Chapter 947: Continuing the Struggle

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

-----

"Say what you will, but why did they have to leak the fact that Little Treasure can use Teleportation..." Qiao Sang grumbled internally, glancing at the comments below:

[Holy crap, so the Beast Master who contracted Qingqing Ni a while back really was Qiao Sang!]

[Before: Who the hell got so lucky to contract Qingqing Ni? Now: She did it through pure strength!]

[At 17, she's a B-rank Beast Master with a legendary pet. At 17, I'm cursing the cafeteria, cursing the morning run, and cursing morning study sessions, thinking about what’s for lunch before I’ve even finished breakfast.]

[Look at her pets: Legendary Breezewing Nini, a Ghost-type that can Teleport. Then look at my pet: a Little Sleepy Bear who can't wake up in the morning and falls asleep the moment he's summoned for battle, making me the laughingstock of the class.]

[Ahhh! Breezewing Nini! I want to see Breezewing Nini play in a match!]

[Suddenly I feel like Qiao Sang and Breezewing Nini are a perfect match. Only someone with her talent is qualified to contract a legendary pet.]

[Wait, Qiao Sang isn't from our Central Hollow Region! How did she contract our legendary pet! Quick, someone make her a local! @CentralHollowGovernment]

[A year ago Qiao Sang was in the National Campus Beast Tamer League, and this year she's in the Regional Championships. Honestly, I'm stunned...]

[I knew Qiao Sang looked familiar! I saw her at the exit of Secret Realm 16. She was the first one out. I thought it was strange then, but it turns out she had contracted Qingqing Ni.]

[Qiao Sang really did contract Qingqing Ni. A while ago, her assessment task was helping me find a pet in a secret realm. I always thought she was in the same generation as my grandparents, I didn't expect her to be my age...]

[To be fair, if it's Qiao Sang who contracted Qingqing Ni, I have no objections.]

The comment section seems pretty peaceful... Qiao Sang clicked out and reflexively refreshed the page, only to see another trending topic about her.

#Qiao Sang, National Campus Beast Tamer League Champion#

The preliminaries just happened, how is everything being dug up... Qiao Sang clicked it casually.

Inside was a video showing the final battle between Yabao and Paralulu, specifically the moment she was announced as the champion of the 336th National Campus Beast Tamer League.

The caption read: [A year ago, Qiao Sang was still competing in the National Campus Beast Tamer League...]

There were already hundreds of comments: [Are students this badass nowadays? I feel safe with them in the Dragon Nation.]

[With Qiao Sang's strength, participating in the National Campus Beast Tamer League must have been a total massacre.]

[What is that red pet of Qiao Sang's called?]

[I went back to watch this match specifically. Guess what I saw? A green star array! Qiao Sang was using a green star array back then!]

[Wait, let me get this straight. Does this mean Qiao Sang went from a D-rank Beast Master to a B-rank Beast Master in one year?!]

[Ah, I always thought Qiao Sang had a brain domain awakening when she was very young. Is that not the case?]

[Isn't there anyone who knows Qiao Sang personally to leak some info?]

[Qiao Sang is from the Yuhua Region, we should find someone from there to talk.]

[Wait, hasn't the news of Qiao Sang competing in the Regional Championships reached Yuhua yet?!]

[Yuhua local here! I usually only watch international events and Regional Championships, so I didn't pay attention to the National Campus League. But Qiao Sang probably didn't go to school in Yuhua, otherwise those schools would have been bragging about it long ago.]

In a little while longer, I bet my matches on Chaosu Star will be dug up too... Qiao Sang closed the trending list and put down her phone, her expression unchanged.

Even if they were dug up, it didn't matter. The current her was not on the same level as she was on Chaosu Star.

---

For the next few days, Qiao Sang went to the suburban villa to train as usual.

Her news stayed on the trending list for the first three days, but after that, it was replaced by other contestants in the Regional Championships. While a competition is ongoing, people always discuss the current matches.

Even so, Qiao Sang could feel her fame growing. Not only did people take candid photos of her on the street, but some also rushed up to ask for pictures. Even while eating, someone recognized her and insisted on paying her bill.

In a restaurant.

After refusing a stranger's offer to pay, Qiao Sang continued eating her meal quietly.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay in a hotel?" Ye Xiangting asked from across the table. 

"I looked into that hotel that called you. It’s quite good, high privacy, and I heard many contestants are staying there."

Qiao Sang took a sip of soup and said, "Staying at the Beast Center is fine. No one disturbs me."

Aside from being stared at or photographed when she went out, staying in her room was not as disruptive as the internet rumors suggested.

