The Second Stage

This had happened more than once. Everyone who had watched his match against Yang Di knew that Yang Di had inexplicably fallen out of midair like this before being defeated.

Would Jia Ming be no exception?

What kind of skill could be so bizarre?

Just as Jia Ming extended one foot beyond the boundary, the power of Lure suddenly vanished.

Jiang Hao silently cursed his mistake. He should not have cast Lure so far away. Its power lasted only a few seconds and naturally disappeared once that time was up.

Having nearly lost the match, Jia Ming immediately went berserk. His bloodshot eyes betrayed his fury. He knew that rather than chasing Jiang Hao, he would be better off taking out his beast pet directly. If that chicken used its bizarre skill again, there was no telling whether he would be lucky enough to survive it.

"Cluck-cluck!"

Eagle Strikes the Sky!

Seeing Jia Ming charge toward Big Hen, Jiang Hao acted without hesitation. It was time to show everyone what a flying chicken looked like.

The instant Big Hen spread her wings and soared, the spectators below burst into cries of amazement, just as expected.

"She's taking off! She's actually flying! Holy shit!"

"Holy shit!"

"Holy shit!"

That settled it: she was a Phoenix.

But Jiang Hao had no time to celebrate.

The berserk Jia Ming suddenly leaped into the air. Already three meters tall, he reached a height of ten meters with that jump. Raising his fist, he punched the ascending Big Hen straight back down.

"Nice!"

The cheers and thunderous applause were all for Jia Ming.

Even with Thorn Armor, Big Hen was still a squishy chicken. That punch from Jia Ming killed her without question.

Jia Ming also knew that Jiang Hao's beast pet could rise from the ashes, so the lack of a bell was perfectly normal. After landing, he camped her corpse, leaving Jiang Hao utterly speechless.

Perhaps even the heavens could not stomach his shameless corpse-camping, or perhaps Jiang Hao was blessed by the gods of luck.

As Big Hen rose, Thorn Armor's passive triggered, activating the absolute defense effect that had only a one-percent chance of occurring.

Three seconds was enough for Big Hen to withstand Jia Ming's attacks and take flight again.

This match was truly one twist after another. When Jia Ming was nearly lured outside the ring, everyone thought Jiang Hao would win. When Jia Ming killed Big Hen with a punch and camped her corpse, everyone thought he would win instead-only for Big Hen to take off again!

After all, Eagle Strikes the Sky allowed ten minutes of flight, and its cooldown had not kicked in yet.

Jia Ming tried the same trick again, but Jiang Hao was ready this time. Using those few seconds of invincibility to tank the attacks, he had Big Hen fly higher and bombard his opponent with alternating Fireballs and Wind Orbs.

Egg after egg fell from the sky. Every ten seconds, two eggs landed at Jia Ming's feet. Wherever he dodged, the skills struck him with unerring accuracy, leaving him in a sorry state. Watching his vitality dwindle bit by bit, he finally had no choice but to go after Jiang Hao again, even if it meant being restrained by that bizarre power once more. He had already done everything he could.

What he did not know was that Big Hen's Lure could only be cast once every ten minutes.

With danger closing in again, Jiang Hao had no choice but to switch into taunting mode.

Jiang Hao said, "Jia Ming, your mom's calling you home for dinner!"

Jiang Hao said, "And here you are, still dawdling around. You can't even catch me! I practice long-distance running for three hours every day. You must be so slow because you're hungry."

Jia Ming was furious. Jiang Hao had escaped by sheer luck, yet he still dared to mock him.

Jiang Hao suddenly pointed above Jia Ming and shouted, "Watch out! Fireball!"

Jia Ming froze and instinctively looked up, only to find Big Hen still circling overhead without a single egg falling. He knew he had been tricked.

Beside himself with rage, he shouted, "Shut up! You're so damn noisy!"

Jia Ming was already berserk, and Jiang Hao kept interfering with his words, needling his nerves until his aggro instantly maxed out.

Delighted to see that it worked, Jiang Hao became even more relentless.

Jiang Hao said, "Watch out! Fireball!"

Having already fallen for it once, Jia Ming paid him no heed. This time, however, an egg fell from the sky. After so many consecutive attacks, even his thick hide was nearing its limit.

Jiang Hao said, "I told you to watch out. See? I wasn't lying."

Jia Ming: ...

Everyone below the Competition Platform was baffled. What was Jiang Hao playing at?

They had truly never seen or heard of anything like this.

Jia Ming stopped and looked at the referee, challenging him. "Referee, doesn't this count as cheating? Even if it doesn't, surely it counts as disrupting the match?"

Before the referee could speak, Jiang Hao argued his case. "First, the rules don't forbid talking. Second, I haven't insulted you, so how can this count as disrupting the match? Isn't that right, referee?"

That was indeed true.

The referee said, "Continue the match. The five minutes are almost up."

Since the referee did not stop the match, Jiang Hao grew even more enthusiastic and even began to sing. "Duerduerduer, da-da-da, watch my swaggering little steps! Whatcha doing, whatcha doing? Why're you bouncing around over there? Those legs of yours are no ordinary legs! You're really pounding the ground! You bounce and bounce so well, haven't you worn yourself out? Your running hardly looks like running, more like a giant dumbass on the ground floor. Jia Ming, your pants fell down~"

That final line shattered Jia Ming's composure completely.

