attrition.
Unless Flower Leaf Leaf cheats and learns some powerful skill, there is no possibility of directly confronting the Golden Silk Werewolf.
Lin Chuan's war of attrition had indeed worn her down.
But at the same time, she was also wearing him down.
It was just that Lin Chuan was depleting Da Yin's stamina, while she was depleting Flower Leaf Leaf's attention.
A Spirit Beast like Flower Leaf Leaf is more support-oriented; its strength, agility, and reaction time are not very outstanding. Therefore, as long as Flower Leaf Leaf is made to run, preventing it from remaining still to counter, during the running process, Flower Leaf Leaf will inevitably expose openings where it cannot defend in time.
That would be Da Yin's opportunity!
"Concentrate, find the right moment."
Suddenly, Sun Yinyin's eyes flashed; she saw an opportunity.
Guoguo was being kited, led in circles by Da Yin. At the corner of a large rock serving as an obstacle in the arena, Guoguo didn't manage to brake and turn in time, its center of gravity wasn't adjusted, and it looked like it was about to fall.
This was the opportunity Sun Yinyin seized!
"Now! Flame Fist!"
At the same time, Sun Yinyin unhesitatingly used her Beast Master talent, which the Baby Cup rules limited to one use per match.
Tier 3 Beast Master Talent, Wolf King Blood!
Sun Yinyin extended her palm forward, and crimson energy condensed in her hand, transforming into a dark light that instantly covered the Golden Silk Werewolf, Da Yin, causing Da Yin's aura to instantly turn wild and its energy intensity to surge by at least twofold.
Suddenly turning around, under the enhancement of the Tier 3 Beast Master Talent, Wolf King Blood, Da Yin's speed burst to its limit, transforming into an afterimage. It pounced on Guoguo, and its fist, burning with raging flames, heavily struck Guoguo's body.
Guoguo's center of gravity hadn't been adjusted, so it couldn't dodge or defend, only exposing its most vulnerable front to Da Yin.
Thump!
A muffled punch landed, and Guoguo was directly sent flying, flames from Dayin’s paw-fist spreading and striking Guoguo’s body.
Guoguo flew high, slammed into the giant rock, bounced back like a rubber ball with thudding sounds, and finally landed heavily on the ground, kicking up dust.
Seeing this, the audience, Sun Yinyin’s family, and the students of Fifth Beast Master Middle School all cheered excitedly.
Even Sun Yinyin herself smiled, she had the upper hand! The advantage was hers!
However, in the next moment, Sun Yinyin froze.
She saw that on the opposite Beast Master command area, Lin Chuan’s expression hadn’t changed in the slightest; there was no tension or worry as she had imagined, only a calm composure. Sun Yinyin immediately frowned, feeling a sense of unease.
As the dust settled, Guoguo, with a small portion of its body burned black, struggled to get up.
That last blow had indeed caused it heavy damage, making its whole body ache. Fortunately, it had activated Blood Bovine Mode Stage One, otherwise it would have been instantly defeated.
"Rooting, Photosynthesis."
Still concise commands, Lin Chuan said.
Since Blood Bovine Mode Stage One couldn't quite hold up, then activate Stage Two. There were still Stage Three and the trump card, Bomb Fruit, but it seemed unnecessary to expose Stage Three Blood Bovine and the trump card in the current situation. Well, hide them for as long as possible, preferably until the entrance exam two and a half months later, to give the other competing candidates a big surprise.
Guoguo let out an 'iya' cry, its two small chubby hands clenched into fists and stomped down hard, as if holding its breath.
More roots, originally present on its chubby legs and feet and mimicked by Wood Attribute energy, extended out, burrowing into the ground, plundering nutrients from the soil. Specks of green light followed the mimicked roots and were absorbed into Guoguo’s body.
At the same time, the two green leaves under the pure white flower on top of Guoguo’s head, which resembled hair, also glowed brightly, emitting a misty, crystal-clear light.
At this moment, it was 2:10 PM, the fiercest period of the sun in a day. Countless green light spots came from all directions, absorbed by the two green leaves, and entered Guoguo’s body.
The nutrients and water rapidly absorbed by Rooting, along with sunlight, were converted into stamina and energy at an astonishingly high speed under the effect of Expert Grade Photosynthesis.
The small charred part on Guoguo’s body faded at a visible speed, returning to its original color.
In just two breaths, Guoguo had recovered completely, becoming vibrant and full of spirit.
Seeing this situation, Sun Yinyin was dumbfounded, frozen in place.
And Tang Heshan instantly stood up with a surprised expression.
This efficiency of absorbing and converting sunlight, and recovering from injuries, was definitely Expert Grade Photosynthesis!
"How is this possible? How did this kid train it?"
Tang Heshan mumbled, unaware of Lin Chuan’s Beast Master talent. Although the Beastmaster Association had records of Lin Chuan himself stating he possessed dual Beast Master talents, Tang Heshan’s authority did not allow him to access other Beast Master’s information files without special circumstances, which was why he was so surprised.
Sun Yinyin was no longer as calm and confident as before; she was a little anxious.
Now, Dayin’s stamina had been significantly depleted, and Dayin’s burst attack, which had seized the opportune moment, was instantly healed back by the opponent.
