130: Longshang Desert

Almost within a single day, a total of thirteen contestants participating in the competition simultaneously suffered different types of assassination attempts.

Some were disguised as waiters, some were roadside attacks, and some even pretended to be passersby.

These sudden attacks plunged the entire competition into chaos and panic.

The contestants were all on edge, fearing that they would be the next target.

The organizing committee quickly strengthened security measures, attempting to discover the identities and motives of these assassins.

In this assassination incident, two contestants suffered severe injuries.

They were rushed for treatment, but their condition was not optimistic.

One contestant was fortunately rescued because there was a guard on alert nearby, while the other contestant died on the spot due to delayed rescue.

After suffering the attack, Chen Xing learned that a Beastmaster dispatched by the competition's official organization had been secretly hidden beside him for protection.

This Beastmaster twisted the assassin's blow at the critical moment, saving his life.

His mentor sent him a message, telling him not to go to crowded places recently to avoid another attack.

"Mentor, has the assassin's identity been confirmed?" Chen Xing asked.

"There is no direct evidence to confirm the assassin's identity; we can only say there is a primary suspect," Han Yuning replied. "The An Huo (Dark Fire) Organization of Burning Sky Giant City is highly suspected."

"Don't worry, I've already arranged for people to protect your family."

A warm current surged in Chen Xing's heart, and he gratefully said to his mentor, "Thank you, Mentor, for your trouble!"

"Actually, assassinations are nothing new in history," Han Yuning said.

"You might not have noticed it on the surface, but in reality, a few decades ago, assassinations were almost commonplace.

The situation back then was much more turbulent than it is now, with various forces intricately intertwined, and conflicts and assassinations frequently occurred in their struggle for interests and territory."

"However, it's also in recent years that the relationship between us and the foreign regions has eased considerably, which is why assassination incidents have become much less frequent."

Han Yuning's words made Chen Xing ponder deeply.

The political landscape of this world was far more complex than he had imagined.

The infighting and conflicts of interest among major powers could all lead to such extreme events.

"But recently, as our relationship with Burning Sky Giant City has become tense again, I'm afraid this kind of thing will stir up trouble once more," Han Yuning's tone became serious.

"It's even possible that the true mastermind is not necessarily Burning Sky Giant City, but rather other forces looking to sow discord.

At this sensitive time, any slight disturbance could trigger a chain reaction."

Chen Xing nodded, indicating he understood.

This incident was also a reminder that he must always remain vigilant in the future and not let his guard down.

Chen Xing said, "Mentor, I will be careful."

Chen Xing called his sister and learned that she was currently in the lounge of the arena.

Because she was not outside, she avoided the attack.

He reminded his sister to be careful, as many contestants had been attacked by illegal organizations.

"Understood," Chen Lingya replied, "You too, be careful."

Due to the attack, although the afternoon matches proceeded as scheduled, live viewing was temporarily canceled, and the official organization compensated ticket holders double the price.

Returning to Longting Residence, Chen Xing continued to cultivate his Beasts.

The pet meat food he brought had been consumed, and the Beasts began to eat regular food.

Because they could be massaged, both Beasts appeared here normally.

At this moment, Chen Xing's phone, which was placed aside, suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen; the caller ID showed "Old Qiu Senior."

Chen Xing gently pressed down on the gluttonous beast beside him with one hand, to prevent it from suddenly making any moves, while simultaneously picking up the phone from the table with the other hand to answer the call.

"Hello, Old Qiu Senior!" Chen Xing said politely.

"Xiao Chen! I watched your matches, and your recent performance has been very impressive!" Old Qiu's slightly excited voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Thank you for your praise, Old Qiu Senior, and thank you for your help," Chen Xing quickly said.

"Without your guidance, my Beast would not have achieved what it has today."

The rare evolution of the gluttonous beast played a crucial role in enhancing its strength.

Although its massive size already provided some advantage, the increase in power brought by its rare evolution allowed it to excel in battles.

"Hahaha, you are too modest. It mainly depends on your own Beast Taming talent and effort."

Chou Shangqing's hearty laughter came from the other end of the phone, "I just gave you a little push at a critical moment."

"I received news that you were attacked."

"Yes, that's true," Chen Xing replied. Old Qiu's information was indeed well-informed.

"Are you alright?" Old Qiu asked with concern.

"Thank you for your concern, there are no major issues."

"That's good, as long as you're alright." At this point, Chou Shangqing changed the subject. "As your performance becomes more and more impressive, some foreign forces will definitely see you as a thorn in their side. Is your parents' safety guaranteed now?"

