Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 411 Xia Heng, run! Advisor Chen is ahead!
The dust has finally settled from the elimination rounds of the Donghuang Tournament, and the list of finalists has been freshly released amidst much anticipation.

It was late at night, but the main venue was still brightly lit and bustling with activity. Tens of thousands of spectators showed no signs of fatigue, and their excitement surged like boiling lava within the huge circular stadium.

The air was thick with a mixture of tension and excitement.

Suddenly, all the lights went out, plunging the stadium into darkness and silence, with only countless flashing glow sticks in the audience like stars in the night sky.

A huge spotlight pierced the darkness like a sharp sword, shining precisely on the stage in the center of the venue.

The host, dressed in formal attire, spoke with barely suppressed passion, his voice booming throughout the venue through the loudspeaker.
"ladies and gentlemen!"

"After days of fierce competition, the eight Beastmasters representing the highest level of skill in Donghuang have been selected. They will soon launch their final assault on this ultimate stage for the highest honor—the Donghuang Tournament Championship!"

The rousing background music suddenly roared in, with a powerful and captivating rhythm.

"First of all, let's give a warm round of applause to the first contestant to advance."

The host's voice suddenly rose: "He is the undisputed favorite to win this tournament, the first Beastmaster in Donghuang to successfully obtain the Morning Star certification, and he has crushed his way through the competition with unparalleled skill—Ye! Sheng!"

"Shh!"

A spotlight instantly shone on the entrance to the contestants' passage, and Ye Sheng's figure appeared in the beam of light.

He was tall and slender, wearing a well-tailored dark combat uniform. His face was handsome but unusually cold and even appeared somewhat stiff under the bright light.

He strode to the designated contestant's seat and stood there. Facing the thunderous cheers, he merely nodded slightly, his hands hanging awkwardly at his sides, his eyes subconsciously avoiding the intense gazes.

"Our second contestant comes from the headquarters of the Eastern Beast Taming Academy. He has been ranked first in the academy for several consecutive years during his studies there and enjoys immense popularity. Let's give a warm round of applause to Li Tianyun!"

Li Tianyun appeared bathed in the second beam of light.

With his signature sunny and cheerful smile on his face, he waved to the surrounding stands and even blew kisses to a few specific fan areas, eliciting screams and pushing the atmosphere to a small climax.

“The third one!”

The host's voice, filled with special respect, brought the venue to another climax:

"He was born in a remote mountain village in the Qinling Mountains, and his life has been like a cheat code ever since he became a beast tamer."

"Not only has he never been defeated since his debut in the field of beast taming battles, but he has also achieved remarkable results in the academic field related to the advancement of pet beasts. Let us welcome—Chen! Yuan!"

Chen Yuan walked steadily out from within the third beam of light.

He was tall and straight, with a handsome face and a calm expression. His deep eyes looked particularly serene under the light.

Despite the applause and cheers that nearly lifted the roof off, he maintained his composure, simply bowing slightly towards the audience, his demeanor exuding calmness and confidence.

The live stream chat was packed with comments:
"A life of extraordinary success? Official confirmation that Advisor Chen has been released."

"husband!!!"

"Consultant Chen has been promoted, while Consultant Shi failed on the way to promotion. Indeed, there are differences among consultants."

"Advisor Shi is not bad either. It is said that he was once able to compete with Advisor Chen, and even slightly outperformed Advisor Chen. His elimination this time is just due to not adapting to the environment."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's from the change in environment, lack of sleep, bad mood, and poor diet."

Amidst the heated discussions among netizens, the host's passionate and resounding voice continued:

"The fourth contestant also comes from the Eastern Beast Taming Academy. His style is wild and unrestrained, and his attacks are like a raging fire. Let's welcome Lu Ran!"

Lu Ran, sporting striking dark red short hair and a defiant smile, strode onto the stage.

Facing tens of thousands of spectators, he put his hands in his pockets, exhaled forcefully to blow his bangs up, and looked down with disdain, revealing his flamboyant nature.

"The fifth contestant is Su Lan, whose tactics are as fluid as water, possessing both gentleness and strength!"

Su Lan walked out slowly with a serene smile, bowed gracefully to the audience, and exuded an elegant and refined air.

