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"Yap yap!"
Yabao nodded, indicating he understood. All those battles he had watched were not in vain.
Qiao Sang smiled and said, "In two days, there will be a team battle. I want you two to participate."
Before Yabao and Lubao could react, Qiao Sang continued, "Only those who excel in both individual strength and teamwork can be called truly strong. I hope you two can cooperate during the team battle. Once it's over, I'll be able to tell which of you is stronger."
"Yap!" Yabao let out an eager cry, full of fighting spirit.
"Lu." Lubao, despite her usually cold expression, also had determination in her eyes.
Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief.
For a team battle to work, the participants needed a good relationship. If Yabao and Lubao could grow closer through cooperation over the next two days, then with Yabao's memory, he would surely forget about their rivalry.
Thinking back, these two had always talked about dueling each other during the National Campus Beast Mastering League, but in the end, they forgot about it. They only sparred occasionally during training, and even then, they held back.
"Gang gang..."
Gangbao nearby watched her new beast-tamer with admiration.
So things could be solved like this...
After finalizing the team battle lineup, Qiao Sang immediately took Yabao and the others to the outdoor training field.
Yabao and Lubao had never fought in a team before, so they needed to practice coordination.
The homeroom teacher's requirement was simply for the two beasts to cooperate. There was no need for a core tactical system. If that was the case...
Qiao Sang hesitantly said, "Yabao will be the main attacker, and Lubao will stay in the back and use Healing Light on Yabao whenever needed-"
"Lu..."
Before she could finish, a chilling aura emanated from Lubao.
Qiao Sang quickly changed course.
"Of course, that’s impossible. Lubao must also participate in the attack!"
The cold aura disappeared.
Qiao Sang continued, "If Lubao uses Healing Light, the opponent will likely focus their attacks on her. Yabao, you need to be extra vigilant. You are a team, and protecting your partner is important."
"Yap!"
Yabao nodded seriously, understanding the gravity of the task.
"Of course, Lubao, you must also protect yourself." Qiao Sang added.
"Once Healing Light is cast, you’ll become the primary target, and the pressure will be immense."
"Lu."
Lubao nodded in understanding.
"Gang gang..."
Gangbao listened attentively, his admiration for Qiao Sang growing.
She was clever! She framed it as if Lubao was too powerful and would naturally draw attacks, emphasizing the importance of protecting teammates. But the hidden premise was that Lubao needed to cast Healing Light in the first place.
From the look of things, Lubao was already convinced to heal Yabao whenever necessary.
Qiao Sang, unaware of the little falcon’s thoughts, continued explaining the strategy.
"Yabao, you’ll charge forward while Lubao monitors the battlefield. If any attacks go unnoticed by Yabao, Lubao will block them. Avoid using Rain Prayer since most of Yabao’s moves are fire-based, which would weaken them."
"Alternatively, Lubao can use a water-type move immediately and merge into the water, sneaking closer to the opponent. This will divide their attention, allowing Yabao to take advantage and focus on one target first."
"If the opponents are strong, our core strategy will revolve around Lubao’s Healing Light. Every time someone gets injured, they’ll be healed immediately. If we do this several times, the opponents will lose their composure."
"Lu."
Lubao gave an expression of determination, signaling agreement.
Finally, you agree! Qiao Sang felt relieved but kept her expression neutral.
"There's also another crucial aspect of team battles." She continued.
"You might accidentally use your moves at the same time, interfering with each other instead of hitting the opponent."
"That’s why coordination is key."
"But I have a solution that doesn’t require perfect synchronization."
She turned to Yabao.
"Yap!"
Yabao perked up, knowing this solution involved him.
Qiao Sang smiled.
"People say fire and water don’t mix, but when they momentarily merge, they can create a powerful explosion. If Lubao’s water-type move collides with your fire-type move before hitting the enemy, use telekinesis to guide the fusion and direct the explosion at the target."
"Likewise, if your fire move reaches Lubao’s water attack first, you should use telekinesis to adjust its path immediately."
"Yap!"
Yabao nodded seriously, realizing how critical his role was.
"Lu."
Lubao chimed in, signaling that such coordination wouldn’t be a problem.
Finally! Qiao Sang pretended to hesitate.
"Since you’re confident, you’ll need to develop a sense of trust. In battle, you won’t always have my commands. A glance should be enough for you to understand each other’s intent."
