Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 400: No tactics, just numbers.

The night in the capital is as bright as day, adorned with countless neon lights.

Inside the hotel's high-floor suites, however, lies a warm and tranquil haven, completely isolated from the dazzling hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Soft, warm yellow light flowed down from the ceiling light strips, enveloping every corner of the room.

Cola lay listlessly on the soft, thick carpet, resting its chin on its crossed front paws, and let out a big yawn of boredom.

Its azure eyes stared blankly at the shimmering night view outside the window, its tail tip patting the carpet lightly and intermittently.

Today, Cola couldn't participate in the battle and could only watch Egg shine on the field. An indescribable sense of frustration and loss gnawed at its heart like a small insect.

It suddenly stood up and began pacing back and forth in the living room, its paws making dull "thump-thump" sounds on the carpet, and occasionally letting out a low, dissatisfied grumble from its throat.

The Flower Fairy of Dawn and Dusk remained oblivious to Cola's commotion.

It sat gracefully on the coffee table, the light from the phone screen reflecting on its delicate, petal-like face.

The little guy was watching the recordings of other players' matches in the eleventh arena with great concentration. He would occasionally use his slender finger to pause and rewind the game on the screen, looking like he was engrossed in studying something.

Egg stood proudly atop the tallest wardrobe in the room.

Its smooth and elegant azure dragon body reflected a crystal-clear luster under the light. It slightly raised its long neck, and its dragon eyes swept across the entire room with undisguised pride and disdain.

After its triumphant return from the competition, it maintained this posture for almost the entire time, its arrogant "I am the best in the world" demeanor almost condensing into tangible light.

Youmi curled up in the pile of cushions on the sofa, clutching a bag of snacks bigger than herself tightly in her arms. Her big amber eyes were fixed on the huge TV screen in front of her, which was playing an exaggerated comedy variety show.

It would occasionally be amused to the point of double over, letting out sharp "cluck cluck cluck" laughter, its little paws excitedly patting the soft pillow.

The outside world is definitely more interesting!
This is the kind of thing that Lady Youmi deserves to enjoy!
Chen Yuan, meanwhile, was nestled in the softest sofa in the center of the living room, his body stretched out comfortably.

The sparks subsided their golden-red glow and settled quietly on his shoulder, like a warm little bird ornament.

Chen Yuan gently patted Spark's head, but the latter turned its head away in disgust. Chen Yuan smiled and casually picked up his phone from the coffee table.

The moment the screen unlocked, a deluge of push notifications nearly overwhelmed the interface, all related to the highly anticipated Donghuang Conference.

As the only S-level competition in Donghuang, and with outstanding beast tamers from all over the country participating, the Donghuang Tournament has received high attention from people all over the country since its inception, and all news media rushed to report on it.

Even people living in the most remote and desolate places have heard about the Donghuang Conference to some extent.

On the evening of the first day of the qualifying rounds, the internet was flooded with heated discussions about the day's matches.

Meanwhile, the favorites who were highly anticipated from the start of the competition are still being talked about by countless netizens. As expected, they all won easily with overwhelming and almost dominant performances.

They didn't even send out their ace pets; just sending out a second or third pet was enough to leave their opponents sweating profusely and struggling to cope.

For the other contestants in the same venue, these people were formidable opponents who were impossible to defeat even with their best efforts; encountering them was equivalent to automatically losing a point.

However, among all the topics, the one that generated the most buzz and the most heated discussion was about Chen Yuan.

He clicked on several popular forums and social media platforms with great interest, his finger swiping as a massive number of comments rapidly refreshed the screen:

[Popular Discussion Thread: Rational Analysis – Is Consultant Chen's Debut with a New Pet a Signature Confidence or Overconfidence?]

"Forget about confidence or overconfidence, just tell me whether we won or not."

"A new pet beast with second-tier strength, Consultant Chen really doesn't treat his opponents like human beings."

"The good news is: Cangming Spirit Lord is at the second tier. The bad news is: Haoyue quality."

"I originally thought that the quality of Morning Star pets was the current limit for Beast Tamers, but I didn't expect Consultant Chen to summon a quality pet of Bright Moon without making a sound. Where do you think he found it? It's not like he just picked up a pet egg on the roadside and it hatched into the Azure Sea Spirit Lord, right?"

"This kind of scenario could happen in a dream."

[Poll Post: Predict how many consecutive wins Cangming Spirit Master can achieve in the points race?]

