Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 947: Opening Ceremony (two in one)

“This is the Central Void Broadcasting and Television Station, viewers. The highly anticipated Regional Competition officially kicks off today. With the opening ceremony of the Regional Competition imminent, traffic congestion has occurred outside the venue, and a large number of Yu Beast Master fans may miss the opening ceremony. However, it doesn’t matter. The Central Void Broadcasting and Television Station will broadcast the entire opening ceremony of the Regional Competition live for you here.”

“It is now 7:30 PM, September 1st, Central Void Time. This is the Central Imperial Society. We are currently at the Yukong Beast Arena in Tian’an City, which is also the largest Beast Taming competition venue in our Central Void region, covering an area of 39 hectares and capable of accommodating approximately 172,000 spectators simultaneously. This year’s Regional Competition will be held here, and we will witness it together with you.”

“The opening ceremony of the Regional Competition is about to begin, and all the Yu Beast Master fans are cheering for their supported contestants. We can see banners hanging everywhere in the stands, and everyone’s faces are adorned with patterns of their favorite contestants or Pets. Who will win this year’s Regional Competition preliminaries? Our Yu Beast News will broadcast the entire event.”

On the giant virtual screens on both sides of the neon-lit road, various channels were broadcasting live reports of the Regional Competition.

Flying-type Pets wearing illuminated sunglasses flew and stopped high in the sky.

The closer they got to the Yukong Beast Arena, the more crowded the flow of people became. Within a one-kilometer radius of the Yukong Beast Arena, it was almost impossible to move a single step.

Qiao Sang, Liu Yao, and Mi Jiala were waiting under a tall building six kilometers away.

Mi Jiala picked up her phone, checked the time, and said, “I’ll go first. I estimate it will take a long time to queue, and I bought my ticket. If I don’t go now, I’m afraid it will be too late.”

She didn’t give many instructions. For the preliminaries, she was very confident.

“Okay,” Qiao Sang nodded.

Mi Jiala glanced at the air next to her.

The next second, she vanished into thin air.

Liu Yao looked at the giant virtual screen broadcasting the Regional Competition not far away and sighed, “The last time I watched the Regional Competition was 11 years ago.”

“Why didn’t you watch it later?” Qiao Sang asked.

“Too busy,” Liu Yao paused, then continued, “Another reason was that I couldn’t get tickets.”

As he spoke, he chuckled, “Being able to watch the Regional Competition live this time is thanks to you.”

Qiao Sang smiled and said, “I’ll try my best to let you watch a few more matches.”

Contestants could bring two family members to watch. When the contestant was eliminated, this benefit would naturally be canceled.

“Ya!”

Liu Yao was about to say something when Ya suddenly barked excitedly towards the front.

Qiao Sang looked ahead and saw Tonghua Owl flying towards them from high in the sky, carrying her mother on its back.

She happily greeted them, “Mom! Tonghua Owl!”

“Tonghua!” Tonghua Owl, hearing the call, sped up and stopped in front of them.

Ye Xiangting dismounted from Tonghua Owl and first politely greeted Liu Yao, “Vice Principal.”

“Qiao Sang’s mother,” Liu Yao responded.

Ye Xiangting looked at Qiao Sang, her eyes full of pride and a smile, “You’ve grown taller.”

After speaking, she looked at the Pet in her daughter’s arms and was stunned.

Did Ya look like this?

“Ya!”

Ya, seeing her Yu Beast Master’s mother looking at her, barked enthusiastically.

“Is this, Ya?” Ye Xiangting hesitated.

“Yes, it evolved,” Qiao Sang said calmly, dropping a bombshell.

Ye Xiangting: “!!!”

She remembered that Ya’s previous form was a General-level Pet. After evolving, wouldn’t it be a King-level Pet?!

“Tonghua…”

Tonghua Owl looked at Ya, surprised and uncertain.

Immediately after, it noticed Steel Treasure, who was quietly beside them, and its eyes widened instantly.

You evolved too?

“Steel Sword.”

Steel Treasure understood the meaning of its expression and nodded.

Tonghua Owl: “!!!”

Before her mother could speak again, Qiao Sang said, “Let’s go first. The opening ceremony is about to begin.”

“Then let’s hurry,” Ye Xiangting knew what was important and urgent, so she had to suppress her desire to ask immediately.

“Xiao Xunbao,” Qiao Sang said.

“Xiao Xunbao~” Xiao Xunbao appeared, its eyes glowing blue.

The next second, the group vanished from where they stood and reappeared in the contestant passage of the Yukong Beast Arena.

Yesterday, Qiao Sang had specifically come with Xiao Xunbao to scout the location and knew the exact inspection points.

