Start With Contracting Sprites

The battle tactics arranged by Mentor Ma weren't complicated. Su Hao understood right away.

The strategy could be summarized into one sentence: Protect the two and fight for the two.

They were planning to protect the two resource points and if they had more time and capability, they should fight for the other two resource points — they could choose not to fight, but they had to make sure their opponent couldn't snatch the resource points.

"The reason why our whole strategy is arranged so simply and crudely is also because of… our overwhelming strength."

Whale Island University's planned lineup consisted of four extraordinary-levels and one elite-level.

And key universities usually only had one to two extraordinary levels.

As long as they weren't complacent, it wasn't a problem for prestigious schools to win.

So, Su Hao, who had finally gotten a slot just to make up for the numbers, decided to give the opportunity to the Dazed Crow.

Let it enjoy itself.

What, you're saying we have to be stable? That is what extraordinary teammates should do. As an elite who is just there to be a bystander, all I have to do is to enjoy myself.

...

At the Red Square Tower, Su Hao walked into the tower with a few seniors.

The space on the first floor of the tower was very spacious, and could accommodate many sprites.

"We'll all summon our sprites," said a senior surnamed Nan.

His five fingers spread open, and ripples appeared in front of him. A sprite clad in armor appeared majestically while holding a broadsword.

Bang~!

The blade made a loud sound when it hit the ground, but there were no traces on the ground… The Golden-Armored Overlord gestured with the blade, as if it wanted to slash again. However, Senior Nan pushed it away.

"That Golden-Armored Overlord and Dazed Crow might have some common topics?"

After summoning the Dazed Crow, he also threw it outside the tower.

He then retreated to leave enough space. The next moment, boom—

With a dull bang, a huge Stone Giant appeared in the space within the tower.

This Stone Giant was extremely big. It was seven to eight meters tall, twice as tall as an elite-level Stone Giant. When it stood there, the door of the tower was completely blocked. It couldn't go out even if it wanted to.

The Stone Giant that was good at defense was their Tower Gatekeeper.

Utilisation of blocking tactics.

...

At the same time, in the Blue Tower.

The five people from Heavenly Horse University stood on the upper level of the tower and looked into the distance.

"Our opponent is Whale Island University, don't be too pressured," said the captain. "But it's not like we don't have a chance to win. Protect our sprites and focus on dealing with the weakest one of Whale Island University. If… we can defeat a sprite and get a 100 marks difference, we still have a slight chance of winning."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "In the previous round, Whale Island University's battle lineup consisted of four extraordinary-levels and one elite-level…"

"If possible, we have to find that elite-level sprite and surround it!" Another team member said. The five of them gathered their palms and waved them down heavily together.

...

Ten minutes had passed since the start of the battle between Whale Island University and Heavenly Horse University. The entire battlefield was still calm.

Only the two resource points closer to the red side were occupied by two of Whale Island University's sprites.

At this moment, in a certain part of the forest.

A fire crow with dark red feathers started to shuttle between giant trees.

It recalled the mission its Sprite Trainer had given it — investigative — and its sharp gaze swept the surroundings.

It was an experienced scout ~!

Suddenly…

A thick vine shot out from one side. Halfway through, it split into countless vines, enveloping the fire crow from all directions.

The Dazed Crow was fearless. In an instant, it activated the "Flaming Feather Form". With a slash of its feather blades, resplendent sharp flames flew out, burning the vines close to it into ashes.

At this moment, the Dazed Crow folded its wings and swooped down. Like a dark red arrow, it flew towards the direction of the vines.

"Too impulsive."

"What do you mean by impulsive?"

Inside the tower, Senior Nan heard Su Hao's murmur. He turned his head and asked somewhat agitatedly, "Has your fire crow discovered the enemy's movements?"

"No…"

"To be more precise, it was discovered, and it has already been surrounded."

Senior Nan: "???"

How can you speak so calmly when your sprite is being surrounded?

Perhaps…

Because the opponents weren't strong and there weren't any supernatural beings?

If it were just two to three elite-level sprites, his junior's Flaming Spiritcrow might really not feel afraid.

As he thought so, he heard:

"There are a total of three sprites, including an extraordinary Storm God Hound."

Senior Nan choked, turned to look at Su Hao and typed a question mark.

Then, he said anxiously, "Junior, why don't you summon your Flaming Spiritcrow back first?"

...

"Sprite Commandeering: Summon" was a standard life-saving method. It could naturally be used in the league, but there were restrictions.

-- It could only be used a maximum of three times.

To be honest, three times wasn't enough. He had to use it sparingly.

But the summoning wasn't omnipotent. It required time for casting, and for the Sprite Trainer's perception and discovery. Once it was slower by a second or half a second, a sprite that had fallen into a coma might be the one that was summoned back.

Senior Nan thought, since Junior Su Hao discovered something wrong earlier on, then… he should be able to summon it back, right?

Boom~!

In the distance, the sound of a battle eruption woke him up.

From afar, one could see a dazzling ball of light rising slowly.

Along with the judge's announcement that resounded throughout the entire battlefield, "Heavenly Horse University, Death Locust, eliminated."

