Almost all the participants of the Xiao Qingkong Cup were praying.
They hoped not to encounter Lin Chuan before the top 8.
It was one thing to be unable to defeat him, but being tormented was too unbearable, especially when he used Confusing Words to mock them as 'weaklings'.
Yes, the term 'weakling' was spread by Wang Zhixian, who fought Lin Chuan in the first round.
Wang Zhixian's Little Flame Fox became depressed immediately after the match and didn't eat anything for a whole day.
Finally, Wang Zhixian sought a Spirit Beast psychologist with the Beast Master talent of telepathy to understand the situation and cure his Little Flame Fox.
The root cause of the illness was that Lin Chuan's Flower Leaf Leaf had mocked it as a 'weak fox' using Confusing Words.
Almost all participants hoped that Lin Chuan would quickly encounter Li Zeyu, so that the formidable Li Zeyu would eliminate this disgusting opponent.
Meanwhile, Li Zeyu, the young master of Blue Feather Airlines and the other person at the center of public discussion, was uncharacteristically silent.
According to his usual habit, this young master was very active online.
Typically, wherever there was an opportunity to show off, he would be there; wherever there was excitement, he would appear.
So, did this mean that Li Zeyu also lacked confidence in breaking Lin Chuan's Milk Shield Poison System?
Many people discussed this in private.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned; Lin Chuan did not draw Li Zeyu in the early rounds.
Not until the top 32.
In the top 32, random draws for battles were no longer conducted; instead, group-based sorted battles were implemented.
After the sorting, Lin Chuan and Li Zeyu were directly placed into two different halves of the bracket; for them to meet, they would have to reach the finals.
This result also led some people to exclaim that there was foul play involved, claiming it left no chance for others.
Had it been before, contestants placed in the same half as Li Zeyu would surely have felt despair and helplessness.
However, at this moment, these people were relieved.
Being in the same half as Li Zeyu meant that if they couldn't win, it was fine; at most, they would just be crushed like cannon fodder.
But being in the same half as Lin Chuan meant their spirit beasts might be labeled 'weaklings,' and could even suffer from depression.
All other participants from Tianshang Town had already been eliminated, leaving only Lin Chuan and Sun Yinyin, and unfortunately, they were also placed in the same half.
If all went smoothly, the two would meet in the top 16.
During a casual chat after the match, Sun Yinyin jokingly said to Lin Chuan:
"I contracted a Flower Leaf Leaf at your family's farm, my Er'yin."
"According to my Er'yin, it belongs to the same lineage as your Sakura, Lin Chuan, both from the Five-Spice Beef Flavored Sakura family. It can be considered a junior of your Sakura."
"So, how about we discuss this? When we compete, don't use your shield."
"At least let me deal some damage."
In response, Lin Chuan gave her a look that said, 'Girl, you're dreaming.'
Sun Yinyin sighed helplessly. She thought about just sending out her Er'yin when competing against Lin Chuan.
Although her Er'yin hadn't reached Tier 1 yet, perhaps Lin Chuan's Sakura would show mercy out of respect for a junior?
Of course, this was just a thought.
In such a clear case of passive play, the Beastmaster Association, while not explicitly stating it, would make a note of it in their post-match records.
At that time, points would be deducted from the first half of the college entrance examination.
...
Qinghe City Beast Master Forum, Newbie Beast Master section.
The topic of Lin Chuan, the Milk Tyrant, had become the hottest and most popular topic in recent days.
Milk Shield Poison System.
While it was disgusting to be an opponent, making one wish for a real-life PK with the opposing Beast Master on the spot.
However, if it was on your own side, it would be very satisfying, appearing adorable no matter how you looked at it.
As a result, many people were discussing and debating whether this path was the most suitable for cultivating new Beast Masters, with even Professional Beast Masters and several Spirit Beast research professors with Eight Great Academies ID certifications participating.
The final conclusion of the discussion was that it was not feasible.
Milk Shield Poison System.
Although it didn't demand high resources or money, nor high requirements for spirit beast species bloodlines and tiers, making it seem very accessible, this path was too reliant on skill proficiency.
