Beast Taming: Starting From Zero
Chapter 984: Sixth round (two in one)
The reporters present completely exploded.
“May I ask how your discussions went? Has she already joined the Guo Yu Bureau?”
“So, you came to watch the competition specifically for Qiao Sang?”
“When will she officially join the team for training?”
“Chen Tianqin is also from the Guo Yu Bureau, what are your thoughts on him losing to Qiao Sang?”
“Since you invited Qiao Sang to join the Guo Yu Bureau, you must think highly of her. What kind of results do you expect her to achieve in the Regional Competition?”
Tao Yun Kai raised her hand, checked the time on her watch, then put it down and smiled:
“Qiao Sang has officially joined the Guo Yu Bureau. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t answer any more questions for now. Goodbye.”
With that, she disappeared from her spot.
The video playback ended.
So it was Tao Coach who revealed it… Qiao Sang scrolled down the screen, browsing the comments:
【At the time, I said that both of the matches Tao Coach attended were on the days Qiao Sang competed, and in one of them, Tao Coach left right after Qiao Sang finished her match. She definitely came for Qiao Sang.】
【It’s normal for Qiao Sang to be selected for the Guo Yu Bureau at her age with her strength. Why does it feel so unsurprising?】
【The Guo Yu Bureau acts fast, really fast. They recruited someone before the competition was even over.】
【Holy cow, I remember some international youth competitions have an age limit of 20. Wouldn’t Qiao Sang just slaughter everyone if she participated in those matches!】
【How could Qiao Sang be grouped with those little kids? Let’s not look at age, let’s look at strength, okay? She’ll definitely go straight to the youth group.】
【Be bolder, okay? With her talent, she might even directly enter the first team and become a core member.】
【Impossible. I don’t deny she might get in later, but absolutely not now. To get into the first team, you have to be at least an A-grade Beastmaster.】
【I feel like Qiao Sang has the strength to be in the top three, or even runner-up. In this Regional Competition, it seems like she’s the strongest besides Yuan Tianlong.】
Yuan Tianlong… Qiao Sang exited the trending topics while instinctively recalling information about him.
Undoubtedly, he was the strongest contender for the championship in this Regional Competition.
Now was not the time of the registration assessment. With Lu Bao and Ya Bao both evolving consecutively, it would definitely be false to say she had no intention of winning the championship.
However, at present, the most important thing was to successfully enter the top eight first.
Qiao Sang put down her phone, her ambition rising. She sprang out of bed, quickly washed up, and prepared to eat breakfast before heading to train.
As she came out of the bathroom, she found Xiao Xunbao holding a mirror, baring its teeth and constantly making fierce expressions. She asked curiously:
“What are you doing?”
“Xiao Xunbao~”
Xiao Xunbao continued to make fierce expressions at the mirror while calling out, indicating that it was trying to stimulate its evil attribute.
Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment:
“Why are you trying to stimulate your evil attribute?”
“Xiao Xunbao~”
Xiao Xunbao put down the mirror and looked over.
The teacher yesterday said the Mutual Demise characteristic was a hidden characteristic. It checked online last night and found that hidden characteristics could be trained through certain methods. Mutual Demise is an evil-attribute characteristic, so it was seeing if it could try to stimulate the evil attribute.
Qiao Sang was instantly dumbfounded.
Her first reaction was: Huh? You’re already smart enough to research and self-study on your own?!
But then she remembered that Xiao Xunbao was inherently clever. It used to directly use Substitute to hide from her and play games, and she only found out much later. She couldn’t help but re-evaluate Xiao Xunbao’s learning ability and said:
“That’s not how you stimulate the evil attribute.”
“Xiao Xunbao?”
Xiao Xunbao showed a curious expression.
Then how do you stimulate it?
“To stimulate more of the evil attribute, first, you must inherently possess the evil attribute within your body, then learn some evil-attribute skills, or absorb items containing the evil attribute,” Qiao Sang explained scientifically.
Now, she could pretty much explain a thing or two about Yu Beast knowledge.
“However,” Qiao Sang stared at Xiao Xunbao, changing the subject, and continued:
“Your attributes are Ghost-type and Superpower System, with Ghost-type as your main attribute. Your next stage of evolution will also be Ghost-type. As Ghost-type energy increases, the evil-attribute characteristic certainly won’t awaken.”
In the earlier stages of a Pet, especially when there are multiple evolution paths, it might awaken characteristics of other attributes. Ya Bao’s Moonlight Power was like this back then.
But once a Pet’s evolution chain is fixed, even if it awakens a new characteristic, it can only be a characteristic of its own attribute.
“Xiao Xunbao…”
Xiao Xunbao understood.
It let out a long sigh.
