"The young talents from Guwu, Yuhua, Lianke, and Xilu—four major regions—will gather here for an exhilarating battle of skills!"

"Today, at the Pet Beast Battle Arena on Blue Ocean, the regional competition of the National Campus Beast Mastering League officially begins!"

"Which region's rising star will secure a ticket to the national finals? Let’s direct our attention to the big screen!"

As the blue-haired man finished speaking, the enormous LED dome above the arena transformed into a holographic blue ocean.

Shortly after, hundreds of holographic photos appeared, shuffling rapidly before pairing off and freezing in place. Each photo displayed the competitor’s region and name below it.

[Yuhua Region, Wang Chengrao VS Xilu Region, Zhao Sa]

[Lianke Region, Zhang Xueming VS Yuhua Region, Zhu Tong]

[Guwu Region, Li Wenqian VS Lianke Region, Song Hanyue]

[Lianke Region, Zhao Tong VS Guwu Region, Chen Zhe]

...

[Yuhua Region, Qiao Sang VS Lianke Region, Tang Zhongyi]

Xu Yixuan stared silently at the list on the screen for a long moment.

"I kind of regret it now."

Although she didn’t explain further, Qiao Sang understood what she meant, Xu regretted not editing her photo more thoroughly.

Qiao Sang glanced at the clearly visible battle list projected above.

The arena was massive, and the holographic photos had been magnified countless times so every spectator could see them clearly. This meant every flaw was on display: Pores, acne, blackheads, even faint mustaches.

Good thing I’m naturally flawless, Qiao Sang thought to herself with satisfaction.

The contestant area was abuzz with reactions to the photos.

"Are you kidding me?! Why are these photos blown up this much?!"

"What the heck?! My picture shows eye crust!"

"Seriously? Not only are they magnified, but the resolution is insanely high?!"

"Guwu Region is going too far this year! It’s never been like this before!"

"This year’s regional competition is weird. Normally, these events don’t attract many spectators, but look at that, it’s a full house."

"Yeah, something’s off. In previous years, we never had venues this big, and now there are fireworks, pet beast performances, and even a real host. That blue-haired guy? That’s Yi Ao, a well-known host from Guwu. He’s got both charisma and looks, and he only hosts major competitions."

"I just want these photos taken down already! I’ve memorized the matchups ages ago!"

The noise quickly died down as Yi Ao announced the first matchup.

The competition used a mixed-format system.

Each contestant was paired randomly for an elimination round, and the winners advanced to a points-based tournament. The top 40 scorers would then qualify for the national finals.

Naturally, the first battle was crucial.

The staff responsible for the event had already matched contestants to their photos. Divided into four regions, with 30 to 40 contestants per area, it didn’t take long to locate the participants.

As Yi Ao finished speaking, two beams of white light descended on the contestant area. The named competitors were instantly transported to opposite sides of the arena.

This entrance alone earned a round of cheers.

"Wow, the scale of this year’s regional competition is something else." Xu Yixuan commented.

In previous years, contestants had to wait at designated entry points for ages, nothing as flashy as this teleportation setup.

Qiao Sang, unfamiliar with the old procedures, found the method efficient and impressive.

The battle began with both contestants summoning their pet beasts.

One summoned a large beast covered in orange fur across its face and chest, exuding an aura of immense strength, clearly a high-level pet beast. The other contestant’s pet beast, in contrast, radiated much weaker energy, a mid-level pet.

High-level vs. mid-level... no contest, Qiao Sang thought as she analyzed the situation.

By this stage of the competition, high-level pet beasts weren’t rare. According to the data, 21 contestants across the four regions owned high-level beasts.

To avoid unfair matchups, organizers typically ensured high-level beastmasters wouldn’t face each other in the first round.

As expected, the contestant with the high-level beast dominated, winning two rounds in a row with overwhelming force.

Qiao Sang nodded knowingly and lost interest in the match. She pulled out her phone to review her opponent Tang Zhongyi’s profile.

Before she could, Yi Ao’s voice echoed again: "Second match: Lanke Region’s Zhang Xueming vs. Yuhua Region’s Zhu Tong! Please step into the arena!"

White light descended, and two figures appeared.

Qiao Sang immediately looked at one of them, a slender figure from Lanke Region.

Zhang Xueming, known for having both a mid-level fairy-type pet beast and a high-level ice-type beast.

"Fairy-type... First one we’ve seen in this competition." Xu Yixuan whispered.

"I heard her fairy-type pet even defeated a high-level beast during her provincial matches."

Both contestants had summoned their beasts.

"She’s formidable." Qiao Sang said.

Among the profiles she’d reviewed, Zhang Xueming’s stood out. With one high-level beast and one mid-level beast capable of matching high-levels, she was not to be underestimated.

Zhang Xueming was striking, with a clean-cut appearance. Her fairy-type beast, a small creature with oval eyes and curled green ears, looked harmless at first glance.

Qiao Sang recalled its name: Mimisprite.

Zhu Tong, on the other hand, was a short-haired, tanned girl who exuded tomboyish energy.

Her beast, a massive Brute Bear, towered over the petite Mimisprite, creating a stark visual contrast.

As the match began, Brute Bear charged forward with ferocious momentum.

But Mimisprite calmly responded with a flirtatious wink.

Brute Bear abruptly halted, hearts forming in its eyes.

"That bear’s vision must be sharp, managing to catch the Mimisprite’s charm attack mid-charge." Xu Yixuan quipped.

Qiao Sang tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Is that Mimisprite male or female?"

The Charm ability, a mid-tier transformation skill, was highly effective against the opposite gender but useless against the same gender.

Xu Yixuan pondered before replying, "I don’t think the profiles mentioned it. We could just ask Zhu Tong later if her bear’s male or female."

"Guess that’s the only way." Qiao Sang muttered.

The match ended without surprises. Both of Zhu Tong’s pet beasts, charmed by Mimisprite, had their attack power significantly reduced and were swiftly defeated.

What a tricky ability... Poor Zhu Tong, unlucky enough to have two beasts of the opposite gender, Qiao Sang mused, silently sympathizing with her teammate.