If a Beast Master's Beast Master talent didn't provide a bonus to skill improvement, or if there weren't other methods for rapidly increasing skill proficiency, then this path was basically unviable for newcomers.
It was better to steadily cultivate according to the characteristics and strengths of one's own spirit beast.
For the Milk Shield Poison System, poison could be set aside and replaced by any continuous damage skill, even an entry-level one, as long as it could cause damage.
The key was the Shield and Milk!
The skills corresponding to Shield and Milk must at least be practiced to proficient level, and mastery level would be considered safe.
Otherwise, the Milk Shield System would be meaningless; others would only need to focus on practicing one attack skill to break through this system.
Although Professional Beast Masters and certified research professors from the Eight Great Academies were saying this, some people were stubborn and narrow-minded; they wouldn't admit it without personally experiencing the pitfalls and failures.
They believed that if Lin Chuan could do it, there was no reason why they couldn't.
As a result, many new Beast Masters began to change their cultivation paths. Some even contracted a second spirit beast, choosing one suitable for the Milk Shield Poison System, even if they didn't have one initially.
Professional Beast Masters and research professors didn't care about this, nor did the Beastmaster Association.
Such new Beast Masters, who simply practiced whatever seemed strong, lacked their own cultivation ideas, or whose ideas were easily swayed, were not worth watching. They would basically be unable to pass the first half of the college entrance examination and would not be qualified to embark on the true extraordinary path of a Beast Master. In the future, they would most likely return to mainstream society and become diligent cogs in the machine.
Lin Chuan's side.
Lin Chuan easily defeated Sun Yinyin in the top 16, and Sun Yinyin's Da'yin was once again broken through.
Fortunately, although Da'yin was angry, it wasn't depressed; having been called a 'weak dog' since it was young, it had grown accustomed to it.
Lin Chuan advanced to the top 8, which meant that 1 million star rock coin was already in hand. Even if he gave up on the subsequent matches now, the money would be immediately deposited into his Beast Master account once the Xiao Qingkong Cup ended.
Now, he just needed to win one more time to enter the top 4!
Lin Chuan would then have completely achieved his goal for participating in this Xiao Qingkong Cup. The 3 million star rock coin reward for the top 4 would be enough for all his expenses before the college entrance examination arrived.
Of course, Lin Chuan wouldn't just give up on the subsequent matches; he would do his best, go as far as he could, and hide his moves when necessary. He wouldn't expose his trump cards just for the sake of winning or for a few extra bucks.
Lin Chuan was very happy because none of his subsequent opponents in this half of the bracket could break his Shield Milk System, meaning he would most likely win second place.
As for the championship, he probably couldn't beat Li Zeyu without revealing his trump cards, because his Mutated Blue Feather Eagle also had a recovery skill, Bubble Bath.
Yes, Lin Chuan was happy, and quite a few other people were happy too.
Besides the family members like Old Deng who received the news, the purple-haired young man Tan Yan was also super happy. He realized that he had stumbled upon an epic leg to cling to.
Besides Tan Yan, there was one more person who was also very happy.
Xu Xiaoqing, the daughter of the owner of the roadside general store Beast Master shop where Lin Chuan picked up the Assistance skill, that little girl with pigtails and a floral dress.
The reason was that Xu Xiaoqing had been caught.
Her parents discovered that she had scored 30 on a test and had casually found a customer to sign for her.
At this moment, Xu Xiaoqing was being subjected to a combined beating from her parents.
To be precise, her dad was blocking the door, while her mom was in charge of grabbing a weapon and chasing Xu Xiaoqing, who was jumping up and down.
Just then, the TV broadcasted a scene from the Xiao Qingkong Cup, showing Lin Chuan, who had advanced to the top 8, being interviewed after his match.
"Wuwuwu, it's him, this big brother helped me sign."
Xu Xiaoqing cried while her trembling hand pointed at the TV.