"Does this even need prediction? We're guaranteed a clean sweep in the qualifying rounds! Didn't you see how easily they beat the Wildfire Giant today? Attribute advantage plus skill advantage, they're simply unbeatable!"

"Not necessarily. We'll definitely face stronger opponents later in the points race. What if we get targeted? The Moonlit quality isn't invincible. If there's a lightning-type pet or a special skill to counter it, its chances of winning will be very low. I guess it'll win at most five games."

As Chen Yuan read through the comments—some expressing amazement, some offering analysis, and some making jokes—a slight smile crept onto his lips.

These noisy discussions seemed far away from him, yet also as if they were right next to his ear.

He put down his phone, leaned back deeper into the sofa, and slowly closed his eyes. The neon lights outside cast shifting shadows on his face through the gaps in the curtains.

The first day of the Donghuang Tournament concluded smoothly. His next goal is to successfully advance to the knockout stage, or rather, to advance with a perfect record.

Thinking of this, Chen Yuan couldn't help but open his eyes, raise his gaze to look at Egg standing on the wardrobe, looking down at him with an arrogant posture, and the corners of his lips turned up: "Whether I can advance with a perfect record depends entirely on you."

The schedule of the points competition proceeded steadily and rapidly amidst the daily battles, rests, and increasingly heated discussions from the outside world.

Throughout this long and rapid elimination round, Egg never slacked off for a single day, nor did it suffer a single defeat. Its dragon roars echoed throughout the arena time and time again, until it became the nightmare of the other contestants.

Along the way, Egg encountered moments when it was targeted by its opponents and fell into difficulties or even desperate situations, but it always managed to turn the tide and make a comeback.

The more desperate the situation, the more astonishing the potential and power that erupts from this small body becomes.

Egg's progress is incredibly fast; his daily improvement is visible to the naked eye.

Finally, the final day of the points competition arrived, and Chen Yuan and Dan Dan stood together in front of their last opponent.

The stadium erupted in cheers, with the eyes of thousands of spectators focused on the center of the field.

The atmosphere reached its peak in the final match of the qualifying rounds.

Perhaps it was intentional on the part of the tournament committee, but Chen Yuan was not only scheduled to play in the opening match, but also needed to play in the closing match.

Chen Yuan's opponent in his final match was Lin Linzhi, a genius student from the headquarters of the Donghuang Beast Taming Academy.

Lin Linzhi was dressed in a well-tailored suit, his chin slightly raised, his eyes radiating a fierce fighting spirit.

As an academic student, Lin Linzhi made thorough preparations for this final match.

He not only stayed up all night studying all of Chen Yuan's match videos during the qualifying stage, but also asked his friend Lu Ran to help analyze the opponent's tactical style and weaknesses.

After much research, the two finally came to an unbelievable conclusion: during the points competition, Advisor Chen hardly used any tactics and won purely by relying on the raw strength of the Cangming Spirit Lord.

Simply put, it's all about numbers, with no tactics whatsoever.

His friend Lu Ran patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Forget it. I've had some contact with Consultant Chen. He's an unfathomable person. There's no need to waste too much time on him."

"Since you've already secured your place in the knockout stage, instead of dwelling on this meaningless match, you might as well hold onto your trump cards, get some rest, and prepare for the knockout stage the day after tomorrow."

"After all, this is an opponent that even I, the great master, cannot defeat."

Upon hearing this, Lin Linzhi remained silent for a long time.

He was not convinced. Although he had already secured a spot in the knockout stage, he wanted to advance with a perfect record.

To achieve a complete victory, they must defeat Chen Yuan on the other side.

Why can't he do what others can't?
A thousand thoughts flashed through Lin Linzhi's mind, and he raised his eyes to watch the fierce battle ahead.

The Azure Sea Spirit Lord and his pet beasts were locked in fierce combat, and both beasts had suffered varying degrees of injury.

"Wow!"

As a thunderous cry, sharp enough to shatter stone, echoed throughout the venue, a magnificent eagle-like beast spread its wings and swooped down upon the Lord of the Azure Sea.

Its wingspan exceeds three meters, and its feathers are a deep purplish-blue with fine golden electric flashes along the edges.

What is most striking is its pair of sharp eagle eyes, with thunderclouds seemingly rolling deep within its pupils, exuding a fierce and domineering aura in its every glance.

Thunderwing Feathered Eagle, lightning and wind type, Morning Star quality.

Suddenly, the Thunder Feathered Eagle flapped its wings, bursting with blinding lightning. Its speed instantly increased, transforming into a Z-shaped lightning trail as it pounced on Egg at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

The lightning-crackling beak, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, viciously pecked at the egg's head.

