Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 126: The Red Target

The buzz-cut boy froze on the spot.

Xu Yajie turned his head and looked at him with sympathy. Being caught red-handed while calling Zheng Baolong (Violent Dragon) by his nickname — bad luck! Today is bound to be a rough day.

"Shi Gaofeng, repeat what you just said!" Zheng Guoping marched over angrily.

He was so furious that he didn’t even notice Qiao Sang's presence at first.

"Teacher, let me explain."

Shi Gaofeng braced himself, "Yes, 'Zheng Baolong' refers to you, but it’s a term of respect."

"The inspiration comes from the Volcanic Dragon. Don’t you think its majestic appearance and powerful aura resemble yours?"

"Look at you right now, your imposing manner is exactly like it."

Qiao Sang: ...

But the Volcanic Dragon has a fiery temper, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

It’s clear that this nickname came from his temper. The teacher, who was infamous for his bad mood, must be aware of this.

Just when she thought that Teacher Zheng would explode...

Zheng Guoping snorted coldly and said, "What happened earlier? What do you mean by 'can't control'?"

Qiao Sang: ...

Shi Gaofeng grinned and immediately replied, "It's Xu Yajie. His Mighty Duck still can't control the compressed double water gun."

Xu Yajie: …!

"Is that true or not..."

Zheng Guoping turned his head toward Xu Yajie, about to scold him, when he suddenly noticed Qiao Sang standing there.

He paused, recalling the student the vice principal and Qin Wen had mentioned.

Self-awakened, two beast companions, fire type and ghost type, exceptional energy values, a Fire Fang Dog that evolved into an unprecedented new form...

Zheng Guoping unconsciously straightened up, wanting to leave a good impression on this genius girl.

In a much gentler tone, quieter than usual, he asked, "You must be Qiao Sang, right?"

Everyone present, including a girl who had remained silent the whole time, was stunned.

After enduring Zheng Baolong's torment for an entire year, when had they ever seen him this gentle?

Could she be his long-lost daughter?

The three of them glanced at Zheng Baolong, then at Qiao Sang. They quickly dismissed the idea — no way could Zheng Baolong’s genes produce a daughter this good-looking.

Qiao Sang calmly chatted wih Zheng Guoping for a few moments before the day's training began.

"From now on, Qiao Sang will be training with you all. She's a freshman, so if she has any questions, you seniors can help her out when I'm not around." Zheng Guoping said.

Xu Yajie and the others were taken aback. Freshman?

Before they could think much of it, Zheng Guoping continued, "Peng Huan and the other three are still out on a mission. Never mind them for now. Let me explain your upcoming tasks."

Xu Yajie and the others stiffened, unable to dwell on the new freshman issue any longer.

Zheng Guoping glanced at his tablet and frowned, clearly displeased.

"Shi Gaofeng, what were you thinking with this task? All you had to do was absorb fat, a simple task, yet you managed to get a complaint and a bad review?"

Shi Gaofeng complained, "Méi Méi really tried to control the amount of fat she absorbed! That woman weighed in at exactly ten pounds lighter, just like she requested. But after she looked in the mirror and saw her chest had shrunk, she gave us a bad review."

"Méi Méi."

Next to him, the round, purple-red, and gray-limbed Chokeberry Plant kept nodding its head.

Qiao Sang: ...

So that’s the kind of task they’re doing…

Zheng Guoping sternly said, "That's because you let your Chokeberry Plant absorb fat from the same area the entire time. Based on the task issuer's requirements, you should have had its bristles simultaneously pierce different areas to absorb varying amounts."

"That way, you would have completed the task while also training Chokeberry Plant’s control abilities."

Qiao Sang suddenly understood — that was the real purpose of the task!

"And Xu Yajie, you were supposed to stay underwater and create a wave to give the task issuer a chance to hug the girl he likes. How could you mess that up so badly that you knocked him onto the shore?" Zheng Guoping scolded.

Xu Yajie and his Mighty Leader hung their heads, saying nothing.

"Wang Yao." Zheng Guoping glanced at the tablet and nearly burst a vein.

"The task issuer said you completed the task, but then you went and beat up their Long-Tailed Snake during the final check. Why?"

Wang Yao glanced guiltily at her Phoenix Ember Bird, gritted her teeth, and said, "The Long-Tailed Snake kept flicking its tongue, and Xiao Yan thought it was provoking us, so it attacked."

Qiao Sang looked curiously at the Phoenix Ember Bird, yawning next to her. Is it really that fierce?

Zheng Guoping took a deep breath, reminding himself not to get angry on the first day in front of Qiao Sang.

Once he calmed down a little, Zheng Guoping coldly said, "After all this time, you still can’t control your beasts' behavior."

"Although Phoenix Ember Bird is a fire-type, it’s your first contracted beast. You've been together for a full year. Meanwhile, Qiao Sang’s first beast is also a fire-type, and she’s only been contracted for two months, but nothing like this ever happens with hers."

That sentence revealed a lot of information.

First, Qiao Sang had been contracted with her fire-type beast for two months, but the awakening ceremony for freshmen had only taken place a month ago. This meant that she had self-awakened.

And in just two months...

Wang Yao and the others turned to look at the unfamiliar beast beside her.

This can't possibly be a beginner-level beast...

Yabao proudly lifted his head.

Qiao Sang, feeling the eyes on her, grew uneasy.

Isn’t this just setting her up for resentment…?

---

After a few minutes of scolding, Zheng Guoping finally felt better.

He tapped a few buttons on his tablet, and the training ground’s floor began to shift, revealing a rocky terrain that rose up from underneath.

Qiao Sang couldn’t help but be amazed. Truly, this was the top beast academy in Hanggang City.

A field like this cost a fortune to build, and most beast academies wouldn’t waste their education budget on such luxuries.

She looked at the new field, which was filled with rocks. In the front were six red targets, each only about 10 centimeters in diameter.

From her position on the left side of the field, those red targets looked smaller than coins.

"Xu Yajie, you go first." Zheng Guoping called out from the side of the red targets.

Shi Gaofeng clapped him on the shoulder, gloating.

Xu Yajie grimaced as he stepped forward.

Qiao Sang didn’t understand why he looked so dejected. To her, it seemed like they just had to attack the red targets with their skills.

Though the distance was far — about 35 meters, with rocks in the way — the targets were stationary. As long as the skill was strong enough and had a large attack range, it shouldn’t be too hard.

But in the next moment, Qiao Sang was dumbfounded.

Xu Yajie’s Mighty Duck stomped its feet, clenched its fists by its sides, and opened its mouth to shoot a water gun far narrower than usual.

And then... it sprayed directly onto Zheng Baolong’s face...

The entire training ground fell into complete silence.