This was a clash of ice and fire!
What Jiang Hao feared most had happened after all. Those snowballs were no ordinary snowballs; they carried a freezing effect. Although they were less powerful than his fireballs, they could freeze the fireballs on impact. That was the nastiest part.
Even if a frozen fireball hit Yu Guangguang, it could not explode and would therefore deal no damage.
At the sight, gasps of amazement rose from below the arena. This was the first time anyone had managed to counter Jiang Hao's terrifying Six-Shot Fireball.
Wei Zihan stroked his chin in thought. There was a reason the Cat Cat Squad's captain had won eighteen matches in a row. This feat alone deserved everyone's praise.
Yu Guangguang peered out from behind the turtle shell. To prepare for a possible encounter with Jiang Hao, he had repeatedly simulated their battle in his mind. Now that he had finally countered Jiang Hao's skill, how could he not be delighted?
"Jiang Hao, others might fear you, but I, Yu Guangguang, don't! Whatever other tricks you have, bring them on! Hahaha!"
This bastard was outrageously cocky.
"Then I'll grant your wish."
Jiang Hao was in no hurry. It's only Fireball. Now that I know about your snowball skill...
This will be easy.
Jiang Hao did not attack immediately. Instead, he waited for Fireball's cooldown to finish, then cast three skills in succession: Transparent Egg first, followed by Six-Shot Fireball and Wind Orb.
You can block my Fireball, but can you block Lure too?
Lure forcibly drew every target within fifteen meters to a designated location-the spot where Transparent Egg burst-for several seconds. Under its influence, the targets could not break free.
Jiang Hao intended to finish Yu Guangguang within those few seconds. The window was short, and the opportunity would vanish in a flash. If he missed it, he would have to wait five minutes, and the match itself only lasted five minutes. He had to succeed in a single strike.
Transparent Egg burst three meters in front of Chubby, a distance that put every member of the Cat Cat Squad within its range.
The Cat Cat Squad's three damage dealers, who had been locked in a fierce struggle with Song Jie and the other two, suddenly abandoned their opponents against their will and ran toward Chubby. Anyone unaware of the situation might have mistaken it for a tactical retreat, but no one doubted that Jiang Hao's bizarre skill was behind it.
Oh no!
When Yu Guangguang saw the two eggs bouncing into view before him, his heart went cold. He desperately tried to stop his body. He wanted to cast his snowball skill, but his body simply would not obey him.
Even after guarding against every possibility, he still could not guard against everything!
The two eggs burst simultaneously.
Six-Shot Fireball struck Yu Guangguang before he could finish running over, taking him out with almost no suspense. When the bell rang, Yu Guangguang wished he could die.
Wind Orb followed, engulfing every member of the Cat Cat Squad. Red numbers filled the air as massive damage values rose above their heads.
The two supports suffered the most. Although Wind Orb did not finish them outright, Song Jie and Gongsun Qianxun seized the opportunity to rush forward and land one finishing blow each. Their coordination was flawless.
With both their supports and their captain down, how were they supposed to fight?
Were they all supposed to hide inside that turtle shell? What a joke. Jiang Hao and his teammates were not idiots.
The remaining three damage dealers fell one after another without lasting more than a few exchanges. As for the final defensive Primordial Turtle, Jiang Hao and his teammates had no intention of even touching him. They had already won anyway.
Having lost the match, the Cat Cat Squad left the Competition Platform with their heads hanging, hoping they would never encounter this freak again.
Jiang Hao called out, and his seven-person squad followed the Cat Cat Squad off the Competition Platform. He knew that as long as he stood on the Competition Platform, no one would challenge them. Rather than waste time waiting, they might as well take the initiative and come knocking.
Their next target was Competition Platform Three.
By now, the others understood that Jiang Hao's squad would not stay to defend an arena. Once Jiang Hao stepped onto Competition Platform Three, they scrambled onto Competition Platform Four, neatly avoiding any chance of facing his squad, just as they had with the Fifth Arena.
The team currently defending Competition Platform Three immediately lost its composure when Jiang Hao's squad stepped up. They had all witnessed the Cat Cat Squad's fate on the neighboring fourth Competition Platform. Their captain declared on the spot that they wanted to leave the Competition Platform, only to receive a fierce scolding from the referee.
"As Beast Tamers of our Shenzhou Kingdom, you actually flee before battle? On a battlefield, that would be enough to have you beheaded as a warning a hundred times over! Even if you lose, you must lose honorably, not flee at the first sign of trouble. Continue the match! Anyone who refuses will lose ten points!"
Jiang Hao was delighted. He had genuinely been worried that the defending teams would leave. And so his squad fought their way from the Fifth Arena to Competition Platform One, then swept back from Competition Platform One to the Fifth Arena, unstoppable wherever they went. The other teams ground their teeth in hatred but could do nothing about them. In the end, Jiang Hao's squad unexpectedly earned the title of Winning Streak Ender.
Time flew by, and the five-day Team Competition finally came to an end.
In the end, Jiang Hao's squad emerged victorious through a hundred battles. Although their wins were not consecutive, they had not suffered a single defeat. They had thrashed almost every team in the second tier at least once.
Ultimately, Jiang Hao's squad secured 103 points, firmly claiming first place on the leaderboard.
