259: Unexpected tension, nervous baiting!

"I won!" Tie Jiuxin said excitedly as he walked off the stage.

He reached out and high-fived Fang Ran.

"Impressive. At this rate, we only need to win one more match!"

Fang Ran said confidently, "Let me take the next match, okay?"

"No, what if you run into that Emperor Blood beast?" Zhang Li blocked him.

"Right now, the safest method is for me to go first. If I encounter Chen Tianyu, he won't have another chance to act, and if I encounter anyone else, I'll likely be able to win!"

Everyone agreed with this.

This way, Imperial Capital Academy is guaranteed to win!

If Fang Ran went first and encountered Chen Tianyu, the variables would be troublesome!

After all, the pure Emperor Blood creature is renowned; that is a creature truly capable of advancing to the Emperor-level!

"I've watched his matches before; he alone anesthetized most of the beasts on the field. He's very troublesome to deal with!" Zhang Li added.

"That's right, Fang Ran. This is safer. Of course, I still have a lot of confidence in Xiaotian!" Zhang Er added.

This wasn't just talk.

He truly believed that Xiaotian had the ability to contend with Chen Tianyu!

"A waste of time," Xiaotian commented indifferently.

"Xiaotian is just like that," Fang Ran said awkwardly.

Theoretically, since he couldn't guarantee a win against Chen Tianyu, this was indeed the safest approach.

"Last night, two seniors told me that beyond pure Emperor Blood creatures, there are those possessing Royal Blood and the legendary God Blood!"

"Royal Blood… that would be Teacher Long Yu, right?"

But Fang Ran didn't know how much Royal Blood Long Yu actually possessed.

What about Xiaotian? What level had her bloodline reached?

Emperor Blood, Royal Blood, or… God Blood?

Fang Ran was unclear about the distinctions between these blood types; even Lin Qinghuan and the others didn't know much about them.

"Abyssal Turtle Beast!"

"Boom!" As soon as Zhang Li stepped onto the stage, he summoned a Transcendent Mid-Stage beast!

"There's no need for Fang Ran to step in; I can end this match myself!"

A confident expression appeared on his face!

However, the opposing Beast Tamer smiled and said, "Do you think I came unprepared?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand!

"Boom!" A mountain-like stone man, covered in moss, emerged!

A huge white flower bloomed on top of its head, looking incredibly dazzling!

"Bang!" The two beasts collided!

The immense force caused the ground to tremble slightly!

"Two Transcendent Mid-Stage beasts! I didn't expect Lingyu Academy to have a Transcendent Mid-Stage Beast Tamer!"

"Damn, could they actually make a comeback? Can they really win?"

"Impossible. Don't forget, Fang Ran hasn't even made a move yet!"

"Exactly! I also want to see Fang Ran fight Chen Tianyu. A-rank versus Emperor Blood—just thinking about it gets me excited!"

"If Fang Ran wins, I'll definitely train my own beast properly from now on!" someone swore.

Meanwhile, Zhang Li, who was in the arena, frowned slightly.

"Transcendent Mid-Stage…"

"Heh, forcibly contracting a Transcendent Mid-Stage beast is extremely difficult. Chen Tianyu's beast was raised by himself!"

Zhang Li naturally knew this, as he had used a forced contract himself. He understood the difficulty better than anyone!

"So that's how it is. The speed at which Emperor Blood creatures digest energy is incomparable to normal beings; they can reach the Transcendent Mid-Stage at an incredibly fast speed," Zhang Li muttered to himself.

But what about Fang Ran? He reached the Transcendent Mid-Stage so quickly—what kind of monster is Xiaotian?

"Hum!" The purple-bodied turtle retreated into its shell and then began to spin violently!

The moss giant grabbed its body, forcibly halting its motion, and then suddenly lifted it into the air!

As it bent its legs, the flower on its head emitted wisps of light!

It leaped into the air!

All the spectators in the arena looked up at the sky, where the scorching sun even obscured their vision!

A moment later, "Rumble!"

Accompanied by a violent sonic boom, the moss giant slammed down onto the center of the arena, its entire body pinning the purple turtle shell beneath it!

"Boom!" An explosive sound echoed out!

Zhang Li's face turned pale as he stumbled back a few steps.

The person not far away wasn't faring much better.

As the sound of the explosion faded, the purple turtle shell in the arena showed only a few cracks, but the recoil force had put it in danger!

The moss giant, having fallen from such a great height, also had fine cracks appearing all over its body!

Even the ground, which was said to be able to withstand Transcendent-level battles, had been smashed into bits of stone debris!

"So tough! Is this the power of a Transcendent Mid-Stage beast?!"

"It's probably mainly because both beasts are known for their defense!"

"Damn, this arena is really tough. Even with a smash like that, it only kicked up some stone chips!"

"Holy crap! That moss stone man actually has a recovery skill!"

"Are you serious? Damn, is that cheating?!"

Everyone looked up in shock. The flower on the moss stone man's head was shedding nectar, and the cracks on its body were rapidly healing!

This made Zhang Li's expression grow increasingly grim; his confidence had completely vanished.

"I was careless!"

The result was as expected. Unable to inflict effective damage, Zhang Li was eliminated after a battle so protracted the audience almost fell asleep!

"I lost. I'm sorry!"

Zhang Li's expression was grim.

Zhang Er hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "Big brother, there's still me. And if I fail, isn't there still Fang Ran?!"

Although he said that, Zhang Er was incredibly nervous inside!

He was afraid—afraid that he would lose, and afraid that Fang Ran would lose to Chen Tianyu!

"If we lose, we'll be in second place again…"

At this thought, Zhang Er couldn't help but shudder.

"Fang Ran, if we lose this match, it'll be my fault for giving them the opportunity!" Zhang Li sighed.

If Fang Ran had gone up, that moss stone man definitely wouldn't have been his match!

After all, Xiaotian's attack power was plain for all to see; she was the most bizarre angel he had ever encountered.

"Relax. Winning or losing isn't just about one person; just do your best," Fang Ran comforted him, then added, "Besides, I won't lose."

Fang Ran really wanted to curl his lips and say he'd win, but decided against it.

"Yeah. If we win this time, I owe you one," Zhang Li thought to himself.

"It's your turn, Zhang Er. No matter what, at least one of us needs to win," Fang Ran said.

"Right!" Zhang Er nodded.

He seemed to be hoping that the other side would send Chen Tianyu out directly!

That way, he would have a sufficient excuse for his failure, and in the next match, Fang Ran would definitely not lose!

However, Zhang Er was disappointed. It wasn't Chen Tianyu who took the stage, but another Beast Tamer.

"Fang Ran, the strong really do save the best for last," Chen Tianyu said with a smile, his gaze fixed on Fang Ran in the distance.

"Let me see just how strong this so-called genius is, and whether you're worth Lingyu Academy putting in this much effort!"

At this moment, Zhang Er and the opposing Beast Tamer stood their ground.

Zhang Er clapped his hands, and both of them summoned their beasts simultaneously!