Jia Ming shouted, "Fuck! I can't take this anymore! I surrender!"

The referee stared, dumbfounded, as though unable to believe what he had just heard. "Are you sure?"

Jia Ming strode straight out of the designated area and left the Competition Platform without looking back.

The spectators below the Competition Platform were stunned.

So this kind of outrageous trick was possible too? Jiang Hao was downright shameless. There was no honor in winning like this!

But for even more people, it was as though a door to a whole new world had opened in their minds. Wasn't driving someone into surrender through sheer anger a skill in its own right? Besides, if someone could not even tolerate a few obnoxious remarks from an opponent, didn't they deserve to lose?

When the referee announced Jiang Hao's victory, a chorus of boos rose from below the Competition Platform.

Song Jie flew into a rage and vehemently condemned Jiang Hao. "Referee, he didn't win fair and square! How can you declare him the winner? I object!"

Chen Xiaolin and Yang Di immediately followed suit. "That's right! We object!"

"Yeah! We object!"

Chubby said, "If you're so capable, trash-talk your opponent off the stage too! If you can't, shut up! You're clearly just jealous."

"Exactly! Just jealous!"

For a while, the scene descended into an uproar, with supporters and detractors evenly divided.

At that moment, Liao Yunxiao, the head referee, lost her temper.

"Anyone who keeps arguing will be disqualified! Jiang Hao, although you did not directly violate the rules, as a Beast Tamer, you should know the consequences of interfering with someone else's will. Therefore, as head referee, I have decided to revoke all your points from this round. However, you may still participate in the second stage. Do you have any objections?"

Jiang Hao replied gloomily, "No."

Liao Yunxiao then looked at everyone else. No one dared meet her eyes, averting their gazes one after another. Clearly, they were quite satisfied with this ruling.

Song Jie, in particular, sneered inwardly without a word. Although the outcome had fallen short of his expectations, revoking Jiang Hao's points meant that Jiang Hao would remain a step behind them in the following stages. As long as they maintained their lead in those stages, victory would be firmly in their grasp.

Rankings were determined by the accumulated points from all four stages, so every single point was crucial to the contestants.

The point rankings following the first stage were also released.

Song Jie firmly held first place in the fifth competition zone with an overwhelming advantage.

1. Song Jie: 20 points

2. Wen Ruxue: 20 points

3. Gongsun Qianxun: 20 points

87. Guo Dundun: 16 points

88. Chen Xiaolin: 16 points

89. Jiang Hao: 0 points

Jiang Hao's name stood out conspicuously on the rankings. He had originally earned fifteen points, while eighty-ninth place had belonged to Jia Ming.

After announcing the latest rankings, Liao Yunxiao began explaining the second stage.

"I will now announce the details of the second stage, which everyone is most concerned about.

"First: the time and location. The one thousand contestants from the five competition zones who successfully passed the first stage will head to Snow Spirit Lake on Wu Ji Mountain in three days for the second stage's fishing competition."

"Second: regardless of what methods you use, handing a Snow Spirit Fish to a referee will earn you one point. The time limit is ten days.

"Third: after those ten days, you must cross hazardous terrain such as swamps, rainforests, and snowy mountains to reach the Wuji Peak Summit. This will be your third stage, lasting three months. Any beast crystals you obtain from demonic beasts during those three months will belong to you. Each demonic beast you kill whose strength matches your own will earn you one point. If you cannot endure it or your life is in danger, you may activate your Safety Bell to withdraw early. A guardian will then bring you down the mountain."

"Fourth: once you reach the Wuji Peak Summit, the fourth stage will consist of team battles, with teams of five to ten people. We will discuss the specific arrangements once you manage to reach the summit."

"All right, you now have two days to prepare. On the morning of the third day, assemble at the waystation and depart for Snow Spirit Lake in the Wuji Mountains. Dismissed."

In a small restaurant near the school gates.

Jiang Hao, Chubby, Wen Ruxue, and Gongsun Qianxun found a corner table for their meal.

All around them, students from the War Academy were discussing this Beast Pet Tournament. Unlike previous tournaments, this one would not follow the traditional format of fighting through round after round, but would instead be a distinctive survival adventure competition.

It involved many uncontrollable factors, such as terrain, weather, demonic beasts, and other variables.

Just climbing the nearly ten-thousand-meter-high Wuji Peak was beyond most people. Not only was the air thin up there, but it was also a world of ice and snow. Perhaps that was why the Shenzhou Kingdom had been so generous in rewarding contestants with military posts this time.

Chubby immediately complained, "I might as well give up. With my build, climbing a mountain nearly ten thousand meters high would probably leave me as skinny as Hao. Not worth it."

"That's all the more reason for you to enter. No girl likes a fatty. If you slim down, I guarantee you'll be the brightest kid on the block."

As Jiang Hao spoke, he did not forget to hint at the two girls sitting opposite them, casting a few glances their way.

Mountain climbing was also a major challenge for girls, especially a support-type like Wen Ruxue. She would probably have a rough time of it.