CH 68

Chapter 68: Sports Meet - Part II

Exhausted, the little ferret had no energy left to continue and chose to slack off in place. Ao Yu glanced back at the slow-moving little phoenix and, uninterested, shifted his gaze forward.

Xuanming's claw stepped over a half-human-height dry tree, leaving several long claw marks on the tough bark. The bronze gong placed at the top of the hill came into view.

Almost there, almost...

The black panther displayed agile movements, leaping gracefully through the air. Suddenly, two bursts of spiritual energy attacked, forcing Xuanming to veer off course and miss the landing spot.

"You go ahead!"

Xuanming looked up and saw Wu Mu swiftly raising its tail, taking the opportunity to rush ahead.

"Roar!"

Xuanming spewed out a few strands of flames from its mouth. If Wu Mu hadn't dodged its tail quickly, it would have been burned to ashes.

Sun Yang attempted to bypass them and move forward but was blocked by two shadows. At that moment, the three divine beasts began to fight less than fifty meters away from the bronze gong.

"Damn it, Sun Yang, you bit my tail!"

"Don't act so innocently. There are still pieces of my fur on your claws!"

"Roar!"

Yun Zhao stared at the intense battle of the first group, dumbfounded. "How... did it turn into a fight?"

Ao Yu nonchalantly responded, "The rules only state that the one who strikes the gong first wins. It's not considered a violation."

Si Wuchen nodded in agreement and spoke to Xuanming hidden in the forest, "Resolve it quickly. It has been dragging on for too long."

Xuanming, whose ear had been bitten by Wu Mu, winced in pain, jumped back, and rubbed it while grimacing. Then it bared its teeth at Si Wuchen's direction and continued to pounce forward.

The attention of everyone was instantly drawn to the lively brawl of the three divine beasts.

Meanwhile, unnoticed in a corner, the little phoenix trotted past them.

Lei Huang looked at the countless flying furballs of cats and dogs, shaking his head disapprovingly, and held back his magnificent tail feathers as he continued onward.

By the time Wu Mu and the others realized it, Le Huang had already lifted himself up and lightly pecked the bronze gong.

"Dang—"

The crisp sound of the gong marked the end of the race, and Bai Ze announced loudly, "Le Huang wins!"

Wu Mu retracted its claws and locked eyes with Sun Yang and Xuanming beside it, all directing their gaze towards the little Phoenix at the top of the hill.

Damn opportunistic king!

Le Huang puffed up its small chest, looking proud. Elegance never goes out of style!

The rabbits led the participating divine beasts out of the forest, and Ao Yu restored the empty space to its original state.

Yun Zhao, fearing that Ao Yu would create another miraculous event, went down and brought back cushions and bamboo pole stands with the rabbits.

Seeing the immortals on the platform peering curiously, he cleared his throat and said, "The next event is high jump. Pass if you can jump over the bamboo pole behind me without knocking it down. The height will increase each round."

He glanced at the restless youngsters and emphasized, "In this event, no spells are allowed, and no external assistance either!"

Fairy Xiaguang smiled apologetically and assured everyone that she would not disturb the order of the competition this time.

To restrain herself from petting the fluffy little creatures, Xiao Heitu jumped into her arms righteously.

Xiao Hei Tu: "You can pet me."

Xiaguang, teary-eyed, caressed the rabbit. "Thank you... sob..."

On the other side, Bai Ze arranged the participating divine beasts in a line, and the rabbits held notebooks and pens, ready to record.

With everything in order, Yun Zhao shook the bell as usual.

Sun Yang was the first to take the stage. The initial height of the bamboo pole wasn't particularly high, and the golden little dog effortlessly leaped over it with a smooth and spirited coat fluttering in the wind.

The following young ones didn't disappoint either; they all cleared the bar one by one, until Le Huang, dissatisfied, kicked a small pebble on the ground and approached the starting line.

Yun Zhao was somewhat surprised. It wasn't necessary for a non-flying phoenix to participate in this event, but the little phoenix proudly joined the lineup, making him curious.

"If it doesn't use its wings... how high can a bird jump?" Yun Zhao looked curiously at Ao Yu beside him.

