Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1
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Half an hour later.
Sky Passage.
On the back of a massive, cyan-colored Flying-type pet beast.
Qiao Sang wore a black baseball cap and a mask, eyes closed as she listened to the excited chatter of other passengers around her.
“Did you hear? The Beast Center in Jintian City had a Qingqing Ni appear!”
“No way, for real?”
“It’s true, people even snapped photos. Reporters and everyone else are rushing there. I heard even the city leaders went, and right now the Beast Center is still packed full of people.”
“Didn’t Secret Realm No. 16 open just last month? The timing matches. Someone must have contracted Qingqing Ni inside.”
“Damn it, why wasn’t I that lucky!?”
“You think Qingqing Ni is just something you can contract just by meeting it? First of all, forget whether you could even see it, we don’t even qualify to enter Secret Realm No. 16 in the first place.”
“So who contracted Qingqing Ni?”
“Supposedly it was a girl, looked pretty young, and she was holding a red Fire-type pet beast with wings the whole time.”
“I saw trending news saying the one who contracted Qingqing Ni has a forum ID called GeniusGeniusGenius Again.”
Qiao Sang jumped in shock. What, they even dug that up!?
She opened her eyes, pulled out her phone, and quickly tapped into trending searches.
Sure enough, the entire feed was nothing but Qingqing Ni-related entries, completely dominating the hot list.
One in particular caught her attention:
[GeniusGeniusGenius Again]
To think one day my username would directly become a hot search… Qiao Sang fell silent for a moment, then tapped it open.
[The user ID “GeniusGeniusGenius Again” posted a thread titled #My Days in Secret Realm No. 16#. Based on the content and timing of the post, it can almost be confirmed she’s the one who contracted Qingqing Ni.]
[Secret Realm No. 16 houses two Emperor-level pet beasts, Ancient Winged Bird and Frostbird. Since they live in different parts of the realm, most people enter only to gather resources. No one would deliberately go near those forbidden areas.]
[Yet she even witnessed the Ancient Winged Bird in person.
[No one would risk their life unless she had the strength to fight it… or unless she was chasing after Qingqing Ni.]
[Her appearance was seen by many at the Beast Center, she’s definitely young. Meaning, she couldn’t possibly have the strength to confront an Emperor beast. The only explanation is the latter.]
[And also, Secret Realm No. 16 is resource-rich. Why did she leave early, even though the realm hasn’t officially closed yet?]
[If she contracted Qingqing Ni inside, then leaving early makes perfect sense…]
The comments below were all one-sided, full of agreement.
These people online are real talents, their analysis is spot on… Qiao Sang couldn’t help but admire, then suddenly thought of something and opened the forum.
Private messages, comments, and likes, already all showing 99+.
The people in Central Hollow are way too crazy about Qingqing Ni. Getting this much attention isn’t a good thing…
She tapped into the privacy settings, intending to hide everything.
But just before she could confirm, a thought struck her. She froze, then instead opened her wallet.
A string of digits instantly dazzled her eyes.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands…
The paid post she put up just last night…
After counting, Qiao Sang went quiet for a moment and exited the forum.
Actually, being noticed by the people of Central Hollow isn’t that big a deal. I’ll be competing in the regional tournament anyway, sooner or later, I’ll be standing in the spotlight. Better to just get used to it early…
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Night descended.
The massive cyan bird-type pet beast broke through the clouds, revealing a dazzling new sight.
Buildings lined with neon lights floated in the skies.
Even though it was night, the heights shimmered with dreamlike brilliance.
So this is Tiangao City…
Qiao Sang dismounted and moved to a quiet corner. She clasped her hands together, and a red star-array suddenly flared to life.
“B-rank expert… best not to provoke.”
Those nearby glanced at the red star-array, felt their hearts tremble, and hurriedly kept their distance.
“Yap!”
Yabao appeared from the array, and upon seeing the scene around them, cried out in excitement.
Qiao Sang quickly recalled the earlier chatter. She hurriedly took off her jacket and covered Yabao with it, then summoned Little Treasure and the others.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t summon all five beasts at once, it just drew too much attention. Right now, she wanted to keep a low profile.
“Yap?”
Yabao tugged the jacket off, looking confused.
Why are you giving me clothes? I’m not cold.
“We have to keep a low profile. You look too flashy, so we need to cover you up.” Qiao Sang said with a straight face.
“Yap!”
Yabao’s mouth twitched upward.
True… it’s all my fault for being too handsome.
Qiao Sang wrapped Yabao tightly and picked him up, making sure his flame wings didn’t show.
