289: Devouring Flame

If it weren't for waiting for the pet evaluation data of Gu Xiaoyue and Duan Yao to come out, You Ni and Lu Qi should have already left.

They also didn't expect the pet scores of these two Longguo girls to be so heaven-defying, especially when Duan Yao deliberately came over to show off in front of them, her face turned extremely ugly.

Gu Xiaoyue was also watching You Ni and Lu Qi with interest from the side.

Lu Qi's micro-expressions told her that he was not the one who instructed You Ni to provoke the Longguo contestants; she could see a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

She pulled Duan Yao away, and could vaguely hear Lu Qi sternly telling You Ni to stay away from the Longguo contestants.

Could it be that You Ni had nothing better to do, which was why she came to provoke her and Duan Yao?

If you have the ability, you should use it in a match; what good is it to win a war of words off-stage?

Gu Xiaoyue has always adhered to the principle: reason belongs to those with strength; if you can use your hands, try not to argue!

Chu Li and Shui Lingyu both knew that Gu Xiaoyue and Duan Yao had contracted God-Rank Pets, so they were not surprised by their evaluation data.

Coach Huo, however, looked at the two of them with a 'just as I expected' expression, his eyes full of smiles.

It's unclear if it was due to the schedule or if the preliminaries simply had many weak countries.

Gu Xiaoyue and the others had enjoyed several leisurely days, and Duan Yao hadn't specifically asked her to watch Duan Zhuochen's matches.

Presumably, their group was also a sweep, with nothing much to see!

After all, Longguo has been ranked third in recent years, with occasional fourth or fifth place finishes within the last decade or so.

Except for a few years when Ephis experienced domestic unrest, Longguo also secured second place in the World Championships twice.

Gu Xiaoyue opened her brain to check the schedule, pondering in her heart—

Duan Zhuochen's appearance, even if it can't push Longguo to the top of the world this time, will change the top three rankings in the next World Championships!

After finishing the four-person match against Anlaia Country, a neighbor of Longguo, Gu Xiaoyue and Duan Yao went to the cafeteria to eat.

Today, Duan Yao changed her usual habit of gorging herself, eating only a little before pulling Gu Xiaoyue away.

"Is this all you're eating today?"

Gu Xiaoyue was a bit puzzled; she raised her hand to check her brain, and saw that Chu Li's fire attribute match was about to begin.

It wasn't that he hadn't had solo fire attribute matches before, it was just that his opponents were too weak; one fire circle control skill was enough to make the opponent surrender.

"Oh, right. Later, Chu Li will be fighting Tengta Kang, the captain of Rui Mu Country. It should be quite interesting."

As Duan Yao spoke, her eyes drifted, revealing a hint of a young girl's shyness.

Her expression made Gu Xiaoyue feel inexplicably a little choked up.

She gently shook her head, allowing herself to be pulled by Duan Yao all the way to Chu Li's match venue.

When Chu Li saw the two of them arrive, his eyes lit up, and he raised a hand to greet them.

Duan Yao responded enthusiastically, while Gu Xiaoyue merely nodded slightly, her gaze involuntarily falling upon Charlie in the audience, holding a light board to support Chu Li.

How many light boards did he prepare? He was truly just short of a sleeping bag to live in the stadium!

Chu Li followed Gu Xiaoyue's gaze and finally noticed Charlie, that lively character.

He awkwardly furrowed his brows and smiled, then helplessly began his pre-match warm-up.

Gu Xiaoyue and Duan Yao greeted Coach Huo and sat down in the contestant area.

This was arguably the best vantage point.

At the same time, there were also light and gold attribute battles happening. Gu Xiaoyue still remembered that the two contestants had looked at her with unfriendly eyes.

However, Coach Huo only attended Chu Li's match, which showed his emphasis on him.

A contestant personally trained is always better than one picked up halfway!

The whistle signaling the start of the match blew, and the originally somewhat noisy venue immediately quieted down considerably.

Tengta Kang stared at Chu Li with a gloomy gaze, speaking one word at a time.

"Your pet's score isn't low, but unfortunately, it's not from combat skills.

Winning against you won't be difficult. My great Rui Mu Country will also reclaim some face!"

His voice wasn't loud, but Gu Xiaoyue, in the contestant area, heard it clearly.

The so-called 'face,' could it be that Rui Mu Country has been suppressed by Longguo for decades?

Or was it due to the old almanac from over a hundred years ago, when Rui Mu Country tried to incorporate Longguo into its territory but failed?