...

Blue Tower.

"Damn it! I didn't expect that Fire Crow to actually turn around and launch a sneak attack!"

Moreover, it killed their team's Death Locust in one hit.

It completely messed up their plans.

A look of determination flashed across the captain's eyes. "We're already more than 100 points behind, and our overall strength is at a disadvantage. It's impossible to turn the tables, but…"

"We can lose the competition, but that Flaming Spiritcrow must die! At the very least, we have to showcase the glory of our Heavenly Horse University!"

He looked at the other team member who had an extraordinary-level sprite. "Ask your Wind Chasing Horse to stop the other sprites. Buy me some time, give me a minute!"

...

"Squawk~!"

On the chaotic battlefield, a blazing sun rose. Under the blazing sun, a Storm God Hound rode the wind and came straight up.

The extraordinary-level Storm God Hound was as tall as an adult. It looked handsome, like a big white dog. Its fluffy hair swayed slightly, bringing with it waves of airflow. The airflows formed wind-chain like substances that climbed onto the blazing sun.

For a moment, the blazing sun sank into a sluggish state. The rolling flames couldn't burn those invisible winds too.

The Storm God Hound stepped on the air with all four legs and charged up from below like a beam of white light.

Boom~!

The sun trembled, and countless flames scattered and fell, igniting the giant trees.

In the sky, the blazing sun was constantly entangled with the white shadow. In just ten seconds…

The white shadow dodged the red saber light slashing at it head-on. Its claws were covered with a thick layer of protection, and it went straight into the rolling flames.

Boom!

A Flaming Crow covered in raging flames was suddenly sent flying and it started to fall from the sky.

The Storm God Hound chased after it again. With a wave of its claws, three substantial wind blades swept over and slashed onto the Dazed Crow's body. Its armor formed from the flowing flames was directly broken.

Flames splashed everywhere. Countless, broken, bright and dark red feathers floated down from the sky slowly and reflected in the crow's eyes.

The crow was stunned. It stared blankly at the bald spot on its chest.

It looked at the big white dog that was constantly enlarging in his eyes.

Something seemed to have exploded in its body. Hot flames appeared from the depths of its soul, pouring out from its wounds and spraying out from its wings. Countless flames wrapped around it, and a blazing sun appeared again.

It became increasingly dazzling and majestic-looking.

Layers of fire waves spread in all directions. In an instant, the whole forest became a sea of fire.

"What happened?!"

With the help of the sprite's perspective, the Heavenly Horse contestants saw the scene in front of them and were stunned.

The captain guessed, "It's breaking through due to luck?"

As expected, the next moment, the judge who appeared on the battlefield while riding a flying sprite blew the horn to represent a pause.

The battle stopped!

Under the envelopment of a huge wave of Psychic power, all of the sprites suddenly stopped regardless whether they were fighting or rushing.

-- In formal competitions, when sprites accidentally broke through, they were given priority over the competition.

"Give that little rascal some fire-element spiritual jades," said a big boss from the organizers' side.

But just as he finished speaking, he saw fiery red spiritual jades floating out of Whale Island University's lounge.

He couldn't help but be stunned.

"Did it happen to bring spiritual jades with it? There's no need to send anything then."

...

In the lounge, as an audience, Butterfly had no restrictions on bringing supplies. It had long prepared spiritual jades worth hundreds of credits in that small bag on its body.

At this moment, when it saw its little brother, Dazed Crow, breaking through, it immediately used its mental power to send out the spiritual jades.

Fortunately, the Dazed Crow wasn't too far away. Otherwise, it would have to consider sending someone to pass the parcel, gurgle ~!

The spiritual jade was in place.

After absorbing a large amount of pure spiritual force, the conditions for the Dazed Crow's breakthrough were finally met. Its aura kept rising, and the flames became increasingly hot. The bald feathers on its chest also showed faint signs of growing back.

After a while, its aura finally reached its peak. It let out a loud and clear cry, "Squawk…"

Countless flames exploded, and a large dark red bird flew out from the sea of fire. It spread its wings wide and the overflowing energy was completely fixed at the extraordinary level.

Its breakthrough succeeded!

An extraordinary sprite was born in the eyes of countless spectators!

"Su Hao from Whale Island University, just a first-year student, is already a master-level Sprite Trainer!"

Many people expressed the same sentiments.

At this point, the judge also reappeared in the sky and blew the horn. "Battle, continue!"

As soon as he heard the word "continue", the captain of Heavenly Horse University suddenly shouted through the contract, "Vacuum Break!"

At the same time, he used "Sprite Commandeering: Visual Sharing" to link his vision with the Storm God Hound's vision. He observed that the wound on the large dark red bird's chest was still there.

"After all, breaking through doesn't have the effect of full blood resurrection. While its injuries are not light…"

The Storm God Hound ran forward on all fours. Flames automatically parted wherever it went. It opened its mouth and let out a low growl. Endless airflow gathered in its mouth, turning into grayish-white light before being shot out forcefully.

It pierced through the air and the flames.

