But this competition takes place after the High School Entrance Exam, and the registration time hasn't even begun yet, so I can't join at all right now.
There are restrictions at other fighting training venues of all sizes too. Unlike the underground Beast Fighting matches, which exist purely for gambling and entertainment, they don't require Beast Masters to reach any specific level.
The threshold for this kind of competition is low; even an E-grade Beast Master can participate. However, those who take part in these underground matches are often people from all walks of life. Before the match, participants must sign an agreement where life and death in beast battles are disregarded.
In official competitions, if a participating beast is incapacitated, a referee will promptly stop the match, and a medical team is stationed behind to treat the beasts. But in underground Beast Fighting matches, the competition only ends when one side's Beast Master concedes. Those who come to these matches are typically ruthless or just gamblers. Some don’t care about their beasts’ lives because they've lost their potential, while others are just chasing quick money, and some are purely seeking the thrill of violence.
In any case, this is not a place for a middle schooler like Qiao Sang. The Fire Tooth Dog is still too young, and Qiao Sang doesn't want to expose it to such brutal competitions all at once.
Originally, Qiao Sang planned to train the Fire Tooth Dog's speed and stamina after the entrance exam, ensuring its basic training was solid before working on controlling its special moves. The golden opportunity would allow the Fire Tooth Dog to gain bonuses through battles in a short time, but if its physical capabilities can't keep up, it wouldn't be able to unleash the combat power expected of beasts at the same level.
Now, to make quick progress, she can't afford to take her time. Only through battles can she rapidly enhance the Fire Tooth Dog’s combat strength. Qiao Sang is looking for sparring sessions to hone skills, not life-and-death fights.
In addition to formal Beast Master matches and underground tournaments, there are also training halls, clubs, and exchange meetings across various regions where beast battles can be conducted. Training halls hold sessions every six months, focusing on training specific skills, but it isn't registration time, so entry is not possible. Clubs simply demand payment, and Qiao Sang has no money. Exchange meetings are limited to those who have participated in official matches and received invitations.
Most people take the opportunity to spar with friends nearby, but the people Qiao Sang knows haven't even awakened their Brain Domain, let alone participated in beast battles.
Summing it all up, there isn’t a good place for the Fire Tooth Dog to have a proper fight in Hanggang City. Should she just randomly grab someone on the street and ask to battle? What if she ends up accosting a D-grade Beast Master? She wouldn't know what hit her.
Qiao Sang paced back and forth on the street, deep in thought. After five minutes, she hugged the Fire Tooth Dog and walked toward home.
Once home, Qiao Sang took off her school uniform and changed into casual clothes. Then she went to her room, wrote a few words on a piece of paper, tore it off, and put it in her pocket along with a roll of tape. After that, she packed her school bag and stepped out the door.
...
Next to Hanggang Third Beast Master High School, there was South River Park.
"Student, would you like some barbecue?" A vendor was calling out at the park entrance.
Qiao Sang glanced at the time; it was 4:27 PM, about an hour before the Third Beast Master High School would finish for the day.
"I’ll take ten skewers of lamb," Qiao Sang said, walking up to the barbecue stall.
"Do you want it spicy?" The vendor asked eagerly as she busied herself.
"No, thank you," Qiao Sang shook her head.
"Are you from this school? I feel like I haven’t seen you before," the vendor continued chatting as she worked.
"No, I'm just waiting for someone," Qiao Sang replied.
"I thought so! If I had seen such a pretty girl, I wouldn’t have forgotten!" the vendor laughed.
Qiao Sang smiled politely. She had been complimented her whole life; as a child, she used to feel shy, but now she was numb to it.
After five minutes, Qiao Sang received her skewers and handed one to the drooling Fire Tooth Dog.
"Yah!" The Fire Tooth Dog barked cheerily, taking the skewer in its paws and then started munching.
"What’s this pet’s name? I’ve never seen one like it around here," the vendor couldn’t help but ask. There was a stark divide between Beast Masters and ordinary people, two worlds apart.
The situation after nine years of compulsory education was vastly different. Although Beast Masters held a superior status in society, ordinary people were also tiered. There were the wealthy and the powerless, the rich and the poor, those running small businesses and those working for others…
These advantages in wealth and power were often determined by birth. If one wasn't born with advantages, it was hard for ordinary people to access information about extraordinary creatures after nine years of schooling. Even if such information was broadcasted widely, ordinary people struggled to find the time and energy to understand.
Merely making ends meet was hard enough for them.
The vendor appeared to be among the lower echelons of ordinary folks.
"It's called Fire Tooth Dog," Qiao Sang replied.
"Yah." Upon hearing its owner introduce it, the Fire Tooth Dog barked in response.
The vendor smiled, "What a good little thing! My son is also in middle school. When he graduates, I'll get him one of these."
Qiao Sang hesitated to reply.
Actually, that wasn’t wrong. Apart from being a bit mischievous, her Fire Tooth Dog was quite well-mannered…
"Yah." The Fire Tooth Dog looked up at Qiao Sang.
Qiao Sang offered another skewer of lamb to it.
The ten skewers were shared seven to three between them, with Qiao Sang taking three and the Fire Tooth Dog, seven.
Qiao Sang moved over to a nearby bench and sat down.
From here, she had a clear view of the Third Beast Master High School's entrance, and the spot was just right for any students passing through South River Park to see her.
Qiao Sang dropped her backpack and taped the paper from her pocket to the bag.
[Beast Battle, Seeking Only Defeat]
There was a small note at the bottom right corner.
[One match 50 Alliance Coins]
This was a method Qiao Sang had pondered for a long time.
If we're talking about the most F-grade Beast Masters, they must be from high school Beast Master schools. Raising a mid-level beast takes at least one to two years, and usually, first and second-year students’ beasts are still in the initial stages.
Fifty Alliance Coins written on the paper were purely for fun; Qiao Sang didn't expect anyone would challenge her just for that small amount of money.
She simply hoped to catch their attention; for newly minted Beast Masters fresh out of high school, this would be some entertainment. Surely someone would want to spar with her.
The reason she picked Third Beast Master High School was that it was the closest school to her neighborhood. She changed out of her uniform to avoid running into anyone she knew.
After all, it felt a bit shameful to come outside another school with such a sign bearing the words "seeking only defeat."
Sitting quietly on the bench with Fire Tooth Dog in her arms, Qiao Sang noticed that although the school hadn't let out yet, there were still some people in South River Park.
As they passed by Qiao Sang, they couldn't help but glance over.
The message on her backpack seemed mismatched with the image of the girl.
“Yah!” The Fire Tooth Dog barked, showing its teeth at those looking over.
Great. With the addition of this Fire Tooth Dog, the image fit right in...
(End of Chapter)