To ensure contestants could enter the venue efficiently and smoothly, the official Staff had specially dispatched a Mechanical-type Pet for identity verification. With just one scan, it could confirm identities.

In front of the passage, a black-haired man with a buzz cut was conducting the inspection. Hearing the movement, he turned, his gaze lingering on Liu Yao and Ye Xiangting for a moment before retracting. He picked up a backpack from the security scanner nearby and, led by a Staff, walked inside.

Qiao Sang handed her pet tamer badge to the Mechanical-type Pet wearing a work badge.

At this moment, Ye Xiangting was observing the surrounding environment and did not notice the color of the pet tamer badge.

The Mechanical-type Pet took the pet tamer badge and opened it.

A virtual screen about ten inches in size immediately appeared, clearly displaying relevant information.

The Mechanical-type Pet’s eyes then glowed green as it looked at Qiao Sang, beginning to scan.

At the same time, several Staff nearby exchanged surprised glances, each understanding the unspoken question on the other’s face:

Among these three people, the contestant is actually this child?

“Confirmed.”

The Mechanical-type Pet’s eyes returned to their original black color, handed back the pet tamer badge, and then called out to a nearby Staff.

“I’ll show you the way,” one of the Staff quickly stepped forward and began to lead the way.

It was still just the opening ceremony, so contestants and their families could watch in the same area; there was no need to separate them.

Led by a Staff, the three arrived at a relatively front-row seat in the Yukong Beast Arena’s audience section.

The entire venue was bustling with noise, a dense sea of people.

The area where Qiao Sang was seated was primarily for contestants and their families.

People in this area, seeing new arrivals, glanced over. Upon recognizing no one, they lost interest and looked away.

Ye Xiangting looked around, excited yet somewhat reserved.

Although she had watched the Regional Competition before, it had always been as an ordinary spectator, only seeing the contestants from afar.

Unlike now, where she was surrounded by contestants.

Even though it wasn’t the Yuhua region, some well-known contestants from the Central Void region also had a certain reputation nationwide. With a casual glance, she saw several Professional Beast Tamers she had only seen on television.

Thinking that her daughter would compete in the same arena with these people, her heart involuntarily quickened, filled with an indescribable mix of pride and nervousness.

“Ah! Cao Lidong!” A shriek came from the audience section not far away.

A handsome man in his early twenties, sitting next to Qiao Sang, turned and waved with a smile towards the source of the sound.

Cao Lidong, 31 years old, a C-level Beastmaster, had participated in the Regional Competition once before. His handsome appearance attracted a wave of fans.

Although Professional Beast Tamers are primarily judged by their strength, a good-looking appearance indeed adds to one’s popularity.

Qiao Sang twitched her ears and specifically listened to the shouts from the audience, realizing that no one was calling her name.

It seems no one recognized that I was Qingqing Ni’s Beastmaster back then…

“When did Ya evolve?” Ye Xiangting asked in a low voice.

The environment and atmosphere of the Regional Competition had considerably buffered her initial shock about Ya’s evolution.

“Just a few days ago,” Qiao Sang replied, “during the last secret realm mission.”

Ye Xiangting processed the information for a moment, then asked, “How did it evolve?”

“It absorbed the rong ming fire seed and evolved in the sunlight,” Qiao Sang said concisely.

Liu Yao listened nearby, trying his best to control his expression.

He still couldn’t get over Qiao Sang recounting this event so casually.

rong ming fire seed? Never heard of it… Ye Xiangting really wanted her daughter to elaborate on what kind of resource could make Ya evolve to King-level in such a short time, but given the current environment, it was not appropriate to ask for too many details.

Although she wasn’t a Professional Beast Tamer, she knew that many Professional Beast Tamers had received feedback, giving them excellent hearing and often allowing them to overhear others’ private conversations.

Many Yu Beast Masters in the Regional Competition would hide their strength before the matches. She didn’t want her conversation with her daughter to reveal her daughter’s situation to others or allow them to gauge her strength.

At this moment, the entire venue suddenly erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

At the same time, a tall figure in a black short-sleeved shirt came and sat in the front row of this area.

Unlike when Qiao Sang had taken her seat earlier, almost all the contestants and their families in the entire area had their eyes fixed on this tall figure.

“This seems to be Chen Tianqin,” Ye Xiangting said in a low voice, surprised.

Liu Yao couldn’t help but look at the other person a couple of times as well.

