God of Pets

The stands outside the training grounds were filled with members from various teams, and the leaders of the Reserve Team also took their seats on the podium. The host read out the rules of the tournament, finally announcing the start of the tournament and the entrance of the two teams for the first match.

Chen Guan and his team wore White Horse, Silver Helmet, Silver Armor, as did Xiu Haofeng's side. The difference was that Chen Guan's team wore black armbands, while Xiu Haofeng's team wore red, to distinguish between the two sides.

Aside from this, although their weapons varied, they were all made from the same material, a high-density wood. Its weight was similar to that of Secret Treasure Weapons but without edges. In collisions exceeding a certain force, this wood would crack, causing minimal damage.

The wooden weapons had another advantage: the wood itself had a high oil content and deep black pigmentation. A scrape from these on the body would leave varying shades of black marks, which was an important criterion for determining victory.

After all, this was just a tournament among the Reserve Team members. The higher-ups did not allow the use of real swords and spears; it was just a touch-and-go match.

Chen Guan wielded a Silver Spear, with a sword at his waist. The captain also had a large spear, with a saber hanging at his waist. An Zhiqi wielded twin sabers, as he had already gotten used to using them and could no longer adapt to using a spear.

Bu Changning only carried a saber and nothing else—no bow and arrow, no ranged weapons, not even a Flying Saber.

"Captain, Bu Changning didn't bring any ranged weapons, nor did he say anything. Is this really not a problem?" An Zhiqi frowned and spoke to Chen Guan, voicing the captain's concerns as well.

Chen Guan stopped his horse and looked at the two, saying, "Do you know why I trust him?"

The two shook their heads. They truly couldn't understand why Chen Guan would trust Bu Changning, the traitor, and didn't even ask him how he planned to hold off Su Qian.

With a profound gaze and a deep look in his eyes, Chen Guan said to the two in an extremely determined tone, "The reason I choose to trust him is not because I believe in him, but because I believe in you. I believe you two are now the strongest in the Reserve Team. No one in the reserve can outmatch you, Captain, on horseback, and no one can withstand An Zhiqi's twin sabers."

Chen Guan's words sent a shudder through the two, feeling as if their blood was unconsciously heating up, and their heartbeats quickened.

Without giving them a chance to speak, Chen Guan cast his gaze towards Xiu Haofeng's team preparing on the other side of the training ground and calmly said, "I believe that whether or not Bu Changning can hold off Su Qian, even if he defected to the other side, with the three of us facing five of them, as long as you two are here, we will undoubtedly not lose."

Chen Guan rode past the captain and gave him a hearty slap on the back: "Captain, show them what real riding skills are, what a true Unrivaled Knight is."

Then he passed by An Zhiqi and also gave him a pat on the back: "An Zhiqi, let your twin sabers make a name for themselves around the world starting today and now. Even if you don't surpass your predecessors, you can become unprecedented and make everyone think of you when they talk about twin sabers—Celestial King of the Twin Sabers, An Zhiqi."

The captain and An Zhiqi's eyes brimmed with a frightening brightness, and they looked towards Xiu Haofeng's team with determination. All previous distractions vanished, leaving only one thought in their minds: "Take down Team 1."

Seeing their state, Chen Guan knew his Spirit of the Cheerleaders had taken effect. This match should be stable, at least not requiring him to exert too much effort to save the world.

Chen Guan didn't want to be a hero saving the world alone, nor did he want to be a lone villain conquering the world. Such a path was too exhausting, as proven by his father Chen Xinghe, who found it truly arduous.

Chen Guan hoped his child would grow up not burdened like him and live a carefree life without so much scheming.

"Those guys look pretty fired up," commented Su Qian, glancing at Chen Guan's side and noticing Shi Zhimen and An Zhiqi staring fiercely in their direction, smiling.

"Don't hold back later. We'll charge in to hold them off while you take them all down," Xiu Haofeng instructed.

"Simple. The other side doesn't even have an archer, it should be easy," Su Qian said, patting his bow. "Even if they had one, no one's arrows could surpass mine."

"Don't be complacent. If they completed those three Gold tasks, their abilities shouldn't be underestimated. Stick to the strategy I've set and always pay attention to my instructions to adjust the formation as needed," Leng Zhe calmly assessed the opposing team.

"No need to worry. With me here, none of them will get through," Wan Buxiu tapped his shield with his hand holding the saber. Upon seeing a black mark on the shield, he was startled and quickly retracted his saber.

Leng Zhe, half amused, half exasperated, said, "On the battlefield, we can't afford any negligence. With three of us holding four of them, anything can happen and we must be prepared."

"Captain Leng is right, but there's no need to worry about Bu Changning. He lost a leg and took a hit from my Five Lao Fist. All his organs are damaged, surviving is hard enough, and in the future, he'd just be a sickly ghost, with no combat power. Chen Guan just brought him over to make up the numbers," said Xiu Haofeng indifferently.

He had great confidence in his exclusive Secret Skill, the Five Lao Fist. This was a unique Secret Skill, second to none in the world. The Fist Force was difficult to eliminate, and after being hit, it lingered, continuously damaging the organs.

Although there were those who could cure it, someone like Bu Changning probably couldn't find anyone capable to help him heal.

Besides, even if he was cured, the damage to his organs was irreversible, and it wasn't possible to recover in the short term.

"Better safe than sorry," Leng Zhe advised, glancing at Bu Changning, who had been sitting on his horse motionless, with a frown.

The host announced the start of the first match, and the gates on both sides opened, with each four-person team entering the field.

Almost without hesitation, Chen Guan's team charged right away, with the captain and An Zhiqi dashing forward as if they were two ghosts.

Chen Guan and Bu Changning followed on either side, staying a bit back. They needed to close the distance as quickly as possible; otherwise, Su Qian's arrows posed too great a threat.

"Chen Guan's team doesn't have an archer, which is a significant drawback, so they can only opt for a full charge," analyzed Ximen Ding. "Next, Xiu Haofeng's team should try to block Team 17's charge with three of their members. As long as they give Su Qian enough time to shoot, Team 17 will be finished."

"It's not easy for three to block four," noted Jiang Tianqing.

"Can Bu Changning even be considered a person?" Ximen Ding scoffed.

Everyone expected Chen Guan's team would face a tough battle next. From the start, everyone was waiting to see Su Qian perform, as he had a wide scope for action in this battle, with even Xiu Haofeng willing to act as a meat shield for him, just so Su Qian could perform to the fullest.

But until the teams collided, Su Qian hadn't even fired an arrow, which caught everyone off guard.