Ao Yu raised an eyebrow and, unusually conservative, replied, "Infinite potential."

"Hmm?" Yun Zhao didn't understand what that meant and turned his head back to Le Huang, feeling puzzled.

Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Le Huang took a small run-up, and with a crisp step on the take-off line with its small paw, its magnificent and dazzling tail feathers unfurled with a swoosh, shaking off countless golden lights.

Everyone exclaimed, "Wow!"

"Thud—"

The mountain breeze brushed across the open field, causing the bamboo pole on the cushion to barely move. The air around seemed to freeze for a moment, and Kongming looked puzzled, "Uh... did it jump?"

Le Huang glared angrily, "I jumped!"

Yun Zhao looked at the little phoenix, which had only jumped three inches past the take-off line, sighed, and rubbed his forehead. What exactly was he expecting...

Ao Yu sneered, "Wu Mu can lift his leg higher just to scratch an itch."

Wu Mu rolled its eyes and didn't feel particularly praised.

After coaxing the little phoenix off the stage, the last one in line, the tired little ferret, also cleared the bamboo pole. Bai Ze then instructed the rabbits to raise the height and continue the competition.

After a few warm-up attempts, Luo Xue seemed to struggle a bit. He wiggled his small butt in front of the take-off line, his eyes fixed on the bamboo pole before executing a perfect leap.

Yun Zhao was about to cheer as he saw the little white cat successfully clear the bar, but he witnessed the kitten, with closed eyes, failing to extend its claws in time to land, and its face smashed into the cushion.

"Mmm!" The rabbits were startled by the kitten's face-braking move and instinctively backed away, covering their long ears with foresight.

Sure enough, the sound of heartbroken crying filled the field. With flattened fur on its face, the round-eyed Luo Xue looked up, crying loudly. Even Xuanming's attempt to console him didn't work.

Luo Xue's round cat eyes were filled with tears. "Wuwuwu... my face hurts... it's so embarrassing..."

Kongming carried the kitten down, unable to laugh or cry. "Oh dear, don't cry, don't cry. Luo Xue, you're already very impressive!"

Yun Zhao felt helpless and exchanged a glance with Kongming. He picked up a small bamboo pole and, with Bai Yu on one side and himself on the other, placed it at a height just above their ankles.

"Give it another try."

The gentle voice of the young man sounded overhead. Luo Xue wiped away his tears with his paw and quietly agreed. He observed the small bamboo pole for a while before crouching down, wiggling his butt like a caterpillar. Amid the suppressed laughter of the crowd, he summoned the courage to jump over.

This time, after all four cat paws landed perfectly, applause resounded warmly from the onlookers.

After comforting the little white cat, just as Yun Zhao heaved a sigh of relief, Sun Yang, who was still competing, kicked another pebble during take-off, and the sharp stone flew straight towards Ao Yu.

Ao Yu calmly tilted his head and dodged, but Bai Ze, who was behind him giving instructions to the rabbits, got hit square on the forehead.

"Ah!"

Bai Ze held his forehead where the skin was broken, using magic to heal himself while giving Sun Yang a deduction warning.

Sun Yang kicked the ground in displeasure, blowing a puff of white air towards Yun Zhao, seeking consolation.

Seeing that one opponent was missing, Xuanming took advantage of the opportunity and once again cleared the bamboo pole with pride. However, upon landing, it forgot to retract its sharp claws, which pierced into the cushion, causing feathers to scatter everywhere.

Si Wuchen brushed away the feathers that flew into Baiyu's head. The former looked coldly at Xuanming, and clicked his tongue.

The leopard, sensing its owner's disdain, also became temperamental and simply slumped down, indicating that it wouldn't participate.

Xuanming, seemingly fearless, was about to approach Si Wuchen to teach him a lesson, but Bai Yu had to intervene, standing between the two and constantly trying to calm the situation.

Fortunately, Wu Mu and the little ferret didn't cause any more trouble. After Wu Mu easily defeated the ferret, Yun Zhao promptly awarded him a seashell as a token of victory, bringing an end to this eventful and chaotic competition.

The final event was a solo basketball game, where participants had to score points by shooting the ball into the corner baskets within a designated time. The one with the highest score would be the winner.