"Lu!"
Lubao’s eyes shone with determination.
"Yap!"
Yabao responded energetically, signaling agreement.
"Alright, let’s start training." Qiao Sang said, turning toward the others.
"Little Treasure."
"Xun~"
Little Treasure appeared.
"Gangbao." She called out to the Steel Falcon.
"Gang gang."
Gangbao looked surprised but flapped her wings eagerly.
She hadn’t expected to be included.
"You’ll form two teams." Qiao Sang explained.
"Yabao and Lubao on one side, Little Treasure and Gangbao on the other."
"Xun xun?!"
Little Treasure immediately backed away, looking horrified.
How was he supposed to team up with the smallest one against Yabao and Lubao? Wasn’t this just a beating waiting to happen?!
"Gang Gang!"
Gangbao, on the other hand, seemed eager. To her, fighting stronger opponents was the best way to improve. Besides, Lubao could heal them, so there was no real risk.
Qiao Sang reassured them, "I’m not asking you to fight just yet. This is a coordination exercise. I won’t be giving any commands. Yabao and Lubao, you need to communicate on your own and decide when to attack together or separately."
"Yabao, use Ember with reduced power. Lubao, use Water Gun, also weakened."
"Little Treasure, just focus on dodging with Teleport. Gangbao, try to evade as well. If you can’t, use Iron Defense. Little Treasure, if you think Gangbao is in danger, use Spatial Shift to move her away or block the attack."
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure patted his chest in relief.
"Gang..."
Gangbao, however, looked disappointed.
Qiao Sang then added, "Once Yabao and Lubao develop enough coordination, we’ll move to real team battle training."
She turned to Yabao and Lubao.
"In the real battle, don’t hold back against Little Treasure. But when attacking Gangbao, lower your power."
"Yap!"
"Lu."
Both responded affirmatively.
Little Treasure: !!!
His eyes widened in horror.
Gangbao, on the other hand, flapped her wings happily.
As training began, Qiao Sang watched with satisfaction.
Little Treasure had always relied on his unpredictable movements in solo fights, but now, with a teammate, he had to consider another's safety. This would improve his reaction time and awareness.
Meanwhile, Gangbao, training against much stronger opponents, would grow tougher and more resilient.
After all, one of the reasons she had chosen her as a contracted beast was her defensive capabilities.
A tank couldn’t be raised as a glass cannon. A few injuries would only make it stronger.
---
Meanwhile, at Hekin Tower, 21st floor.
In a lavish private room, a man in a shirt and vest sat with his legs crossed, looking impatient.
"You said that kid, Qiao Sang, was coming. Where is she?"
Jude forced a smile.
"She should be here soon. She came at this time the past few days. Maybe something delayed her today."
The man checked his watch.
"I’ll wait thirty more minutes."
Thirty minutes later.
"Is she here?"
Jude called to check, then shook his head.
The man frowned.
"Final thirty minutes."
When time was up, he asked again.
Still no sign of Qiao Sang.
The man lost his patience and stood to leave.
Jude tried to stop him.
"Mr. Byron, you signed an agreement with us!"
"That agreement didn’t say I had to sit here waiting!" Byron snapped. "Are you sure that kid will even show up?"
Jude assured him, "She’s had a taste of victory. She’ll definitely return."
Byron scoffed.
"Call me when she does."
And with that, he stormed out.
Jude rubbed his temples in frustration.
Qiao Sang hadn’t signed a contract, and so far, her matches always ended in 3-0 victories. If everyone bet on that score line, it’d be a problem for the organizers.
He could block her from competing, but her popularity brought in too much money.
So, he had arranged for stronger challengers to disrupt her winning streak.
But she hadn’t even shown up today.
Still, just because she missed today didn’t mean she wouldn’t come tomorrow.
To be safe, he needed to keep inviting top-ranked opponents…
---
Two days later, early morning.
After breakfast and washing up, Qiao Sang packed her luggage into Little Treasure's ring and carried Yabao as she walked out of the dormitory.
Gangbao followed beside her, Qiao Sang didn’t store her in the Beast Taming Codex.
The internal breath-holding training could be done anywhere, and keeping Gangbao outside made it convenient for continuous training.
The meeting time was nine in the morning.
At the school gate, a massive avian pet beast was already waiting.
On its back sat five people, two men and two women, all wearing Sainan High School uniforms, along with a young Caucasian man with curly brown hair.