"My mentor said she would arrange for people to protect them," Chen Xing replied.

"Hmm, Han girl is still meticulous, but as the saying goes, 'no defense is foolproof.' No matter how much protection they have, they are not their own Beasts, and there will always be oversights."

Chou Shangqing said earnestly, "I do have an idea here that you might consider."

"Please tell me, Senior."

"After the competition ends, you and your parents can come and stay with me for a while."

Chou Shangqing slowly said,

"Of course, the main point is not to stay for a period, but to let them each cultivate a Beast. I don't expect too much from them, but at least they can become intermediate Beastmasters and master a life-saving secret technique to have more protection. What do you think?"

Chen Xing listened to Old Qiu Senior's words and fell into thought.

He knew that Old Qiu Senior's suggestion was very pertinent; letting his parents raise Beasts was indeed a good choice.

This way, his parents' safety would be more assured, and the family would also have more companionship.

He thought about how he and his sister would leave home for further studies in a foreign region after this year's National College Entrance Examination, where the environment was even more dangerous and complex than here.

It was clearly not suitable for his parents to follow, so it would be better to let them raise two Beasts for companionship and protection.

At the same time, young Beasts are easy to bond with, and he would also have two new sources for brushing skill point fragments.

So Chen Xing made up his mind: "Old Qiu Senior, your suggestion is very good. I will discuss it with my parents. If they agree, we will bother you for a while after the competition ends."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Old Qiu Senior, he hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Chou Shangqing, who had hung up the phone, looked at the replayed footage on the TV with emotion.

Chen Xing's Beast had grown another significant amount in size after evolving.

Perhaps when his Beast evolves into a Canghai Emperor Crocodile, its length should exceed a hundred meters.

In terms of a Beastmaster's age, he was actually still in his "prime."

He could protect his family for a long time.

"Qiuyu, go pick some. Are there any suitable Saltwater Crocodile eggs laid in the family recently?" Chou Shangqing said to his son beside him.

Qiu Qiuyu thought for a moment, "I think so, I remember there's a batch of high-quality eggs on Island One recently."

"Hmm, select a suitable batch and store them. We'll choose again when Xiao Chen's parents arrive."

"Understood," Qiu Qiuyu nodded. He understood his father's meaning: he wanted to further increase his investment in Chen Xing.

Now, as Chen Xing became more and more outstanding, more and more people would surely want to invest in him.

Just like a stock with rapidly rising momentum, investors would definitely wave their money and buy heavily.

At this time, ordinary people might not even be able to squeeze in or buy.

Their family had a first-mover advantage, considered an early investment.

A genius who, in his first year of high school, could lead three teammates who were a burden to directly confront the Dragon Capital Star high school team, was worth this investment.

Perhaps, apart from those "scions" secretly cultivated in the major aristocratic families, there was probably no one of the same age who could compare to him.

As far as he knew, a very small number of geniuses in certain large aristocratic families were secretly hidden and cultivated from a young age, reportedly related to the three Ascension to Godhood Paths.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Xing continued to open the live stream, leaning his phone against the wall. The phone was playing the match between Wan Hai Middle School and Tie Shi Third Middle School.

Twenty minutes later, the battle in the heavy snow came to an end.

Only Chi Yu, scarred and battered, stood proudly in the snow.

A smile appeared on Chen Xing's face.

He patted the gluttonous beast, which was comfortably closing its eyes beneath him, "Go back to sleep."

Then he recalled it into the Beast Taming space.

The gluttonous beast, having been taken into the Beast Taming space, continued to close its eyes, wiggled its body, and fell into a deep sleep.

A moment later, his phone vibrated, and his sister sent a message, "Won (OK gesture)"

Chen Xing replied, "I saw it. You should take Chi Yu to heal first."

All the afternoon matches concluded one after another, and the results were quickly announced.

Coach Kuang gathered everyone in his room to announce their opponent for the next match.

"The afternoon matches just finished. The battle between Longshang Desert Middle School and Magic City Cloud Dragon Middle School was very intense, but ultimately Longshang Desert Middle School emerged victorious," Coach Kuang's tone was somewhat serious. "Therefore, our next opponent will be the previous champion, Longshang Desert Middle School."

Hearing this news, Chen Xing and his teammates were not too surprised.

They knew that as the competition progressed, they would face increasingly powerful opponents.

And these opponents were all names they had only heard of from afar, but now, one by one, they had become their competitors, meeting on the field!

"Coach, I really didn't expect that one day our opponent would be the defending champions," Tong Xuhua looked at Chen Xing. "Junior, you tell us how you want to play, and we'll cooperate with you."