Chen Tianqin, 33 years old, a B-level Beast Tamer, had participated in the Regional Competition in the Yuhua region at the age of 29. At that time, he was only a C-level Beastmaster, yet he achieved an excellent result of top 32. Last year, he participated in the Regional Competition in the Central Void region, not only had he become a B-level Beast Tamer, but he also directly reached the top eight. It is said that he has already been noticed by the national team and is being groomed… Relevant information flashed through Qiao Sang’s mind.

Due to age restrictions, the Regional Competition actually had a vast majority of C-level Beastmasters.

Although the number of B-level Beast Tamers was not large, in a talent-rich place like the Central Void region, there were still those in their thirties and forties. Chen Tianqin, shortly after becoming a B-level Beast Tamer, was able to stand out among so many B-level Beast Tamers and achieve a top-eight finish, which was enough to show his extraordinary talent and impressive strength.

Suddenly, all the lights went out.

The audience fell silent.

A moment later, a blue beam of light rapidly descended from high in the sky to the center of the arena, stopping mid-air in the middle of the field, revealing two figures.

As the two figures appeared, several beams of fluorescent light shone on them from all directions.

A woman with black curly hair and bold makeup held a microphone, standing on a blue bird-like Pet about three meters tall, and said loudly:

“Distinguished guests, viewers nationwide, good evening everyone!”

“I am honored to stand here as the Host of this magnificent Beast Taming spectacle. Today, we will jointly witness the grand opening of this year’s Central Void region, Regional Competition!”

“In this Regional Competition, we are fortunate to welcome 432 of the most talented Yu Beast Masters from the Central Void region, including even Yu Beast Masters from other regions.”

“This is an intense contest, a fierce battle of strength, tactics, and perseverance.”

“Every Yu Beast Master has poured their heart and soul into this, completing a year-long arduous task to be here. They will present us with the highest level of Beast Taming battles in the region!”

“You will be the witnesses and participants of this grand event. Your enthusiasm will ignite the entire competition venue. Let us cheer! Welcome the opening of this grand event!”

The entire venue erupted in deafening applause.

Clap, clap, clap… Qiao Sang clapped enthusiastically.

Passionate! So passionate! The speech made her want to immediately jump into battle!

“Ya Ya!”

Ya barked excitedly.

“Xiao Xunbao!”

Xiao Xunbao appeared excitedly.

Lu Bao poked its head out of the backpack, looking at the arena.

Steel Treasure looked around at the enthusiastically applauding audience, its eyes sparkling.

Qing Bao didn’t appear, but the wind it manifested was stronger than usual, showing that it too was somewhat agitated by these words.

The fluorescent lights concentrated in the center of the arena disappeared.

The blue bird-like Pet and the Host seemed to have vanished.

Immediately after, passionate BGM began to play.

The lights in the arena brightened slightly.

In the high sky, countless bird-like Pets, adorned with fluorescent equipment, gathered from all directions.

Each bird-like Pet belonged to a different species, numbering well over a thousand.

Following the rhythm of the BGM, they transformed into beams of light at extremely high speed, constantly crisscrossing in the high sky, like meteors of different colors moving and intersecting irregularly, providing a visually stunning sensory feast.

So many Flying-type Pets moving at such high speeds, yet not a single one collided. These Flying-type Pets must have trained for a long time… Qiao Sang marveled while pulling out her phone, constantly taking pictures.

“Xiao Xunbao…”

Xiao Xunbao showed an expression of awe, and quietly pulled out its own phone, opening the camera function.

Just as Qiao Sang thought the performance would end there, the fluorescent lights on all the bird-like Pets in the sky suddenly turned a uniform fluorescent blue.

They rapidly intertwined, forming a super-giant bird-like Pet that almost filled the entire sky above the venue.

Xuanwu, a legendary Pet, a symbol of auspiciousness. It is said that those who see Xuanwu will have everything go smoothly… Information about the bird-like Pet formed in the sky flashed through Qiao Sang’s mind.

As her thoughts flickered, all the bird-like Pets simultaneously flapped their wings downwards with force.

Instantly, countless star energies, like golden shimmering jewels, densely poured down towards the entire venue.

Mid-air, all the star energies suddenly burst open, turning into specks of starlight scattering onto the audience seats.

The scene was so dreamlike that Ye Xiangting, who had been recording, was so amazed that she unconsciously lowered her phone and looked up at the scattered starlight filling the sky.

So beautiful…

She used to watch the Regional Competition’s opening ceremony on TV. Was the feeling of watching it live really this different?

For the next period, various Pets from the Central Void region took to the stage to perform.

Among them, Flying-type Pets were the most numerous.

After a full hour and a half, the Host, standing on the blue bird-like Pet, flew back to the arena and said:

“Guests! Viewers nationwide! The opening ceremony has concluded. Now, let’s look at the list of all contestants for this year!”