Chapter 506 - 304: Setting Out for Battle

Su Zhi asked in surprise, "The opening ceremony hasn’t even started, and you already have the schedule?"

"Of course. The top-ranking provinces from previous years always get special treatment like an early heads-up."

"Uh..."

Su Zhi suddenly felt that the situation in Shanyou was just ridiculous. They were the hosts, yet their own team was being treated like an afterthought. There was nothing to be done. This was the price of being behind... in every sense of the word.

Su Zhi ended up seeing the tournament schedule on Shen Chuqing’s phone.

Hundred Rivers was a traditional powerhouse, consistently placing in the top four and a strong contender for the championship. In the point-based qualifiers, aside from a potential loss against Capital City, all their other matches were considered sure wins.

At this rate, they would have no problem advancing all the way to the semifinals during the knockout stage. Their match against Pearl Harbor might be a little shaky, but if they fought hard, it wasn’t impossible for them to vie for the championship.

Shanyou, on the other hand, had drawn a hellish bracket, matched with nothing but powerhouses like Yu Province and Shanzu...

As Su Zhi went down the list of opponents, he couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

Unless they could manage to snag at least three wins in total against Yu Province and Shanzu, and avoid any upsets against the other provinces, it was very likely Shanyou Province wouldn’t even make it to the knockout stage!

No wonder Shen Chuqing wasn’t optimistic about their chances; even Su Zhi himself felt the situation was dire.

"Having some mixed feelings?" Shen Chuqing raised an eyebrow. "Seeing the end result before the games have even begun."

"I am feeling a little conflicted. I didn’t expect to get this kind of draw, even on our home turf."

Su Zhi chuckled lightly.

"But you’re wrong about that last part. We write our own endings; they aren’t set in stone from the start. Our opponents are strong, but we’ll be even stronger."

"Alright! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!"

Shen Chuqing laughed heartily and clapped Su Zhi on the shoulder.

"See you this afternoon! I’ll be looking forward to your spectacular performance in the qualifiers!"

"Haha, likewise!"

Su Zhi waved goodbye to Shen Chuqing. As his gaze fell upon his two Treasures training diligently, he suddenly let out a small "huh?"

’I don’t think I saw Wu Bao this morning. He’s not in the Beast Taming Space, either.’

"CHIRP! CHIRP!" Just then, insect-like sounds came from the entrance to the field. The tardy Wu Bao was waving its foreleg at him.

’Shan Bao must have forgotten to bring him when it teleported.’ Su Zhi didn’t give it much thought and walked over to lead his Pet Beast onto the field.

·

That morning, the opening ceremony for the national team tournament was held at the Shanda University Affiliated School’s battle arena. Compared to the Huai City league, the scale of this event was on a whole other level.

At the opening ceremony, performance troupes from the 34 provincial-level administrative regions across Yu Dian District presented acts with unique local flair. Pet Beasts were heavily featured in the performances, creating special effects worthy of a blockbuster film.

For example, Su Zhi saw that Hundred Rivers’ musical was themed around earthquake relief. In addition to the actors’ powerful movements, the tremors created by Earth Element Pet Beasts amplified the visual impact. The finale, featuring members of the Flying Shadow Alliance descending as if from the heavens in their beige trench coats, brought the entire audience to their feet in applause.

Shanyou’s contribution was a sand painting performance.

Guided by Yu Bao’s miraculous elemental control, grains of sand spread across an illuminated screen seemed to come to life, flowing on their own to depict the history of Shanyou from ancient times to the present day.

Because the sand particles were being moved directly, the entire image was in constant motion like a video, its dynamic power far surpassing that of traditional sand painting.

Even before the official matches began, the distinctive opening ceremony was already a feast for the eyes. People in the audience were filming enthusiastically, looking as if they wanted to record every single performance.

Of course, there was also a certain Black Fighting Emperor slacking off, hunched over a tablet doing who-knows-what. But that wasn’t important.

The opening ceremony continued until noon. Afterward, the principal of the Shanda University Affiliated School took the stage to welcome the participating teams from all over the country and announce the schedule for the point-based qualifiers.

At 2:30 PM, the point-based qualifiers for the team tournament officially began!

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