“Winter Hound, Frost Breath.”
The Winter Hound lowered its body, its gaze stern. Its silver-white, thick fur swayed gently as it suddenly opened its mouth, spewing forth a chilling breath.
The surrounding temperature plummeted as the icy breath advanced from the Winter Hound towards Cola in layers.
In an instant, the ground began to freeze, and the crowd shivered, retreating.
Someone exclaimed, "A second-tier is so much stronger than a first-tier, they're not even in the same league."
Another immediately chimed in, "You must remember that pet等级 are strict. First-tier pets deserve to be thoroughly humiliated by second-tier pets!"
Cola's eyes narrowed as it deeply felt the rapidly decreasing temperature. However, it was no longer the inexperienced fighter it once was. A gust of wind rose beneath its feet as it dashed towards the left side of the chilling breath.
The range of the icy breath was limited; with the Winter Hound's current strength, it was far from able to affect all surrounding areas.
Once Wind-Riding Gait was activated, Cola's speed surged, and its lithe figure swiftly leaped over the ground that was about to be frozen.
Zhuang Jianbai's expression was calm as he continued to command, "Ice Cleaving Claw."
The Frost Breath's damage effect was not ideal; its main purpose was to control the field, compressing the opponent's range of movement.
Whether the opponent chose to retreat or proactively approach, he could firmly seize the initiative.
“Awoo!”
The Winter Hound raised its head high, its eyes reflecting the Wind-Gathering Hound rushing towards it. It stomped on the ground, its figure darting out several meters, quickly approaching the latter.
The distance between the two closed in an instant. Both figures simultaneously entered the crowd's view, and a close-quarters battle was inevitable.
At the same time,
The Winter Hound raised its sharp claws high towards the Wind-Gathering Hound, which was within reach. The claws transformed into extended Ice Cleaving Claws, coated with icy coldness.
“Awoo.”
However, Cola twisted its body to dodge, nimbly avoiding this fatal attack.
Bang!
The Ice Cleaving Claw struck the ground, instantly leaving a distinct claw mark, and frost rapidly formed.
“Such quick reactions!” Someone exclaimed in surprise.
Seeing that the attack missed, the Winter Hound looked back, only to see a materialized Wind Blade already whistling towards it, rapidly expanding in its vision.
“This…”
The first round of engagement ended, and the crowd was momentarily speechless.
Jiang Yuntao's eyes flickered as he whispered, "Do you still remember the relevant introduction of the Wind-Gathering Hound?"
"Wind-Gathering Hound, a wind-系 pet, with an agile figure. After using Wind-Riding Gait, its speed increases, making it difficult for ordinary pets to capture its figure," a student replied.
Jiang Yuntao nodded slightly and said slowly, "That's right, this is the biggest characteristic of the Wind-Gathering Hound."
After a slight pause, he stared at the Wind-Gathering Hound, which stood firmly in place, with a hint of doubt in his tone: "It's just that this Wind-Gathering Hound's speed is a bit too fast."
First, it avoided the range of the Frost Breath, and then it easily avoided the Ice Cleaving Claw at close range. The whole process can be described as effortless.
How could a Wind-Gathering Hound of this strength appear in an ordinary village?
Does this Wind-Gathering Hound have an owner, or is it wild?
The noisy discussions did not affect Zhuang Jianbai. His thoughts began to turn, and he issued a command again: "Once more, Ice Cleaving Claw."
“Awoo!”
The Winter Hound responded to the Beastmaster's command with a roar. It paced in place, its light blue eyes staring intently at the Wind-Gathering Hound. In an instant, it strode forward, its silver fur fluttering in the wind, like a majestic silver lion king galloping on the snowy plains.
The distance was instantly closed. The Winter Hound, with a fierce aura, raised its sharp claws and used the same trick again against the Wind-Gathering Hound in front of it, and the Ice Cleaving Claw struck out!
“Awoo～”
A hint of playfulness flashed in Cola's eyes, and its nimble figure dodged sideways, easily avoiding it.
“Now’s the chance!” Zhuang Jianbai’s eyes were bright, and he said, “Ice Spike Strike!”
“Roar!”
The Winter Hound roared loudly and slammed its claws fiercely on the ground. A sharp ice spike immediately rose from the ground in front of it, stabbing straight at the Wind-Gathering Hound!
A student suddenly realized: "Ice Cleaving Claw is just a feint, forcing the Wind-Gathering Hound to move, and Ice Spike Strike is the real attack method."
"Goodness, this is Old Zhuang's command!" Another student exclaimed in admiration.
“We won!” Seeing this, Wang Yuan had already imagined the scene of the Wind-Gathering Hound being pierced by the ice pillar. No matter how agile you are, you can't avoid two consecutive attacks.
