Chapter 79 Chapter 79 "Change strategy and take the initiative. ...

After returning to the gathering point, Jiang Qing clearly felt the gazes from other colleges.

Especially Yue Zhe, the look in his eyes when he looked at the Fifth Academy was almost sparking, but he was unable to do anything because of the rules of the game.

Of course, the most exciting thing was Huo Junshan. He stayed away from the direction of the Fifth Academy, his face so gloomy that water could drip out of it. The home defeat was undoubtedly the biggest blow to him.

After returning to the temporary residence arranged by the academy, Jiang Qing immediately took Zhu Tianba into the special meditation room.

After returning to the temporary residence arranged by the academy, Jiang Qing immediately took Zhu Tianba into the special meditation room.

In the quiet room, Zhu Tianba curled up on a special cushion, his aura fluctuating.

Jiang Qing stood by, holding his breath and paying close attention to Zhu Tianba's condition through the contract.

She could feel that the power in Zhu Tianba's body was undergoing a drastic integration and sublimation.

Stronger than any time before.

The inert ice core source power was like a stable core, guiding the originally more violent part of the power in the body to become peaceful, while at the same time giving it absolute affinity and control over the ice element.

After an unknown amount of time, the light around Zhu Tianba suddenly retracted, and then suddenly exploded.

Dazzling white light filled the entire quiet room, and an aura far more powerful than before swept out.

The light faded away, and what appeared in front of Jiang Qing was a Zhu Tianba whose body had grown larger.

Its fur is shiny black, with a faint blue luster.

The most noticeable change was its hooves, which were covered with a layer of blue ice armor like glass, and the tips of its hooves flashed with cold light.

After evolution, Zhu Tianba not only has a more stable and powerful spatial ability, but also has gained a profound control over ice power.

After evolution, Zhu Tianba not only has a more stable and powerful spatial ability, but also has gained a profound control over ice power.

The location of the next season is the Scorching Sand Dunes, where the weather is hot all year round. Awakening the ice attribute at this time will undoubtedly be beneficial to the next game.

......

Everyone stayed in Lingxiao Territory for two days. Two days later, the airboat set off again and headed towards the Scorching Sand Dunes.

The heat wave distorted the vision, and endless yellow sand spread to the sky, forming an extreme contrast with the extreme cold of the Linxiao Realm.

The giant cacti stand like silent sentinels, and occasionally the shadow of a scorpion tail or a lizard flashes by on the back of the sand dunes.

The airship slowly landed at the temporary camp on the edge of the scorching sand dunes. The moment the hatch opened, a scorching hot air wave hit us in the face.

The competition will not start until three days later, and this time is mainly for everyone to adapt to the environment of the scorching sand dunes.

Jiang Qing took a deep breath of the hot air and felt a little uncomfortable in his lungs.

She patted Zhu Tianba on the shoulder.

This guy seemed like a bored pig, looking around curiously.

Jiang Qing put his hand on Zhu Tianba and immediately felt a coolness.

"It seems that your new ability has become a mobile air conditioner here." Jiang Qing smiled and took out the kettle to take a few sips.

After waiting for the referee and the organizing committee to finish their speeches, Jiang Qing was taken back to the assigned training camp.

Three hours later, in the main team's meeting room.

Renata displayed a simple map of the Burning Sand Dunes and known intelligence on the screen: "The Burning Sand Dunes are a harsh environment, with a huge temperature difference between day and night, and water is scarce."

"Common spirit beasts are mostly sand-walking, earth-burrowing, and fire-type."

"The rules of the game are expected to revolve around 'water sources', 'oasis outposts', and some kind of desert-specific resources."

She paused, her eyes sweeping across the crowd before finally landing on Jiang Qing: "We were the last ones to hold onto the status quo in Lingxiao Territory, but here, we cannot repeat the same mistakes."

"According to intelligence, the Second and Fourth Colleges suffered heavy losses in the last match. The condition of their spirit pets and the morale of their key players were particularly affected."

"The strength of the First and Third Colleges is relatively intact, but the First College prefers to play it safe, while the Third College prefers to develop in a hidden way."

Ma Chengying explained: "We have to change our strategy this time and take the initiative."

"That's right." Renata nodded and pointed her finger at several possible initial resource points on the map.

Renata: "The beginning phase is when the colleges are most dispersed and most vulnerable to being caught off guard."

"We must take advantage of this time difference and utilize Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba's mobility and adaptability to the environment to proactively seek out and attack our main competitors, especially the Second and Fourth Colleges. We must establish a huge advantage in the early stages and weaken their manpower."

Everyone's eyes were focused on Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba.

This high-risk, high-reward raid mission is indeed the most suitable for this pair of them.

Huo Qiushan added, "My Qingbao Spirit Snake is sensitive to vibrations. I can try to sense the movements beneath the sand to avoid being attacked by burrowing spirit beasts."

Sun Yi also said that the Wind Howling Dog can be responsible for vigilance and scent tracking.

"Okay." Renata finally made the decision.