As they saw Qiao Sang approaching, their gazes carried scrutiny and curiosity, and they whispered among themselves.
The news that the champion from Dragon Nation had reached 39% brain development at the age of 15 had spread throughout the school.
Honestly, even in history books, they had never seen such a genius with such an exaggerated level of brain development at this age.
"Qiao Sang, over here." Hulis waved and greeted her.
Hulis was the second representative from Class 6 of the senior year.
Qiao Sang hadn’t been present during the selection process but had heard that his team battle skills were quite impressive.
Qiao Sang climbed onto the large avian pet beast.
The young Caucasian turned his head, saw that everyone had arrived, and patted the bird’s back.
The pet beast flapped its wings, stirring up dust as it soared into the sky.
At the same time, a blue glow spread out, enveloping the enormous avian pet beast.
Within the glowing barrier, everyone sat steadily on its back.
"We’ll be staying in 1st District for five days. Your homeroom teachers should have already explained this friendly match to you."
The young man glanced briefly at Qiao Sang and Yabao before continuing, "Top schools from 1st District to 3rd District will be attending, and there will be many strong competitors. This is primarily an exchange event, just do your best. Winning or losing isn’t the most important thing."
How could winning not be important? I came here to win… Qiao Sang thought to herself.
At that moment, a red-haired girl asked, "Teacher, since this is mainly about the exchange, does that mean we’ll still get points even if we don’t place in the top three?"
The young man glanced at her.
"What do you think?"
Everyone instantly understood.
Exchange? Not important. Winning? That’s the real priority.
---
In the 10 districts, aerial transport mainly consisted of airships.
Seeing the clearly different class of airship before her, Qiao Sang finally realized the stark difference between ordinary high schools and elite private schools.
She had assumed that a prestigious school might splurge on first-class seats or something. She hadn’t expected them to outright own a private airship…
Onboard, the young man took the co-pilot’s seat.
Seeing that the teacher was busy, the red-haired girl became more animated and looked toward Qiao Sang.
"Let’s introduce ourselves! I’m Gerta from Class 1, Senior Year."
Then she urged the others, "Come on, let’s all introduce ourselves. We already know each other, but Qiao Sang doesn’t know us yet."
Sainan High School only had about a dozen students per class, so most students ran in the same social circles, even if they weren’t in the same class.
Hulis was the first to respond with a chuckle.
"No need for me to introduce myself, I’m in the same class as Qiao Sang."
Next was a blond boy with a few freckles on his cheeks.
"I’m Pelleg, also from Class 1."
The last was a shy black girl who smiled timidly.
"I’m Mabel, from Class 3."
So, two spots went to the top classes, and only one was selected from an ordinary class… Qiao Sang immediately said,
"I’m Qiao Sang, from Class 6."
Gerta covered her mouth and laughed.
"We all know that already."
She then seemed to think of something and asked, "Want to add each other as friends?"
"Sure." Qiao Sang took out her phone.
The others, though not very talkative, also pulled out their phones.
Hulis twitched at the corner of his mouth. He had been in the same class as Qiao Sang for so long, yet they hadn’t even added each other as friends before this…
With that thought, he silently took out his phone as well.
After adding everyone, Gerta’s eyes lit up as she asked,
"Qiao Sang, since you’re from Blue Star, you probably don’t care much about points, right?"
At those words, everyone’s eyes immediately turned toward her.
Their expressions were like wolves spotting prey.
Wait… are they after my points? Qiao Sang became instantly alert but remained expressionless.
"Points are great. They can be exchanged for things."
Hearing that, Gerta saw an opportunity and smiled.
"If there’s something you want, you can trade with me. I’ll offer you a much better deal than the school’s point exchange system."
Pelleg nodded seriously.
"You can trade with me, too."
"What are you two thinking?" Hulis frowned.
"If she’s trading with anyone, it should be me, we’re classmates."
Oh, right. I almost forgot. Sainan students need points mainly to secure their status within their families. Their priority isn’t resources but points. If that’s the case…
Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up.
"Do you guys have Dream Enlightenment Stones?"
Silence.
A few seconds later, Hulis was the first to speak.
"You want a Dream Enlightenment Stone?"
Qiao Sang nodded repeatedly.
Hulis gave her a complicated look.
"That costs 1,000 points to redeem."
I know… Qiao Sang grinned.