"That's because everyone is still in the preliminaries, and your next opponent hasn't been determined yet." Ye Xiangting said worriedly. 

"The preliminaries end today, and the Top 100 tournament starts tomorrow. Once the match list is out tomorrow, you'll definitely be bothered. You won't sleep well, and you'll have no energy for the match."

Qiao Sang looked up and smiled. "Mom, you forgot, I have Lubao."

Actually, she didn't even want to sleep that much. With the preliminaries ending, there were still over 200 contestants left. she hadn't finished studying their data yet, and Qingbao's Tailwind skill was still a bit away from the Ultimate level. If she was disturbed, she could just look at data or pull an all-nighter training at the suburban villa.

Ye Xiangting’s next words were immediately swallowed back down.

At that moment, Mikayla put down her phone and said, "The energy pills for Yabao and the others have been prepared by the university. They should be delivered today, and I'll bring them to you myself."

Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up. "Great."

With energy pills appropriate for their current levels, Yabao and the others would grow even faster.

"The university helps make energy pills?" Ye Xiangting was surprised.

"That's because Qiao Sang's case is special." Mikayla smiled. 

"She's in our university's best beast-taming class. This is a benefit."

Hearing this, Ye Xiangting felt a surge of pride, followed by a sudden realization:

Her original goal in opening the breeding shop was to earn more money to help her daughter raise pets. She didn't expect that her daughter would never call her for money, and even the most expensive item, the energy pills, were covered by the university. So, why have I been working so hard and earning so much money...

Just then, Qiao Sang spoke: "Mom, since you're finally in the Central Hollow Region, you should go out and look around. There are many things here for Flying-type pets. I'm sure there's something useful for your Faithful Owl."

Ye Xiangting blinked and smiled. "I have been looking, but I heard the place with the most Flying-type items in the region is Huitian City. After I watch your Top 100 match, I'll take some time to visit."

Huitian City... Qiao Sang suddenly remembered the Blunt Stone (My memory's faulty so can't really remember anymore🫠) she had bought there. She had planned to have Gangbao learn biting-type skills, but too many things had happened, and there had been no chance to learn. Even now, she had no time while preparing for the Regionals.

If her mom hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten about that thing...

---

That night.

Qiao Sang finished watching the last preliminary match, turned off the TV, and looked toward the window. The window was tightly closed, and the soundproof glass blocked out the wind and noise, yet the curtains inside were swaying violently.

Feeling the whistling wind in her ears and her hair flying around, Qiao Sang was silent for two seconds before saying: "Qingbao, why don't you take a break first?"

"Qing qing."

The wind in the room vanished instantly, and everything returned to peace. Qingbao appeared, floated to the bedside to check the time on the phone, shook her head, and cried out, indicating that the ten-hour skill training session wasn't over yet.

Having said that, she vanished into the wind. The next second, the wind in the room returned.

With her hair flying, Qiao Sang looked at Little Treasure, who was excitedly discussing how spectacular the matches were with Yabao, and sighed in her heart: How did all the pets I contracted become such overachievers? Only Little Treasure is a bit more relaxed.

"Xun xun?"

Little Treasure felt his Beast Master's gaze and let out an excited cry, asking if it was his turn to go on stage tomorrow.

"Maybe." Qiao Sang said. 

"I have to see who the opponent is."

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure pumped his fist and let out a determined cry, saying that no matter who it was, he would knock them down. He looked at his Beast Master with eyes full of Pick me, pick me.

You're quite proactive at times like this... Qiao Sang understood Little Treasure's thoughts.

Although Little Treasure didn't like training or battling much, he loved enjoying the cheers of the crowd under the spotlight. In other words, he didn't like battling, but he loved battling and winning in front of many people.

"Yap yap!"

Before Qiao Sang could say anything, Yabao let out a dissatisfied bark, saying he should be the one to go.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure's expression was unusually firm as he shouted at Yabao, saying that their Beast Master already said the strongest opponents are at the end. Since this is only the second round, he should obviously be the one to go!

"Yap yap..."

Yabao paused and thought about it, finding Little Treasure's logic very sound. Past matches were indeed like that, since he was stronger than Little Treasure, the powerful opponents should naturally be left for him to handle.

Little Treasure glanced at Yabao's reaction and felt smug: I knew Big Boss Yabao would fall for that.

Listening to the conversation, Qiao Sang’s lip twitched. "Not necessarily. Opponents are random, so there's a chance of meeting a powerful opponent early on."

"Yap yap!" Yabao got excited immediately.

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure made a No way... face.