What a great characteristic, it could fight beyond its level. If it couldn’t do it, neither could the opponent. In the future, it wouldn’t be afraid to challenge Big Brother Ya Bao and Lu Bao. Why couldn’t it awaken it?
“Qingqing?”
At this moment, Qing Bao floated over, showing a puzzled expression, and called out, indicating that wasn’t Xiao Xunbao capable of Taunt?
Taunt, an evil-attribute skill.
Qiao Sang patiently explained: “That’s because Xiao Xunbao’s evolution chain wasn’t completely fixed at that time. Its other evolution chain was the evil attribute, and skills are still a bit different from characteristics. You might learn evil-attribute skills now, but you can’t stimulate an evil-attribute characteristic; that has to be inherent in the genes.”
“Qingqing.”
Qing Bao continued to be puzzled.
But in its memory, there was a Pet that evolved characteristics not of its own attribute in later stages.
Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment:
“What Pet?”
“Qingqing.”
Qing Bao shook its head, it couldn’t remember.
Qiao Sang pondered for a few seconds and speculated:
“Then it’s possible that it actually had another evolution path in the later stages.”
“Qingqing?”
Qing Bao showed a curious expression.
Xiao Xunbao doesn’t have one?
“Xiao Xunbao…”
The answer came from Xiao Xunbao, who shook its head.
No.
It had checked on the computer a long time ago. It originally wanted to choose an evolution path that was as mighty and domineering as Big Brother Ya Bao, or failing that, at least a larger body size. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one.
Qiao Sang, however, fell into deep thought.
Xiao Xunbao’s evolution limit is to the Emperor-level. If she wants to participate in the Interstellar Cup in the future, Emperor-level Pets are definitely not enough. At that time, she will most likely rely on the Gold Finger of the yu beast codex to see if Xiao Xunbao can still evolve to the next stage.
If it can evolve successfully, it would be a new form that has never appeared in the Alliance. She wonders if it would gain new attributes.
After all, Yu Beast society has developed to this point; everything that could be researched has been. Pets all have evolution routes that follow their main attributes. Only Pets like Ya Bao, a pure fire attribute that gained the Superpower System, and those like the Evergreen Worm, Bamboo Flower Snake, and Little Leaping Fish that can transform into dragon attributes but have been slow to research, require a lot of time.
Many Pets are stuck at a certain stage because the next stage is a major transformation, gaining other attributes or directly transforming into other attributes. Could Xiao Xunbao be like this?
Soon, Qiao Sang felt she was overthinking. The potential of a species is limited; there is an upper limit to a species. Not every species can reach the God-level.
Otherwise, the Qingqingni species wouldn’t be revered as a legend.
The Treasure Hunting Ghost species reaching the Emperor-level should truly be its upper limit. Even if it breaks through the limit and evolves again with the help of the Gold Finger, it will still be its original attributes… Qiao Sang reined in her thoughts and said:
“Stop thinking about the Mutual Demise characteristic for now. Let’s eat something and then go train.”
“Xiao Xunbao…”
“Qingqing.”
“Dong dong!”
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Steel Treasure flew over, checked the surveillance display, and then opened the door.
Ye Xiangting walked in, carrying large bags and feeling happy, saying, “I brought you guys some food.”
“Xiao Xunbao~”
Xiao Xunbao instantly forgot about the Mutual Demise characteristic and floated over excitedly, looking full of anticipation.
“What food?” Qiao Sang asked.
“Just steamed buns and soy milk, and also some Energy Pills for Pets,” Ye Xiangting said, placing the items on the coffee table and opening them.
Qing Bao floated nearby and sniffed the food.
There were many things she had never eaten before.
“Ya Ya…”
Ya Bao, who was sound asleep, unconsciously sniffed towards the opened box, then its eyes suddenly opened wide.
“Ya Ya!”
When it saw the food, its eyes lit up, it instantly woke up, and wagged its tail as it rushed over.
Lu Bao jumped out of the water tank and walked over unhurriedly.
Qiao Sang walked to Ya Bao’s side, picked up a steamed bun, and started eating it.
“Your family knows about you joining the Guo Yu Bureau,” Ye Xiangting said with a smile. “They’re all asking when we’ll have another celebration banquet.”
“I won’t be going to the banquet,” Qiao Sang said. “Once this competition is over, I’ll need to continue my training.”
Ye Xiangting felt a little disappointed, but quickly expressed understanding:
“Training with your teacher is important. There’s no rush for the banquet. We’ll have it when you come home.”
As she spoke, she thought of something and chuckled:
“When I go back, I probably won’t have time for a banquet either. Since Ya Bao made an appearance, the shop has been very busy. I saw the surveillance footage; it’s even busier than when Ya Bao’s new form evolution path was first researched.”
Qiao Sang took a sip of soy milk and asked:
“Then is it okay if you don’t go back?”