Her mom raised the broomstick in her hand, about to continue hitting, thinking, 'Who are you to ask a genius young Beast Master who made it into the top eight of the Xiao Qingkong Cup to sign for you? There's a limit to lying.'
However, before she could strike, she was stopped by Xu Xiaoqing's dad.
"Honey, wait a minute."
Xu Xiaoqing's dad, a tall and sturdy middle-aged man, held Xu Xiaoqing's failing 30-point test paper. He looked at the very beautifully written signature 'Lin Chuan' on the paper, then at the young man on TV who was being interviewed for the top 8 and called 'Lin Chuan' by the host. He asked:
"Is it really him?"
With snot and tears streaming down her face, Xu Xiaoqing nodded vigorously.
Xu's dad exhaled, then looked once more at the 30-point test paper signed 'Lin Chuan' in his hand, and then at Lin Chuan on the TV. He couldn't help but think that this boy's future would at least be that of a Professional Beast Master.
After all, among those who had made it into the top eight of the Xiao Qingkong Cup, very few had failed to become Professional Beast Masters to date.
Professional Beast Masters, those were big figures, even more famous than celebrities or business owners!
Perhaps, this signature on the test paper would be the first signature of this future Professional Beast Master.
Silently, Xu's dad folded the test paper and carefully put it away.
If Lin Chuan truly became a Professional Beast Master, then this signed test paper could at least sell for 100,000 star rock coin, which could be considered a head start for Xu Xiaoqing's Beast Master career when she turned 16.
If Lin Chuan advanced further to become a professional elite, or even a Heavenly King.
Then, the value of this signed test paper would be even higher.
...
On the other side, Lin Chuan was being interviewed after advancing to the top 8.
The reporter seemed very excited; she asked Lin Chuan:
"Mr. Lin Chuan, may I ask why you chose this kind of cultivation method? Isn't Flower Leaf Leaf generally cultivated for logistical support?"
For other contestants, reporters typically used the informal 'you,' but for Lin Chuan, the reporter subconsciously used the formal 'you,' which was out of respect for the strength Lin Chuan had displayed.
"Regarding this, I can only say not to limit your imagination. No one stipulated that Flower Leaf Leaf can only go the support route."
"I only have one thing to say: there are no weak spirit beasts, only foolish Beast Masters."
Lin Chuan replied with a smile.
These were polite platitudes; normal people would just smile and not take them seriously.
If one truly believed Lin Chuan's words and didn't possess Lin Chuan's Beast Master talent, then one could only say, well, that person was truly foolish.
Reporter: "Mr. Lin Chuan, may I ask you a few more questions?"
Lin Chuan nodded.
Reporter: "Many viewers are curious, who among you and Li Zeyu, the young master of Blue Feather Airlines, will be stronger?"
"Mr. Lin Chuan, do you look forward to fighting Li Zeyu?"
"Is there anything you would like to say to Mr. Li Zeyu before your match?"
Lin Chuan paused slightly, deliberating his words, then spoke:
"Who is stronger, Li Zeyu or I?"
"I think Li Zeyu will still be a bit stronger. His Mutated Blue Feather Eagle is very powerful, strong enough to break through my Sakura's Vine Armor Shield."
"However, for him to defeat me, it won't be easy. It will require a lot of effort and a lot of time. The match duration might be very long."
"As for what I want to say?"
"Let me think."
Saying this, Lin Chuan actively looked at the camera and smiled broadly.
"Li Zeyu, you should be watching this interview of mine, right?"
"I hope that when we face each other, you'd best prepare in advance."
"Prepare food and water. That should be a bladder-testing match you've never seen before."
In the contestant preparation area, a luxurious single cubicle.
Li Zeyu, a young man with a relatively youthful and tender face, but with long hair tied in a ponytail, exuding a free-spirited aura.
Just as Lin Chuan said, Li Zeyu was watching Lin Chuan's interview.
Hearing Lin Chuan's words, Li Zeyu's expression twisted as if he had eaten something disgusting. He wanted to speak but stopped, then wanted to speak again but stopped.
Finally, his lips moved, and with a twisted expression, he uttered one word: "Damn!"