"Sixth place goes to Xia Heng, who also comes from Qin Province and performed exceptionally well in the qualifying rounds!"

Xia Heng's expression was serious, his eyes burning with a fierce fighting spirit, and he walked with a steady and powerful gait.

"The seventh one is from..."

"The last contestant"

Two relatively unfamiliar contestants also took the stage under the spotlight. Although their popularity was not as high as the top six, the fact that they were standing here already proved their strength.

All eight finalists took to the stage, lined up in the center of the field, and received the adulation of the entire audience.

The huge circular stadium trembled, and cheers, applause, and screams continued for a long time.

Then, a huge holographic screen at the back of the venue lit up, clearly displaying the names and portraits of the eight contestants.

The host loudly announced and explained the rules of the final round:
"Next, we will hold the draw for the final rounds!"

"The final will be divided into two brackets, with four players in each bracket competing in a single-elimination format. Ultimately, the winners from both brackets will meet in the grand final to compete for the sole championship title."

"Next, please welcome the Vice President of the Eastern Beast Tamer Association to personally preside over the draw!"

A sprightly elderly man walked onto the stage and, under the watchful eyes of the audience, placed the nameplates representing the eight contestants into a transparent lottery box.

Inside the live stream room, host Lü Hao stared nervously at the screen, speaking rapidly:
"Brothers, the crucial moment has arrived."

"The draw results will directly affect the championship situation. It would be best if Consultant Chen could be placed in the upper half of the bracket, avoiding the two formidable opponents Ye Sheng and Li Tianyun, and then steadily advance to the finals. At the same time, let the two of them fight each other."

"This is not a lack of trust in Consultant Chen's abilities; it's to ensure that Consultant Chen can help our Qin Province win the championship and avoid unnecessary losses."

"After all, we have to save our trump cards for the finals; we can't use them in the early stages."

The lottery process was tense and exciting; each time the vice president took a name out of the box, it drew gasps of surprise.

Finally, the match list was displayed prominently on the big screen:
[Upper Half]

Chen Yuan vs Xia Heng
Li Tianyun vs Lu Ran
[Lower Half]

Su Lan vs Liu Heng
Ye Sheng vs Cao Yulong

As the list was announced, a huge wave of excitement erupted in the stadium once again. Discussions, gasps of amazement, and cheers mingled together.

In the live stream room, Lü Hao's wailing could be heard:
"It's over, Qin Province is now in civil war."

After a brief pause, Lü Hao stared intently at the match list, his eyes flashing: "The good news is that Consultant Chen will easily advance to the semi-finals. It's just tough on Xia Heng, but it's all for the honor of Qin Province, and I believe he can understand."

"But Li Tianyun is still in the upper half of the bracket, so it seems that the semifinals will be a fierce battle."

"The anchor needs to go and gather information about Li Tianyun for Consultant Chen first. No one can stand in the way of Consultant Chen's path to victory."

Under the bright spotlight, Chen Yuan's gaze met Xia Heng's, who was standing not far away.

Xia Heng's eyes showed no fear, but were filled with a burning fighting spirit that had been building up for a long time and was about to burst forth.

His gaze swept across the crowd, locking onto Chen Yuan, and then his lips moved.

The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Chen Yuan's ears: "Advisor Chen, I've been waiting for this day for far too long."

Chen Yuan met his gaze and nodded calmly.

He understood that for Xia Heng, this was a revenge battle that had come many days ago.

It was late at night when I got back to my hotel.

However, the online discussion was only just beginning to heat up.

The matchups for the Donghuang Tournament finals have flooded major forums and social media platforms, with netizens engaging in intense analysis and predictions for each match.

This night is destined to be anything but peaceful.

"The scene of Consultant Chen fighting Xia Heng seems familiar."

"It feels like a return to the Dafeng Cup finals."

"Xia Heng, run! Advisor Chen is ahead!"

"I'm making a prediction: Consultant Chen will face Li Tianyun in the semifinals and win the championship against Ye Sheng in the finals."

"Don't open the champagne halfway through. Xia Heng is a completely different person now. He's the heir of Mingsheng Group, a true money man."

That night, Xia Heng tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

5:30 a.m. the next day.