Though uncomfortable, Yabao obediently curled up inside. His flame wings, after all, could be controlled not to burn objects or harm people.
“Xun xun…”
Little Treasure looked at Yabao’s bundled form and covered his mouth, secretly laughing.
Mikayla, having finished navigation, turned and saw Yabao wrapped up. Her mouth twitched before she asked: “Why are you wrapping him like that?”
“Yabao’s appearance is too recognizable, it’s already gone viral online. If anyone sees him, they’ll instantly know I’m Qingqing Ni’s beast tamer.” Qiao Sang explained.
Mikayla gave her a look.
“But you are Qingqing Ni’s beast tamer. What are you afraid of? You’re a student of the Imperial Beast University, in the Imperial Class no less. Your talent and strength are more than enough to match a contract with Qingqing Ni.”
Weren’t you the one who told me to wear a mask earlier… Qiao Sang grumbled inwardly, but aloud said: “I’m not afraid. I just think being constantly watched will make things inconvenient.”
“There’s no inconvenience.” Mikayla’s words were steady.
“As long as your strength is great enough, everyone will step aside for you.”
“Yap!”
Yabao’s blood boiled at those words. He immediately bit down on the jacket, ripped it off, and tossed it away.
Qiao Sang: …
Really? If you didn’t want to wear it, you could’ve just given it back. Did you have to throw it off the clouds…
Just then, a gust of wind blew past, catching the discarded jacket and drifting it back down onto Qiao Sang’s shoulders.
Qingbao… Qiao Sang froze, her heart touched. But then her face hardened with resolve.
“I understand now, Yabao!”
“Yap!”
Yabao leapt from her arms, his body gradually expanding in size.
The surrounding people all turned their eyes toward them. First stunned, then their gazes filled with disbelief, excitement, and awe.
They whispered among themselves, wanting to approach, yet held back by the overwhelming aura radiating from the red pet beast before them.
Qiao Sang mounted Yabao’s back.
“To the Beast Center!”
“Yap!”
---
The Beast Center of Tiangao City was built among the clouds.
As Qiao Sang walked into its grand hall, she immediately noticed many eyes fall upon Yabao in her arms.
Recalling Mikayla’s earlier words, she straightened her back, lifted her chin, and kept her expression calm.
Soon, lodging procedures were complete.
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The next morning.
After a quick breakfast, Qiao Sang headed to the third floor assessment office.
Knock knock!
After two knocks, a loud voice came from inside: “Enter.”
Qiao Sang pushed the door open.
The examiner, stern-faced, looked up.
“What is it?”
“I’m here to take on an assessment task.” Qiao Sang handed over her beastmaster badge and ID card.
The examiner said nothing, just took them and scanned.
Her information floated up on the screen.
The examiner’s pupils shrank. Suddenly, he shot up from his chair, excited.
“So you’re Qiao Sang!”
Looks like it’s not just news of Qingqing Ni that spread, even my name has reached them. But probably only within Beast Center staff…
Qiao Sang feigned surprise.
“You know me?”
The examiner realized his slip, composed his face, and smiled.
“Of course. You’re the one who contracted Qingqing Ni.”
He began reviewing tasks.
“With only a few months left before the regional tournament, you’ve only completed five tasks so far. That’s a bit slow.”
Not slow at all, I finished five in under two months… Qiao Sang smiled.
“That’s why I came to pick up another.”
The examiner read for a moment, then asked: “What skills does your Qingqing Ni have?”
“Charm and Tailwind.” Qiao Sang listed only two.
Fairy Wind and Misty Terrain couldn’t be used yet, having them was meaningless for now.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“How old is Qingqing Ni?”
“Two months and nine days.”
(This had already come up in conversation back in the secret realm.)
“What does Qingqing Ni like to eat?”
“She prefers sweeter things.”
“What are her hobbies?”
“Not sure yet. I haven’t had her for long.”
“Does she sleep? If so, what time does she usually go to bed?”
“…Examiner, have you chosen my task yet?”
The examiner coughed.
“Yes. At Huayu Lane’s No. 5 Taihua Hotel, a Fat Thorn Cat keeps sneaking in to steal food. Its beast tamer is unknown. Your task is to resolve the problem.”
Catch the Fat Thorn Cat, find its beast tamer, and have them restrain it… Qiao Sang quickly had a solution in mind.
“This problem is easy to solve.” The examiner added.
“If you can’t find its beast tamer, just have Qingqing Ni use Charm on the hotel owner or don’t even bother using it. A single word from Qingqing Ni will be enough, and the owner won’t bother with the cat again.”
Qiao Sang: ???
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Lmao?? HAHAHAHA
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