"After the start, the main team was divided into two groups. Cheng Ying, Sun Yi, and I led some members of the school team to occupy and consolidate the initial outpost according to conventional tactics."

"Jiang Qing, Huo Qiushan, the two of you will form a vanguard group, take some elite school team members, and set off directly. Prioritize finding and disrupting the deployment of the Second and Fourth Colleges. If you have the chance, eliminate their isolated teams."

"Just leave after the fight, no need to fight hard." Ma Chengying had a sly smile on his face.

Jiang Qing paused and replied, "I understand!"

......

Three days later, the signal for the start of the race resounded over the scorching sand dunes.

[Attention all colleges, the Burning Dunes competition is officially open! Initial points have been marked, and resource points will be randomly refreshed. Good luck everyone!]

The Fifth Beastmaster Academy successfully reached the outpost at the edge of the Scorching Sand Dunes, earning 1 initial point. Points begin to accumulate. Current overall ranking: 2nd (combined from the first two matches).

Two notification sounds rang out simultaneously above the Fifth Beast Taming Academy's team, carrying with them the unique dryness of the desert.

The members of the Fifth Academy acted quickly.

Renata led the large force towards the nearest Sandstone Outpost No. 15 on the map.

Jiang Qing, Huoqiushan, and four carefully selected school team members who were good at speed, stealth, and control, merged into the boundless sea of ​​sand silently like ghosts.

Zhu Tianba lay on Jiang Qing's shoulder, and his ice armor continued to emit coolness, which not only made the team members feel a lot more comfortable, but also effectively concealed some of their body temperature characteristics, reducing the possibility of being discovered by certain heat-sensing spirit beasts.

It also developed spatial perception. Although the dry environment of the scorching sand dunes had some interference with spatial fluctuations, combined with the vibration perception of the Huoqiu Mountain Qingbao Spirit Snake, it could still clearly grasp the situation within a radius of several hundred meters.

"In the northeast direction, about one kilometer away, there is a fluctuation of source power. It is not large in scale, with about five or six people moving at an average speed." Zhu Tianba quickly delivered the first information.

"Can you tell which college he is from?" Jiang Qing asked in a low voice.

The team approached silently.

The Qingbao Spirit Snake of Huoqiu Mountain exhaled slightly, catching the faintest scent molecules in the air. "The ground is shaking heavily, with a faint smell of earth. It's most likely someone from the Fourth Academy. Besides our academy, the Fourth Academy has more contracted earth-type spirit beasts."

"Yue Zhe?" Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow. "It's okay to use them for training."

Soon, through the gaps in the sand dunes, they saw a team from the Fourth Academy searching for something in an exposed rock area, apparently looking for possible resource points.

The team is led by a main player, and the rest are members of the school team.

Jiang Qing observed the terrain and quickly formulated a strategy: "They have their backs against the rock wall and their sides are surrounded by quicksand."

She said to Huo Qiushan, "You and the school team members will feint from the front to attract attention. Tianba and I will go around to the flank and attack from the back."

Huo Qiushan nodded and immediately led the team to launch a frontal attack.

The poisonous mist sprayed by the Qingbao Spirit Snake and the attacks of the school team members' spiritual pets instantly enveloped the Fourth Academy team.

Unfortunately, Yue Zhe was not the one leading the team.

Everyone in the Fifth Academy felt a trace of regret at the same time.

The main players from the four academies reacted quickly and immediately ordered their spirit pets to spray flames to disperse the poisonous fog. One after another, the spirit pets burrowed into the sand and tried to fight back.

When the frontal battle reached a stalemate, Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba had quietly circled around their flanks.

"Tianba, can you control the water under that quicksand? Make it more 'active' temporarily." Jiang Qing pointed to the seemingly calm quicksand area.

Zhu Tianba nodded, a blue light flashed in his eyes, and the extremely cold source of power penetrated deep into the quicksand.

Although it is impossible to create ice, the sudden drop in temperature causes the water vapor inside the quicksand to condense, causing the structure to undergo subtle changes and the fluidity to increase instantly.

At the same time, Jiang Qing sent a signal to Huoqiu Mountain.

Huoqiushan understood what he meant and commanded the Qingbao Spirit Snake to suddenly strike the ground with its tail, creating a strong vibration.

The people from the Fourth Academy dodged subconsciously, and their formation became slightly disorganized.

Jiang Qing saw the situation clearly and reminded Zhu Tianba to prepare for action.

"Oh no! The quicksand is alive!" A member of the Fourth Academy team was horrified to find that the sand under his feet suddenly turned into a quagmire.

Two school team members standing on the outside and their spirit pets were caught off guard and fell in with screams. The elimination buttons on their bodies lit up instantly, and they were judged to be "in desperate situation" and were forcibly teleported out.

[Fourth Academy, two members eliminated.]

The announcement sounded, causing the remaining members to look down at their feet with worried expressions.

The main team members tried to rescue them, but were entangled by Huo Qiushan and others.

Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba attacked from the flanks. Zhu Tianba's spatial blade accurately interfered with the fire-breathing camel's jet organs, while Jiang Qing used his flexible body to use a dagger to focus on the relatively fragile joints and eyes of the spirit pet.