This game was a spectacle, with all kinds of fluffy creatures flying around the field.

On Ao Jing's side, he demonstrated impressive ball-handling skills, playfully twirling the ball with his tail before flicking it into the basket. Sun Yang and Xuanming, on the other hand, fiercely contested for the ball.

The little phoenix dashed around the field, chasing after the ball, and the golden light on its feathers spread across the ground, adding a touch of luxury to the entire area.

The little ferret and Luo Xue, perhaps exhausted from the previous events, simply slacked off and sat with the rabbits, enjoying fruit platters.

To avoid any further accidental injuries, Bai Ze rode on a crane and flew higher.

This game was more intense than the previous ones and continued until Bai Ze struck the bronze gong, signaling the end. The young ones reluctantly stopped their efforts.

Ao Jing scored the most points, and when Yun Zhao handed him the seashell symbolizing the top scorer, the young man in Qingyi received it with both hands, gently touching it a few times before tucking it away into his embrace.

Wu Mu tugged at Ao Jing's sleeve a couple of times and said, "Shall we continue playing tomorrow?"

Ao Jing also felt like he hadn't had enough fun and nodded in agreement, "Sure."

The young ones who received the seashells could drink bubble water for a whole month, while the others could drink for half a month.

The divine beasts found it fair, and the little phoenix even wanted Yun Zhao to drill a hole in its seashell so it could wear it around its neck.

Yun Zhao didn't mind. These shells were brought from the sea, each one delicately crafted. Even though they were now away from the water, they still had a faint radiance on their surfaces.

He drilled a hole and took the silk thread handed to him by the Xiaguang, hanging the seashell necklace around the little phoenix's neck.

Le Huang looked at the shimmering seashell on its chest and proudly ran over to show off to its little friends.

Yun Zhao chuckled and locked eyes with the startled Ao Jing. Ao Jing blushed and quickly averted his gaze.

"Do you want one too?" Yun Zhao walked over, squatting down and asking him.

Ao Jing hesitated, took out the seashell from his embrace, and handed it over, asking softly, "Can I have one?"

"Of course!" Yun Zhao accepted his seashell, drilled a hole, and hung it with the silk thread.

After examining Ao Jing's attire for a moment, he felt that it didn't look good hanging around his neck, so he attached it to Ao Jing's waist pouch.

Ao Jing lowered his gaze and carefully looked at it for a moment, expressing his gratitude to Yun Zhao.

The immortals behind them had thoroughly enjoyed the competition and wore satisfied expressions. Kongming even suggested, "If there are more divine beasts in the future, we can organize an even livelier event."

"That would be great," Baiyu concurred with a smile.

Baiyu collected all the spirit stones he had won and stored them in his storage pouch. He had correctly predicted the outcomes of the last two games, including the point total in the basketball match, making him the biggest winner.

If the scale of future events grew larger... Baiyu rubbed his chin in contemplation. He could even bring the wolf clan to sponsor and invite Yun Zhao to provide various snacks. His gambling games would attract even more participants...

With these thoughts in mind, Baiyu eagerly pulled Yun Zhao aside. "Do you have any plans for future enrollment? When will the next sports event be held? What do you think about combining the night market with these kinds of competitions?"

The system couldn't help but exclaim, [You should learn from their business acumen!]

Yun Zhao felt a bit dizzy from the questions. He looked at Kongming and the Xiaguang, who were entertaining the rabbits, and then glanced at Bai Ze arguing with Le Huang. He couldn't help but sigh.

These immortals, each with their own quirks, but luckily they had Xiao Long.

He looked around for Xiao Long's figure and found him standing under a tree, frowning and discussing something with Si Wuchen.

"What are they... doing?" Yun Zhao asked, puzzled.

That serious and earnest expression—were they discussing cultivation methods or studying the Abyssal demons?

Baiyu glanced over and casually waved his hand, saying, "Oh, they're discussing the issue of shedding fur for Sun Yang and Xuanming. You know, the climate has been changing a lot lately, and having fur can be quite troublesome!"

Yun Zhao looked at the two of them again, their serious expressions, and couldn't help feeling speechless. "..."

No, he didn't understand.