On the other side of the field, little Red swayed its fiery tail aflame, its nimble claws grasping a dry twig, drawing a crude but recognizable image of five little figures on the ground.
Reluctantly, it pulled out a pinecone from its embrace and shook it in front of everyone.
A pinecone represented one point, acting as an impartial scorekeeper, it would truthfully tell everyone the ultimate outcome of the victory!
"Let's keep it light, everyone, friendship first, competition second!"
Friendship first, competition second?
The five little figures exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with intense fighting spirit.
Nonsense, nonsense, a toad reciting scripture!
"Then let's begin the draw." Qin Chuan watched the five little figures full of fighting spirit and pulled out a wooden plaque from the lot-drawing basket, glancing at the words written on it.
Ice Cream's icy blue eyes were filled with seriousness.
It hadn't expected to be the first one to battle.
So who would its opponent be?
Images of the other four companions quickly flashed through Ice Cream's mind, simulating battles with each in its thoughts.
Soon, it reached a conclusion.
As long as the opponent wasn't Rock, it could win against any of the other three.
After all, it was the team's strongest single-target damage dealer, the lone assassin!
Under the tense gaze of those gathered, Qin Chuan pulled out another plaque and looked at it.
Water Flower looked up, shaking off the fur on its body, a hint of surprise in its eyes.
Unexpectedly, the first battle of the team competition would be between it and Ice Cream.
Ice Cream was equally surprised but soon filled with fervent combat readiness.
As Qin Chuan's second-contracted Spiritual Beast, Water Flower was the only one with more seniority than itself.
It was time for a match against the senior!
Ice Cream volunteered to fight!
The three little figures not drawn stepped aside to the vacant area, watching the upcoming battle attentively.
According to the rules, they each had a battle with all the other partners, making this the perfect chance to assess their comrades' strength.
Both sides took their positions, and with Qin Chuan's countdown, the battle commenced.
With a thunderous roar, an endless stream of water cascaded down like the Milky Way collapsing, thunderously rolling down and plummeting right towards Ice Cream's head.
Moon·Sky-Rolling Waterfall!
At the start of the battle, Water Flower took initiative, casting a large-scale AOE directly above Ice Cream, making anyone feel the fragility of life in the face of that terrifyingly vast wave, starkly contrasting with Ice Cream's slender figure.
However, Ice Cream was no easy target!
With a burst of bitter cold, the temperature plummeted by tens of degrees. The waterfall nearing the top of its head instantly froze and spread upwards quickly, as if it intended to turn the entire waterfall to ice!
"Woof!" Water Flower roared, lighting up the Water Crown above its head and the bracers between its paws without hesitation.
Moon Halo level 10 Skill [Vast Expanse][Jing Lan] activated!
As both pieces of equipment were activated simultaneously, Water Flower's Attribute Control surged, masterfully transforming the raging waters into a high-speed grinding wheel under its command, shredding the frost in the void, then spreading out and crashing down to transform the wilderness into a wetland.
The three observers immediately began to discuss Water Flower's maneuver.
Water Flower's action could be described as offensive yet defensive, able to instantly create terrain favorable to itself with a great amount of water, even if it couldn't hit Ice Cream.
Ripples of water blue spread under its paws, and Water Flower instantly dashed towards Ice Cream as a blur.
Just as Ice Cream began to retreat, its eyes lit up, transforming into a whirlwind of snowflakes, while in the next instant, dozens of Rapid Stream Breaks lanced through the snow from every angle beneath the watery expanse.
Pure, unblemished snowflakes danced in the wild wind, swiftly approaching Water Flower, and within a distance of only a few tens of meters, turned into two Ice Creams charging at Water Flower!
Water Flower's eyes flashed, dozens of Rapid Stream Breaks fired simultaneously like shotgun blasts, enveloping both Ice Creams.
Hugely familiar with Ice Cream's tactics, it knew that if it could shatter the Snow Shadow before it could use its Skill, Ice Cream would be unable to perform Double Frost Instant Dance!
Watching the oncoming barrage, both Ice Creams' eyes grew sharp.
An ethereal ice blue light burst from one of the Ice Creams, enveloping Water Flower and the surrounding water in an instant with extreme cold, freezing and shattering the Rapid Stream Break before it could hit.
A thin layer of frost formed over Water Flower, instantly halting its high-speed movement.
Along with a clear, melodious sound, the Ice Crystal Crown above Ice Cream's head and the suspended longsword glowed brilliantly.
Moon Halo level 10 Skill [Frost Annihilation][Eternal Winter] activated!
In the next instant, both Ice Creams vanished from their spots.
Two stunning ice blossoms bloomed around Water Flower in an instant.
Moon·Flying Frost Instantaneous Dance, Double!
One of the Ice Creams disintegrated into countless snowflakes, while the other Ice Cream wielding the longsword moved through the snow, its momentum climbing with the stacking offensive buffs.
It was about to deliver that most powerful strike!
As the distance closed between them and Water Flower, Ice Cream wielding the longsword suddenly felt an internal tug of reluctance and hesitation.
Should it hold back now?
It should be the winner, right?
But what if Water Flower had a trump card up its sleeve?
Its movements paused slightly, then in the next instant, it locked eyes with Water Flower's bright gaze.
A ring of water blue light expanded rapidly from Water Flower as the center, stirring higher and higher waves in the air.