Along the way, the mountain ranges were directly cut off, and even the feathers of the Dazed Crow were charred, but it didn't dodge. It still chose the most direct and violent way to respond.

Flaming Blade Slash!

Its Feather Blades extended inch by inch, and a blazing sun appeared. However, the surging flames on its body quickly converged, covering the Feather Blade on its right wing layer by layer. The flowing flames were like burning air as the surrounding temperature rose rapidly. The plants burned up and turned into gas. The surrounding sea of fire was affected as countless flames swarmed over and entered the flaming blade.

In an instant, a piercing red light shot into the sky. The air distorted, making it difficult to directly look at.

The Dazed Crow, which aura had reached its peak after just breaking through, also swung its peak saber.

Flaming Blade Slash! Flowing Blade Like Fire!

The red light slashed across, incinerating the airflow and extinguishing the Storm God Hound's accumulated attack!

The Flaming Blade Aura, which was only slightly weaker, slashed forward without any reduction in momentum. It passed through layers of space and instantly appeared in front of the Storm God Hound.

The white dog's fur stood on end. It instinctively wanted to dodge, but as the flaming saber light flew over, the flames filled the sky and covered it. Its aura was locked, and there was no way to dodge.

It could only let out a low growl. Grayish-white wind covered its body, and its fluffy hair fluttered slightly. It stepped on air with its four feet and slammed forward with an indomitable momentum.

Bang!!!

Huge flames exploded above the battlefield, illuminating the sky red.

It also reflected the dead gray face of the Heavenly Horse captain.

...

Whale Island University won without any suspense.

In fact, it didn't even take three hours of battle time to defeat Heavenly Horse University.

But for Fiery Bird University and Dragon City University, they didn't just see Whale Island University's victory…

"I want all information of that Flaming Spiritcrow within three hours!"

Gongye Tianrui said.

"That Flaming Spiritcrow can't be underestimated. Considering the tactical arrangements, it's possible for it to go on stage… We need to get the most detailed information on it."

A certain instructor from Dragon City University also instructed.

Naturally, a large-scale intelligence gathering like this couldn't be hidden from Whale Island University's instructors.

In the villa, Mentor Ma looked at Su Hao as if he had understood something.

"Since the breakthrough of Flaming Spiritcrow was in your plan, did you also plan to use its breakthrough to attract the attention of Dragon City and Fiery Bird so that you can better hide your Butterfly Fairy?"

"I see!" Jiang Xiuqi added, "Back then, you were able to set a record for the challenge segment because you planned it before the battle started. Now, for the league, you've also been setting up your plans since a long time ago. You've planned everything to win the final battle and to pave the way for Butterfly Fairy's appearance on stage… Impressive, impressive!"

When the other seniors heard this, they all casted looks of admiration.

Su Hao was a little stunned.

He merely just… saw Dazed Crow's chance at breakthrough, so he allowed it to take a walk and have fun.

In any case, he had a few teammates to back him up. Even if he lost, they still wouldn't be defeated. If he fought well, Dazed Crow would break through. It was a sure-win situation.

He actually had so many intentions?

Su Hao thought for a while. It seemed, indeed… very reasonable!

"As expected, I'm really a strategist."

...

When the fourth day of the elimination round ended, the list of the top four was released.

Dragon City University, Whale Island University, and Fiery Bird University. The three prestigious universities lived up to expectations and stood out. And the last of the top four was… Suanni University.

Their signature sprite, "Housekeeper Suan Ni", was a rare sprite with pseudo monarch potential. However, its development level was not as perfect as "Fiery Bird".

"When we reach the top four, every team has to fight the other three teams to determine the final ranking."

Mentor Ma smiled. "Fortunately, tomorrow morning, we'll battle Suanni University, and in the afternoon, Dragon City University is up against Fiery Bird University."

This meant that the trump cards of Dragon City and Fiery Bird had to be revealed a step earlier.

Whale Island had a slight advantage in intelligence.

They also had Butterfly Fairy, which was good at illusions, assisting, and investigating, and was very helpful in small-scale battles…

"There's a high chance of winning!"

Mentor Ma was all smiles.

But his optimism only lasted half a day.

The next morning, Whale Island University VS Suanni University. There were no accidents.

And in the afternoon, after the battle between Dragon City University and Fiery Bird University…

"Dragon City University wins."

With the announcement of the judge, the battle came to an end. At this moment, only an hour and 15 minutes had passed since the battle started.

Dragon City University won with a complete crushing result of 5-0.

In that battle, the one who shone brightly wasn't Dragon City University's Captain Wang Dong, but an unknown freshman, Lan Qing!

And her Storm God Hound.

It possessed a battle power that was even stronger than Gongye Tianrui's Fiery Bird!

"But how can it, it, it, be so strong? Its strength is completely unreasonable!"

Mentor Ma couldn't understand.

But Su Hao saw the interface clearly stating, "Domain enhancement."

That was…

The power of the wind.

This made Mentor Ma, Wang Qi, and the others look extremely solemn.

The next day, under the anticipation of countless spectators, the High School League ushered in the most critical battle.

The battle to decide the champion!