Liu Yi carefully peeled the solidified latent energy pills one by one from their molds.
The golden-red pills lay in her palm, warmth radiating through her fingertips, carrying a faint fruity aroma.
“Yanyan! Yanyan!”
Jinyao’s spirited cries echoed from the backyard, accompanied by Boxing Bunny’s urgent “Quan quan quan quan” shouts, and Ziyue’s occasional “Bingbing” sounds, as if she were acting as a referee.
Liu Yi placed the latent energy pills into a small box, stored a few in her Beast Taming Space, put the rest in the refrigerator, then wiped her hands and pushed open the back door to enter the backyard training ground.
The sun was shining brightly as Jinyao and Boxing Bunny faced off in the center of the training ground.
Jinyao crouched low, its hind legs slightly bent, tail wagging rapidly behind it, golden eyes fixed on Boxing Bunny, a small ball of flame held in its mouth, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
Boxing Bunny maintained a standard fighting stance, its two front paws, clad in red boxing gloves, guarding its body, one in front and one behind. Its ears stood straight, and its red eyes were equally locked on Jinyao.
There were several scorched marks on its boxing gloves, clearly left from previous rounds of combat.
Ziyue squatted in the rest pavilion, watching the two little ones on the field without blinking.
Liu Yi leaned against the doorframe, remaining silent.
Jinyao moved first.
It darted forward, its four short legs digging four small pits in the grass, while simultaneously spitting out the flame from its mouth, aiming directly at Boxing Bunny’s face.
Boxing Bunny was prepared, dodging sideways as the flame grazed its ear and exploded into a small burst of sparks on the ground behind it.
Using the momentum from its dodge, it leaped up, its right fist cutting through the air as it swung down towards Jinyao’s head.
Jinyao had no time to dodge and was struck squarely on the head by Boxing Bunny’s punch.
With a dull thud, Jinyao’s entire body was pushed down, its four legs weakening, almost collapsing to the ground.
But it gritted its teeth and stubbornly held on, refusing to fall. Instead, it used the force of the punch to quickly turn, its tail sweeping fiercely at Boxing Bunny’s side.
Tail Sweep.
Boxing Bunny was hit by the tail, its body tilting to the right, but it immediately used its right fist to brace itself on the ground, stabilizing its posture. At the same time, its left fist hooked upwards, striking Jinyao’s chin.
Jinyao’s head snapped back from the punch, and it fell on its back onto the grass.
“Quan quan!”
Boxing Bunny raised both fists and bounced twice in place, its red eyes full of triumph.
Jinyao lay on the grass, staring at the sky, its mouth slightly open, motionless for a long moment.
Then it slowly rolled over, shook its head, and stood up again, its eyes filled with indignation.
“Yanyan!”
“Again!”
Ziyue walked between the two pets, pushing Boxing Bunny back with her tail and nudging Jinyao away with her head.
“Bingbing.”
“That’s enough for now. Take a break.”
Boxing Bunny put away its gloves and hopped over to the water dispenser, tilting its head back to drink. Jinyao squatted in place, still panting.
Liu Yi finally stepped out from the doorframe, holding the box of latent energy pills.
Jinyao immediately caught the scent, turning its head sharply, its eyes brightening.
It sprang up from the ground and raced towards Liu Yi.
Liu Yi crouched down and offered a latent energy pill to Jinyao’s mouth.
Jinyao bit it, chewing it with a crunching sound.
Boxing Bunny also hopped over from the water dispenser, looking up at Liu Yi with expectant eyes.
“Quan quan?”
Liu Yi smiled, took another pill from the box, and offered it to Boxing Bunny.
Boxing Bunny carefully took it with its gloved paw, then stepped back two paces and began nibbling at it in small bites.
Ziyue walked over from the side.
“Bingbing.”
“Your phone seemed to ring just now.”
Liu Yi took out her phone and opened the School Team group chat.
【Coaching Staff: @everyone, tomorrow at 9 AM, gather in the school’s main conference room for the announcement of the National High School League Phase Two competition format. Everyone must attend on time, no absences.】
Liu Yi replied, put her phone back in her pocket, and stood up.
Jinyao had finished its latent energy pill and was now squatting at her feet, looking up at her.
“Yanyan?”
“I have a meeting at school tomorrow,” Liu Yi said, bending down to rub Jinyao’s head. “You be good and play with Boxing Bunny at home.”
“Yanyan!”
“Quan quan!”
The two little ones were already facing off again.
Ziyue sighed and stood up from the ground.
“Bingbing!”
“You can fight again tomorrow. You’ve been at it for a long time today.”
-
The next day.
Jinyao was still sound asleep on the bed, its small paw resting on Ziyue’s tail, its head pillowed on Chiying’s tail tip.
Ziyue was already awake. Sensing Liu Yi’s movements, she turned her head and let out a soft cry.
“Bingbing?”
“Mhm.” Liu Yi nodded, got out of bed, got dressed, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
When she came out, Jinyao was still sleeping.
She walked to the bedside, bent down, and gently stroked Jinyao’s head.
Jinyao twitched its ears in its sleep and continued to slumber.
Liu Yi smiled, didn’t wake it, and went downstairs with Ziyue and Chiying.
Auntie Chen had already prepared breakfast. Seeing Liu Yi come down, she placed the warmed soy milk and pancakes on the table.
“Where’s Jinyao?”
“Still sleeping.” Liu Yi sat at the dining table and took a bite of her pancake.
Auntie Chen smiled. “The little one is still growing, so it’s good for it to sleep more.”
Liu Yi nodded, quickly finished breakfast, returned Ziyue and Chiying to her Beast Taming Space, picked up her backpack, and left.
Tianqi Beast Taming High School’s gate looked particularly solemn in the morning light. The electronic screen at the entrance continuously scrolled the message: “Congratulations to our school for achieving first place in the Monte Competition Zone during Phase One of the National High School League.”
Liu Yi walked through the school gate, crossed the Central Plaza, and headed towards the main conference room.
Tianqi Beast Taming High School’s main conference room was on the third floor of the Administrative Building, a large room capable of holding nearly a hundred people.
When Liu Yi pushed the door open, she saw several teachers from the coaching staff seated in the front row. Principal Shen was also there, sitting at one end of the long table, holding a cup of tea and speaking quietly with Wei Xiuyu beside her.
“Liu Yi!” Li Chengying’s voice came from the back row. She waved at Liu Yi. “Over here, over here!”
Gao Xue sat next to her, and Ouyang Qin was by the window.
Liu Yi walked over and sat down.
At exactly nine o’clock, Wei Xiuyu stood up and walked to the projection screen at the front of the conference room.
The conference room fell silent, and all eyes turned to her.
Wei Xiuyu pressed the remote control in her hand.
The projection screen lit up.
【Phase Two · Competition Format Explanation】
She scanned the room, her gaze lingering on each team member’s face for a moment, then began to speak.
“The organizing committee has released the detailed arrangements for Phase Two of the National High School League.”
“I’ve called you all here today to clearly explain the Phase Two competition format, allocations, and subsequent arrangements.”
She paused.
“First, the scale of Phase Two. From the 108 competition zones nationwide in Phase One, 10 schools from each zone, with 15 contestants per school, have advanced, totaling 16,200 people.”
They had heard this number before, but hearing it again now, a low murmur of discussion still rose in the conference room.
Wei Xiuyu didn’t interrupt. Only when the sounds gradually subsided did she continue.
“For the venue of Phase Two, the organizing committee randomly selected three group regions from the twelve group regions of Yan Country. The results of this selection are Qingming Group Region, Glorious Domain, and Feiluo Group Region.”
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