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This skill is... For a moment, Qiao Sang couldn't process what had just happened.
"Lei lei!"
Tingbao glared once more.
Qiao Sang looked at his sharp, piercing eyes, falling into deep thought.
"Lei lei."
Tingbao's expression and gaze returned to normal, letting out a call to indicate that he had finished executing the skill.
Qiao Sang fell silent for two seconds, then turned her head to scan the surroundings.
Very quickly, her gaze settled on a green Bug-type pet crawling a hundred meters away.
On Flame Star, wild pets were everywhere. Occasionally, wild pets would wander into someone's residence, especially houses like villas that featured open-air training grounds and gardens. It was a completely normal occurrence.
"Bring it over," Qiao Sang instructed.
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure called out.
The next second, the crawling green Bug-type pet was controlled by an invisible force, flying rapidly over to land directly before Tingbao.
"Ren ren!"
The green Bug-type pet cried out with a panicked expression, indicating that it had merely lost its way.
Unable to understand its meaning, Qiao Sang said, "Don't be afraid. We just want you to help us verify a skill."
An Endurance Bug, a Low-level Bug-type pet. Extremely capable of endurance, it can tolerate staying in even the dirtiest and smelliest places.
"Ren ren." Hearing this, the Endurance Bug calmed down and nodded its head.
It was more than willing to help with such a small favor.
"Use the last skill you just executed on the Endurance Bug once more." Qiao Sang instructed.
"Lei lei!"
Tingbao nodded. Looking at the Endurance Bug, he widened his eyes, flashing a sharp, piercing gaze.
"Ren ren..."
An intense wave of fear surged inexplicably from the deep recesses of the Endurance Bug's heart.
After roughly three seconds, it turned and bolted without a moment's hesitation.
Tingbao reverted to his usual expression and gaze.
"Xun xun?"
Little Treasure called out, asking if he should chase after it.
"No need." Qiao Sang smiled.
"I already know what skill Tingbao executed."
Leer, a Low-level Normal-type skill. Uses a sharp gaze to intimidate the target, thereby lowering the opponent's Defense.
Tingbao was currently still a Low-level pet, so the power of this skill was essentially non-existent to her, Yabao, and the others. However, to an Endurance Bug, which was also a Low-level pet, the power was extraordinary.
"Lei lei?"
Tingbao called out with a puzzled tone.
Qiao Sang inexplicably read his meaning and said, "It's Leer. It makes opponents afraid and lowers their Defense."
Tingbao put on an Ah, so that's what it is expression.
For skills like this, those not learned through training, but possessed from birth or awakened through evolution, pets had an impression of how to execute them in their minds. However, as to what the skill actually was, an answer could only be given once it was successfully released.
Currently, Tingbao hadn't formed a contract with her yet, making it impossible to steadily increase skill proficiency through contract feedback. If they wanted to increase their win rate in battles, the only way was... Reining in her thoughts, Qiao Sang asked: "Do you have any other skills?"
"Lei lei." Tingbao shook his head.
"Then what you need to do now is ensure you can successfully execute Dragon Tail every single time." Qiao Sang set down the training objective.
"Right now, this is the only skill you can't release with 100% success. That introduces way too many variables in a battle. You must practice this skill continuously. Whenever you run out of energy, drink an Energy Recovery Potion. Once you can successfully execute Dragon Tail every single time, we'll move on to other training."
"Lei lei."
Tingbao nodded his head, then began looking around in all directions as if searching for something.
"What are you looking for?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Lei lei."
Tingbao called out, indicating that he wanted to ask the boss for an energy-restoring drink.
"Xun xun!"
Before Qiao Sang could even speak, Little Treasure hurriedly revealed himself, calling out with attentive enthusiasm.
The boss will get you an Energy Recovery Potion right now!
Qiao Sang: ...
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The following morning.
9:05 AM.
Inside the room.
"Why aren't you going out to the open-air training field to train?" Qiao Sang asked while opening her laptop, looking at Little Treasure, who was currently squirming back and forth through a series of black holes.
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure called out with a thoroughly exhausted face, indicating that the duration of Hatred Transfer had yet to pass. Just now, Big Brother Yabao had bared his teeth at him again upon seeing him.
To think the effect is still lingering after so long... Qiao Sang was somewhat surprised, but ultimately refrained from commenting further, getting down to business first: Searching for and accessing the official website of the Contract Synergy Tournament to submit her registration.
After submitting her application, she briefly scanned through the registration requirements, notes, as well as the tournament's scheduled time and specific location.
Beast Tamer rank: Unlimited. Pet rank: Unlimited. As long as the paired Beast Tamer and wild pet have not formed a contract, they are eligible.
What? Pet rank is unlimited?
When her eyes landed on this specific line of content, Qiao Sang froze for a moment. Hurriedly rising to her feet, she stepped out of the room to search for Teacher Mikayla.
Before long, she spotted Mikayla sitting cross-legged in meditation outside through the French windows.