“It’s fine,” Ye Xiangting said nonchalantly. “You’re participating in the Regional Competition. Right now, nothing is more important than watching your matches.”
If it were before, she would weigh the pros and cons, choosing to earn more money so her daughter could afford to raise Pets.
But now, the Imperial Beast Academy covers all Pet Energy Pills, and Ya Bao and Lu Bao have both evolved to the King-level, and her daughter has even become a B-level Beast Tamer.
Whether she earns a bit more or a bit less doesn’t seem so important anymore.
Qiao Sang was touched after hearing this, and the steamed bun tasted even better.
…
The next day.
The Yu Kong Pet Tamer Arena.
The stands were packed with people, a sea of black heads, and the roar of the crowd was deafening.
High in the sky, a reporter in a T-shirt sat on a Flying-type Pet, holding a microphone and speaking to a Mechanical-type Pet in front of him that looked like a camera with a lens for a head:
“Hello everyone, I am currently above the Yu Kong Pet Tamer Arena, which is the site of the Regional Competition. Today, the top 16 into top 8 matches will be held. All contestants have entered the arena. Which contestant do you favor to win this round and advance to the top eight?”
As the reporter finished speaking, the camera-like Mechanical-type Pet cooperatively turned its direction, aiming its lens at the contestant area below, automatically zooming in and focusing.
Contestant Area.
Now there were only 16 contestants left, making the area extremely spacious. Many contestants had their regularly carried Pets sitting in the adjacent seats.
Qiao Sang held Ya Bao, who was wearing sunglasses, Steel Treasure stood on her shoulder, her backpack was on her left with Lu Bao’s head peeking out, drinking energy recovery fluid, and Xiao Xunbao, draped in a black cloak, sat on the right.
Many contestants turned their gaze towards them.
Some found it novel.
Even though everyone summoned their Pets to sit beside them, no one had summoned almost all of their Pets to sit beside them like Qiao Sang.
Still others were looking for the Qingyin Fairy.
The last group of people focused their gaze on Qiao Sang, looking with complex expressions at this young girl who had been on so many trending searches and had joined the Guo Yu Bureau before the competition officially ended.
One must know that the Guo Yu Bureau has its own set of selection criteria. The Regional Competition has been held for countless sessions, and many people participate in it precisely to be noticed by professional Pet Tamer clubs or the Guo Yu Bureau, hoping to participate in higher-level competitions in the future.
Many people are noticed by professional Pet Tamer clubs, but very few are noticed by the Guo Yu Bureau.
Even if one wins the Regional Competition, the Guo Yu Bureau may not necessarily take notice.
Compared to strength, the Guo Yu Bureau seems to prefer young Yu Beast Masters with monstrous talent.
The Host appeared in the center of the arena, going through the procedures.
After welcoming the audience and introducing the guests, she began:
“After intense competition, we have determined the top 16. Next, for the top 16 to top 8 matches, who will be grouped with whom? Let’s welcome the referee from the Pet Tamer Notary Office!”
As the Host finished speaking.
A giant virtual screen appeared on the field, displaying photos of the top 16 contestants.
Fen Tongji split into two, its spherical head floating towards the giant virtual screen in the center of the arena, quickly merging into it and disappearing.
The 16 photos rapidly shuffled and interwove.
After about ten seconds, the photos settled into pairs.
Fen Tongji’s head flew out from within, its color unchanged.
Everyone in the arena turned their gaze towards it.
Qiao Sang saw herself in the third group list.
【Qi Fuqing VS Qiao Sang】
The one who defeated Zeng Feitian in the last round… Qiao Sang looked at the photo and name, quickly recognizing her opponent.
Qi Fuqing, 37 years old, a B-level Beast Tamer, who had participated in the Regional Competition in both Lianpo and Beilun regions, achieving good results in both, and is a well-known Yu Beast Master.
Just as she was thinking, someone patted her shoulder twice.
Qiao Sang turned her head, and a face with exquisite makeup, bright and captivating, came into view.
It was Qi Fuqing.
She smiled charmingly and said, “See you in the arena later.”
With that, without waiting for a response, she stood up and left directly.
“Ao Ao~”
The bird-type Pet following her, about 90 centimeters in size, mostly white with three feathers on its head and wearing a miniature shrinking bracelet, didn’t leave immediately. Instead, it winked at Steel Treasure, who had also turned its head, and then flapped its wings to follow Qi Fuqing’s steps.
Steel Treasure: “…”
Ao Bao Sparrow King, a King-level Flying-type Pet, dislikes staying up late but often can’t sleep. It gets irritable after staying up. This species comes in three colors: red, blue, and white. They all consider the other two colors of their kind as enemies. Among them, the white Ao Bao Sparrow King is the rarest… Qiao Sang watched the departing Pet, and relevant information flashed through her mind. (End of this chapter)