Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Read at: /?m=1

-----

The moment he finished speaking, five heads in the front row simultaneously turned around.

Their gazes were curious but held a hint of hostility.

After all, everyone here knew about Qiao Sang and that she was set to join the senior year team for the National Campus Beast Mastering League.

Each school and grade is allotted a fixed number of participants. If someone joins, someone else has to go.

Among the five, three were part of the group battle team, so Qiao Sang’s arrival didn’t affect them directly.

However, as all of them were senior-year students who sometimes trained with the combat team, they felt a sense of camaraderie and, consequently, a bit of hostility.

Xu Yixuan, on the other hand, was confident she wouldn’t be the one to get eliminated, so she was quite relaxed. This was why Sun Boyi had asked her to pick up Qiao Sang.

Though she didn’t personally know Sun Boyi, the vice-principal had mentioned that the coach of the senior team was the teacher in charge of special admissions, and she recognized him immediately.

Sun Boyi walked over with long strides and said, “The vice-principal has probably told you about our senior team’s situation.”

Qiao Sang nodded. “Yes.”

“You’re exceptional for your age, having three contracted beasts, two of which are already at the intermediate level. That alone puts you among the top new beast masters globally.” Sun Boyi said.

Then he shifted his tone, “However, here, we focus on fairness. Everything depends on skill.”

“This is already the third tournament for your seniors here, so they definitely have an advantage when it comes to battle experience and familiarity with opponents.”

“Soon, you’ll face off against them one by one, following the rules of the National Campus Beast Mastering League.”

“If you can defeat any one of them, I’ll gladly welcome you to represent the senior team. But if you lose, regardless of the vice-principal’s request, I won’t allow you to compete.”

“Of course, if you’re only here to train without competing, I’d have no objections.”

Qiao Sang’s talent is undeniable, but tournaments are all about winning.

Without considering the entire nation, just within Hanggang City, the senior-year participants each possess at least two intermediate-level beasts, and they’ve trained together for quite some time.

Sun Boyi tends to be quite rational.

When the vice-principal suggested that Qiao Sang participate in the senior tournament, his initial reaction was to decline.

She might perform well in the first- or even second-year competitions, but competing at the senior level? That would be tough.

After all, in the senior division, real combat experience counts the most.

And that kind of experience requires time to accumulate; simply having beasts that meet the level requirements isn’t enough to compete.

Furthermore, the senior competitors from Hanggang City’s schools have faced each other since their first year, meaning they know each other’s beasts well. But Qiao Sang doesn’t have that advantage.

Still, since this was the vice-principal’s request, he couldn’t outright reject it.

But if Qiao Sang lost, he’d have a valid reason to decline.

Sun Boyi didn’t think she would refuse. After all, talented individuals tend to have confidence, even pride, in their abilities, especially someone as gifted as Qiao Sang.

Qiao Sang didn’t reject the offer, but she did pause, then corrected him, “All three of my beasts are at the intermediate level.”

At her words, the senior team members who had been watching were collectively stunned.

Sun Boyi stared blankly and asked, “You’re saying all three of your beasts have evolved to intermediate level?”

“Yes.” Qiao Sang replied.

Sun Boyi stayed silent for several seconds, digesting this information. He raised his voice slightly and asked again:

“Are you sure all three of your beasts are at the intermediate level?”

“Yes.” She confirmed.

Sun Boyi fell silent again.

After a few moments, he said seriously, “With the league only a month away, let’s start training right away.”

Qiao Sang raised an eyebrow and asked, “I thought you said I had to prove my eligibility through a battle?”

“Two intermediate-level beasts need a test, but with three, that’s no longer necessary.” Sun Boyi said resolutely.

In the senior competition, if her third beast were still at the beginner level, it would be almost like having only two beasts. But with three intermediate-level beasts, it’s a different story entirely!

In the entire nation, senior students with three intermediate-level beasts are few and far between.

With three intermediate beasts, opponents could study her endlessly and still struggle to find an effective counter-strategy.

Xu Yixuan, who had been listening on the sidelines, was stunned. Just when she thought Qiao Sang’s participation was officially confirmed, a voice interrupted.

“I think, to be fair, we should still have a battle.” Qiao Sang said confidently.

What a joke! Those are all points she could earn! How could they skip the match?

Besides, the motivation during regular training is completely different from when there’s a spot on the line.

It had been a while since Yabao had a proper match.

She couldn’t always treat matches like low-level battles in a game, just grinding experience points without any excitement.

Sun Boyi looked at Qiao Sang for a moment and smiled, “Alright, we’ll battle!”

Then he turned to the group, who were still in shock, and asked, “Who wants to go first?”

The two combat team members exchanged glances, and a round-faced, chubby boy with squinty eyes raised his hand enthusiastically.

“I’ll go!”

He waddled to the center of the training area.

Though he was briefly taken aback when he heard all three of Qiao Sang’s beasts were intermediate level, the senior competition follows a 2v2 format.

Qiao Sang is a well-known figure in the school; the information on her first two beasts is practically public knowledge.

But she wouldn’t know anything about his beasts.

That, in itself, was an advantage.

Once Qiao Sang took her position at the other side of the training area, Sun Boyi spoke:

“According to league rules, all beasts must be registered in advance. If a beast is knocked out of bounds or voluntarily leaves, it’s disqualified.”

“No beast may be switched out unless it’s lost consciousness.”

“All beasts must be summoned simultaneously, without any delay between them, and no assisting tools are allowed during the battle.”

“For the senior level, the number of beasts is two per side…”

The senior team members could recite the rules backward, but Sun Boyi was clearly explaining them for Qiao Sang’s sake.

“What do you think Qiao Sang and He Dadao will summon?” Xu Yixuan asked the others nearby.

The four of them knew Xu Yixuan’s character well, so they stayed silent.

Sure enough, she continued:

“No need to answer. I’ll guess.”

“I think Qiao Sang will send out her Flame Hound for security.” Xu Yixuan analyzed.

“The first contracted beast is generally the strongest. You remember how her Flame Hound performed in the freshman showcase, it dominated! Not only does it have the Blaze trait, but it also uses Meteor Rain. If she sends it out, her odds of winning are high.”

“He Dadao would expect that, so he’d likely summon his Blaze Gorilla. With its Fire Absorb trait, it would counter the Flame Hound perfectly.”

The others didn’t say anything but silently agreed with her reasoning.

“Both sides, please summon your beasts simultaneously.” Sun Boyi said, following the tournament protocol.

Green and gray summoning circles lit up simultaneously.

A red beast and a pale blue beast appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“Boom Boom!”

“Lu.”

Xu Yixuan froze momentarily, then, a bit embarrassed, said, “I guessed wrong.”

-----

-----