How could there be such a disgusting spirit beast!
"Dayin, charge directly, engage in close combat with it, continuous Flame Fist."
Calming herself, Sun Yinyin forced herself to cool down.
If one burst attack would be healed back, then attack continuously and repeatedly!
She refused to believe that this Flower Leaf Leaf, also a Baby Cup spirit beast, could have that much healing? Could it keep healing?
"Fight it."
Lin Chuan chuckled, just these three words.
Guoguo instantly became excited, a sharp glint appearing in its small beady eyes.
Great, it had long wanted to engage in close-quarters combat, fist-to-flesh. That big dog had been running around just now, completely denying it the chance for fist-to-flesh combat.
And so, an unexpected scene, even a reality-shattering one, appeared.
Dayin, the Golden Silk Werewolf, upon receiving Sun Yinyin’s command, quickly pounced on Guoguo, throwing a right hook Flame Fist. Guoguo slightly shifted its body, dodging most of the damage, only receiving a minor graze. This small graze was then instantly healed back by Photosynthesis in a single breath.
Without retreating, Dayin threw another left hook.
However, this time, Guoguo’s center of gravity shifted downwards, lowering its body, completely dodging Dayin’s left hook Flame Fist.
At the same time, Guoguo’s two small chubby hands reached up and grabbed Dayin’s paw.
Flipping over, pulling back, and exerting force, it gave Dayin a heavy over-the-shoulder throw.
Thud!!
Another muffled thud. Guoguo slammed Dayin heavily onto the ground. This over-the-shoulder throw was no less damaging than the punch Dayin had landed on Guoguo earlier, primarily by utilizing Dayin’s own strength.
Dayin, who was over-the-shoulder thrown, was stunned. The referee was stunned. Tang Heshan was stunned. The audience was also stunned. But the most bewildered one had to be Sun Yinyin.
What the hell?
An auxiliary spirit beast actually over-the-shoulder threw an agile-attack type one?
Where did it get its combat experience?
Sun Yinyin was numb, completely numb.
What in the world, her Dayin, a Golden Silk Werewolf, couldn’t even win in close-quarters combat against a Flower Leaf Leaf? Couldn’t win against an auxiliary spirit beast?
Was her Dayin too useless, or was this Flower Leaf Leaf unscientific!
"Distance yourself! Continue with the previous tactic!"
Once again, Sun Yinyin took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Without further hesitation, not dwelling on why it couldn't win in close combat, Sun Yinyin decisively gave the order to switch to an assassin tactic.
"Immediately retreat after each successful attack!"
Receiving Sun Yinyin’s command, Dayin endured the severe pain throughout its body from being over-the-shoulder thrown, quickly scrambled up on all fours, and frantically ran away.
Guoguo cried out 'iya ya' in frustration, wanting to continue the close combat, fist-to-flesh. "Skinny dog, don't run!"
"Chase it, continue to wear it down!"
Lin Chuan immediately satisfied Guoguo’s wish.
Guoguo also moved its chubby legs, puffing and panting as it chased after it.
Just now, Dayin could easily kite Guoguo.
However, as its stamina was depleted and it was severely over-the-shoulder thrown once, Dayin's mentality was in disarray, its breathing rhythm was also chaotic, causing its speed to visibly decrease. Guoguo, waving its small fists and shouting 'iya ya', chased closely behind it. In this state, Dayin couldn't even manage to launch a counter-attack using Sun Yinyin's assassin tactic, let alone stabilize its mindset and concentrate. It could only flee in a sorry state.
As time passed, one minute, two minutes…
The more stamina Dayin consumed, the slower it ran, while Guoguo, under Rooting and Photosynthesis Blood Bovine Mode Stage Two, continuously recovered stamina, becoming more and more energetic, radiant, and spirited.
Numb, Sun Yinyin was completely numb, her mentality utterly shattered.
Stamina, couldn't outlast it in stamina. Attack, attack damage didn't recover as much as it healed itself. Close combat, couldn't win in close combat. Now, it couldn't even outrun it.
How to fight this?
Fight with her head?
Fight a ball!
How could there be such an unscientific and disgusting spirit beast as Flower Leaf Leaf!
Dayin collapsed from exhaustion; it couldn't run anymore and was caught up by the leisurely Guoguo, who was waddling along.
Guoguo jumped up and gave Dayin a big, hard smack on its dog head, knocking it down heavily onto the ground.
To prevent Dayin from running again, Guoguo decisively flipped over and straddled Dayin’s neck, its small chubby hands grabbing the fur under Dayin’s chin.
"Iya ya."
(Get up! Skinny dog! Stand up and keep fighting me, skinny dog!)
(Don't sleep, skinny dog! Don't pass out, skinny dog!)
(Skinny dog! Skinny dog! Skinny dog!)
Awoo!
With a final wolf howl, Dayin’s last breath escaped; it was literally angered into unconsciousness by repeated calls of “skinny dog.”
Shi Jie was silent, not reacting for a moment, until Zhuang Lan, another referee on the field, gently coughed twice to remind him. He then came back to his senses and quickly waved down the small flag.
"Match over, contestant Lin Chuan wins."