My Pet Beast is Super Fearsome
Chapter 521 - 520 The Changing Game Rules

Chapter 521: Chapter 520 The Changing Game Rules

Facing a ninth-tier Iron-eating Giant Panda, the information displayed on the screen still contained many question marks.

However, from the information that was shown, the Iron-eating Giant Panda was a bit different from what he had imagined, forcing an enemy to duel was really...

"Meow!"

Suddenly, Shao Zifeng felt a pang of pain in his arm, he looked down to see Mirage cat staring intently at the Iron-eating Giant Panda, its sharp claws springing out from its paw pads and tightly hooking onto his sleeve.

In its eyes, there was a strong sense of enmity.

This was the first time Shao Zifeng had seen Beibei display such intense emotions.

"Beibei," Shao Zifeng wrapped his arms around it and asked with some concern, "What’s wrong?"

"Meow meow!"

Even while lying in his arms, Beibei still fixed its gaze on the Iron-eating Giant Panda, its claws glinting coldly and piercing into Shao Zifeng’s skin.

The sudden pain made Shao Zifeng inhale sharply through his teeth.

Beibei’s little ears twitched, and it looked at its own claws.

Seeing the specks of blood on his sleeve, the little one quickly retracted its claws; it looked up at Shao Zifeng with a somewhat confused gaze.

"It’s okay, it’s just a little scratch." Shao Zifeng rubbed its little head, "Can you tell me why?"

"Meow~"

Upon hearing this, Beibei glanced at the Iron-eating Giant Panda, its fur slowly clinging to its body, its long tail drooping, and it buried its little head into Shao Zifeng’s chest.

It seemed it didn’t want to speak. Shao Zifeng gently stroked its fur, narrowingly his eyes slightly.

It was clearly the first time it had seen the Iron-eating Giant Panda, so why would it harbor such strong emotions without any apparent reason?

Unfortunately, Beibei was always Beibei, never opening up its inner world to him, leaving Shao Zifeng with no way to understand.

The opening ceremony continued, and the appearance of the Iron-eating Giant Panda pushed the atmosphere in the venue to a small climax, but it didn’t stay long; it waved its paw at the camera and then left.

However, the audience was still content, feeling as if they were attending an event when suddenly "Dongfeng Express" just jiggled in front of you...

Um.

Put that way, it does seem a bit frightening.

The first half of the opening ceremony was mainly for the audience, so aside from some visually stunning effects, it didn’t offer much substance. Coupled with Li He’s less-than-stellar hosting skills, the later part nearly put Shao Zifeng to sleep.

The reason many competitors were still waiting was that the tournament schedule would be announced after the opening ceremony; otherwise, wouldn’t it be better for Shao Zifeng to use this time for more training?

As time ticked by, with the conclusion of the last act, the participants in the competitors’ area became restless.

In an instant, the star spirits on the dome above started moving again. They fell to the ground like shooting stars with long trails, gathering in the middle of the field to form a semicircular starlight cluster.

The twinkling starlight cluster grew brighter as it contracted and then, like an explosion, scattered in all directions, adorning the sky above the entire venue.

Amidst the sky full of starlight, the figure of a tall beauty emerged from the stars. She wore a tight-fitting evening gown, its sequins shimmering in concert with the star spirits, making her look like the Starlight Queen.

Shao Zifeng glanced at her, judging from the reaction of those around, she was yet another celebrity.

"Hello, dear viewers." The woman, shimmering all over, greeted everyone with poise, "I’m thrilled to be invited to..."

While she interacted with the audience, someone whispered a question, "Teacher Xiaoyu, how were the previous competitions arranged?"

Thinking Shao Zifeng was nervous, Yu Xiaoyu quickly reassured, "Don’t worry, Shao. The national cup’s preliminary rounds are actually the easiest because it’s not about picking the strongest, but eliminating the weakest."

"Eliminating the weakest?"

None of them had been truly concerned, but after her comment, Li Yiming and the others grew more anxious, for they saw themselves as the weakest.

"It’s not what you think," Yu Xiaoyu waved her hands dismissively, "It’s not exactly eliminating per se. After all, the national cup gathers the finest students from across the Daxia, so it’s not solely about beast battles, but about selecting the most outstanding students overall."

"To test the students’ wilderness survival skills, past competitions have designated a wilderness area where students must spend a night."

"But since they are students, for safety reasons, there won’t be any powerful mutant creatures in the wilderness, so it’s a traditional event that’s more about form than substance. Unless a contestant’s psychological quality is really poor, there’s practically no chance of elimination."

"I see." Hu Shiwu at the back eased his worries and turned to the person beside him, "Bro, what were you saying about Guan Ying’s leg?"

The boy next to him turned with a confused look, "Who are you, bro?"

"Oh! It’s just that..."

Before long, they were deep in conversation.

Shao Zifeng was still coming to terms with Yu Xiaoyu’s words, but given the myriad speculations that arose during the opening ceremony, he was less optimistic about the upcoming preliminary round.

"And now the moment that will have you on the edge of your seats." Guan Ying, on the field, waved her hand, and the star sprites began to dance along with her gesture, with several giant screens slowly descending from the dome, "As is customary, let us first reveal the preliminary round. Please look at the big screen."

As her voice fell, the big screen began to play a short video, displaying Daxia’s landscapes — steep snow-capped cliffs, the vast and turbulent sea, desolate deserts and boundless forests and grasslands.

The breathtaking beauty of Daxia’s scenery was captured in those few seconds of video, which ended with four images freezing on the screen.

Seeing this, all the contestants were puzzled, and Shao Zifeng grew even more certain of his thoughts.

The officials were up to something.

After the video finished, the celebrity Guan Ying spoke with a smile, "For this edition’s first preliminary round, each participating academy may choose one of the following four locations as their examination point. Upon qualifying there, they will move on to the next stage."

"Wasn’t the preliminary round supposed to be around the imperial city?"

"Why is this year’s competition so hard?"

As soon as Guan Ying finished speaking, the competitors’ area erupted into chaos, with some students loudly expressing their dissatisfaction.

Unfortunately, the officials offered no explanation for their reactions, and slowly they had no choice but to let it be.

"Shao, what do we do?" Yu Xiaoyu seemed lost as well.

Staring at the four distinctly different images on the big screen, Shao Zifeng pondered for a moment. Truth be told, he’d never been to a forest and grassland and was curious to see it.

However, in the end, he decided on the island. Compared to the utterly unfamiliar terrains, at least with the island he had a map.

Their main fighting force wasn’t present, so it was better to play it safe.

(PS: Two Chapters released first, three more in the evening, vote and subscribe, please.)