Beast Taming: Starting From Zero
Chapter 929: Evolution Night (two in one)
A commotion came from below, and Qiao Sang reined in her thoughts.
She saw more than a dozen Grass-type Pets guarding the leaf stone fragments, none giving way to the other, looking like they were about to start a fight.
Qiao Sang gave Xiao Xunbao a look: Move it.
Although the leaf stone had already been cut into two halves and could not evolve Grass-type Pets, it did not mean that Grass-type Pets could not consume it.
“Xiao Xunbao…”
Xiao Xunbao, who was watching the show, received a look from her Yu Beast Master, showing a regretful expression, but she obediently emitted a blue light from her eyes.
The next second, the leaf stone fragments below disappeared.
The various Grass-type Pets were first stunned, then showed angry expressions, all believing that the surrounding Grass-type Pets had taken the leaf stone fragments away when they were not paying attention, so they quickly used their skills and started fighting.
“Go 500 meters away.” Qiao Sang held the transferred leaf stone fragments and pointed in a direction in a low voice.
Xiao Xunbao’s eyes glowed blue again, performing coordinate positioning.
In about two or three seconds, the three of them appeared on the ground 500 meters away.
Qiao Sang repeated her old trick, placing the leaf stone fragments, letting Qingbao use wind to widely diffuse the energy within them, while she took Xu Gehong and Guo Ruiqi to hide in the nearby bushes to observe the Grass-type Pets attracted.
“These leaf stone fragments probably won’t last much longer.” Mi Jiala said, staring at the wild Pets being attracted.
When an evolution stone becomes a fragment, it becomes an incomplete item, and its energy will continuously dissipate.
Qiao Sang knew it: “It can probably be used for about half a month.”
If she hadn’t deliberately let Qingbao use wind to blow out and diffuse the energy inside, the energy loss would have been much slower.
“What if Da Kuaile isn’t found after half a month?” Guo Ruiqi asked worriedly.
“It’s fine, I still have leaf stone.” Qiao Sang said generously.
At the last minute of the unlimited card, she really hoarded as much as she could. The leaf stone might be valuable to ordinary Yu Beast Masters, but to her, it was really nothing.
Moreover, the leaf stone purchased directly from the store without prior reservation, at best, was only A-grade, so it couldn’t be considered very valuable.
Guo Ruiqi’s heart instantly settled upon hearing this: “No matter how much it costs, I will return it to you after I leave.”
As they were speaking, the bush they were hiding in suddenly stood up, revealing two short legs, and scurried towards the location of the leaf stone.
Qiao Sang: “!!!”
Guo Ruiqi: “!!!”
“Ya!”
Yabao’s fur immediately bristled, revealing a shocked expression.
What, she didn’t even notice that what was in front of her just now was a Pet?!
This cry instantly made all the Grass-type Pets surrounding the leaf stone fragments look over.
“Yeye!”
“Shuai!”
“Momo!”
The Grass-type Pets all made a wary sound.
Fly Leaf Knife, Vine Whip, Magical Leaf, and other skills immediately appeared, attacking Qiao Sang’s location.
“Ya!”
Yabao jumped out of her Yu Beast Master’s arms, her eyes glowing blue.
All the skills were instantly controlled by some force, frozen in mid-air.
“Xiao Xunbao!”
Xiao Xunbao appeared and floated in front of them, her eyes becoming cold, her expression stern without anger, and her domineering aura manifesting.
A powerful Pressure instantly descended.
The bodies of the Grass-type Pets trembled, then stiffened, and then their eyes glazed over, and they fell to the ground, closing their eyes.
“Xiao Xunbao~”
Xiao Xunbao, seeing this, retracted her dignified expression, floated over, picked up the leaf stone fragments, and brought them back to her Yu Beast Master’s side.
“I didn’t expect that the bush just now was actually a Pet…” Guo Ruiqi looked at the Pet lying on the ground like a bush not far away, and recalling it now, he still felt a lingering fear.
I didn’t expect it at all… Qiao Sang thought to herself.
Guo Ruiqi then thought of something, his expression relaxed, and he continued: “But Senior Qiao, you must have discovered it long ago.”
No, I didn’t discover it… Qiao Sang said calmly on the surface: “The Bush Grass stays still for 20 out of 24 hours a day, disguised as grass. Even if someone steps on it, it won’t reveal itself. I didn’t expect the leaf stone fragments would also tempt it.”
She only recognized it after the Bush Grass revealed its two short legs.
Putting everything else aside, the disguise was certainly spot on…
“This just further proves the attraction of the energy within the leaf stone to Grass-type Pets.” Guo Ruiqi quickly tried to make amends for her.
I almost thought you didn’t recognize the Bush Grass, turns out you thought it would always remain disguised as grass… Mi Jiala slowly said:
“Don’t underestimate the attraction of the leaf stone to Grass-type Pets, even if it’s a fragment.”
Qiao Sang looked at her and suddenly asked: “Have you ever been a teacher before?”
Mi Jiala immediately became alert: “No, why?”
