The days of training were often dull, but that was only for the Fire Tooth Dog. Under a tree by the Liu Gan Creek, Qiao Sang and her little treasure-seeking spirit casually enjoyed their ice pops.
"You’re still young, you should eat less ice," Qiao Sang said, taking a bite of her ice pop.
"Xun~"
The little treasure-seeking spirit chirped in delight, then stuffed the entire ice pop into its mouth, its eyes turning into charming crescents as it shivered in excitement.
Seeing this, Qiao Sang sighed inwardly; her little spirit was becoming more mischievous by the day. Ever since the last incident of pretending to be asleep, the little treasure-seeking spirit had truly let go of its inhibitions. In the past, if she told it to limit its ice consumption, it would promptly drop the ice pop. Now, it answered her but was so honest about devouring the treat.
Nearby, the Fire Tooth Dog sensed the energy within its body and opened its mouth. In the next moment, a ball of energy the size of a baby’s fist floated in front of it. The Fire Tooth Dog held its mouth open, maintaining the ball’s rotation, trying to make it more solid.
"Come on, Yabao!"
"Xun! Xun!"
Qiao Sang and the little treasure-seeking spirit cheered from the side, like two enthusiastic cheerleaders. The Fire Tooth Dog focused intently on the energy ball. When it felt that the internal structure was stable enough, it tilted its head back, sending the energy ball soaring into the sky.
Qiao Sang kept her gaze fixed on the energy ball. Sure enough, after rising about four meters, it plummeted down quickly, falling straight into the Liu Gan Creek.
"Bang!"
A loud splash erupted as water sprayed around, and soon after, a fish floated belly-up on the surface.
"Little Treasure," Qiao Sang called.
"Xun~"
The little treasure-seeking spirit bit down on its ice pop, mumbling back. It extended two short toes, its body shimmering with blue light, while the beads around its neck glowed faintly in response.
The fish in the water was magically drawn over. Qiao Sang placed the fish into a plastic bag she had prepared earlier. This was the seventh fish that had suffered due to the training of the Fire Tooth Dog's energy balls. Fortunately, the fish in the Liu Gan Creek were wild; otherwise, they would have to find another training location.
"Ya."
The Fire Tooth Dog had grown accustomed to failures. It didn’t lose heart, continuing to sense the energy within itself. After ten days of training with the energy ball, it had progressed from an energy ball the size of a fingernail to one as big as a baby’s fist. For a beginner beast, this speed of advancement could not be said to be slow.
However, the internal structure of the energy ball was still not solid enough. It often couldn’t rise to much height before falling uncontrollably, and sometimes it even exploded in the air.
Qiao Sang glanced at the time.
5:01 PM.
Ever since the introduction of the F-level energy recovery potion, the Fire Tooth Dog had been training until mealtime every day. Qiao Sang considered herself a relatively optimistic person, but under no pressure, she felt she couldn’t be as diligent as the Fire Tooth Dog.
Having such a carefree beast was really enjoyable!
All of her peers who graduated from middle school around the same time were still trying to figure out how to get along with their beasts. Forget about training skills; there were times when they had to coax and deceive their companion beasts just to get them to master skills they already knew.
The five recommended beast personalities for new beastmasters were good. But sometimes, a good personality didn’t guarantee diligence. Just a few days ago, Fang Sisi had messaged her, lamenting that her Cotton Silk Bug refused to spin silk. Qiao Sang suggested she look it up online or consult a nurturing master.
A day later, Fang Sisi shared the nurturing master's diagnosis result. Though the diagnosis was filled with a lot of writing, in summary, it all boiled down to one word: lazy.
Qiao Sang watched the Fire Tooth Dog condensing its energy ball again, leisurely enjoying the rest of her ice pop.
…
5:56 PM.
At the dining table, Aunt San took a bite of the braised fish and remarked, "The fish Qiao Sang brings is always this delicious."
Qiao Sang scooped some rice onto her plate and replied, "It’s because you cook so well, Aunt San."
"You’re such a sweet child," Aunt San chuckled. "By the way, Yan Yan, how did your blind date go today?"
During Qiao Sang's stay at her hometown for the past several days, Ye Yan had already been on three blind dates. To this, Qiao Sang expressed indifference, happy to be in on the gossip while keeping her ears perked.
Ye Yan looked around the dining table, then her gaze landed on Qiao Sang. "How come I feel like you’ve tanned?"
Qiao Sang: "!"
Tanning and gaining weight were both sensitive topics for girls, and Qiao Sang was no exception. During this time, she had been outside every day. Although she stayed in the shade, with the sun blaring outside and no sunscreen applied, the chance of getting tanned was very high indeed.
"I just bought some Bright Coral powder. You should soak it in some water and drink it." Ye Yan said.
Bright Coral powder could noticeably improve skin tone, showing effects immediately after consumption, and it was highly rated in the current beauty market.
After nodding vigorously, Qiao Sang asked, "So, how did you feel after your blind date today?"
Ye Yan: "..."
"That won’t do; the guy actually supported Cleekka during the Interstellar Cup!" Ye Yan grumbled helplessly.
The Interstellar Cup had ended a few days ago, but many were still immersed in its aftermath. Cleekka was the one who beat Lin Ya previously. He clearly had greater strength than Lin Ya, defeating all opponents until he reached the top three.
Even though Cleekka was powerful, most people in Dragon Country still supported Lin Ya. Even those who weren’t beastmasters knew what Lin Ya represented in Dragon Country.
Supporting different beastmasters during the Interstellar Cup frequently led to emotional conflicts. Reports indicated that during each Interstellar Cup, the divorce rate among couples rose by 9%, and arguments between couples due to the Cup leading to breakups were common events.
"That’s really no good; who are these matchmakers?" Aunt San remarked discontentedly.
Clearly, Aunt San was also a supporter of Lin Ya.
As they were finishing the meal, Uncle San, who had been silent, spoke up: "Ah Sang, I need one more person for something."
Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment, then remembered that Uncle San had mentioned a marathon relay race a while back. Uncle San had always lived in town and couldn’t even gather a trio to participate in a marathon?
Could it be that he didn’t have good connections, or was he being excluded by the town’s beastmasters?
In an instant, Qiao Sang's mind imagined many possibilities.
"But the little treasure-seeking spirit was just born not long ago; I'm afraid it might hold us back," Qiao Sang expressed her concern.
Since Uncle San wanted to participate, he must be aiming for a good rank. A marathon was a very grueling competition; the beasts that participated had undergone systematic training, possessing decent speed and endurance. They were outstanding physically and mentally.
If they were just a trio, it would be fine to send one beast each, but if they had to send out two beasts, the little treasure-seeking spirit clearly wouldn’t be suitable for this event.
"No worries, we just need one more person. You can think of yourself as filling in. This competition isn’t just about the overall team ranking; it also counts the individual ranking for each segment based on each beast's performance. I mainly want to win an individual place," Uncle San explained.
Qiao Sang immediately felt at ease.
If they weren’t aiming for the team ranking, then it wouldn’t matter if the little treasure-seeking spirit only managed 100 meters before giving up.
"Alright, count me in! So, who’s the other person?" Qiao Sang asked.
Ye Yan paused her chopsticks and replied, "That’d be me."
Qiao Sang: "..."
(End of Chapter)