The sky over the capital was still a thick, inky blue, with only a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of dawn on the distant horizon. The bustling city remained asleep, utterly silent.

Inside the hotel's private training area, only the emergency lights emitted a faint glow, outlining the cold contours of the equipment. Xia Heng woke up precisely on time from his sleeping bag spread out in the corner of the area, his movements swift and decisive.

He stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window was a sleeping city, with scattered streetlights like lonely night watchmen.

He took a deep breath of the cool air and slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel the stagnation of the night and the tension that was about to come.

Without any unnecessary movements, he simply thought of it, and two summoning arrays in front of him lit up simultaneously.

From the left-hand diagram, deep undercurrents and water vapor surged forth, and a huge and ferocious figure slowly emerged.

It is over ten meters long and its entire body is covered with thick, dark scales that resemble deep abyss reefs, with the edges of the scales gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

Its head resembled a crocodile but was not; it was longer and more ferocious. Its snout was covered with dagger-like, pale white teeth, and its vertical pupils were blood-red, radiating pure violence and killing intent.

What is most striking is its thick, long tail, which is not an ordinary crocodile tail, but rather has three sharp tail hammers that look like black bone spurs, faintly wreathed with ominous shadow energy.

It simply lay there, and a chilling, oppressive aura, mixed with moisture, spread out.

The right-hand panel exudes a sweet, decaying scent, and a strangely shaped tree rises from the ground.

Its trunk is twisted, like a struggling human figure, and its bark is an unhealthy purplish-black color, covered with dark red veins that resemble blood vessels.

Its branches are not green leaves, but countless deep purple vines with sharp barbs, slowly wriggling like living snakes.

In the center of the tree trunk, a blurry face without features can be vaguely seen, emanating a disturbing spiritual energy.

It stood still, yet it resembled a lurking trap, full of deadly allure and danger.

Xia Heng's gaze swept over his two most trusted partners, and he said calmly, "Let's start warming up."

Without further exchange, the Abyssal Crocodile Dragon let out a low roar and took heavy steps, causing the roots of the Poison Thorn Treant to move like tentacles.

Xia Heng took the lead and ran, followed closely by his two pets. The man and his two pets silently began to jog around the huge training ground.

The sounds of footsteps, scales rubbing together, and vines wriggling were exceptionally clear in the quiet of the early morning.

After several laps, Xia Heng, who was carrying a weight, had fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and his breathing became slightly rapid.

He stopped, wiped his sweat with a towel, and began preparing a special high-energy nutritional meal for his pet. He also picked up the breakfast that the hotel staff had placed in a cooler in advance and ate it quietly.

During meal breaks, the only sound in the training field was the faint sound of chewing.

Xia Heng suddenly looked up at his two companions, deliberately keeping his tone relaxed:
"Don't put too much pressure on yourselves in tomorrow's match. Just treat it as a normal game and perform at the level we usually train at."

The Abyssal Crocodile Dragon raised its scarlet eyes and glanced at him before continuing to gnaw on its food, making muffled gurgling sounds in its throat.

The vines of the Poisonthorn Treant also slowed down.

They could all sense the tension beneath Xia Heng's calm tone.

Since that devastating defeat at the Great Wind Cup, the master has devoted almost all his energy to insane training, preparing day and night for revenge.

Now that the opportunity is right in front of them, how could the owner possibly remain calm?
Xia Heng seemed to understand his companions' silence. He gave a faint smile and repeated, "Really, just do your best and don't force it."

These words sound more like they were spoken to himself.

Just then, the communicator placed to the side vibrated.

Xia Heng looked down and saw it was his third uncle calling.

"Xiao Heng, the things have been delivered." Uncle San's voice sounded tired.

"Okay." Xia Heng's eyes lit up, and he was invigorated.

"I'm right at the entrance of the training field."

Upon hearing this, Xia Heng immediately got up, walked quickly to the door, and opened it.

There stood my third uncle outside, looking travel-worn, carrying a sealed metal box.

"Third Uncle, why did you bring it personally? This is too much trouble for you." Xia Heng quickly invited his third uncle to come in.

Uncle San waved his hand casually and joked on purpose:
"Wow, the sun has risen in the west! You're actually being polite to me now."