“Nothing.” Qiao Sang retracted her gaze: “It’s just that I feel your way of speaking sometimes resembles a teacher who taught me.”
Mi Jiala: “!!!”
…
For the rest of the time, Qiao Sang placed leaf stone fragments every 500 meters.
Without waiting for the Lele Seed, she would have Xiao Xunbao retrieve the fragments and move to the next location.
This way, the speed and efficiency were much faster, and it also avoided battles with some wild Pets during the journey, saving a lot of time.
Soon, night fell, and the weather turned cold.
Guo Ruiqi put on a thick down jacket and cautiously leaned closer to Yabao, trying to get warm.
Qiao Sang hid in the tree canopy, looking at the Grass-type Pets gathered below.
Perhaps due to Xiao Xunbao’s feedback, she could see things clearly even in places without light.
“If you can’t see clearly, sense it.” Qiao Sang said in a low voice.
“Understood.” Guo Ruiqi nodded.
The weather was cold at night, and the Grass-type Pets that gathered also moved much slower, unlike the Grass-type Pets during the day, which smelled the scent so eagerly and ran quickly.
Qiao Sang observed below while asking casually:
“Xu Gehong, why aren’t you speaking anymore?”
I’m afraid you’ll say I’m like a teacher again… Mi Jiala maintained her persona and said: “I don’t know what to say.”
Qiao Sang said: “You can talk about your Hidden Turtle Shield…”
Before she finished speaking, Guo Ruiqi, looking below, exclaimed in a low voice: “Ice Walking Grass!”
Qiao Sang looked over.
She saw a small Pet, about fifteen centimeters in size, mostly Ice-blue, with two leaves on its head, running joyfully.
The Ice Walking Grass is a rare Ice and Grass-type dual-attribute Pet. The leaves on its head are medicinal herbs favored by pharmacists. After being dried in the sun and then boiled for consumption, they can effectively remove dampness and cold from the body.
“I didn’t expect to encounter a Pet like the Ice Walking Grass, yet not a single Lele Seed has been found.” Guo Ruiqi thought of his Da Kuaile and couldn’t help but say disappointedly.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find it eventually.” Qiao Sang comforted him.
To be honest, after searching this long, she was also very uncertain.
This secret realm was simply too vast. Not to mention the unknown areas, the currently known areas had not yet been fully explored.
As her thoughts flickered, a brown root suddenly drilled out from beneath the ground where the leaf stone fragments were placed, coiling around them and pulling them underground.
Qiao Sang’s various thoughts abruptly stopped, and she shouted:
“Yabao!”
“Ya!”
Yabao let out a cry, opened its mouth, and a scorching, swirling flame instantly shot towards the spot where the leaf stone fragments had disappeared.
With a “bang,” sand scattered, and flames darted about.
A Pet covered in withered leaves screamed and burst out from underground.
The surrounding Grass-type Pets were scared and fled in all directions.
A gust of wind picked up the leaf stone fragments that had also been blasted out, drifted to Qiao Sang’s side, and transformed into Qingbao.
Before Qiao Sang could speak, a strange noise suddenly echoed from underground.
Immediately after, a green vine emerged from the ground, precisely coiling around Qingbao.
“Ya!”
Yabao’s eyes glowed blue.
The green vine was controlled by an invisible force and stopped in mid-air.
Qiao Sang suddenly sensed something, turned her head, and her pupils constricted.
Several green vines were attacking Qingbao from behind!
“Steel Treasure!” Qiao Sang shouted loudly.
“Steel Sword!”
Steel Treasure, who had been circling in mid-air, flapped its wings downwards, and dozens of sharp blades formed from air instantly descended, cutting each vine into several pieces.
However, at this moment, a vine actually attacked from the branches and leaves of the tree they were crouching in, accurately binding Qingbao!
“Qingbao!” Qiao Sang was startled.
“Qingqing.”
Qingbao, however, showed no fear. She looked down at the vine binding her, transformed into wind, and disappeared.
The vine, having lost its target, retracted.
Qiao Sang quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
This secret realm was too dangerous, and Qingbao was still only Beginner. She almost forgot that Qingbao actually had self-preservation abilities.
Mi Jiala watched everything before her, remaining silent, acting as a backdrop.
Guo Ruiqi was relatively calm, except for when the vine bound Qingbao. After these forty-odd days of interaction, he had sufficient confidence in Senior Qiao’s strength.
“Let’s go!” Qiao Sang said decisively.
Unlike before, she had been moving on the ground earlier and didn’t want to randomly use Space Movement to mess up their direction.
Now that she had another plan to find the Lele Seed, she could naturally transfer within a certain range, as long as the range was within 500 meters.
“Xiao Xunbao!”
Xiao Xunbao had already set the coordinates when she placed the leaf stone fragments. Her eyes glowed blue, and the group disappeared from their original spot.
Not long after the group left, the tree they had been crouching in opened its eyes.
…
Late at night, Mi Jiala and Guo Ruiqi lay in their sleeping bags.
Qiao Sang was on watch beside them. She pulled out her phone and checked the time.
