48 - I’m Surrounded by My Own Pets!

At this moment, Zi Wutong, trailing behind the group, struggled to calm her shock and helplessly glanced at her dejected teammates. If circumstances allowed, she would rather not face the Ten Giants of Xiyu Academy in such a defeated state. But she had no choice... This battle had sapped the fighting spirit and morale of Xingguang Academy, all due to the solo efforts of the formidable Moonlight Rabbit. Such stark emotional turmoil was not something easily overcome through simple self-encouragement or reassurance. "Speaking of which, the strongest Moonlight Rabbit will surely participate in the academy tournament, won't it?" After leaving the training hall of Youlan Academy, Zi Wutong turned back to take one last deep look. The strongest Moonlight Rabbit was not invincible. Unlike the overwhelming presence of a commanding-tier beast, the Moon Embrace Mallet required a certain amount of time and distance to unleash its full potential with its throwing attacks. In narrow one-on-one scenarios, if the Moon Embrace Mallet was confronted up close, its abilities would likely be restricted... "Hopefully, when we meet again, the result will be different..." Ignoring the puzzled stares of onlookers, Zi Wutong stood in a daze for several seconds before turning away reluctantly. This training match came to a predictable conclusion. Xingguang Academy suffered a crushing defeat...!!! —— —— Nighttime, at the Youlan Academy dormitory. Steam filled the bathroom, creating a warm haze. A girl's silky golden hair spread out across the water's surface, her skin as white and smooth as fine jade, glistening and translucent. The faint outline of her long, slender legs reflected a brilliance that tempted one to gulp down the entire bathtub of water. Due to her contract with Star Sand, Lian Xing's body could rarely touch water unless Star Sand was dormant, during which she relished the chance for a thorough soak. Now, immersed in the water, Lian Xing savored the indulgence and was reluctant to leave. Thus, she decided to launch a virtual battle right there in the bath. "Link!" "Splash—" The chip activated, and with a flash of white light, Lian Xing's consciousness entered the preparation space of the virtual battle. Casually flicking through the battle modes, Lian Xing felt not the least emotional turmoil after effortlessly defeating the star players of Xingguang Academy earlier. After all, the skill level of Captain Zi Wutong was on par with that of Fengshen Academy's vice-captain. Long ago, during her mid-tier phase, her Giant Moonlight Rabbit had already defeated Fengshen Academy's Tengyun Chaluo. Now, having advanced to a higher tier, the outcome was predictably certain. Suddenly, Lian Xing's finger paused on a new mode panel. [Fun Mode: No level or rank restrictions] [Expert Mode: Similar levels and ranks matched] [Challenge Mode: Unlocked after obtaining a high-tier beast] "Challenge Mode..." "Ah, so there's one of these in Beast Evolution Battles too. I had almost forgotten about it!" After pondering for a moment, Lian Xing switched the difficulty to Challenge Mode, whereupon a virtual panel burst into view before her eyes. The array of tasks in the instance list was dazzling. [Top 5 Popular Commander-tier Instances] [1. Commander-tier Nest—Star Plains, Clear Time—7h 24m 57s] [2. Commander-tier Nest—Bloody Colosseum, Clear Time—5h 24m 57s] [3. Commander-tier Nest—Dragon Emperor City, Clear Time—Unrecorded] [4. Commander-tier Nest—Heavenly Tree, Clear Time—Unrecorded] [5. Royal-tier Nest—Beast Atlas Museum, Clear Time—Unrecorded, Recommended Rating: 10 stars, The only way to encounter Royal-tier beasts in virtual battles, beware, don’t be too scared!!!] Lian Xing flicked through the virtual panel briefly. Most players typically challenge higher-tier instances, yet commander-tier instances remained astoundingly popular. Perhaps it's the allure of experiencing greater power... However, Lian Xing had no plans to tackle any instances today. The rewards for higher-tier instances were minimal and a waste of time. The commander-tier instance was beyond her current abilities too. After all, being labeled as an "instance" meant facing not just one, but numerous adversaries... Hence, Lian Xing continued flicking, adjusting the page to a lower position. [AI Simulation Training Battle, Replicate at least 70% strength of star players] [Defeat a star player, and your battle stats and character projection will replace theirs, challenge