Qiao Sang looked at Little Treasure and said earnestly: "Now that Gangbao has the strength to sweep a match, if you want to appear more in large competitions in the future, your strength should be great enough to handle both early-stage and late-stage opponents."

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure was dazed. What did that mean? Did his Beast Master think he was too weak? Or was his little brother's strength about to surpass his?

Little Treasure looked at Gangbao, who was focused on practicing Scary Face nearby, and a mysterious sense of crisis welled up. If he was surpassed by the fourth member, wouldn't his only little brother be gone?

Little Treasure was so worried that he spent half the night training and didn't sleep well.

---

The morning of September 8th.

The giant virtual screens in the malls were broadcasting the Regional Championships live, with many people stopping to watch. The number of people in the official livestream had already climbed to tens of millions. 

Inside various companies, workers were sneaking into the toilets or logging in secretly at their desks to watch. Even though it was a workday, the number of people watching the Regional Championships accounted for 87% of the total population of the Central Hollow Region.

The stands of the Tianan City Sky Stadium were packed, without a single empty seat.

In the family area.

"Why won't they let us sit together?" Ye Xiangting looked toward the distant contestant area, trying to find her daughter's figure. Unfortunately, there were too many people and the distance was too far; the feedback she received hadn't enhanced her vision enough to see every face clearly.

"It's probably for the livestream cameras." Liu Yao said. 

"If the contestants sit together, they can just pan across the row."

"Can you see where Qiao Sang is?" Ye Xiangting asked.

Liu Yao scanned the contestant area and said, "Sixth row, third seat."

"Your eyesight is so good." Ye Xiangting marveled. 

"You found her so quickly."

Liu Yao smiled. "Once your pets evolve a few more times, you'll be able to see it too."

Evolve a few more times... Ye Xiangting was stunned, and then it was like a sudden realization.

Yes, her daughter was already a B-rank Beast Master with a long lifespan, and she didn't need the breeding shop to earn resources. She should train her pets well too, otherwise, how much time would she be able to spend with her daughter in the future...

"Guests! Audience across the nation! Welcome to this year's Regional Championships!" The host's voice rang out on the field.

Ye Xiangting’s thoughts stopped as she looked toward the field.

"After a week of intense struggle! We now have a group of contestants who have successfully advanced to the next round." The host shouted. 

"Today, we will conduct the battle for the Top 216 to move into the Top 108."

"First, let us welcome Master Luo Huan from the Beast Union..."

In the contestant area.

"Xun xun..."

While the host followed the procedures, Little Treasure was frantically drinking an energy recovery fluid.

The surrounding contestants occasionally cast glances at Little Treasure. As Qiao Sang was the strongest dark horse of this tournament, even if they didn't specifically look for data, many details about her had been leaked on trending lists.

So this is that Ghost-type pet that can Teleport... The contestants' eyes were filled with scrutiny. They didn't look down on Little Treasure just because he was small and not wearing a Lightweight miniature bracelet.

Professional Beast Masters know that the worst mistake is to judge a pet by its appearance, sometimes, small-sized pets can hold an advantage on the battlefield.

"You should be recovered by now, right?" Qiao Sang asked.

To be honest, she hadn't expected that because of a single sentence last night, Little Treasure would spend the night training instead of playing on his phone or computer.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure swallowed the recovery fluid and let out a cry. He was recovered, but if he drank a bit more, maybe he'd have more energy later. They wouldn't let him drink those temporary energy-boosting potions, but they didn't care about energy recovery fluid.

Qiao Sang: ... You certainly think ahead. Are you that sure I'll send you out?

Qiao Sang didn't discourage Little Treasure by saying her thoughts out loud.

Just then, a contestant sitting next to her who looked only in his twenties hesitated for a long time before finally leaning in to talk: "The internet says you contracted Qingqing Ni, is it true?"

"It's true." Qiao Sang nodded.

To her, the fact that she had contracted Qingbao wasn't a secret. In the past, she did things quietly for peace, but now that she was in the Regionals, peace was impossible. Moreover, if Qingbao could successfully evolve during the competition, she planned to let her compete.

Before asking, this contestant had actually already accepted this fact. He quickly said, "My name is Rong Yuhua. Can we exchange contact info?"

Qiao Sang looked at him.

"I don't mean anything else." Rong Yuhua said quickly. 

"I just hope to see Qingqing Ni in your social media feed in the future."

Seeing his sincere expression, Qiao Sang took out her phone and added him.

A few minutes later, the host held the microphone and said: "Now, we will perform the grouping. Let us welcome the referees from the Beast Notary Office!"

-----

Previous Chapter_Next Chapter

-----