Chapter 89 - I Am A Good Person. They Are Haters.
A lottery box, specially made to prevent any snooping, was brought onstage.
"Five captains, please come up to the stage." The host smiled and gestured.
Su Bai, along with the four other captains, got up and slowly walked to the center of the arena. Among these four, he only knew w.a.n.g Tao from Big River Town"s Fifth Middle School to have a Withered Bone Mantis pet as he encountered him before in the Cannes Trainer Pet Tamer Survival Challenge.
"Please draw lots one by one. The same colors will duel against each other, while the single color will directly advance."
He first reached out and drew a round ball. He opened it and saw a red paper inside.
"Okay, Su Bai of Carp Town"s team drew red."
w.a.n.g Tao next drew a round ball and revealed a white note inside.
"w.a.n.g Tao from Big River Town drew white."
The captain of Hexi Town was a girl more than 1.7 meters tall and in possession of long, well-proportioned legs. She was the only one in her team"s town to have a warlord pet and drew a red note.
"Zhang Yue from Hexi Town drew red. With this, the first competing teams for today"s game have been determined. Carp Town and Hexi Town will be facing each other."
Despite antic.i.p.ating this result, Su Bai was still quite disappointed. Fortunately, the opponent in the first round was not Big River Town or Maple Leaf Town as both those teams had warlord pets.
Zhang Yue glanced at him and smiled in satisfaction, feeling that Hexi Town would have a sure win in the first round.
Following which, Maple Leaf Town and White Stone Town drew green notes. This meant that they would be competing in the second round. Poor White Stone Town had to fight one of the strongest contenders right from the get-go.
Big River Town, which everyone recognized as the strongest contender, directly advanced to the next stage.
"The drawing of lots is now over. The teams competing in the first round are Carp Town and Hexi Town, while in the second round, it will be Maple Leaf Town and White Stone Town. Big River Town will directly advance to the next stage of the compet.i.tion. Now, I"d like to invite back the players to the rest area. The first round will begin immediately."
The host announced in a pa.s.sionate voice.
The atmosphere in the arena became heated as well, and the audience began having lively discussions about each team.
Suddenly, a bevvy of beautiful girls raised a big banner and enthusiastically shouted, "Su Bai, we"re rooting for you! The old fox is omnipotent and invincible…"
The oversized banner and the cheering beautiful girls immediately attracted the audience"s attention.
"Who is Su Bai? Why are there so many girls cheering for him?"
"It"s that guy with the black headband. Could these girls be fake supporters he hired? His two pets aren"t even that outstanding?"
"Oh, you don"t know him? He"s the famous old fox, the recent Cannes Trainer Pet Tamer Survival Challenge winner. He employed schemes to provoke and lure other partic.i.p.ants, using poison and all sorts of despicable methods to turn the impossible into possible. Everyone knows him because of that."
"I know him, too; that guy is a complete show-off. Someone even set up an old fox forum solely dedicated to him."
"There"ll always be fans for everyone…" Someone scoffed.
"I have seventeen cards; can you beat me? That"s how the water-fire Gemini twins were beaten straight away last time…"
"Forget it. The girls over there are so beautiful; if I say that I"m also a fan, can I get close to them?"
"F*ck, stop looking! You can"t learn it!"
...
...
The originally harmonious atmosphere in the auditorium instantly changed because of the huge banner. Some speculated that they had been hired, while others talked about Su Bai"s past performance. Anyway, they suddenly pushed him to the cusp of the storm.
Su Bai returned to the rostrum with a dazed look. "I didn"t hire anyone; what"s wrong with these people? Are they haters?"
He looked around and finally settled his eyes on a certain someone
"It"s not me; I can"t afford to hire so many beautiful girls." Shi Lei quickly shook his head. He wanted to but did not even have money.
"Who did you offend?" Chen Rouxue was also surprised. This was a sneaky method of causing him to fail due to excessive praise.
"Don"t worry about it; the first game is starting right away. You should make your preparations," said Chen Bo with his face covered.
Su Bai thought for a while and shouted loudly, "They"re haters! Everyone should know right from wrong; I"m a good person!"
It was obviously useless, however.
"My reputation is ruined." He sat down beside his girlfriend and complained.
Chen Rouxue turned to look at him. "Why do I feel like you"re still smiling?"
Su Bai looked at her and could not help but grin. "Really? I was just wondering if my handsomeness shocked those girls, so they came at the critical moment to help."
He had initially been worried about the poor effect of his advertising, but someone had actually indirectly helped him with this move, so now everyone was suddenly focusing on him.
Chen Rouxue: "…Why didn"t I notice how thick-skinned you are? How much did you charge for the advertis.e.m.e.nt?"
Su Bai chuckled. "Enough to provide for you."
"Get lost! You haven"t even paid me the protection fees yet."
As they talked, the contest started.
"Now, I announce… the first round of the five towns" spring festival compet.i.tion. Carp Town will have a duel against Hexi Town. Each person can only be onstage once, and the match is over when everyone in one team loses.
"Next, I invite Carp Town"s team to send their first member to defend the ring, and Hexi Town"s team to send a member to attack it."