Stepping out onto the open-air training field, Qiao Sang cut straight to the chase: "Teacher, aside from having no restrictions on the Beast Tamer's rank, this tournament has no restrictions on the pet's rank either. Does that mean I might encounter General-levelor King-level pets?"
"No." Mikayla explained while remaining in meditation.
"When wild pets on Flame Star reach the General or King level, they basically have their own dedicated positions and duties to attend to. They rarely seek out Beast Tamers to form contracts anymore. In a tournament like this, the highest rank of partner you might encounter would be paired with a High-level pet."
Qiao Sang: ...
Mikayla added, "Even that possibility is slim. The vast majority of opponents will still be Low-level and Mid-level pets."
Great. Forget the championship, it looks like runner-up and third place are out of the question too... Qiao Sang's fighting spirit plummeted drastically.
Seemingly sensing Qiao Sang's thoughts, Mikayla opened her eyes, looked over, and stated: "Participating in this type of tournament is meant for assessing your synergy with the pet, or cultivating synergy with the pet to see if you get along. Winning or losing isn't important."
Just as the words left her mouth, a loud bang resounded not far away.
Following the sound, Qiao Sang looked over, only to see silver-white light condensing around Tingbao's tail as he whipped it heavily against the ground.
"I understand." Qiao Sang retracted her gaze and said.
For a professional Beast Tamer, losing a thousand times in private didn't matter, as long as they could win during the most critical official competitions.
Qiao Sang turned around, preparing to head back to her room to meditate.
With Tingbao working so hard, she ought to push herself as well to develop a new contract page as early as possible.
Just as she stepped into the hallway, a gust of wind drifted over, condensing into Qingbao, who called out with a serious expression:
"Qing qing."
When it's time for her competition, it can't be like this, it has to be more formal, and preferably with opponents all at the same rank.
To think Qingbao actually cares about this... Qiao Sang cast a rather amused glance at Qingbao and said: "If there's a tournament structured like that, I'll definitely sign you up."
"Qing qing."
Setting her mind at ease, Qingbao transformed back into a breeze and returned to the open-air training field to train.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Pivoting her steps, Qiao Sang walked toward the front door.
Swinging the door open, she found no silhouette in sight, only a familiar foul odor surging into her nostrils.
Lowering her head, she looked down.
A familiar bouquet lay right by the doorstep.
Why is Meichouni still sending me flowers... Qiao Sang hesitated for a moment, then bent down to pick up the bouquet and stepped back into the house.
---
Time passed.
Two days later.
Rising early in the morning, Qiao Sang carried out a quick wash-up. After finishing breakfast with Yabao and the rest, she put on the backpack containing Lubao and Tingbao, cradled Yabao in her arms, and stepped out of the residential area with Teacher Mikayla to await a passing taxi or a rentable mount pet.
The streets of Flame Star were packed with scenes of humans living alongside wild pets, as well as unique architectural structures. Taking it all in along the way was quite interesting, so she didn't particularly want Little Treasure to use Spatial Shift directly and miss out on all of this.
Besides, riding the Shoulder Ape King when they first arrived on Flame Star had been quite a pleasant experience.
Although wild pets were numerous, not all wild pets were suitable for riding as transportation. Taxis were far cheaper than hiring a mount pet, so conventional transportation like taxis remained well-preserved.
After waiting for roughly a dozen seconds, no rentable mount pet came into view, but a taxi happened to pass by the entrance first.
Qiao Sang flagged it down, and the taxi pulled over.
"Are you going to the Mulan Stadium?" Qiao Sang inquired.
"Yes." The driver confirmed firmly.
Hearing this, Qiao Sang pulled open the car door.
Seated in the back row was a pet roughly 20 centimeters in size. Looking soft and fragrant, its body was predominantly white, resembling a bundle of cotton.
It's actually a shared ride.. Qiao Sang hesitated for a moment, not getting in right away.
Seeing this, the driver stated: "You're both heading to the exact same destination."
Hearing those words, Qiao Sang stepped inside and sat down.
Mikayla cast a glance at the cotton-like pet in the back row and chose to sit in the front passenger seat instead.
The driver was a man of few words, keeping silent for the most part.
A Cotton Seed, a Low-level Grass-type pet. Its body is extremely light, making it easily blown away by the wind... Qiao Sang observed the pet beside her imperceptibly, details regarding it flashing through her mind.
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure couldn't resist revealing himself, poking Cotton Seed's soft body.
Cotton Seed looked over. The very next second, its mouth pouted, and it suddenly burst into loud tears: "Mian mian!"
"Mian mian!"
"Xun xun..." Little Treasure stood there with a thoroughly flustered expression.
The driver caught the scene through the rearview mirror and spoke up: "Passenger in the back row, please be mindful. Do not get handsy with other passengers."
Qiao Sang: ...
Mikayla: ...
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure began pulling all sorts of funny faces at Cotton Seed.