"Go, Chu Li, beat him down! Let him know we're not to be trifled with!"

Duan Yao's clear voice broke the silence. Chu Li's indifferent expression towards Tengta Kang, which he had initially maintained, began to crack.

He had intended to feign indifference, but the moment Tengta Kang appeared, Chu Li could feel that he was an evenly matched opponent.

Duan Yao, however, had already talked him up, so he had to face the battle even more cautiously, without a hint of complacency.

Chu Li and Tengta Kang simultaneously drew their summoning arrays.

However, Tengta Kang's hand speed was slightly faster, summoning his pet 0.1 seconds before Chu Li.

Before the pet even landed, it immediately spat a fireball at Chu Li, attempting to interrupt his pet summoning.

But that split second of the pet's appearance was enough for Chu Li to complete his summoning array, then execute a backflip in place, retreating a few steps before landing steadily.

He slightly curled his lips, appearing calm and composed on the surface, but in reality, he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Gu Xiaoyue watched Tengta Kang's three pets from below: a fire-attribute Nine-Tailed Fox, a Scarlet Flame Rat Dragon, and a Great Tengu.

He had transformed these pets into human forms with Rui Mu Country-style attire, which wasn't bad.

However, their makeup was too intense and bewitching for Gu Xiaoyue to appreciate; she was more impressed by Chu Li's backflip just now.

Recalling their high school days, when they trained together, Chu Li always maintained a habit of working out for at least three hours on five or more days a week.

It was only until this match that he hadn't faced a predicament that forced him to display his skills.

Tengta Kang pursed his lips, seemingly muttering about Chu Li's good luck in dodging his first attack.

He extended both hands, and two fireballs erupted with dazzling light in his palms, seemingly clamoring for Tengta Kang to throw them out and devour everything around them.

Tengta Kang lifted his right foot and began to spin in place, the flames in his palms burning with the surrounding air.

In an instant, a ball of fire enveloped Tengta Kang and his three pets. He laughed chillingly in the flames.

"No way, surrendering is better than self-immolation and burning down the arena!"

Duan Yao rolled her eyes, complaining in a voice loud enough for Tengta Kang to hear.

Gu Xiaoyue shook her head,

No!

Tengta Kang's flames, with him as the center, began to expand. The fire indeed had the momentum to engulf the entire arena.

If Chu Li were to use his fire circle at this moment, he would likely be swallowed by Tengta Kang's flames, becoming part of his power instead!

Two seconds later, Duan Yao also understood what was happening and blurted out,

"Chu Li, be careful! Don't let his flames touch you!"

Tengta Kang's flames were already spreading to Chu Li's feet.

"Why don't you do a few more backflips?"

He narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly, about to watch Chu Li being forced to the edge of the arena, or else his fire-attribute skill would be devoured, adding to his own combat power to attack him.

Being counterattacked by one's own energy should be a very interesting thing!

Tengta Kang suppressed the impending thrill of victory, still thinking about how to further humiliate Chu Li later, making him lose all face in the global live broadcast!

Reality slapped him in the face very quickly; Chu Li did not continue to retreat as he had anticipated.

The original flames from Tengta Kang's true form, the part closest to Chu Li, were actually absorbed by his Huan Tian Yan Mastiff. From above, it should have looked like a teardrop shape.

"What's going on?"

Tengta Kang was a bit flustered. His fire-type skill could devour other flames and convert them into his own power, but Chu Li's pet could directly absorb flames?

By the time he reacted, the flames on the arena had almost been completely absorbed by the Huan Tian Yan Mastiff, leaving only scattered embers.

The Huan Tian Yan Mastiff's body had also swelled by more than half due to devouring a significant amount of fire energy.

"Are you done with your performance? It's my turn, isn't it!"

Chu Li seized the moment Tengta Kang was distracted. The Fire Phoenix raised its hand and summoned a cloud of fire. Fireballs, large and small, fell like giant raindrops, about to land on Tengta Kang and his pets.

Because the previous skill was still on cooldown and couldn't be used again, this fire-attribute energy that came to them could only be wasted.

Tengta Kang, feeling a bit pained, took his pets and fled from their original spot.

He thought he was already blessed with a unique ability to absorb energy, but he hadn't expected that this Longguo opponent also possessed the same ability.

Moreover, judging solely by the damage of fire-attribute skills, his combat power was indeed a bit higher than his own.

"Your pet has so many attribute accessories, do you dare to take them off and have a fair fight with me?!"