count can be exchanged for rewards] [1. Fengshen Academy's Silver Dragon, Clear Record—Unrecorded, Challenge Count: 3,636,851 times] [2. Xiyu Academy's Lei Ji, Clear Record—Unrecorded, Challenge Count: 3,173,549 times] [3. Huoshan Academy's Inferno, Clear Record—Unrecorded, Challenge Count: 2,803,394 times] [4. Bai Feng Academy's Aurora, Clear Record—Unrecorded, Challenge Count: 2,151,723 times] [5. Tie Su Academy's Tianmu, Clear Record—Unrecorded, Challenge Count: 1,710,234 times] [Note: Players have only 3 challenge attempts daily, avoid malicious score abuse] Undoubtedly, in this mode, the most popular are the Ten Giants from the last tournament. Even though other players have commander-tier beasts, without fame, no one challenges them. To fight for fame, one must take a spot among the Ten Giants!! "Hmm, what's with this Silver Dragon—it's likely Fengshen Academy's Number 10 leader, right?" "Seems like nothing too tough, why not give it a try?" Surveying the options, Lian Xing confidently clicked on the challenge button. With the current power of the Moonlight Rabbit and Golden Wheel, as long as it’s not an unwieldy commander-tier opponent, they're capable of a fair fight. [Challenge Started, Fengshen Academy's Silver Dragon] As the 30-second countdown ended, a silver-haired girl wearing a Fengshen Academy mask appeared in the training space. Meanwhile, the Moonlight Rabbit on Lian Xing's head began to grow larger and heavier, gradually transforming into the formidable Moon Embrace Mallet form. However, to Lian Xing's confusion, the opponent's Silver Dragon summoned nothing. Logically, AI simulations typically unleash their full strength right away, not holding back, correct? Yet, amid Lian Xing's puzzlement and before the Moon Embrace Mallet could raise its weapon— "Boom!!!" With a deafening noise, a massive arc of silver light cleaved through the training space, including the Moon Embrace Mallet, splitting everything, along with a kilometer-wide fan-shaped area behind, into two. Less than a second into the duel, Lian Xing was split in two, organs falling apart grotesquely. The disturbingly gory scene was promptly pixelated to maintain decency. [Battle Ended, Challenge Failed] A defeat arrived unheralded and inescapably certain. When her virtual body had normalized, Lian Xing didn’t erupt with rage or roll on the floor; instead, she contemplated, rubbing her cool stomach and barely squinted her eyes knowingly. "Ah, so that's the true nature of the Ten Giants' Silver Dragon~~~" Commander-tier · Virus Type · Silver Wing Dimension!!! This creature is akin to a cheat within the commander-tiers. Its special ability only materializes during an attack. When idle, it hides within an extradimensional space, making it unassailable and undetectable. Whether in tournaments or wild skirmishes, it ensures its opponents perish without awareness, with no time to react. "Our compatibility is too unfavorable; Silver Dragon can't be tackled for now..." "Time to attempt another of the Ten Giants~~~" With two challenge opportunities remaining, Lian Xing did not force another try against Silver Dragon but chose to test against Tie Su Academy's Tianmu instead. Before the battle commenced, she peeked at some high-praised comments in the discussion section. "Tie Su Academy's Tianmu, eighth among the Ten Giants, relies primarily on a defense-specialized [Rusted Bronze Coffin]. Though its offense is minimal, the battle time limit is 30 minutes, and running out of time results in automatic defeat." "What kind of crazy defense is this? I couldn't even scratch the surface after going all out!!!" "Lol, my four beasts teamed up, pounded it for half an hour, and only managed to tire myself out. Unbelievable..." "Hey folks, fun fact, the Rusted Bronze Coffin does attack—it's got a bunch of counter-damage skills. Your attacks aren't enough to trigger injury, so it didn't retaliate!!!" After browsing the comments for a few minutes, Lian Xing got the gist. This Ten Giant was like an absurdly fortified turtle shell, with spikes—it retaliated once a certain damage threshold was met. The players who managed to punch and kick for thirty minutes did so likely because their attacks couldn’t even breach its defenses. "However..." "If a one-hit kill is possible, it should be effective, right?" Pondering this, Lian Xing once again pressed the challenge button. Given this defensive specialization, the Moon Embrace Mallet was perfect for testing the limits of its destructive power.