⸻
🔟 Remaining Rounds (5 Matches per)
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Round Fan Yumei (vs.) Score Highlight
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1 Xu Meilan (Razorkite) 34/40 Perfect Sky Cloud Domain setup, forced retreat.
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2 Taro Wen (Fang Raptor) 37/40 Thunderclap Surge + Wind Blade combo KO.
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3 Qu Yanan (Scythe Falcon) 35/40 Mid-air Call of the Whale stunned opponent.
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4 Liang Chenwu (Elemental) 36/40 Parried Rune-Lock Burst, countered with Qi Lance.
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5 Li Yao (Stonehorn Ox) 38/40 Flank ambush with Split Wind Clone + Storm of the Fallen.
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Maxius spent most of these rounds shouting strategic suggestions and loudly claiming credit for Lufei's evasion maneuvers, while Lufei rolled her eyes and pounced through air-lattices with practiced grace.
⸻
Round Jin Minhe (vs.) Score Highlight
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1 Wu Bao (Fireback Boar) 29/40 Healed mid-match, turned tide with Panda's Embrace.
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2 Sun Xi (Crystal Jackal) 31/40 Nutrient Burst sealed a surprise follow-up strike.
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3 Gao Lin (Shadow Panther) 33/40 Healing Overload mutation + counter-coil knockout.
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4 Mei Rong (Mud Turtle) 30/40 Slow-burn defense, final Qi Snare finish.
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5 Chen Rui (Blaze Spider) 32/40 Stamina capsules + Refiner's Aura to outlast.
⸻
Round Zhou Qian (vs.) Score Highlight
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1 Lei Huo (Thunder Viper) 28/40 Disrupted with Terrain Lock Rune, secured break.
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2 Yu Fan (Wind Peck Duck) 29/40 Dual-Step Gust evasion, counter-lash victory.
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3 Zhao Xin (Ironback Tortoise) 30/40 Baited forward, then freed with Support Pulse.
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4 Li Na (Toxic Mantis) 27/40 Narrow loss, but held ground on Aether Barrier.
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5 Han Li (Mirror Hare) 31/40 Reflective Glyph deflected all five mirror strikes.
⸻
Round Min Zhao (vs.) Score Highlight
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1 Wu Lei (Frost Boar) 26/40 Early Frost Trap, then overwhelmed by counter.
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2 Sun Qiao (Firefly Moth) 28/40 Used Elemental Overdrive to outshine flight ops.
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3 Chen Ming (Stone Ram) 29/40 Flash Freeze opening, but stamina faded late.
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4 Zhang Hui (Sand Scorpion) 27/40 Tactical draw—both sides exhausted.
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5 Liu Wen (Acid Beetle) 30/40 Clean Stormbreak Slash breakthrough.
⸻
⚔ Su Cheng & Semifinal
———
Having swept the slate, I stepped into the ring against SS-Class prodigy Su Cheng and her Jade-Flute Serpent.
Maxius whispered, "Try not to get turned into a noodle," and promptly pretended to nap on my shoulder.
—
• Round 1 (Master + Beast): Su Cheng's Soulbind Coil trapped Lufei; I barely freed her in time.
• Round 2 (Command-Only): Venomous Wind Slash forced Mystic into a backward phase. I couldn't recover our rhythm.
📊 Final Score:
• Su Cheng — 39/40
• Fan Yumei — 36/40
My tournament run ended there.
⸻
🏅 Division 6–7 Beast Combat Awards
1. 🥇 Su Cheng – Rogue-Class Champion
2. 🥈 Jin Minhe – Refiner-Support Runner-Up
3. 🥉 Kai Shi – First-Year Champion
I earned a Tier II Cultivation Pack, 15,000 Federation Coins, and a Bronze Secret Realm Pass.
—
Maxius gave me a "not bad for second place" nod before biting into a stolen energy bar.
⸻
🎉 After the Awards
The stadium lights dimmed. Voices lowered as students and instructors began to disperse. I remained on the podium, holding my bronze pass.
Jin Minhe, Zhou Qian, Kai Shi, and Min Zhao joined me. Zhou Qian passed out Federation-grade energy bars.
Maxius snatched one and whispered, "Victory tastes like cherry protein." Lufei leapt up to slap it from his beak.
—
📱 Ping!
—
🧢 papa_wasOwl_there: "Congratulations, Yumei. Celebration dinner at home tonight. Can you come?"
—
🌸 Tiny-Tornado_Soldier: "Thanks, Papa. Mind if I bring friends?"
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🧢 papa_wasOwl_there: "Of course. The more the merrier. See you soon."
—
Fan Yumei: "Family dinner. My place. You all in?"
• Kai Shi: "Wouldn't miss it."
• Zhou Qian: "Sounds great."
• Min Zhao: "I'll thank your mum personally."
• Jin Minhe: "Lead on, Champion."
⸻
Outside, Mystic had shifted into her full adult form—sleek, storm-veined, massive. The harness strained visibly.
Fan Yumei: "Harness off, big girl."
She lowered herself. Zhou Qian and Kai Shi freed the buckles. Maxius squawked about needing a royal saddle. Lufei nuzzled Mystic's side and climbed aboard.
Mystic unbound her clouds first—gently laying a secure mist platform across her back for us all to mount.
Fan Yumei pulled the teleport scroll from her satchel.
Fan Yumei (softly): "Home. I missed her cooking… and Papa's late-night rambles."
She tore the scroll.
Mystic's fins glowed golden. One mighty wingbeat—and they were gone.
⸻
📍 Qinghe Village – Fan Yumei's Cottage
Mystic descended into the dirt road, settling just past the garden gate. Villagers stopped to stare. Some bowed. Others gasped at the sight of the massive sky-whale.
Rune lanterns flickered warm light across wooden beams and cobblestone paths.
My father, Fan Yangwei, limped down the porch steps.
Fan Yangwei: "My brave girl…"
I jumped into his arms. He held on tightly.
Behind me, the others stepped down. Lufei darted into the flowerbeds with a happy chirp. Maxius puffed up proudly, sniffing the air like he owned the sky.
"Smells like dumplings. I'm staying forever."
Ka Sanni (calling from the house): "Inside, all of you! You think I'm feeding wolves?"
We laughed.
Inside, warmth and the scent of simmering broth welcomed us home. The wooden interior glowed with quiet strength—no high-tech lights, just rune fire and hearth-heat.
I had fought. I had lost. I had grown.
And now, surrounded by family and the friends who'd bled beside me, I felt it clearly:
This second chance?
It was mine to claim.