Jiang Hao's squad: 103 points.
Cat Cat Squad: 89 points.
Shenzhou Academy Squadron: 77 points.
Assault Squad: 76 points.
Wasp Unit: 75 points.
Pinnacle Team: 74 points.
Interestingly, the Shenzhou Academy Squadron, captained by Wei Zihan, was one of the few teams Jiang Hao's squad had never encountered. Whether Wei Zihan had arranged that deliberately was anyone's guess. Whatever the case, Jiang Hao's squad had swept through all five Competition Platforms without meeting them even once.
The Beast Pet Tournament was nearing its conclusion. Once every team finished distributing its team points, the competition would officially end.
From the preliminaries to the Fishing Competition, then the Survival Match and finally the Team Competition, the tournament had lasted three and a half months. During that time, Jiang Hao had endured mockery, proved himself, and finally made his name in battle.
He had not only earned the recognition of everyone in the Shenzhou Kingdom, but also forged deep bonds of friendship and trust with his six teammates.
Based on the previous point standings, Jiang Hao's first-place finish was already set in stone. The question now was how to secure good placements for the other members, especially Yang Qingliu.
Even after earning seventy-eight points in the Frozen Canyon, she only had ninety-eight points in total. Reaching the top ten was already impossible.
Unless they gave her all 103 team points, that is. But that would be terribly unfair to the others, and Yang Qingliu would never agree anyway.
During their discussion, Jiang Hao initially proposed giving half to Yang Qingliu and dividing the remaining half equally among the other six. But Yang Qingliu refused no matter what. She said that taking half the points would weigh on her conscience so much that she would not even sleep peacefully. She had already relied far too much on everyone to make it this far.
Yang Qingliu had entered the Beast Pet Tournament to join the army and find a secure foothold in life. To obtain a military position, she needed to finish in the top twenty. The top twenty contestants on the Fishing Competition leaderboard had mostly scored over 110 points, and that did not even include the points they had earned during the Survival Match.
In the end, Jiang Hao decided to give his own share of the Team Competition points to Yang Qingliu. With 361 points already, his first-place finish was secure anyway.
Yes, he had earned eight points during the Survival Match by killing the Fog Capital Divine Eagle, the Snow Wolf King, and six Snow Wolves.
Chen Xiaolin had earned 193 points in the Fishing Competition, which safely secured him a top-ten finish. He therefore gave his share of the team points to Yang Qingliu as well.
Next came Gongsun Qianxun. Her 267 points from the Fishing Competition firmly placed her fourth, and she also decided to give her team points to Yang Qingliu.
Dividing the 103 points equally gave each person fourteen points. That meant Yang Qingliu would receive fifty-six points, still amounting to half. Previously, she had grounds to refuse half the points, but now that Jiang Hao, Chen Xiaolin, and Gongsun Qianxun were voluntarily giving her their shares, it was difficult to turn them down.
It would have been a lie to say she was not moved. She was fortunate to have found a good team and such good teammates.
Whether Yang Qingliu's 154 points would place her in the top twenty still depended on the other teams' final allocations.
Once every team had finished distributing its points, the latest leaderboard was released.
1. Fifth Competition Zone, Jiang Hao: 361 points.
2. First Competition Zone, Wei Zihan: 345 points.
3. Fifth Competition Zone, Song Jie: 314 points.
4. Fifth Competition Zone, Gongsun Qianxun: 267 points.
5. Fifth Competition Zone, Guo Dundun: 226 points.
6. Fifth Competition Zone, Chen Xiaolin: 193 points.
7. Fifth Competition Zone, Wen Ruxue: 174 points.
8. First Competition Zone, Hou Dashan: 173 points.
9. Second Competition Zone, Wang Donglin: 170 points.
10. First Competition Zone, Liu Zhiwei: 168 points.
11. Third Competition Zone, Yu Guangguang: 163 points.
19. Fourth Competition Zone, Yang Qingliu: 154 points.
When she saw that her final ranking was nineteenth, Yang Qingliu burst into tears. The strong-willed Catgirl threw her arms around Wen Ruxue beside her and sobbed too hard to speak.
Because she was destitute, she could not afford a Snow Spirit Tree Leaf during the Fishing Competition. Because she was poor, she could not afford to rent Jiang Hao's Hand-Cast Net, leaving her at the bottom with twenty points. No team would take her in, so she had endured the ice and snow alone. Then she had encountered a group with sinister intentions and nearly withdrawn from the competition. Jiang Hao's squad had stepped forward and offered her a helping hand. Not only had they given her every opportunity to earn points in the Frozen Canyon, but Jiang Hao and the other two had voluntarily given her their team points as well. From having nothing to ranking nineteenth on the leaderboard, everything she had now had been given to her by this team.
After crying, Yang Qingliu excitedly went up and hugged everyone. When Chen Xiaolin's turn came, the anticipation and longing in his eyes made her shy. Even so, she blushed and willingly stepped into his arms. As a woman, she was perceptive enough to notice; the way Chen Xiaolin looked at her was simply too ardent to ignore.
Chen Xiaolin had voluntarily given her his points, leaving her unable to refuse. Perhaps, in return, she could try getting to know him. If Chen Xiaolin treated her well, would that not mean she had found a good place to call home?
"Thank you!"
Everything was understood without another word.
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