Qiao Sang glanced at the beautiful creature before her and said, “It looks pretty good, but the Fairy Butterfly is still better.”
Both the Fairy Butterfly and the Venom Butterfly evolved from the Cotton Pest, making it easy to compare the two. The Venom Butterfly was striking with its colorful wings, clearly a toxic species. In contrast, the Fairy Butterfly had wings that looked like delicate, transparent silk, giving off a pure and elegant vibe.
Fang Sisi took a quick look at the Cotton Pest, memories of the Fairy Butterfly dancing in her mind. Indeed, the Fairy Butterfly was more beautiful...
Unbeknownst to the Cotton Pest, its Beast Master was captivated by the Venom Butterfly on the field and nearly changed its evolution form.
The match continued efficiently.
“Next, let us welcome contestant number 105, Pan Jiashu…”
“I’ll go wait in the wings,” Qiao Sang said.
At this rate, it should be her turn in about ten minutes.
“Alright, I’ll help you capture the fire style of your Fire Tooth Dog,” Fang Sisi nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, the Fire Tooth Dog quickly adjusted its sunglasses with its paws.
…
Upon reaching the backstage waiting area, Qiao Sang did not wait long before a staff member wearing a headset shouted her name, directing her to the competition stage.
“Let us welcome contestant number 123, Qiao Sang.”
Qiao Sang stepped through the passage and stood in the arena, momentarily dazed.
Being in the center of the arena felt incredibly different from watching from the audience…
The Fire Tooth Dog shared a similar feeling. Why were so many people staring at it?
It silently puffed out its chest, trying to stand up straighter.
“What a surprise! Contestant Qiao Sang’s companion beast is actually a Fire Tooth Dog! It’s quite rare for a 15-year-old rookie Beast Master to contract a fire-type beast as their first companion! Shado, what do you think?” asked a middle-aged commentator with slicked-back hair.
“Indeed, Qiao Sang’s choice is quite bold. At 15, I wouldn’t have dared to deal with a fire-type beast,” Shado joked about himself.
“It seems like contestant Sun Jie is facing a tough situation; I wonder what companion beast he has,” the middle-aged commentator remarked, eyeing the situation in the arena.
Most F-ranked Beast Masters only possessed a single low-level companion beast, visibly showcasing their identity as Beast Masters. Some, however, preferred to keep their companion beasts hidden in the Beastmaster Codex for a sense of mystery.
Contestant 124, Sun Jie, was clearly one of them, as he hadn’t summoned his beast after being at the venue for some time, which added an air of mystery around him.
“Please have both contestants summon their companion beasts,” the referee said, noticing contestant 124 in silence.
After struggling for a moment, Sun Jie finally summoned his companion beast.
A familiar silhouette appeared before Qiao Sang. It was a Cotton Pest...
The petite Qiao Sang had a Fire Tooth Dog, while the tall Sun Jie, who stood at around 180 cm, had summoned a Cotton Pest. This mismatch created quite a surprise for the audience.
“It seems this match is without suspense for Qiao Sang,” the commentator said as the words fell. The Fire Tooth Dog swiftly unleashed a fiery whirl, cleanly ending the match.
“Sun Jie also had bad luck. If he hadn’t faced Qiao Sang, he might’ve had a chance.” The commentator made an effort to salvage Sun Jie’s reputation.
The Hundred New Tournament had both live spectators and online viewers following its broadcast.
[Isn’t this just bullying?]
[Why are there so many people contracting Cotton Pests?]
[Because they’re cheap.]
[I want the link for that Fire Tooth Dog's sunglasses within a second!]
[Requesting link +1]
[Requesting link +10001]
[Requesting link +10002]
“Yah!”
The Fire Tooth Dog dashed back to its seat, eagerly asking Fang Sisi for the video. It wanted to see its grand performance just now!
Fang Sisi, although unable to understand the Fire Tooth Dog’s words, recognized its eager body language. She awkwardly chuckled a couple of times, “Haha, I just happened to get a call.”