"Through the Looking Glass."

Chen Yuan's instructions were concise and calm.

This intense battle has been going on for a while. The opponent is not only of Morning Star quality, but also possesses high-powered lightning skills, making it the most troublesome opponent that Egg has encountered so far.

If it weren't for Egg's rapid progress this week, it would probably have suffered a severe blow in a single encounter.

Fortunately, after several rounds of battles, Chen Yuan had roughly figured out the Thunder Feather Eagle's background.

Although this creature possesses astonishing attack power and agile movements, it has a fatal flaw—a fragile body. In that instant, a flash of blue light appeared in Egg Dragon's eyes, and its form blurred instantly, with dozens of indistinguishable dragon shadow clones appearing out of thin air, weaving and dancing in the air.

The Thunder Feathered Eagle, which had suddenly attacked, lost its target and, enraged, flapped its wings, piercing through the phantoms.

A fierce wind blew, and thunder roared.

"A mere trick, Thunderstorm Domain." But Lin Linzhi seemed to have been prepared all along. Without any panic, his eyes flashed, and then an idea came to mind.

The moment the Beastmaster's voice echoed in his mind, the Thunder Feathered Eagle soared into the sky, its wings flapping violently, and countless tiny golden lightning bolts burst forth from its feathers, quickly forming a continuously expanding thundercloud area in the air above the arena.

Crackling lightning danced within, its powerful electric field disrupting everything below, even scorching the air.

At this moment, Egg's clones shattered and dissipated like bubbles under this indiscriminate attack, and its true form was forced to reveal itself, its movements clearly affected by the sluggishness caused by static electricity.

"Wow!"

With its sharp eyes fixed on Egg, who had revealed its true form, the Thunder Feathered Eagle let out a long cry, compressing the lightning energy around it into its sharp beak, transforming it into a lightning pillar condensed to the extreme, which blasted towards Egg at a speed surpassing its previous speed.

A gasp suddenly erupted from the audience.

Seeing this, Lü Hao in the live stream was also sweating bullets:
"Damn it, this Thunder Feathered Eagle is pretty powerful, it has such explosive power!"

"Is Consultant Chen about to suffer his first defeat?"

Faced with this fatal blow, Chen Yuan's gaze remained calm: "The sea of ​​clouds stands tall."

Despite the discomfort from the electric field, Egg's dragon horns emitted an unprecedentedly brilliant blue light.

Dense, dark clouds rapidly gathered, not only resisting the encroachment of the thunderstorm zone above, but also unleashing a torrential downpour rich in water-based energy.

Wow!
The torrential rain collided with the violent lightning, producing a dense hissing sound, and a large amount of water vapor evaporated.

Upon seeing this, Lü Hao slapped his thigh and shouted, "Advisor Chen is confused! Rainwater conducts electricity!"

However, the next moment, the Cangming Spirit Lord, bathed in the torrential rain, raised his head and let out a long cry. His crystal dragon horns shone with a strange luster as they were washed by the rain, and his originally injured body began to heal rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Within the [Sea of ​​Clouds], Egg receives a series of buffs.

Although the thunder is violent and can even sweep across the entire field with the help of rain, the effect of [Sea of ​​Clouds] is more beneficial than harmful.

"Water-blast bomb." Chen Yuan's eyes sharpened, and the thought arose.

Rain poured down, and thunderclouds rolled.

Egg opened its mouth and spat out a highly compressed, spinning water ball containing extremely terrifying water energy, which exploded towards the Thunder Feathered Eagle that was attacking with lightning!
Water and lightning collided violently, but instead of a deafening explosion, they produced a violent energy annihilation in mid-air.

A blinding white light shone throughout the area, and chaotic energy flows surged everywhere.

The water and mines collided, and the rain clouds were swallowed by the lightning, producing a crackling and ear-piercing sound.

After a brief clash that ended in a stalemate, the two pets were once again locked in a temporary standoff.

But when the camera panned across the two pet beasts, the panting Thunder Feathered Eagle and the energetic Azure Sea Spirit Lord appeared on the screen respectively.

Lu Hao was immediately speechless: "How can a second-tier pet go head-to-head with a third-tier pet, especially when its attributes are countered?"

"Advisor Chen, is your claim of being the Azure Sea Spirit Lord really reasonable?"

"I suggest the competition committee conduct a thorough investigation!"

On the field,

"Now, the water surges."

Chen Yuan scanned his surroundings, keenly seizing the moment when the Thunder Feather Eagle's old power had just dissipated and new power had not yet been generated after the clash of skills between the two sides.