The host finished the lengthy advertis.e.m.e.nt and announced the rules of the first round before retiring to the rest area.
In the playing field, the originally clean and tidy floor retreated on both sides to reveal a b.u.mpy yellow ground.
"Ohhhhhh…"
"Su Bai, come on!"
The arena burst into enthusiastic cheers, and the group of girls raised the large banner and shouted enthusiastically.
"Who"ll play?" Chen Bo asked.
"I will!" Su Bai stood up and smiled. "Hand the first big match to me. I"m going to prove that I"m a strong player, not an old fox."
He originally did not want to fight this early, but after obtaining the advertis.e.m.e.nt contract and being hated on, he felt like it was time for him to take action.
"Purple Jade, let"s go." Su Bai put on a black cloak with the pattern of a green plum. He took a green plum energy medicinal cake and brought the cub onstage.
"Today"s game is really the highlight. The first player from Carp Town is Su Bai, who is the champion of a recently held compet.i.tion. The cheers are loud no matter in the live broadcast room or here in the stadium. I"m looking forward to who Hexi Town will send!"
The host emceed in a suspenseful voice.
In the eyes of everyone, sending the captain out in the first match was the team begging to lose. No matter how good their cards were, they should not send the king first, should they?
"Isn"t this too much? The captain is being sent in the first battle; is there really no one else in Carp Town?"
"It"s too much of a big leap. Is Carp Town directly giving up on the compet.i.tion?"
"I don"t understand; they"re probably noobs."
"Baby Su, fly as you please! We"ll always follow you!"
"Come on! You can do it!"
...
Su Bai glanced at the crowd and told them, "The group of people with the big banner are my haters. Don"t believe them; I am legit and don"t play dirty tricks!
"From here, I"ll show you how I can defeat an entire team in seconds with my pet; I"ll prove to you my true strength!"
The loudspeakers broadcasted his words for everyone to hear.
The arena suddenly fell silent, and then bursts of laughter exploded.
"Why is he rubbing my IQ on the ground?"
"I can"t believe how ridiculous he is! He"s really tooting his own horn!"
"If he defeats an entire team in seconds, I"ll stand upside down and drink water!"
"He"s just talking big. Try harder; I"ll shampoo my head upside down if he wins!"
"If he wins, I"ll walk back upside down…"
"He might be accepting one loss to ensure two wins; don"t laugh yet…"
...
For a while, the live broadcast room became filled with a lively atmosphere. Su Bai"s words only elicited a roar of mockery, and no one really took them to heart.
He wanted to defeat in seconds four high-level servants and a warlord pet with his single high-level slave?
Was he kidding?
Not mentioning the audience, even Yang Zhou and Jiang Yang were in disbelief.
"What"s he doing? This doesn"t seem like his style?" Yang Zhou was puzzled.
"Is he blinded by fury? It"s unwise to say such a thing, and it"ll be so embarra.s.sing if he loses." Jiang Yang was also puzzled.
Everyone, including these two, was now completely focused on Su Bai and had lost interest in the other matches.
"Actually, I think my brother can win." Su Yue looked at the cub and nodded.
"Young man, don"t be blindly confident. There"s no way. I think he really became confused because of the girls." Yang Zhou patted Su Yue on the shoulder, indicating that he did not need to put his confidence on his older brother forcefully.
"Yeah, you"re still young, so you can"t tell the disparity in the contestants" strength." Jiang Yang also nodded.
Su Yue glanced at them and stopped talking.
"None of us spent money to hire actors, right?" Zhang Yue, the captain of Hexi Town, looked at the others questioningly.
The other four players exchanged glances; n.o.body among them had hired actors.
"It seems like they"re really ready to give up on themselves. It"s not surprising, since they don"t even have a warlord pet. Su Bai is tactful."
Hexi Town was also delighted with his move.
Soon, Hexi Town sent a young man. His pet was a high-level servant, the Sulfate Fire Ant.
The fire ant was thirty centimeters tall and one meter long. It not only had some huge and hideous mandible but also had a pair of huge pliers that ordinary ants did not have.
"You want to defeat the five of us with your measly wood pet? I"ll let you know the consequence of tooting your own horn!" The teen sneered coldly.
"In response to Su Bai"s arrogant tone, Hexi Town sent the member with Sulfate Fire Ant, which is very restrained against the wood pet. This suddenly made the result of the match unpredictable. I hereby announce the official start of the first match!"
"Sulfate Fire Ant, use Fireball!" As soon as the host"s voice fell, the young man gave his order. Actually, he was afraid that Su Bai really had some trump card, so he wanted to attack first.
"Buddy, cover the arena with your vines. Let them bloom here!"
The Sulfate Fire Ant condensed and sprayed fireb.a.l.l.s, but the ground suddenly broke out in waves of earthquake. Numerous huge thorns, with the thickness of an adult"s thigh, dug out from the depths of the earth. Smoke and dust spread all across the field instantly. The Sulfate Fire Ant"s fireb.a.l.l.s burned seven or eight vines but were unable to proceed.
The st.u.r.dy vines with sharp, purple barbs had such a powerful visual impact the audience"s eyes widened instantly and their mouths closed.