However, at this moment,
The moment Cola noticed the movement on the ground, a breeze had already risen around it. Its slender limbs moved with the wind. With a step back and a jump, it avoided the sudden ice spike with an extremely elegant posture!
For a time, silence fell inside and outside the arena.
After a while, a student murmured, "Can it really do this without the Beastmaster's command?"
“Danger prediction-like ability, super reaction ability, and speed far exceeding the Winter Hound's. Which intermediate Beastmaster carefully cultivated this initial pet?”
“Teacher, have any other intermediate Beastmasters come to the Qinling Mountains recently?”
Jiang Yuntao was silent at first, then guessed, "This kind of performance is indeed impossible for a wild pet."
“Either it’s a pet of a captain from the Department of Investigation, or an intermediate Beastmaster from the Imperial Capital or the Magic Capital.”
“This Beastmaster should have come to the Qinling Mountains for training and is now resting in the village.”
The current Beastmaster structure is strongest in the Imperial Capital, the Magic Capital, and the Department of Investigation, with other regions being second to them.
Overall, the more developed the economy, the more powerful Beastmasters there are.
At the same time,
Cola landed lightly on the ground, a hint of anger flashing in its eyes as it looked at the Winter Hound.
It had originally considered that this was near the village and was not prepared to fight hard, only needing a small punishment.
Unexpectedly, this Winter Hound was not polite at all!
“Awoo!”
Cola raised its head and let out an angry roar. A fierce gust of wind quickly spread, rushing towards the Winter Hound in the center from all directions.
Even though the Winter Hound was sturdy, its body still swayed under the sweep of this gust of wind.
Zhuang Jianbai's voice rang in the Winter Hound's mind at the first moment of the wind's surge: "Use Frost Breath to resist."
“Awoo!”
The Winter Hound stirred up a chilling breath, trying to force back the gust of wind with Frost Breath, but the gust of wind became more and more violent. The whooshing wind kept ringing in its ears, and its thick fur fluttered messily.
Boom! ! !
The gust of wind completely dispersed the Frost Breath. At this moment, several more materialized Wind Blades whistled out, hitting the swaying Winter Hound one after another!
Bang, bang, bang!
“Awoo!”
The Winter Hound instantly felt pain. The moment the gust of wind dissipated, its body uncontrollably retreated several steps, and the pain could no longer be contained.
At this moment, the Winter Hound fell into decline.
Cola no longer showed any mercy, suddenly stepped out and rushed towards the Winter Hound!
Even seeing the Winter Hound's severely weakened state, Zhuang Jianbai didn't panic. His eyes were calm as he said, "Winter Hound, Ice."
But in the next second, his pupils shrank as he watched the Gale Hound approach the Winter Hound. The two figures became entangled.
Suddenly, the Winter Hound flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
Zhuang Jianbai was silent.
Everyone was silent.
"Woof woof woof!"
Only the members of the Paw Patrol around them instantly became excited. They barked repeatedly, crowding around Cola, with more and more female dog-type pet beasts sticking close to its body.
"Woof ~"
Cola tried to appear nonchalant, but the admiring gazes and excited barks of its underlings made it hard to suppress the excitement in its heart. The corners of its mouth couldn't help but stretch into a wide grin.
Master, I'm not a coward!
[Defeated a Tier 2 pet beast, gained Source Points]
Without a single mistake, a first-rate performance!
Chen Yuan, who was drawing a map in the forest around Xuanhe Village, looked up blankly: "Huh?"
Looking at the Winter Hound lying on the ground, unconscious, Zhuang Jianbai's first reaction wasn't shock or astonishment, but confusion.
He stood there blankly, his eyes vacant.
Why?
Why would he lose to a Tier 2 pet beast without a Beastmaster's command?
Everyone was silent at this time, watching Zhuang Jianbai nervously.
Jiang Yuntao, with a complex expression, walked to Zhuang Jianbai's side. After deliberating for a long time, he slowly said, "Don't be discouraged. This Gale Hound should be the pet beast of a particularly powerful Intermediate Beastmaster."
"I guess this Beastmaster should be from the Imperial Capital or the Magic Capital. It's not a disgrace to lose to someone like that."
Zhuang Jianbai turned his head stiffly, his voice hoarse: "But this Gale Hound doesn't have a Beastmaster commanding it."
Jiang Yuntao patted him gently on the shoulder and said softly, "That Beastmaster must have used a lot of precious nurturing resources to improve its strength. You're different. All your resources are earned through your own hard work. It's normal to have a gap now."
Speaking of this, he smiled: "It's impossible for your efforts alone to surpass the accumulation of several generations of others, right?"