"But didn’t you all say you’d offer me a discount if there was something I wanted?"
Everyone: …
That’s only if we actually have it!
For the rest of the trip, everyone fell silent, and Gerta was no longer as lively.
---
By the time they arrived in 1st District, it was already the next morning.
After disembarking, the young man formed hand seals with both hands, summoning the large avian pet beast from before, which soon materialized in a glowing orange star array.
Then, he summoned another pet, a three-meter-tall creature with a predominantly pink body and a shell on its back.
The pet seemed to know its purpose immediately.
"Koko."
It called out, and the shell on its back slowly opened, revealing a few miscellaneous items and a large Sainan High School emblem.
The avian pet extended a wing, took out the emblem, turned it over, and spit on it before pressing it against its other wing, where it stuck firmly.
Did… did it just use saliva as glue? Qiao Sang silently roasted in her mind.
"Yap!"
Yabao, nestled in her arms, saw this and seemed to get an idea. He called out to the side.
"Xun Xun~"
The next moment, Little Treasure appeared, took off his ring, rummaged through it, and pulled out a familiar pair of dark green triangular sunglasses, handing them to Yabao.
"Yap!"
Yabao took them and wore them with satisfaction.
Little Treasure, mission accomplished, promptly vanished.
Qiao Sang was already used to this, but for Gerta and the others, it was their first time seeing such a scene. They curiously examined Yabao and glanced around, seemingly searching for Little Treasure.
"You contracted a ghost-type pet beast?" Gerta asked.
"Mm." Qiao Sang nodded.
Gerta inconspicuously glanced at the always-quiet Gangbao.
As expected of someone who reached 39% brain development at 15, she contracted nothing but difficult-to-handle pet beasts.
At that moment, the shyest of them, Mabel, stepped forward.
She gazed at Yabao and timidly asked, "Can I pet it?"
"Yap!"
Yabao puffed out his chest proudly.
Even on a different planet, his charm remained undiminished.
But why didn’t anyone want to pet him earlier on the airship…?
Qiao Sang was about to agree, but suddenly, she thought of something and turned to Mabel.
"Sure, but it costs one point per pet."
Gerta, about to say she wanted a turn too, instantly froze.
What?! A pet costs one point?!
Mabel hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth.
"Okay!"
Wait, I was just joking, but you’re actually paying?!
Qiao Sang excitedly placed Yabao in front of her.
"Go ahead!"
Yabao: …
"Yap…"
Why does this feel so different this time…
After Mabel finished petting Yabao and transferred one point via the school website, Qiao Sang put a hand on her shoulder, her expression filled with anticipation.
"I have two other pets that don’t exist on this planet. Want to pet them too?"
Mabel’s eyes lit up at first, then she hesitated, before finally gritting her teeth.
"I do!"
Qiao Sang: !!!
Such a generous patron!
---
At first glance, 1st District in the early morning didn’t look much different from 3rd District.
The only difference was that the pedestrians here paid extra attention to their appearance.
The men were dressed in suits, exuding elegance, while the women had exquisite makeup and a polished look, creating the impression that wealth was everywhere.
Sahel Academy was the host school for this exchange competition.
Large pet beasts adorned with various school emblems slowly descended at the school gate.
Qiao Sang dismounted from the avian pet beast.
Many people immediately turned their gaze toward her.
They were surprised to see someone holding a pet beast in their arms and even more shocked that it was a species they had never seen before.
Beside each large pet beast, a student in a Sahel Academy uniform stepped forward, seemingly acting as a volunteer for the friendly match.
"Are you from Sainan High School in 3rd District?" A girl in a Sahel uniform approached and asked.
"Yes, that’s us." The young Caucasian man leading the group, Magee, nodded in response.
The girl checked the roster, confirmed that the numbers were correct, and then smiled.
"Please follow me."
At that moment, Qiao Sang felt an intense gaze on her.
Following the sensation, she turned her head and saw a white male student staring at her with an unfriendly expression.
More precisely, he was staring at Gangbao.
"Remember the B-rank beast tamer I mentioned last time at the climate hall? The one whose contract was forcibly severed by the Steel Emperor?" Hulis suddenly leaned in and whispered.
Qiao Sang paused for a moment.
"I remember. Why?"
Hulis subtly gestured with his eyes.
"The guy staring at you and Little Steel Falcon right now, that's his son."
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