Having lost their numerical advantage and being caught off guard, the morale of the team from the Fourth Academy completely collapsed.

Quickly, the main team member was also attacked by Jiang Qing and Huo Qiushan, and his pet was seriously injured, and he was forced to activate the elimination button.

[The Fourth Academy eliminated one member.]

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the remaining member of the school team chose to withdraw without hesitation.

In just a few minutes, an entire Fourth Academy team was completely wiped out.

"Clean up the battlefield, collect useful supplies, and evacuate quickly." Jiang Qing did not delay at all.

She knew that the commotion here might have attracted nearby enemies.

The team acted quickly, collecting the small amount of supplies left behind by the other side and a temporary prop that increased the speed of movement in the sand, and then disappeared behind the sand dunes.

In the next few hours, the vanguard team led by Jiang Qing was like a ghost in the desert. They used Zhu Tianba's perception and mobility to continuously search for the lone teams from the Second and Fourth Colleges.

【Second Academy, three members eliminated.】

[The Fourth Academy eliminated one member.]

[Fourth Academy, two members eliminated.]

…

Continuous elimination broadcasts rang out over the arena, putting the Second and Fourth Colleges in a passive situation of reduced personnel from the start.

Huo Junshan and Yue Zhe were furious, but they were unable to catch the elusive Jiang Qing team in the vast desert.

At the same time, Renata successfully occupied two resource-rich outposts and found a small oasis, and her points increased steadily.

The two school teams met briefly and shared information.

The five members of the main team stood on the sand dunes, looking out at this golden purgatory.

"According to pre-match intelligence, the main force of the First Academy tends to operate in the 'Red Rock Canyon' area, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and is rich in resources." Renata said.

"The Second Academy is accustomed to staying near the 'Quicksand River', utilizing a combination of water and sand elements." Renata clicked on the tactical map. "Next, we'll go and seize their resources."

The plan was finalized and the team advanced towards the Red Rock Canyon.

If they go east, the college teams will be more concentrated and easily disadvantaged in terms of personnel, so the main team decided to set out together.

After walking for about an hour, Zhu Tianba suddenly stopped, moved his nose, and pointed to a huge red sandstone in the southeast.

Renata narrowed her eyes and raised her hand to signal the team to stop.

She made a gesture, and Ma Chengying's Wind-Splitting Eagle monitored from high altitude, Huo Qiushan and Sun Yi encircled from the flank, and Renata herself sneaked in with the shadow of the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes, ready to provide support at any time.

Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba quietly went around to the back of the red sandstone.

There is an inconspicuous crack at the bottom of the rock. Faint fluctuations of source power can be faintly heard from the depths of the crack, and the temperature is obviously lower than the surrounding area.

"There is an isolation barrier." Jiang Qing sensed it.

Just as she was about to investigate further, Zhu Tianba suddenly said, "Jiang Qing, someone is coming."

Jiang Qing's eyes flashed, and he and Zhu Tianba immediately retreated to meet up with Renata and others.

The two sides quickly exchanged information, and Qingbao from Huoqiu Mountain and Kong from Renata further confirmed the strength of the newcomers.

Three main team members from the First Academy.

The three members of the First Academy obviously did not expect to be ambushed near their own base.

When they saw the five people from the Fifth Academy emerge from behind the sand dunes intact and even in high spirits, they were obviously stunned.

"From the Fifth Academy? How come you..." The leader didn't finish his words.

Renata's Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes has already jumped out from the shadows.

At the same time, the Wind-Splitting Hawk swooped down and pinned down one of the opponent's Moltres.

The Qingbao Spirit Snake cooperated by spraying poisonous mist to interfere with the opponent's vision, while Sun Yi only used the Wind Howling Dog to stir up a sandstorm to further create chaos.

Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba became the variables in this battle.

"Tianba, freeze the ground!" Jiang Qing ordered.

Zhu Tianba stepped on the ground with his hooves, the blue light of the Glazed Ice Armor became brighter, and extremely cold air surged out.

In an instant, a layer of smooth and hard ice formed on the surface of the sand within a radius of dozens of meters with it as the center.

The whole process lasted less than ten seconds.

The three people from the First Academy were shocked and began to summon their spirit pets in a panic.

Kong would not give people this opportunity. It suddenly wrapped around the opponent's leading spirit pet, and the powerful strangling force made it wail in pain.

The whole process takes less than three minutes.

The three main players of the First Academy didn't even have time to organize a decent counterattack before they were "sent" out of the game neatly by the Fifth Academy.

[The Fifth Beast Taming Academy eliminated three members of the First Academy.]

[Repeat! The Fifth Beastmaster Academy eliminated three members of the First Academy.]

The broadcast sounded, but no one seemed to realize that the battle was over so quickly.

[The Fifth Beastmaster Academy receives 2 Flame Cores from the First Academy, +120 points.]

[The Fifth Beastmaster Academy obtained a basic supply pack x1.]

The announcement of the rewards for eliminating three people also followed.