Chapter 826: Let's Welcome...

Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1 

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"Are you here to compete?" The female reporter asked.

"That's right." Qiao Sang bent down to pick up the now-shrunken Yabao and replied.

"Your pet beasts seem pretty rare. Could you introduce them to us?" The reporter continued.

"Xun Xun~"

Before she finished speaking, Little Treasure floated over, sporting a fluffy pink wig and yellow sunglasses. He enthusiastically waved at the camera held by a nearby ape-like pet beast.

The ape beast silently shifted the camera to the side.

"Xun Xun~"

Little Treasure followed, still glued to the lens.

Such a show-off... Qiao Sang grumbled internally, though she maintained a polite smile. "This one's called Ghost Ring King, a ghost-type pet beast."

"Xun Xun~"

Only then did Little Treasure float back beside his Beast master.

"And this one?" The female reporter's eyes sparkled with interest as she looked at the red-furred pet beast in Qiao Sang's arms, something she had never seen before.

His luxurious coat and stunning appearance had captivated her from the very beginning. She wouldn't have skipped past so many glamorous coordinators and their pet beasts otherwise.

"This is Fire Qilu." Qiao Sang answered.

"Yap!"

Yabao gave a bark in greeting.

Fire Qilu... The reporter repeated the name silently and asked, "Do you have confidence that you'll advance to the next round?"

"Before I answer that." Qiao Sang said, "I have one more pet beast to introduce, Gangbao."

"Gang Slice!"

Gangbao, who had been quiet all along, called out and flew to her side.

The moment she saw Gangbao, the reporter's eyelids twitched. It was... blinding.

With black sunglasses, a rainbow afro wig, sequin clothing in oversaturated hues, and metal chains, she looked nothing like a standard pet beast, more like Ghost Ring King's weird cousin.

You're clearly a coordinator, pretty and dressed decently. Why is your aesthetic for pet beasts so bizarre? The reporter stared at the casually dressed Qiao Sang in confusion.

"This is the Steel-Slash Giant Falcon. She'll also be one of my main participants in the competition." Qiao Sang introduced.

"Gang Slice."

Gangbao hadn't forgotten her role in the competition. Thinking of Little Treasure, she raised her left wing and waved at the camera.

Steel-Slash Giant Falcon? Sounds familiar... The reporter paused but kept a professional smile. 

"Looking forward to your performance."

"Thank you."

Qiao Sang then headed for the contestants' entrance.

So even in 1st District, not everyone knows the Steel Slash Falcon is the new evolved form of the Little Steel Falcon through bond evolution.

Currently, Gangbao was the only one of her kind on Chaosu Star. In theory, she should've made waves, but clearly, not everyone was aware.

She could understand why.

First: Information disparity. People in the upper districts received news the fastest. The mid and lower districts were too busy just surviving to care about fleeting headlines, just like when she lived in Yuhua District.

Second: The news was never widely publicized. Not everyone browses social media or trending topics.

Even those who saw it and were interested would soon forget it without seeing any examples in real life. Eventually, it would become one of those "Oh yeah! I remember that!" things when someone brings it up.

A day or two of trending news can't make something universally known.

It's like when she won the Beast Tamer Star Tournament. For a few days, eight out of ten people recognized her. But after going to 30th District, almost no one did. Now in 1st District, people just say she looks a bit familiar.

What Gangbao had to do now wasn't to impress people with her new form, but to make them aware that Little Steel Falcons have a new evolution path.

Once more people knew, they would naturally start questioning why someone like Gu Kaiyou had forcefully severed his contract with a pet beast that could bond-evolve.

That kind of pet beast was the least likely to willingly break its bond.

The moment someone brought it up, the truth would be clear.

As she thought about this, Qiao Sang followed the other contestants to the backstage waiting area.

Upon her arrival, everyone's eyes were instantly drawn to Little Treasure and Gangbao's flamboyant getups.

Some maintained polite expressions, while others couldn't help but cover their mouths and giggle, whispering to nearby contestants.

To become a coordinator, you at least needed a basic sense of style.

The more competitive ones even bought fashion magazines for pet beasts to learn styling tips, and yet none had ever seen anything like this.

"Yap!"

Yabao glanced around and quickly spotted an empty seat. He jumped out of Qiao Sang's arms and ran over, calling out to indicate a spot was free.

His flamboyant appearance, fiery wings, and lightweight miniaturization bracelet immediately drew the attention of all contestants nearby.

Those other two must just be for distraction... this one is the real competition. The contestants subconsciously sat straighter.

Qiao Sang took the seat Yabao pointed out.

Beside her sat a girl in a purple dress, with light makeup and soft brown curls. She leaned in and asked, "Mind if I ask what level coordinator you are?"

"F-rank." Qiao Sang replied.

"I'm F-rank too!" The girl said, suddenly excited.

Then, realizing how loud she was being, she quickly lowered her voice and whispered, "I thought I was the only F-rank here."

Why does that sound kinda insulting...? Qiao Sang paused and asked, "Isn't this competition open to anyone?"

"Who said there were no restrictions?" the girl blurted. 

"Applicants must be under 30 years old."

Qiao Sang frowned. 