Xia Heng quickly waved his hand and explained, "This kind of small matter can be handled by Secretary Zhang."

Uncle San shook his head and said as he walked forward, "That won't do. I don't trust anyone else to take me."

After a brief pause, Third Uncle stopped and suddenly turned his head to stare at Xia Heng, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"Besides, tomorrow is a crucial day for you. As your elder, I have to show my support and do something to make myself feel at ease."

Xia Heng nodded silently, a warm feeling welling up inside him.

"Open it and take a look. Hopefully it will be helpful." Uncle San handed over the metal box.

Xia Heng took the box, entered the password, and opened it.

Inside was a thick cushioning material, with a crystal the size of a pigeon egg, deep blue in color, and shaped like a solidified teardrop, embedded in the center.

Inside the crystal, it seemed as if tides were slowly surging, emitting extremely pure and powerful water-based energy fluctuations, causing the Abyssal Crocodile Dragon beside it to subconsciously raise its head, its scarlet eyes revealing longing.

"These are Tide Tears?"

Xia Heng stared intently at the Tide Tear Crystals inside the box, his tone slightly surprised, "Third Uncle, getting this must have come at a high price, right?"

Third Uncle laughed heartily and patted Xia Heng on the shoulder:

"What's a little money compared to the honor you've brought to the family? Don't overthink it, quickly try it on the Abyssal Crocodile Dragon."

Xia Heng glanced at his third uncle, who was standing close by, and then looked at the Tide Tear Crystals in the box. He wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

So Xia Heng stopped talking, squatted down, picked up the Tide Tear Crystal, and walked to the Abyssal Crocodile Dragon.

The Abyssal Crocodile Dragon, its face filled with longing, obediently lowered its head and opened its massive jaws.

Xia Heng placed the crystal inside, and the Abyssal Crocodile Dragon swallowed it after its throat rolled.

After a moment of silence, it suddenly raised its head and let out a deep roar, its body filled with water vapor, and a water-based energy far purer and more powerful than before burst forth.

The next moment, it casually opened its mouth and spat out a specially made target in the distance. A jet of water, as condensed as a high-pressure water gun, shot out and made the target shake violently with a bang. The power was significantly increased compared to before.

Seeing such remarkable results, Xia Heng finally showed a genuine smile.

Uncle San nodded in satisfaction, patted Xia Heng's shoulder firmly, and said in a solemn tone:
"Good! Play well tomorrow! Don't worry about anything, our whole family will support you."

"From a public perspective, of course I hope you win the championship and bring more contributions and honors to the family."

"But personally, I hope you just do your best and don't put too much pressure on yourself. This is only the first Donghuang Conference."

"You have already achieved your best results. Every step forward you take now is writing new history."

Xia Heng gave a heavy "hmm," his gaze becoming firm and sharp. He looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky, his lips moving slightly: "Advisor Chen, I will do my best."

at the same time,

In a luxurious suite.

"Ouch!"

Annoying barking continued in the room. Consultant Chen, who had stayed up late last night reading online comments, frowned and waved his hand.
"Stop yelling, stop yelling, what are you yelling about so early in the morning?"

Seeing that its owner was unwilling to get up, Cola quickly ran to the huge French window, bit the curtain, and then pulled hard.

Wow~
The curtains were drawn back, letting in soft sunlight that filled the room, filling the air with shimmering golden particles.

Sunlight streamed into his eyes, so Chen Yuan had to cover them with his hands. He then sighed, "Cola, what are you doing so early?"

Cola ran quickly to Chen Yuan, its big, round eyes staring at its owner: "Awoo!"

Tomorrow is the final, we need to get up early to train!

Chen Yuan glanced at the cola suspiciously, his drowsiness instantly vanishing: "Training is fine, but who trains this early?"

He lay in bed and pointed to the sun outside the window: "The sun has only just risen; no beast tamers would be training this early."

As he spoke, Chen Yuan put his hands behind his head and said lazily, "The more critical the situation, the less we should blindly train or change our previous training methods."

"Cramming at the last minute does make sense, but we train hard on a regular basis. We don't need to increase the amount of training on this day. We just need to rest well."

"If you don't believe me, go look at the other athletes. None of them are training this early."

(End of this chapter)