Beast Taming Star Journey

The referee's abrupt voice extinguished my impending joy like a bucket of cold water. Area-of-effect attacks are prohibited? Earthquake is the Mountain Giant Ape's primary control skill; without it, it's like a tiger having its teeth pulled.

My heart sank, and my gaze involuntarily swept towards the referee's table. The head referee remained expressionless, as if the rule change he had just announced was a trivial matter.

But I knew this was no coincidence. My gaze passed over the judges' table and landed on the elegantly dressed man in the audience.

He still wore that cold smile, his eyes full of mockery, as if he were enjoying my current predicament.

"Looks like someone really doesn't want me to win..." I muttered to myself, my fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Nong Yu, don't panic!" Su Yao's voice came from outside the arena, carrying a hint of worry but also full of encouragement.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Panic wouldn't solve the problem; I had to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

My gaze returned to the arena, and the giant ape sensed my emotional turmoil, pounding its chest in unease.

The opposing cheetah took the opportunity to create distance and watched us warily.

Area-of-effect attacks are prohibited... In other words, I must abandon the tactic of relying on earth-shattering attacks to control the opponent and instead look for other breakthroughs.

My brain raced, analyzing the mountain ape's other skills and the cheetah's weaknesses.

Besides earth-shaking attacks, the mountain giant ape also has skills such as throwing boulders, crushing mountains, and charging wildly, but these skills are either easy for cheetahs to dodge or consume a lot of energy.

The cheetah's speed is its advantage, but it also means its defenses are relatively weak. If I could find an opportunity to strike and kill it in one blow... a bold idea came to mind.

I took a deep breath and whispered to the Mountain Giant Ape, "Mountain Giant Ape, use Mount Tai Press, but don't land completely. Use your power to intimidate your opponent!"

The giant ape seemed to understand my intention. It let out a long roar, leaped high into the air, and its enormous body blotted out the sun, as if a mountain had descended from the sky.

The cheetah was intimidated by this imposing aura and instinctively tried to escape, but the mountain ape landed not where it was, but ahead of its anticipated escape route.

"Boom!" The giant ape's massive paw slammed heavily into the ground. Although it didn't hit the cheetah directly, it created a huge crater in the ground, and the powerful shockwave knocked the cheetah to the ground.

"Now! Rampage!" I seized the opportunity and gave the order decisively. The mountain ape roared, its massive body charging towards the cheetah like a cannonball.

Before the cheetah could even get up, it was violently knocked away by the mountain ape and crashed heavily to the edge of the arena, losing its ability to fight.

"Beautiful!" Su Yao and Ellie exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes filled with surprise and admiration. I let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

This match wasn't easy to win, but I ultimately prevailed thanks to my understanding of the mountain ape and my flexible tactics.

However, I did not let my guard down, because I knew this was just the beginning.

My gaze swept back to the elegantly dressed man in the audience. The sneer on his face vanished, replaced by a gloomy expression.

“Interesting…” he murmured, a hint of barely perceptible killing intent in his voice. The joy of victory surged like a tide, only to be quickly overshadowed by the surrounding chatter.

I keenly sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere in the audience.

The local spectators who had cheered for me earlier now had faces full of doubt and worry, and their whispers stung my eardrums like needles.

"That kid was really lucky; he won before the cheetah could react."

"Yes, with the new rules, all his advantages are gone, and he'll probably have a tough time in the next match."

"I doubt it. He can only bully these low-level beast tamers." These doubts came like a tidal wave, making it hard for me to breathe.

I clenched my fists, trying to control my inner turmoil. I knew I had to prove myself as soon as possible to break down these prejudices.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, carrying a faint fragrance.

Su Yao walked to my side, gently stroked my cheek, and said softly, "Yu, you can do it, I believe in you."

Her eyes, like the brightest stars in the night sky, were full of love and encouragement, instantly dispelling the gloom in my heart.

I took a deep breath and responded with a firm smile. Su Yao's trust is my motivation, and I must not let her down.

I looked up and scanned the audience; the skeptical looks only fueled my fighting spirit.

In the following matches, I became even more cautious, each game feeling like walking on a knife's edge. I constantly adjusted my tactics, tried new skill combinations, and worked hard to adapt to the new rules.

The giant mountain ape sensed my determination and fought even more fiercely, defeating its powerful opponent time and time again. However, things didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped.

The referee seemed to have his eye on me. He kept interrupting my attacks at crucial moments and calling fouls on me for all sorts of unfounded reasons.

"Your beast has used a skill that exceeds the rules. Warning!"

"Your behavior while taming the beast is too rough. This is a warning!"

"Your tamed beast..." The repeated warnings made me feel incredibly frustrated.

I know the referee is deliberately targeting me, but he did it flawlessly, leaving me with no reason to refute him.

"Referee, my Mountain Ape was just making a normal defensive move and did not violate the rules!" I argued, but the referee ignored me and simply repeated his ruling indifferently.

"Warning! If you do it again, you will be disqualified from the competition!" I took a deep breath, trying to suppress my anger.

I know I can't act impulsively; I must remain calm to find a breakthrough.

The murmurs from the audience rose again, this time mostly consisting of doubt and ridicule directed at me.

My situation is becoming increasingly difficult, as if I am trapped in an invisible cage from which I cannot escape.

I turned to look at Su Yao. Her eyes were filled with worry, but she still stood firmly behind me, giving me silent support.

I took a deep breath, my gaze returning to the head referee, and a thought flashed through my mind...

"Chief Referee, I expect you to officiate fairly and impartially!" I said, my voice icy, emphasizing each word.

The referee's lips curled slightly upwards, revealing a barely perceptible, cold smile...