On the other hand, Egg has the buff effect of [Cloud Sea Standing Tall], and its status is continuously recovering.

Egg understood immediately, and a condensed and swift jet of water shot out from a tricky angle.

Just as the Thunder Feathered Eagle regained its balance from the recoil of the collision, it was caught off guard and struck hard on the base of its wing by a jet of water.

"Wow!"

The Thunder Feathered Eagle let out a painful cry, the lightning around its body instantly became chaotic and dim, and its huge body lost its balance, falling downwards at an angle.

"Not good!" Lin Linzhi's expression changed slightly.

Egg would not let such a good opportunity pass by. Taking advantage of the rain, it swung its tail and quickly closed in, delivering another [Water Bomb] that hit the target accurately at close range.

boom!
The Thunderhawk crashed heavily onto the rain-soaked ground, struggled a few times, but ultimately could not stand up again.

The entire stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening cheers.

The referee waved the flag: "Thunder Eagle is unable to fight. The winner is contestant Chen Yuan!"

Blackened and badly injured, Egg floated in mid-air, surrounded by rain. Gazing at its defeated opponent, it slightly raised its head, its sapphire-like scales shimmering after being bathed in rain, and a clear, resonant dragon roar echoed throughout the arena: "Roar!"

You are not bad.

But I was the one who encountered you.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the event.

After the two contestants shook hands and left the stage, a distraught Lin Linzhi returned to the contestants' lounge. His eyes were vacant, his face pale, and he kept muttering to himself, "Why, why did this happen?"

"Isn't lightning a counter to water?"

"Isn't third-order higher than second-order?"

Lu Ran leaned against the doorway, slightly raising his eyes to watch Lin Linzhi return, who looked like a walking corpse. He blew a wisp of dark red bangs from his forehead and then laughed, "Why are there so many questions?"

"Just like I said before the game, there were no tactical skills, and we relied entirely on the numbers to get by."

"It is obvious that the stats of the Azure Sea Spirit Lord are far superior to those of your Thunder Feather Eagle."

Lin Linzhi fell into a long silence.

Then, Lu Ran stepped forward, patted Lin Linzhi on the shoulder, and grinned: "Don't worry, if I run into Consultant Chen, I'll avenge you."

"Can you win?" Lin Linzhi asked, raising his eyes.

Lu Ran's lips curled up, revealing a confident smile: "I am no longer the person I used to be."

By the time Chen Yuan returned to the hotel to rest, the points-based stage of the Donghuang Tournament had come to an end.

After a week of fierce competition and the brutal contest among thousands of participants, a total of 64 contestants from 32 venues advanced to the elimination rounds.

In the eleventh venue, Chen Yuan easily advanced with a perfect record thanks to his egg, while Lin Lin, whom he had previously defeated, also advanced despite losing one match.

The two of them were the only two to advance from the eleventh venue.

As for the other contestants, they were all eliminated in the first round of the Donghuang Tournament, becoming complete cannon fodder.

However, the advancement situation in Qin Province was beyond everyone's expectations. A total of five people advanced, including Chen Yuan: Xia Heng, Zhuang Jianbai, Shi Gang, and Huo Hong.

Xia Heng and Zhuang Jianbai's advancement was not bad. Both of them are very strong. The former was the runner-up of the Dafeng Cup, and the latter, although only a semi-finalist, had been trained by Chen Yuan many times.

Xia Heng advanced with a perfect record, while Zhuang Jianbai lost one match.

However, Shi Gang and Huo Hong's smooth advancement was an unexpected surprise. The former fought several battles and encountered dangerous situations several times, but he turned the tide and won successfully. In the end, he advanced smoothly with a record of losing three games.

The latter venue was the most competitive, with the contestants' strengths being extremely close, making it a chaotic free-for-all.

Fortunately, Huo Hong withstood the pressure and ultimately advanced to the knockout stage with an excellent record of losing four matches.

Five contestants advancing to the knockout stage is already a very good ratio. It is said that the Qin Province Beast Tamer Association has worked overnight to produce a celebratory video and even put up banners.

As for those players who were highly anticipated before the competition, none of them faltered and all advanced to the knockout stage with excellent results.

For a few players, the points tournament is just a warm-up; the knockout stage is where the real competition begins.

In the knockout stage, even fiercer competition awaits all the players.

But for Chen Yuan at this moment, all he wanted was to have a good rest for a day.

So he waved his hand and said, "How about this, let's go out for a trip tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)