That wasn’t quite true. The reality was that at the start of the recording, the camera had swung over to a delectable apricot mushroom passing by, which she couldn’t resist. By the time the camera returned to the match, it was already over...
The Fire Tooth Dog’s wagging tail came to a sudden halt. Its sunglasses hid its disappointed gaze, but Qiao Sang still picked up on its mood.
“If you want to see it, we can watch at home later. The competition platform has replays,” Qiao Sang consoled.
Immediately, the Fire Tooth Dog’s tail started wagging again.
Fang Sisi watched on, her face full of admiration. This was indeed the person who dared to contract a fire-type beast as a first companion; the Fire Tooth Dog had been perfectly managed.
…
Though the F-ranked Beast Master matches were dull and lacking excitement, Qiao Sang remained in the arena for the entire day. She was used to being well-prepared for everything.
At 7:20 PM, Qiao Sang looked at the notes she had recorded on her phone.
It listed a total of 21 Beast Masters. Besides contestant number 67 who had a Little Ghost Dragon, all the others were F-ranked Beast Masters with intermediate companion beasts.
Most rookie Beast Masters her age typically only had a casual day in the arena. Among the graduates of Class 37, only Qiao Sang remained; the other four participants had all been eliminated.
[Qiao Sang, you have to do your best!]
[You’re the only one left in our class!]
[If you happen to face a contestant named Zhao Hai, remember to avenge me!]
Even though they had already graduated, the class group hadn’t been dissolved. The eliminated students tagged Qiao Sang one by one in the group.
However, Qiao Sang hadn’t appeared in the group yet. She was busy strategizing against her opponents with the Fire Tooth Dog.
After carefully studying the 21 Beast Masters on her notes and reviewing the videos she recorded, Qiao Sang searched for footage from today’s competition and passed her phone to the Fire Tooth Dog.
The Hundred New Tournament wasn’t a large-scale competition, but given the recent graduation period for students in Hanggang City, it still maintained a fair amount of buzz.
Every standout contestant had their segments isolated and edited for highlight reels; Qiao Sang showed the Fire Tooth Dog its own little segment.
The video’s comment section filled a large portion of the screen.
“Yah!”
The Fire Tooth Dog barked urgently.
Qiao Sang reached out to turn off the comments. Only then did the Fire Tooth Dog happily start watching the video.
Once the video ended, it called out again, prompting Qiao Sang to replay it for it.
It wasn't until Qiao Sang had replayed it three times that the Fire Tooth Dog finally fell silent.
At the end of the replay, the Fire Tooth Dog used its paw to tap on the screen. It had learned how to replay from its Beast Master after observing her do it so many times.
…
The next day, at the Shouke Garden, in front of the companion beast arena.
As soon as Qiao Sang arrived, she was blocked.
“Contestant Qiao Sang, I’m a reporter from the Ruixin Times. Could I take a few minutes of your time for an interview?”
In every competition held, there would always be contestants who garnered discussion. After yesterday’s live broadcast, Qiao Sang had become one of them.
It wasn’t just because her match was clean and decisive; it was her audacity as a rookie Beast Master to contract a fire-type beast as her first companion.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go inside for my match,” Qiao Sang declined.
“Everyone was impressed by your courage to contract a fire-type beast and the handsome appearance of your Fire Tooth Dog. They would love to understand more about you both; please, Qiao Sang, don’t refuse,” the reporter from Ruixin Times earnestly pleaded.
“Is that so...?”
“Yah~”
Both Qiao Sang and the Fire Tooth Dog felt a bit shy.
“Then you all can…”
“It’s Lu You!” Someone shouted from the crowd.
Suddenly, the previously sincere reporter and his team dashed off towards the direction of the shout, leaving Qiao Sang standing there puzzled.
Qiao Sang: “…”
Fire Tooth Dog: “…”
(The chapter ends here.)