Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

After leaving the Kainan Beast Battle Arena, Qiao Sang headed to the largest jewelry store in Kainan City.

Having experienced the thrilling feeling of suddenly appearing in the middle of a street last time, she obediently hailed a taxi this time to reach her destination.

The jewelry store didn’t have diamond-studded gloves in stock, but money solves everything. With enough cash, anything can be made.

The staff measured Little Treasure’s paws and told her to return in three days to collect the custom gloves.

Because the competition ended early today, Qiao Sang, noticing the still-bright sky, decided to check off this errand from her to-do list.

As she stepped out of the jewelry store, almost all the passersby turned to stare and chatter.

It wasn’t because people recognized her as the strongest high schooler in history who had recently topped the trending charts. Instead, it was the creature in her arms that drew their attention, a Treasure-Seeking Demon that was simply too eye-catching.

The beast was smaller than average for its species, dyed its fur, and wore colored contact lenses.

But the show-stopper was the pair of diamond-studded gloves on its paws!

The entire ensemble sparkled so brightly it nearly blinded everyone.

Feeling the weight of the gazes around her, Qiao Sang asked, “Aren’t you going to turn invisible?”

“Xun xun~” Little Treasure raised his paws high, admiring his gloves under the sunlight and letting out a satisfied chirp.

If he went invisible, how would anyone see how well the gloves matched him?

Qiao Sang: ...

Great. That was a thought she hadn’t expected from Little Treasure.

A sudden worry crossed her mind. Would Little Treasure decide to keep these gloves on forever and stop going invisible altogether?

---

The next morning.

Ruilai Hotel

After finishing breakfast, Qiao Sang brought Yabao and Little Treasure downstairs.

At the front desk, she informed the staff, “No need to clean my room today.”

The Ruilai Hotel had only one presidential suite, and almost every staff member recognized the guest who had been staying there for several days now.

The receptionist immediately agreed.

As Qiao Sang walked towards the main door, the two receptionists quickly pulled out their phones and started snapping pictures of her and her two beasts from behind.

“Oh my gosh, Blazing Star Canine! No matter how many times I see it, it’s just so cool!” The short-haired receptionist gushed.

Since the trending topic about the “strongest high schooler in history” went viral, the evolution of Flame Hound to Blazing Star Canine had also been publicly revealed.

“This shift was worth it!” Her colleague said, excitement barely masking the dark circles under her eyes.

“You just finished the night shift yesterday and are already on the morning shift. Are you okay?” The short-haired receptionist asked, concerned.

“I’m fine.” The other replied, yawning as she put away her phone.

“I specifically asked for this shift. The provincial elimination round of the National Campus Beast Mastering League ends today. If I didn’t switch, I’d miss my chance to see the Blazing Star Canine in person!”

“Why do you think she doesn’t want her room cleaned today?” The short-haired receptionist wondered aloud.

“Beats me.”

If anyone entered the presidential suite now, they would see dozens of Blazing Star Canines sitting quietly, glowing faintly blue as they practiced meditation.

---

Kainan Beast Battle Arena

“Still in range?” Qiao Sang asked.

“Yap!” Yabao nodded eagerly.

Qiao Sang smiled. It seemed that after his evolution, Yabao could now control clones from a farther distance. At least the range between the arena and the Ruilai Hotel was no issue.

It was decided, Yabao would use clones to practice meditation. While other skills were fine to train directly, meditation required staying still for long periods, which was tough for the restless Yabao. Using his clone would eliminate the problem of distraction.

Ah, I’m so clever, Qiao Sang thought to herself with a silent thumbs-up.

Yabao, meanwhile, grew serious. Controlling a clone from such a distance required the main body to remain constantly focused.

Beside her, Xu Yixuan leaned closer.

“Where did you get those gloves for the Treasure-Seeking Beast? They look amazing. I want to get a pair for my Dream Lure Spirit too.”

“Yuanhuang Jewelry on Changxing Street. A ten-minute taxi ride.” Qiao Sang replied.

Xu Yixuan blinked.

“A jewelry store? Don’t tell me the diamonds are real.”

Qiao Sang raised a brow.

“Of course, they’re real. Do I look like someone who buys fakes?”

That left Xu Yixuan dumbfounded. She didn’t seem like the type, but real diamonds? Wasn’t that too extravagant?

“Xun~” Little Treasure, overhearing the conversation, casually raised a paw and slicked back his fur.

The diamonds sparkled so brilliantly under the sunlight that Xu Yixuan froze for a moment, her mind filled with a single thought: Holy crap, that’s blinding. It’s real!

---

By now, only five competitors remained.

According to the rules, one person would directly advance, while the other four were paired off to compete, with the winners joining the advanced contestant to compete for the top three rankings.

In situations like this, choosing the person to advance was tricky. If too many objections arose, a round-robin system would be used to determine rankings by points.

Fortunately, there was always someone whose strength stood out so much that no one argued.

In the previous two tournaments, that person was Ding Yanjing. This time, it was Qiao Sang.

With her advancement decided, the matchups were generated:

Li Zhonglin (Litan Beastmaster High) vs. Wang Rui (Litan Beastmaster High)

Huang Kaijun (Lianyu Beastmaster Academy) vs. Xu Yixuan (Shenshui High School)

The moment the names appeared, Huang Renbiao’s face visibly darkened.

Wang Weidou, meanwhile, grinned.

“Bad luck for your school this time, eh, Principal Huang?”

He glanced around and asked, “By the way, why hasn’t Coach Zhang from your school been around these past two days?”

Principal Huang’s expression turned even darker.

“He had some personal matters and had to leave early.”

Something doesn’t add up, Wang Weidou thought. But before he could press further, a half-hearted cheer from the audience pulled his attention back to the two competitors entering the arena.

The matches proceeded swiftly, and the winners were determined.

The man with the Glide Glider on his shoulder announced loudly, “Advancing to the next round are Wang Rui from Litan Beastmaster High, Xu Yixuan from Shenshui High School, and Qiao Sang from Shenshui High School!”

“The next round of matches will begin at 2 PM.”

---

At 11:36 AM, at the top-floor restaurant of Shengcheng Hotel, Wang Weidou’s smile couldn’t have been brighter.

“You’re all doing great! Eat well and give it your all to take the top two spots!”

Though he directed this mainly at Xu Yixuan, he knew Qiao Sang had the championship in the bag. Xu Yixuan securing second place, however, was uncertain.

Sun Boyi, aware of the principal’s excitement, calmly advised, “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Just perform at your normal level. Making the top three is good enough to enter the regional competition.”

Xu Yixuan sipped her fresh coconut juice and nodded earnestly.

“I’ll do my best!”

Qiao Sang, meanwhile, silently approved of the food. Good stuff.

---

At exactly 2 PM, the virtual screen displayed three rotating photos before settling.

The arena erupted into cheers.

“Qiao Sang from Shenshui High School and Wang Rui from Litan Beastmaster High, please come to the arena!”

-----