"Mian mian."
Finally, under the barrage of silly faces, Cotton Seed stopped crying and revealed a smiling face.
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure let out a sigh of relief.
"Mian mian?"
Cotton Seed cast a glance at Qiao Sang, then looked back at Little Treasure, letting out a call.
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure shook his head, showing off his white identity bracelet.
"Mian mian?"
Cotton Seed let out another puzzled call.
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure nodded.
The two engaged in a thoroughly delightful conversation.
Amidst their casual chatter, the taxi arrived at its destination.
Qiao Sang paid the fare and stepped out of the vehicle with Teacher Mikayla.
Cotton Seed did the same.
Waving its paw at Little Treasure, it turned around and departed.
Qiao Sang surveyed her surroundings.
The area outside the entire stadium was surging with crowds, giving off the feeling that humans and pets accounted for half the population each.
The majority of the pets were not particularly large in size and were not wearing Lightweight miniature bracelets, only a select few possessed them.
Most of the humans appeared exceptionally young. Some were even carrying backpacks, looking for all the world like high school students.
Scanning the crowd broadly, Qiao Sang gained a general understanding of the demographic interested in this tournament.
Unless something unexpected happens, I might just be the highest-ranked Beast Tamer among all the contestants...
"Lei lei."
Tingbao crawled out to the exterior of the backpack, similarly taking in the surroundings.
Seeing a few pets casting their gazes onto his Beast Tamer, Tingbao's face dropped. Crawling up to wrap around Qiao Sang's neck, he hung there to declare his presence.
The number of gazes looking over from the surroundings increased instantly.
Although humans and wild pets lived together on Flame Star, the Dragon-type pets visible on the streets were still terrifyingly scarce.
Seeing a wild Dragon-type pet clinging so tightly to a human, Qiao Sang instantly gained an aura of loaded with cash in the eyes of passersby and wild pets alike.
As everybody knew, when a wild Dragon-type pet sought a partner to contract with, the single most important criterion was whether the person could afford to raise them.
If someone possessed extraordinary talent but lacked money, it was an absolute non-starter.
"Lei lei..."
Noticing the increasing number of gazes, yellow electrical arcs surfaced across Tingbao's body.
Pressing down her high ponytail that was slowly being stood up by static, Qiao Sang instructed softly: "Don't discharge electricity."
"Lei lei..."
The electrical arcs on Tingbao's body vanished.
Mikayla cast a glance at him.
At that moment, an interviewing reporter walked over and inquired of Qiao Sang: "Hello, are you a contestant participating in the tournament?"
Qiao Sang uttered an "Mhm."
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure revealed himself, waving his paws enthusiastically toward the camera lens.
Spotting yet another pet she had never seen before, the reporter's eyes lit up as she asked: "Are you participating in this tournament as well?"
As she spoke, she extended the microphone toward Little Treasure.
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure shook his head, showing off his paw adorned with the white identity bracelet.
"What a pity." The reporter stated with a face full of regret.
Promptly turning her gaze back to Qiao Sang, she continued asking: "May I ask which pet will be competing alongside you this time?"
"It's him."
Qiao Sang pointed to Tingbao wrapped around her neck.
The reporter's eyes lit up once again as she asked: "Do you have confidence in securing victory in this tournament?"
Having asked, she extended the microphone to Tingbao.
Tingbao cast a glance at her, twisting his head to the side, disdaining to answer.
Just as Qiao Sang was about to answer on Tingbao's behalf...
The reporter put on a thoroughly un-surprised face, retracted the microphone toward the camera, and stated: "It appears this Dragon-type contestant is supremely confident in its own strength. Its eyes tell me that it doesn't even bother mentioning its tournament opponents."
Qiao Sang: ...
What kind of reporter is this...
Mikayla signaled toward the entrance with her eyes, then began walking in that direction.
Cradling Yabao, Qiao Sang hurriedly followed.
After verifying her contestant identity, a uniformed pet beside the gate executed a please gesture.
"Professor, I'll head over first then." Qiao Sang said.
The Contract Synergy Tournament had few registration restrictions, drawing a massive number of participating humans and wild pets, alongside huge spectator interest. Consequently, it had developed into a somewhat popular tournament show hosted once a month, broadcast simultaneously on a specific television channel.
The tournament rules were also designed toward a fast-paced format.
All preliminary contestants competed on the exact same field during the qualification phase.
The field was naturally divided into numerous sections, and only Beast Tamers and pets with eye-catching performances would receive camera coverage.
Over the past two days, Qiao Sang had gained a general understanding of the tournament rules and pace. The moment she entered, she would be led to the field to await the start of the match under the camera lens, unable to head to the spectator stands together with Teacher Mikayla.
Mikayla was no stranger to this tournament pace either, nodding her head: "Alright."
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Thanks for the chapter!
ReplyDeletethanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chapter.
ReplyDeletePoor endurance bug.