The first day of the Youth Tournament was held on the eighth of October.
Jiang He took his breakfast. Then, his father drove him to Haiping City Stadium.
"Old man, just wait for my good news!"
"Don't pressure yourself too much. It's fine even if you lose."
Jiang He's mother patted her son's shoulder.
Truthfully, she did not think Jiang He would rank in the top sixteen. After all, her son had only contracted a beast two months ago.
She was worried that Jiang He would become disheartened if he lost.
"I know."
After waving goodbye to his parents, Jiang He queued at the entrance for a few minutes before reaching the reception desk.
"Please show your subdued beast's ID card. Oh, and yours as well."
A young man said politely.
Jiang He took out two ID cards.
"This is your number and here's the schedule. You can also scan this QR code for more information. It'll be available in most places."
Jiang He was number "609".
After walking into the stadium, he saw a huge arena. This place was packed with people. Most of them were actually contestants and almost all the seats were occupied.
The staff members were busy setting up the place.
Jiang He found an empty seat and sat down. After scanning the QR code, an official public account for this tournament appeared on his phone's screen.
He could see the tournament's schedule.
The Youth Tournament would last for a week. The first three days were all preliminaries.
'I see. So, 2,083 students from 38 schools in all 12 cities are participating.
'We would compete simultaneously in 12 arenas until the top 128 remained.
'On the fourth day, only the top 64 will proceed.
'On the fifth day, only the top 32 will proceed.
'On the sixth day, only the top 8 will proceed.
'The last day would be the semi-finals and finals.'
Jiang He thought that it was quite straightforward.
He entered his number and information on his phone.
[ Third arena, fourth match ]
Jiang He #609
Second Year from Haiping City High School
Subdued beast : Moonlight Elf
Level : Tier 5 servant
[ Versus ]
Gu Xueni #120
Third Year from Canghai City High School
Subdued beast : Explosive Monkey
Level: Tier 7 servant
"Judging from the name, our opponent should be a girl."
"Meow!"
Upon seeing the opponent's level, Ziyue felt a little more relaxed.
It had already taken down a level nine Snow Wolf, thus, a level seven Explosive Monkey should be a piece of cake for it.
"Stay calm and don't be careless."
"Meow!"
The Moonlight Elf pursed its lips.
'He wouldn't understand. This is a mental tactic to gain more confidence.'
At nine o'clock sharp, the sound of a bell rang. The Youth Tournament had officially begun!
Jiang He made his way to the third arena. By the time he arrived, the first match had already started!
A level Swift Wasp was fighting a Shadow Bat.
They were level eight and seven servants respectively.
Both of them were flying-type beasts, but the Swift Wasp was constantly suppressed by the Shadow Bat.
This happened because the Shadow Bat was faster and bigger in size. It launched continuous attacks whenever it got close to the Swift Wasp.
The Swift Wasp could only dodge.
It could not afford to be hit by the Shadow Bat.
Servant-level battles almost completely depended on the subdued beasts' sizes.
Under normal circumstances, the higher-level beast would win.
However, in servant-level battles, a level three Wind Wolf could defeat a level nine insect.
In the end, the Swift Wasp was defeated by the Shadow Bat.
Jiang He and Ziyue watched the match with great interest. They were completely unaware of a conversation two girls were having next to them.
"A level 5 servant Moonlight Elf… Xueni, you're so lucky! Sigh… I can't believe I have to face a level nine boss on the first day."
"Moonlight Elf? It can't be him, right?"
Xueni glanced at Jiang He and Ziyue.
Her companion followed her gaze.
"Moonlight Elves are so rare. It must be him. Cute beasts are usually weak. Xueni, you're going to win!"
"Hey, stop flattering me."
Xueni seemed to be in a good mood.
Her first opponent was not strong at all!
The fourth match was held five minutes after the third match. Since there were many participants, things had to be somewhat rushed.
Ziyue stood in the arena. This was the little fellow's first official match, but it was not nervous at all.
"You have two minutes to talk with each other," said the referee.
Like other competitive tournaments, this one also had the "trash talk" segment.