In the next instant, countless small white flowers bloomed, and their strange fragrance permeated the air in the stadium.
"Domain characteristics…" The young man felt shocked to see this scene. Such a powerful domain was making him tremble in fear. "Sulfate Fire Ant, use Fire Shield to isolate the pollen, then use Sulfuric Acid to burn a path!"
"It"s useless. Buddy, use Vine Whip!"
Su Bai instructed.
In the next moment, six or seven thick vine whips came from all directions like giant snakes. The Sulfate Fire Ant quickly sprayed sulfuric acid to burn the th.o.r.n.y vines.
With a bang, a vine emerged from the ground and coiled around the pet like a python. In the blink of an eye, it had wrapped itself around the fire ant"s body and pierced it with sharp thorns. Toxin and parasitic seeds poured into it continuously.
"Su Bai emerges victorious!"
The referee quickly announced, slightly caught off guard at the speed of the battle.
By the time the Sulfate Fire Ant was released, it was already unconscious. The vines still stood upright, occupying most of the arena.
Be it in the live broadcast room or the live venue, it was the first time they had seen the cub"s Thorns Domain and were dazed for a moment.
They had heard of Thorns Domain before, but the vines were generally as thick as a finger and about five or six centimeters in diameter, so why were the cub"s vines more than twenty centimeters in diameter and thicker than a human"s thigh?
This kind of Thorns Domain would render the opponent defenseless, would it not?
Zhang Yue"s face, in particular, darkened upon seeing this. She also knew how terrifying a wood pet"s Thorns Domain was, for she also had a wood pet, the Forest Deer.
Could it be that the boy was not being arrogant when he said that he could win against all five of them?
Similarly, the other three teams were very confused. Thorns Domain was unbelievably powerful; it was as if a commander pet"s skill was directly attached to a high-level servant. What was going on?
Could they fight him?
"I told you I"m legit. Do you believe me now?" Su Bai surveyed the audience and said seriously.
"Hmph, no!"
"Talk only if you can win all five matches!"
"Isn"t it just Thorns Domain? Do you think you"re invincible? Ridiculous!"
...
The audience still stubbornly refused to bow their heads, but their voices were obviously much softer, and no one dared to mention their previous promises to drink upside down.
"The captain of Hexi Town, Zhang Yue, who has a warlord pet, has directly stepped out as the second offensive player. They seem to have felt the pressure from Su Bai. His pet"s terrifying Thorns Domain is really a form which has never been seen before, and its suppressing power is too great in the field. I wonder if her Forest Deer can handle it?
"In any case, I announce the official start of this second match!"
In the arena, the female captain looked at him and asked, "Are you accepting one loss for two wins?"
Zhang Yue was afraid now and could not let the other members send themselves up to die. She felt like she could personally defeat this boy.
Su Bai shook his head and laughed. "No, I just feel like there"s no worthy opponent."
"You"re too arrogant. Forest Deer, use Pasture Field!"
She did not bother arguing with him and directly launched an attack.
The audience did not expect the Forest Deer to have a domain as well. A huge pasture directly enveloped the battlefield, and green gra.s.s instantly turned the ground into a dark green shade.
However, the cub"s thick thorns still dominated the field and could not be suppressed at all. Its Thorns Domain had already been strengthened long ago by Su Bai.
"Buddy, use Falling Leaves and Vine Whip!"
Under his order, all the vines" leaves inside the cub"s th.o.r.n.y domain fell, and even the gra.s.s of the Forest Deer showed signs of wilting, but since this was the other party"s domain, it grew quickly again like the spring breeze.
In the next moment, only thick vines with sharp barbs moved, attacking from six or seven directions.
"Forest Deer, Gra.s.s Knot, Corroding Energy Ball!"
"Bleet!"
Upon hearing her order, the green deer started casting spells. The gra.s.s on the ground suddenly grew taller and entangled with the vines. It pulled on the vines, and despite how powerful the latter was, the warlord pet"s field could not be underestimated.
Not only that, but the gra.s.s beside the cub stretched out like a python and quickly wrapped around its limbs.
"Purple Jade, use Crush Claw to break free! Jump onto the vines!" ordered Su Bai, looking at the green condensed energy ball.
With crackling sounds, the cub used the said skill to cut through the gra.s.s, and jumped onto the vines. A huge green energy ball flew out of the gra.s.s to the ground, eroding the thick vines in an instant as it flew to the cub.
However, at this critical moment, a vine pulled the cub away, saving it from the dangerous attack.
Fortunately, with the broken vine whip as a buffer, the cub managed to pull itself away in time.
"Hmph, you"re really lucky!" Zhang Yue was quite irritated that Purple Jade had dodged her pet"s attack.
Logically, most would condense shields in defense if they were restrained and their opponents condensed attack energy b.a.l.l.s in the distance. Su Bai, meanwhile, actually thought of breaking free from the restraint first. Otherwise, the success rate of the energy ball sneak attack from the ground would be almost 100%.
What she did not know was that Su Bai had, in fact, seen all the details of Forest Deer right from the very start. In front of him, she was almost naked and he could predict all her next moves.
Now, it was time for him to take action.