Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 2: A Beating

Qingcheng Jiayuan.

Building C, Apartment 606.

When Qiao Sang returned home with her mother, she was still a bit dazed.

After all, she had endured nearly two hours of verbal abuse at school. If it hadn't been for the old teacher's stomach growling, he might have continued lecturing her.

Qiao Sang washed her face twice in the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was delicate, exactly the same as in her past life.

Only now she looked much younger, with a bit of baby fat still on her cheeks.

"Come out for dinner." Her mother's voice came from the living room.

"Coming."

When she entered the living room, her mother, Ye Xiangting, shot her a sharp look. "The food is cold. I just reheated it. Hurry up and eat."

Actually, Qiao Sang's family was quite similar to hers. Not only did her parents look alike, but they were also both from single-parent families.

Qiao Sang's father didn't go missing or die young; they simply got divorced.

They divorced when Qiao Sang was three years old. Her father, Qiao Wangyang, remarried that year and had another daughter, who is now fourteen.

It’s quite intriguing…

Perhaps feeling guilty towards her mother, he left the child and the house to her when they divorced.

Her mother, Ye Xiangting, never remarried. She worked hard to earn money and raised Qiao Sang on her own.

Fortunately, her mother was an E-level Beast Tamer with a Faithful Owl and a Fat Dove.

She made a living by renting out her services for aerial tours, so her life was relatively comfortable and well-off.

Life hadn’t turned her into a worn-out old woman but had transformed her into a strong woman with a gentle exterior but a tough interior.

Qiao Sang deeply felt this.

Her mother had endured two hours of scolding from the teacher with her and still managed not to hit her when they got home.

She was so strong!

But it really wasn’t her fault. Since she couldn’t retrieve the Beast Taming codex from her mind and had never contracted with a supernatural creature, it was impossible to prove that she had already awakened on her own without going to the Beast Taming Center for a checkup.

Qiao Sang ate her meal in silence.

Although her mother was a strong woman, there was no guarantee she would always remain that way.

"Take a day off tomorrow. I’ll take you to the Beast Taming Center," Her mother said, looking at Qiao Sang.

Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment. "Why are we going to the Beast Taming Center?"

"You said you’ve already awakened on your own, right? We need to get a checkup and a certification before we can go to the pet base to choose a pet." Her mother explained.

Since she had awakened, it was best to choose a pet as early as possible.

Qiao Sang was shocked. "You believe me?"

Her mother’s eyes glinted with amusement.

"You’re my child. How could I not know you? Although you’re a bit slow-witted, you wouldn’t lie about something like this at this critical moment."

Qiao Sang felt a mix of emotions and couldn’t express how she felt. In fact, her mother in this world was not only similar in appearance but also in personality.

"Mom, since you believe me, why did you let me endure two hours of scolding without saying anything?"

Her mother smiled, but this time the smile was quite eerie.

"Awakening on your own is one thing, but scoring zero on an exam is another. I haven’t even asked you why you got a zero."

Qiao Sang: "…"

---

The Next Morning.

At the entrance of the Hanggang Beast Taming Center.

A plump, three-meter-long, brown, extraordinary creature with red tail feathers descended from the sky.

Qiao Sang excitedly dismounted from the Fat Dove.

It was her first time experiencing such a close encounter with the sky, and it was incredibly thrilling.

She decided that in the future, she must contract a flying-type pet!

"Fat Dove, thank you for your hard work." Her mother patted it.

"Dove-Bee~"

The Fat Dove shook its wings, nudged its large head against her mother, and rubbed affectionately.

Her mother waved her hand, and a beam of light shone on the Fat Dove. In the next moment, it disappeared from sight.

No matter how many times she saw it, Qiao Sang found it magical.

These things were beyond scientific explanation in her past life.

They entered the Hanggang Beast Taming Center, and her mother led her straight to Service Counter 37.

Before the staff could speak, her mother said, "Hello, we’re here for a brain domain test."

She indicated for Qiao Sang to take out her information card.

Qiao Sang obediently produced the card.

After scanning it, the staff member said, "Hello, 500 Alliance Coins."

Humans, thanks to their beast-taming abilities, have left Blue Star and developed and colonized three other habitable planets.

The universal currency across these four planets is the Alliance Coin.

After her mother paid, the staff member completed the registration and returned the information card.

"Just follow the Cialiguo inside."

A small, green Cialiguo, less than a meter tall, appeared behind the staff member.

Its head was round with a pair of green antennae tipped with yellow, and it wore a staff badge around its neck.

As a plant-type pet, Cialiguo was gentle and well-loved, especially by women.

"Cialiguo."

It approached Qiao Sang and made a welcoming gesture with its three-fingered hand, displaying a professional demeanor.

As the capital city of Zhehai Province, Hanggang City boasted the largest beast-taming center in the province.

Qiao Sang followed Cialiguo for over ten minutes before reaching the brain domain testing area.