After her previous secret realm trips, she had learned to be smart. Although she didn’t have an Electric-type Pet that could charge, she had power banks that could charge at any time.
While devices like power banks were no longer popular in Yu Beast society, not everyone had an Electric-type Pet that could charge, so there was still some market for them.
Before entering the secret realm, she bought ten power banks to carry with her, just in case.
With power on her phone, she could clearly know the current time.
23:44… Time is almost up… Qiao Sang put down her phone and looked around the surroundings.
The surroundings were a flat area overgrown with weeds, and there was a clear narrow path ahead.
This narrow path was extremely narrow, making it inconvenient for large Pets to pass through, so there was no need to worry about powerful Pets suddenly rushing out.
Occasionally, wild Pets would appear nearby, but they were all Beginner to Intermediate level, so there was not much to worry about.
Qiao Sang observed for a while, then gently shook Qingbao, who was already asleep beside her, and whispered:
“Qingbao, wake up.”
“Qingqing…”
Unlike Yabao, Qingbao woke up with a shake, rubbing her eyes.
“Get ready, you’re about to evolve.” Qiao Sang said in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Qingbao instantly woke up:
“Qingqing?!”
Really?!
“Of course, it’s true.” Qiao Sang said.
In the yu beast codex, the page about Qingbao showed that she was only 3 Points away from evolving to the next stage.
3 Points, even without eating Energy Pills or Pet food containing energy, Qingbao could naturally reach it.
“Qingqing!”
Qingbao floated up, showing a surprised expression.
“Xiao Xunbao~”
Xiao Xunbao floated over, looking at Qingbao with a satisfied expression.
The stronger the fifth brother became, the stronger her own backing would be when she took him as a subordinate in the future.
At this moment, a voice sounded:
“Qingqing will evolve?”
Qiao Sang looked up and saw Xu Gehong had opened her eyes at some Point and turned to look over.
“You’re not asleep yet?” Qiao Sang asked.
Mi Jiala hummed, and then asked the previous question again:
“Qingqing will evolve?”
Qiao Sang nodded: “Yes.”
Mi Jiala was not particularly surprised that Qiao Sang knew Qingqing was about to evolve.
Outside, Yu Beast Masters usually took their Pets for comprehensive checks every so often to estimate their evolution time.
For those with a deep bond with their Pets, or Yu Beast Masters who had reached C-grade, they could sense whether their Pet was about to evolve even without a check.
Because Pets, when they are close to evolving, will more or less have some differences from their usual state.
“I’ll help you keep watch.” Mi Jiala drilled out of her sleeping bag, feeling uneasy.
Qiao Sang saw this without surprise. Qingqing was a legendary Pet from the Hollow Region, and the other party was also from the Hollow Region, so naturally, she would be more concerned.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
“No trouble.”
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
After a dozen seconds, Qiao Sang asked: “Aren’t you going to wake up Sleepy Bird?”
Mi Jiala said: “It’s fine, I don’t only have Sleepy Bird.”
She paused, then added:
“My Hidden Turtle Shield isn’t asleep yet.”
After speaking, she nodded towards the empty air beside her.
After a brief two-second silence, a voice sounded: “Yingou…”
Qiao Sang instantly remembered something: “Why did your Hidden Turtle Shield say ‘spray’ then?”
Still remember, huh… Mi Jiala’s expression stiffened, then returned to normal, and she said without changing her expression:
“It rarely speaks. It was just preparing to clear its throat then.”
What Pet clears its throat by saying “spray”? Do you think I believe that… Qiao Sang did not voice her doubts.
What was most important now was Qingbao’s evolution.
It was meaningless to press for something the other party didn’t want to talk about at such a time.
It’s good that the topic didn’t continue… Mi Jiala waited for half a minute, and seeing that Qiao Sang didn’t press further, she breathed a sigh of relief.
For the rest of the time, to avoid discussing anything inappropriate again, Mi Jiala remained silent, only quietly observing her surroundings.
Time flowed by.
Soon it was 23:57.
Qiao Sang put down her phone and nodded to Xiao Xunbao.
“Xiao Xunbao~”
Xiao Xunbao understood her Yu Beast Master’s meaning, took off her ring, and took out a demon spirit heart as large as a pomegranate from inside.
Its dazzling light almost blinded Mi Jiala in the night.
She looked at the demon spirit heart, her eyes wide with astonishment, her face full of confusion and disbelief.
How could the demon spirit heart be so big?!
It shouldn’t be!
She clearly remembered that the demon spirit heart sent by those people from the Hollow Region wasn’t even half this size!
Mi Jiala really wanted to ask, but constrained by her identity, she ultimately swallowed the words she wanted to ask.
“Qingbao, are you ready?” Qiao Sang asked with a solemn expression.
“Qingqing!”
Qingbao also nodded with a solemn expression.
23:59:58.
23:59:59.
Qiao Sang handed over the pomegranate-sized demon spirit heart.
Qingbao extended her paw and touched it.
In an instant, a bright white light erupted. (End of this chapter)