"That's true."
Chen Shu nodded, feeling a slight sense of relief.
"By the way, whose match is it today?"
"It's the contestants from Snow Country versus the Immortal Kingdom!"
The arena was already packed with contestants, all eagerly anticipating the first match of the second round.
Now that the previous rule system was gone, major countries would also be facing each other.
Soon, the opposing sides for the match headed to their respective combat platforms.
"Chen Pi, who do you think will win?"
A Liang asked. Chen Shu's insight was extraordinary; he could see more than they could.
"It's hard to say."
Chen Shu shook his head and said, "From what I can see, Snow Country has a slight edge."
One side was Snow Country's top contender, and the other was merely the Immortal Kingdom's second-ranked contestant. There was a gap between them.
He continued, "However, beast tamer battles are full of variables. No one can predict the outcome accurately."
A Liang and the others nodded, looking down at the combat platform.
The battle had already begun!
If one were to solely rate the potential of their contracted spirits, both sides were evenly matched, with three SS+ rated spirits each. They were truly top-tier prodigies!
Because neither side could stand the sight of the other, they immediately went all out, holding nothing back.
The battle instantly became incredibly fierce!
On the combat platform, various high-power skills were continuously unleashed.
The global audience, witnessing the clash of Blue Star's top prodigies for the first time, became visibly excited and enthralled.
The skills they casually used were something ordinary beast tamers could only dream of.
Chen Shu also maintained a serious expression, quietly memorizing the combat styles of both sides' contracted spirits.
While the two sides appeared evenly matched and the outcome uncertain,
the battle soon took a turn!
A mistake by the Immortal Kingdom's contestant was seized upon.
The genius from Snow Country then unleashed a full combo of ice and snow skills, successfully eliminating one of the opponent's contracted spirits.
The scales of victory had begun to tip!
The Immortal Kingdom's genius's two contracted spirits gradually sustained injuries. Although they ultimately made a desperate counterattack, heavily damaging one of Snow Country's contracted spirits, the situation could no longer be salvaged.
In the end, Snow Country successfully secured victory in the second round and advanced to the quarterfinals!
"Quite strong."
Chen Shu murmured to himself. Both sides' three contracted spirits were powerful, essentially having no weaknesses. They were indeed a notch above the geniuses from smaller countries.
"My second round match is on the last day. I'll have to wait a week."
He sighed, already eager to claim the system and match rewards.
...
Days passed,
the contestants' lives remained largely unchanged. They slept at night and came to watch matches during the day.
For them, watching matches wasn't entertainment but a way to understand their opponents and increase their chances of winning.
"Finally, it's my turn!"
Chen Shu stretched lazily and sauntered onto the combat platform.
Suddenly, all eyes turned to him, filled with anticipation.
The three most popular contestants currently were:
Jona from the Free Alliance, Lin Han from Lan Country, and Chen Shu from Hua Country!
The strength displayed by these three was clearly a level above the rest.
And today's match was Chen Shu against the genius from the Free Alliance!
Because of the infamous scene during the previous draw ceremony, the Alliance's genius was practically itching to tear Chen Shu apart.
"Chen Shu, it's time for me to get revenge!"
The genius from the Alliance's expression turned cold, his eyes filled with hostility.
"Hmm? Who are you?"
Chen Shu blinked slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"You?!"
The other party's expression darkened, feeling as though he was being underestimated. He said, "I am Will from the Free Alliance! The third-ranked contestant in the national competition!"
"Oh~~~~"
Chen Shu seemed to realize, but the next moment, he said with a blank expression:
"I don't recognize you at all!"
"..."
Will's mouth twitched, and then he said slowly, "That day, I was the fifth person you defeated!"
"Oh, you mean the one I hit thirty-six times?"
Chen Shu smiled slightly and said, "You should have said so earlier! I remember now!"
"???"
Will's mouth twitched. How could he possibly remember that?
"You've returned to your original appearance, so I didn't quite recognize you at first..."
"..."
Will snorted coldly and said, "Enough nonsense! Today, I will definitely wash away this shame!"
With that, he summoned his three contracted spirits.
"Did I knock you out so badly you can't even recognize me?"
Chen Shu smiled slightly and summoned his own contracted spirits.
Boom boom—
Soon, the protective barrier between them dispersed, and the battle commenced!
But at that moment, Chen Shu's expression stiffened. Options appeared before his eyes...
His gaze sharpened, and a chilling killing intent flashed in his eyes.
"Today, you are destined to lose!"
Will from the Free Alliance remained full of confidence. His three contracted spirits began to unleash their skills.
"The glory of the Alliance! I shall defend it!"
Boom boom—
Instantly, a terrifying death fire pillar shot forward, heavily damaging one of his contracted spirits.
"Ah, what..."
Will's eyes widened, his expression turning to utter astonishment.
"I'm a genius at Silver Three stars, and your single skill can instantly kill me?!"
"I'm in a hurry."
Chen Shu's expression returned to normal, but the killing intent in his eyes still lingered.
In an instant, the "Erha" let out a cry, its eyes continuously flashing with light.
Gales, lightning, ice spikes, massive stones...
All sorts of elemental ultimate skills were unleashed, combined with its incredibly fast casting speed, creating a terrifying spectacle!
It even gave the impression that one wasn't facing a single contracted spirit, but an entire army!
Boom boom boom—
Instantly, skills of terrifying power surged forward.
Not only were their flight speeds incredibly fast, but their area of effect was also terrifyingly large, making evasion impossible!
"This is outrageous!"
Will's eyes widened, filled with shock. He had even forgotten to react.
The spectators below were also shaken, seeing the combat power of "Erha" for the first time.
Someone exclaimed, "Are you sure this isn't the Gold tier?!"
"???"
Those nearby turned their heads. It made sense!
"The combat power of that dog?!"
Jona from the Free Alliance looked grave, staring intently at Erha on the stage.
With her vast knowledge, she immediately sensed something was amiss.
"What about its elemental attributes and skill levels..."
Jona's brows furrowed, her eyes filled with bewilderment.
Based on textbook knowledge, this was highly unreasonable!
Lin Han of Lan Country, on the other side, was also astonished. His usually calm expression showed a hint of seriousness, and he murmured to himself:
"The World Championship is truly a battle of prodigies..."
Boom boom boom—
Various skills roared out, engulfing all of Will's contracted spirits!
Some people even covered their eyes, unable to bear witnessing a mosaic on the combat platform.
"Strong... truly strong..."
Will muttered repeatedly, as if in a daze.
But then, he returned to his senses and said, "Unfortunately, you still can't defeat me!"
"Huh?"
Chen Shu's eyes narrowed. Could he have encountered another genius comparable to a gold-tier contestant?
Just as he was about to have Erha unleash another barrage of skills, he suddenly froze.
The effects of the skills below vanished, revealing the true scene on the combat platform.
Aside from his own three contracted spirits, not a single other contracted spirit remained...
"Disaster always strikes one step behind me!"
Will smiled faintly and then, with slightly trembling legs, voluntarily stepped away from his combat position...
"..."
Chen Shu shook his head and quickly left his combat position as well.
A hint of killing intent flickered in his eyes as he once again looked towards the system's options.