Wang Yuan also persuaded: "That's right, Lao Zhuang. Only Beastmasters with solid family backgrounds can nurture pet beasts of this strength at this stage. You rely on doing tasks to exchange for resources and the support of the academy. How can you compare to them in the short term?"
After a long silence, Zhuang Jianbai nodded slowly. The originally dim eyes regained their light, and he said in a low voice: "I understand, teacher. I will work harder."
Seeing his beloved student reignite his spirit, Jiang Yuntao finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Let's treat the Winter Hound first."
Zhuang Jianbai walked quickly to the fallen Winter Hound and said softly, "It's my fault. You got hurt."
At this moment, the triumphant Cola suddenly caught sight of a villager walking towards them. It quickly glanced at the unconscious Winter Hound, feeling inexplicably guilty.
This Winter Hound isn't from the village. It should be okay to hurt it, right?
But what if they complain to the master?
Many thoughts churned in its heart. Cola's eyes flickered constantly. Finally, it gritted its teeth and shouted, "Woof!"
In an instant, Cola led the Paw Patrol to quickly evacuate the scene of the crime and soon disappeared.
Jiang Yuntao saw a villager approaching and his eyes lit up. He handed over a cigarette and asked, "Old brother, how do I get to the Beastmaster Affairs Office?"
He was eager to go to the Beastmaster Affairs Office to inquire about the whereabouts of this mysterious Beastmaster to resolve Zhuang Jianbai's inner conflict.
This child doesn't have a good background, but his Beastmaster talent is extremely outstanding, and he works hard. Therefore, he is vigorously promoted by the association as a typical example.
But the massive traffic and countless attention put a lot of pressure on him. Once he encounters failure, he will fall into serious self-consumption.
But Jiang Yuntao knew clearly in his heart that no one has smooth sailing. Failure is bound to be encountered on the road to growth.
"It's good to hone him through this," Jiang Yuntao thought to himself.
After the Winter Hound's injuries were simply treated, Jiang Yuntao led the group to the Beastmaster Affairs Office under the guidance of the villager.
The village's bustling construction scene amazed them. Some villagers were renovating their houses, and some villagers were laying stone-paved roads under the leadership of the village cadres.
Arriving at the Affairs Office, Jiang Yuntao directly showed his identity: "Hello, I am a teacher from Yunhua Beastmaster Academy. These are my students. We are here to carry out training activities."
"Also, to ask about something."
Hearing the identities of the group, Zhang Hao curiously looked at them, then shouted loudly: "Brother Song, people from Yunhua Beastmaster Academy are here!"
Soon, Song Guohao strode out, shook hands with Jiang Yuntao, and smiled: "We've been waiting for you for a long time."
The two had a brief conversation, and then Zhang Hao, under Song Guohao's command, completed the mountain entry procedures for them.
"Your mountain entry time is 12 noon, and your mountain exit time is the day after tomorrow."
"If you enter the mountain from the east and proceed all the way, don't continue forward when you see a ranger's hut located on the mountainside. The front is a restricted area."
"Don't" Song Guohao slowly told everyone the precautions.
Jiang Yuntao nodded to show that he understood, and then said: "Director Song, I want to ask you something."
"Which Beastmaster is the Tier 2 Gale Hound at your village entrance?"
After a slight pause, he added: "If his identity cannot be revealed, we can understand."
"Ah?" Song Guohao, who had been overwhelmed with various tedious matters in the Affairs Office recently, looked confused.
Zhang Hao, who was sitting in front of the computer, suddenly looked up: "Are you referring to the Gale Hound that leads a group of canine pet beasts?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Yuntao immediately became excited, walked quickly to Zhang Hao's side, and asked again, "Where is the Beastmaster of this Gale Hound?"
Zhang Hao casually replied: "That's my friend. He lives in the east of the village."
As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes on Zhang Hao instantly changed, and some even became awestruck.
To be able to become a friend of such a powerful Intermediate Beastmaster, this seemingly ordinary clerk must have something extraordinary about him.
Jiang Yuntao asked further: "Did this Beastmaster come back recently?"
"Ah? What do you mean?" Zhang Hao looked puzzled. "He has always lived in the village."
"Except for four years of university in another place, he has been in the village the rest of the time."
"Huh?" This time it was Jiang Yuntao's turn to look confused. This was not the answer he had imagined.
Song Guohao finally understood the conversation between the two. He smiled and said: "Teacher Jiang, the Beastmaster you are talking about used to be a rescuer at the wildlife rescue station and is now a ranger."
"That Gale Hound is his pet beast."
"Ah? A ranger?"
For a time, exclamations of surprise rose one after another.