Cialiguo scanned the staff badge on the door’s identity reader.

"Cialiguo."

When the door opened, it called out to Qiao Sang.

Mother Ye calmly said to Qiao Sang, "Go in."

Though her mother’s face was calm, her eyes betrayed a hint of anticipation.

It was clear that while she believed in her daughter, she was still anxious until she received the results.

Qiao Sang followed Cialiguo inside.

The first thing she saw was a short-haired female researcher in a white lab coat and a floating Bubbles Bell.

Qiao Sang had just read about Bubbles Bell the previous day, so it was a surprise to see one in person so soon.

Bubbles Bell, an extraordinary creature with no gender differences and a psychic type, was relatively rare.

In fact, psychic-type extraordinary creatures were quite uncommon.

Pet bases usually had only five or six such creatures a year, starting at a few million Alliance Coins. Most ordinary families could not afford them.

She must be a wealthy lady.

Qiao Sang immediately labeled the short-haired researcher in the white coat as rich.

The short-haired researcher was typing away at her computer, appearing very busy.

She didn’t seem surprised to see Cialiguo and Qiao Sang, indicating she had already received Qiao Sang’s registration information in advance.

"Sit over there." She directed, pointing to a single sofa nearby.

Qiao Sang sat down in the indicated spot.

It was just an ordinary sofa, nothing special.

“Bubbles Bell,” The short-haired researcher called out to her partner without looking up.

“Bell.”

Bubbles Bell’s body suddenly glowed blue.

Before Qiao Sang could figure out what was happening, a silver helmet connected to numerous equipment cables floated from several meters away and settled on her head.

The sight left Qiao Sang in awe.

This capability was incredibly convenient, like a gadget for lazy people!

“Don’t move.”

The short-haired researcher still did not look up, but Qiao Sang knew this instruction was for her.

The silver helmet did not obstruct Qiao Sang’s vision, and she could clearly see the researcher’s face frowning as she observed the data and images transmitted from the device.

Qiao Sang tensed up instantly. There wouldn’t be any problems, right?

The short-haired researcher’s face grew serious, resembling the sternness of a school discipline officer, especially with her current role and the situation.

This made Qiao Sang’s heart race even more.

“Did you awaken on your own?” The short-haired researcher suddenly asked.

“Um, Miss, is there a problem?” Qiao Sang asked nervously.

“No, don’t worry.” The researcher, noticing Qiao Sang’s anxiety, forced a somewhat unnatural smile to reassure her.

It was quite frightening…

Qiao Sang’s anxiety increased.

“This year, there are only six children who have awakened on their own, including you. Your results must be very good, right?” The short-haired researcher asked.

Being a top student doesn’t necessarily mean one will awaken on their own, but those who do usually excel academically.

Qiao Sang: “…” You could call her smart or talented, but why bring up her grades?

Qiao Sang knew the researcher was trying to ease her nerves, but forced small talk wasn’t really helping…

“I’m basically third in my class.” Qiao Sang said, without a change in expression.

“Third in the school is still impressive. Many who are first or second don’t manage to awaken.” The researcher said, her smile stiff but her voice gentle.

“I ranked first in the mock exam this time.” Qiao Sang added, now less nervous.

“After awakening, the brain domain develops by 2%. Those who awaken on their own usually see about 5% development, so a sudden improvement is quite normal.” The researcher explained, praising Qiao Sang for her top rank.

Qiao Sang: …

About two minutes later, the short-haired researcher looked up and called, “Bubbles Bell.”

“Bell.”

Bubbles Bell used its telekinesis to return the equipment to its original place.

“Congratulations on a successful awakening. There are no other issues with your brain domain, but there are some fluctuations. You should rest well and eat more dried fruits.” The researcher said, handing Qiao Sang a certificate with her signature and stamp.

“Thank you.”

Qiao Sang took the certificate, feeling a weight lift off her chest.

"How is it?"

As soon as they stepped outside, her mother took a quick step forward, nervously asking.

Qiao Sang sighed and handed her the results.

Her mother’s face turned ashen, and she hesitated to take the results.

“Mom, just take a look.” Qiao Sang said, pushing the certificate a bit closer.

Ye Xiangting felt a chill in her heart. Not only did her daughter fail to awaken on her own, but she also scored zero…

Even if she hadn’t scored zero, her daughter’s previous grades wouldn’t have qualified her for a beast-taming high school.

To attend a beast-taming high school, one must first contract a Beast Taming Manual through magnetic wave awakening and then meet the score threshold.

The middle school exam had a full score of 650 points, with last year's minimum passing score at 332 points.

If she had tried hard in school and still didn’t make it, at least she would have tried her best. But her daughter not only failed but also lied about it…

Ye Xiangting began to doubt her own methods of education.

A beating is necessary.

This child needs to be disciplined.

Seeing her mother taking the certificate and looking down, Qiao Sang couldn’t help but straighten her back.

*Smack.*

Qiao Sang was stunned.