"Wouldn't that limit high-level coordinators? Shouldn't most participants here be low-rank?"

The girl gave her a strange look. 

"Who said under-30 coordinators can't be high-rank? This is 1st District! Lots of people here made C-rank in their early 20s."

Qiao Sang looked at her. 

"I said it limits high-rank coordinators."

"I heard you." The girl said, still confused.

Seeing she didn't get the point, Qiao Sang said bluntly, "C-rank isn't considered high in my book."

To her, B-rank and above was where high-level started.

Her time in Yulianton had seriously raised her standards.

The girl: ...

She had no words. They were both F-rank, but this girl really acted like she was way above those 20-something C-rank prodigies.

Sensing the awkwardness, Qiao Sang took the initiative. 

"Why did you think you were the only F-rank?"

"Because everyone else just... looks so impressive."

So it was just in her head, Qiao Sang thought, relieved.

Suddenly, the giant virtual screen in front switched to display the stage.

A handsome male host in a white suit held a mic and declared: "Welcome to 1st District's Tiany Cup Youth Coordination Tournament!"

The contestants all perked up and turned their eyes forward.

As the host gave the opening remarks, Qiao Sang glanced at Gangbao.

"Take all that stuff off."

"Xun Xun!"

Before Gangbao could react, Little Treasure protested.

It looks great! We're about to go on stage! How can we take it off?!

"Gang Slice..."

Gangbao hesitated.

She remembered that other pet beasts were all dressed up too. Even though she was confident in her feathers, she felt like she should follow the trend.

Qiao Sang let out a slow breath. 

"Mirror."

"Xun Xun~"

Though confused, Little Treasure quickly took off his ring and pulled out a mirror from the storage space.

Spatial abilities... The girl beside them suddenly felt envious. The pet beast's looks might be so-so, but a space skill made up for everything.

Qiao Sang took the mirror and silently held it up to Gangbao.

Gangbao saw herself, stiffened, and without a word, rapidly took everything off.

"Xun Xun?"

Little Treasure looked horrified.

That outfit was so cool! How could you take it all off right before going on?!

At that moment, the girl beside them said with surprise, "Your bird actually looks kinda good without all that stuff."

Then she frowned. 

"Why'd you dress her up so horribly in the first place?"

Little Treasure: ???

Horribly?

"Yap."

Yabao waved a paw.

He had been meaning to say something, those flashy outfits seriously affected battle performance.

Qiao Sang explained calmly, "The pet dressed herself. Not me."

"Ah, that makes sense." The girl nodded. 

"I mean, no way a coordinator could have such bad taste."

Little Treasure: ...

That sentence pierced his heart in 0.01 seconds.

"Xun Xun..."

For the first time, he began doubting his own fashion sense.

He took the mirror from Qiao Sang and studied himself carefully.

Was it really that bad...? Didn't feel like it...

Because of Little Treasure's space ability and Gangbao's makeover, the girl started chatting more.

Qiao Sang half-listened.

During their conversation, she learned that the Tiany Cup was fairly well-known among youth in 1st District. Many top coordinators had participated when they were younger.

Winning a top-3 spot allowed one to apply for E-rank status at the Coordination Center.

So it's a city-level tournament, Qiao Sang concluded, equating the Tiany Cup with a municipal contest.

Contestants were called up quickly, one minute per performance round.

Qiao Sang watched the others on the backstage screen.

Perhaps because she had seen the major league competition before, these performances didn't particularly impress her.

Still, everyone completed their routines smoothly, no mistakes.

If Gangbao doesn't mess up, we should make it through round one... Qiao Sang juggled chatting, watching the screen, and strategizing.

The competition had two stages: Performance and the flashy battle round.

Each had its own score. Judges scored the performance segment, where the bottom 50% would be eliminated.

The battle segment was judged by mechanical-type pet beasts.

The total score from both rounds determined the winner.

In case of a tie, a third round was held, but that was rare, as scores often went down to the decimal.

Just then, the small virtual screen beside the large one flashed: [Contestant 078: Qiao Sang, please prepare]

Qiao Sang took a deep breath, stood up, set down her backpack containing Lubao, and looked at Yabao.

"Stay here. I'll be back soon."

Yabao and the others had insisted on watching the match, so she left them backstage.

"Yap!"

"Lu Ai."

"Xun Xun~"

Suddenly, a very familiar voice rang out: "Dee dee."

Qiao Sang: !!!

Adinishi is here too?!

Startled, she quickly looked around. Luckily, everyone was focused on the competition or their pets.

She quietly sighed in relief.

"Good luck." Said the girl beside her, having seen Qiao Sang's name on the screen.

"I will." Qiao Sang steadied herself and turned to Gangbao. 

"Let's go."

"Gang Slice." Gangbao nodded solemnly.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, next up is contestant 078, Qiao Sang!"

As the host's voice echoed, the dark red curtain slowly rose.

At that very moment, a violent gust of wind burst out from behind it.

A massive spiraling whirlwind spun out like a giant top.

Spectators in the front row who hadn't tied up their hair suddenly found it all blasted skyward.

One male spectator's entire toupee was blown clean off.

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