"Hello, my subdued beast is a level 7 Explosive Monkey."
"Mine is a level 8 Moonlight Elf."
Jiang He did not have the heart to deceive a girl. If he had concealed the Moonlight Elf's level, he might have the advantage.
"Huh? You... Isn't it level 5?"
Gu Xueni was clearly panicking.
Why was the information provided not accurate?
"We have been training non-stop. Don't worry! My Moonlight Elf isn't that tough."
"Don't… don't lie to me."
Gu Xueni's voice sounded very gentle.
"Uhh… Actually… My Moonlight Elf is quite strong..."
"Xueni's Explosive Monkey is exceptional. It's very proficient in Flame Palm. As long as it lands a hit, your Moonlight Elf will be a goner."
Only Gu Xueni's best friend was paying attention to this match. She tried to cheer on her friend, but later felt embarrassed and lowered her head.
"Begin!"
Ziyue immediately used Godly Speed and charged at the Explosive Monkey.
The little fellow planned to use three skills. Godly Speed, Instant Flash, then Wrong Light Claw.
Simple but practical!
Moreover, these three skills could provide many tactics.
"Dodge it!"
Gu Xueni hurriedly shouted.
This Moonlight Elf was absurdly fast.
By the time the Explosive Monkey reacted, Ziyue was almost right in front of it!
The Explosive Monkey did not listen to Gu Xueni's command. It decided to use Flame Palm instead. An eye for an eye!
The opponent was too agile!
If it kept dodging, it would definitely fall into a passive position!
Scorching flames rose from the Explosive Monkey's palm. Then, it fiercely struck in the Moonlight Elf's direction.
However, the little fellow suddenly disappeared!
"Behind!"
Xueni shouted loudly, but it was too late!
Wrong Light Claw had already hit its back.
"No.120 Explosive Monkey can no longer fight. No. 609 Moonlight Elf has advanced!"
The referee announced the result.
Upon hearing this, Gu Xueni's best friend immediately raised her head. Did it end already?
'What?
'Xueni lost?!
'What happened?!'
Gu Xueni's eyes were slightly red. She seemed to be in a daze. Who knew she would lose so quickly.
"Thank you for letting us win, senior."
Jiang He carried the Moonlight Elf and went back to his seat.
"Ziyue, are we rude if we beat our opponents so swiftly?"
"Meow."
Moonlight Elf curled its lips.
The opponent was so weak.
After that match, Jiang He's upcoming battle was posted.
[ Second arena, third match - afternoon ]
Jiang He #609
Second Year from Haiping City High School
Subdued beast : Moonlight Elf
Level : Tier 5 servant
[ Versus ]
Xia Huohuo #082
Third Year from Haiping No. 1 School
Subdued beast: Fire Dragon
Level: Tier 9 servant
"How unlucky. Our second opponent seems strong."
The Fire Dragon was at the same level as the Snow Wolf.
"Meow!"
The Moonlight Elf was not nervous at all. In fact, it was looking forward to the fight.
"It's fine. The combat experience is more than enough. I'll be amazed if we win."
Jiang He calmed himself down. Then, he began studying the Fire Dragon's fighting styles and weaknesses.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, a red-haired boy had also seen the information about his second battle. He smiled at a ponytailed girl next to him.
"Junior Sister, I'm so fortunate. Hehe."
"A level 5 Moonlight Elf? How are you so blessed?"
The ponytailed girl was impressed by her Senior Brother's luck.
More importantly, how did the Moonlight Elf even get through the first round? Was the other party that weak?
"My opponent is still a sophomore. He's probably here just to accumulate experience. I definitely won't lose."
The red-haired boy's Fire Dragon was almost as strong as a warlord-level beast.
According to the tournament's rules, a warlord-level beast would not need to participate in the preliminaries. They would be guaranteed a spot.
This way, the preliminaries would not be completely one-sided. It would also prevent two warlord-level beasts from encountering each other and eliminating one in advance. After all, the organizers needed to keep things entertaining.
The red-haired boy chuckled, feeling very confident.