Qiao Sang didn’t want the outside noise to affect the mood of her Fire Tooth Dog. As long as the Fire Tooth Dog was happy, that was all that mattered. Her gaze returned to the television. On screen, two large Contract Beasts were engaged in an intense battle. The score was 5-4, and it was at the match point. Tonight's Interstellar Cup match was crucial for her funds, so Qiao Sang had made sure to watch the game on time.
At this moment, Chen Mo was the first to reach match point. As she watched Pasol's Contract Beast, the Illusion Fire Dragon, press down on Chen Mo's Double-Headed Gear Dragon, Qiao Sang couldn’t help but feel nervous. She quickly grabbed her Fire Tooth Dog, who was busy admiring itself with its phone, and hugged it closer.
“Come on, cheer for that Illusion Fire Dragon!”
“Ya?” The Fire Tooth Dog tilted its head, confused.
“It’s the Contract Beast of the Beast Master you picked yesterday,” Qiao Sang explained.
“Ya!” The Fire Tooth Dog understood and immediately lifted its paw.
“Ya ya!”
“Ya ya!”
“Ya!”
More than twenty minutes later, Qiao Sang watched with satisfaction as the Double-Headed Gear Dragon made a comeback and won the match.
The next day, in their usual spot in Area C, Qiao Sang saw Bai Yunmiao back to her usual self.
“Don’t tell me you specifically came here to watch my match,” Qiao Sang joked as she walked beside her with her Fire Tooth Dog.
“Haha, I really did come just for you,” Bai Yunmiao laughed.
Qiao Sang was momentarily stunned. The tournament was held at Shike Garden, located in the suburbs. Even though it was close, traveling from the city still took quite a while. Those who lost generally didn't want to waste their time coming back. Fang Sisi had been just like that. She didn’t expect that Bai Yunmiao, someone she had only known for a short time, would take the time to watch her compete.
Feeling touched, Qiao Sang was about to say something when Bai Yunmiao spoke up, “Actually, my parents were fighting, and I just didn’t want to stay at home, so I came here.”
Qiao Sang: “…”
Touched indeed…
“What happened with your parents?” Qiao Sang asked.
“They were chatting this morning, and it somehow turned into a discussion about my future,” Bai Yunmiao replied. “My mom wants me to go down the path of becoming a Coordinator, while my dad wants me to become a professional Beast Master, and then they started arguing.”
Qiao Sang said, “Well, it really depends on what you want.”
Bai Yunmiao frowned, “I haven’t thought it through yet. I’m still in my junior year of high school, and I have a whole year before college. I don’t even know what direction to take.”
It's common for high school students to feel lost about their future plans. In her previous life, high school students could focus on their studies, wait for the college entrance exam results, and then choose their majors easily. But in this Beast Master society, plans had to be made in advance.
“Isn't your Glittering Vine about to evolve?” Qiao Sang asked.
“Yes.” Bai Yunmiao sighed.
Qiao Sang understood immediately. It made sense that her parents would argue over this issue. The Glittering Vine had two evolutionary forms. One was called Withering Vine, which had strong combat abilities and could possibly learn the skill of damage absorption and self-recovery. However, its body would develop a rough, toad-like skin. If she wanted to use Withering Vine to compete as a Coordinator, she’d be at a 99% risk of being eliminated in the first round of preliminaries. After all, Coordinators focused on the appearance and skills of their Contract Beasts.
The Withering Vine didn’t look the part.
Its other evolution, the Sweetheart Vine, exuded an enchanting fragrance and had pink leaves resembling a grass skirt, making it very appealing. However, its attack power was too weak, making it unrealistic to use it to pass the Alliance’s assessment to become a higher-level Beast Master. She would need a second strong Contract Beast to cultivate as a mid-level beast for the assessments, which would slow her progression to becoming an E-Class Beast Master significantly. Surely, F-Class Beast Masters dedicated all their time and effort to their first contracted beast.
“If you can’t decide, maybe you could ask the Glittering Vine what it wants,” Qiao Sang suggested. She figured the Glittering Vine would prefer to evolve into the Sweetheart Vine, given how it had decorated itself with a pink bow yesterday.
Bai Yunmiao contemplated this, then exclaimed, “You’re right!”
After a few days of matches, only 32 competitors were left. The audience seats were growing emptier. However, the organizers had invited more guests and media to keep the excitement alive.
In the guest area, one of the newly arrived guests asked, “Are there any standout players in this competition?”
“There’s a guy named Hou Xiangyu, 17 years old, with two mid-level Contract Beasts, a Snow Butterfly and a Gravity Control Mosquito.”
“17 years old, Ice type and Psychic type, isn’t he from Litang Beast Master High School?”
“Who else but Litang has such a strong 17-year-old?”
“There’s also a guy named Lu You from Holy Water Middle School, with a contracted Little Prowler Dragon,” another guest chimed in.
The room fell silent as no one present had ever contracted a Dragon-type beast...
Today, Qiao Sang’s opponent wasn’t on her memorized list. However, any Beast Master who could compete with a low-level beast this far had some skill, at the very least.
“Can you… go a little easier on me?” the girl in the hat said, her cheeks flushed.
Qiao Sang was slightly taken aback. She had never met such a shy opponent in a competition before.
“Okay,” Qiao Sang replied.
The girl smiled gratefully and then summoned her Contract Beast. A completely white beast with developed biceps and a turned-up nose appeared before them.
“Cha!”
This snowy beast flexed its arms, showcasing its muscles on both sides.
Qiao Sang: “…”
It was a Strengthening Boar…
This image didn’t quite match the Beast Master’s appearance!
What Qiao Sang failed to realize was that her Fire Tooth Dog, wearing sunglasses, was provocatively grinning at the Strengthening Boar, which didn’t match its own image either.
The two Beast Masters stood quietly as their Contract Beasts stared intensely at each other. When the referee signaled for the match to start, the girl in the hat and Qiao Sang simultaneously issued commands for them to charge.
With their gazes locked, the Fire Tooth Dog and the Strengthening Boar charged straight at one another. The atmosphere was electric.
The two beasts collided fiercely, neither backing down. In the next moment, the Strengthening Boar flew backwards.
The Fire Tooth Dog stood firm, icy-faced, raising its claw to adjust its triangle sunglasses.
“The Strengthening Boar is unable to continue fighting; Qiao Sang wins,” the referee announced.
“Piggy!” The girl in the hat ran towards her Strengthening Boar, tears welling in her eyes.
For some reason, Qiao Sang felt a pang of guilt. They had agreed to go easier on each other, yet she hadn’t expected the Strengthening Boar to be so fragile.
The Fire Tooth Dog’s experience in powerful charges was indeed impressive. It trained every day, wearing heavy rings and ramming into trees. So, knocking out a low-level beast was rather normal.
But wasn’t the Strengthening Boar supposed to excel in strength? Something felt off...
(End of Chapter)