Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 297: Fake Goods?

In Training Ground No. 1, Little Treasure and Floating Bell were engaged in a free battle in the center of the field.

By the time students reached their senior year in high school, they had been beastmasters for over two years.

Their contracted beasts had shown significant growth, with reaction speeds far surpassing what they had been during their initial contracts.

At this stage, it was no longer feasible to micromanage every move during battles.

If an opponent launched a flamethrower attack and the beast instinctively countered with its own skill while the beastmaster was still processing the situation and giving commands, problems would arise.

For instance, if the command contradicted the beast’s instincts, such as ordering it to dodge instead of counterattacking, there would be a momentary pause as the beast adjusted.

This slight hesitation could easily determine the outcome of the battle.

Therefore, reducing verbal commands was a critical step for new beastmasters to transition into professional ones.

With fewer instructions, the beast's ability to independently assess and react to combat scenarios became even more crucial.

The senior high school team’s current training focused on enhancing their beasts’ judgment during combat, essentially letting them fight autonomously.

As Little Treasure trained, Qiao Sang stood on the sidelines, mentally calculating her finances.

She realized that while earning money could be quick, spending it was even faster.

Though her bank account still had seven figures, the first digit had changed multiple times.

The bulk of her expenses went toward energy pills, and lately, Yabao's training with his Meteor Rain skill required a massive amount of energy recovery liquids, which were consumed at an alarming rate.

Buying these recovery liquids felt like tossing money into a bottomless pit.

Learning new skills cost money. Rapidly increasing proficiency in those skills also cost money.

Sigh… spending money is like pouring water into sand. Life is hard, Qiao Sang lamented inwardly as her gaze fell on the golden gloves on Little Treasure's paws.

It was probably time to sell those pure gold gloves that Liu Qijia’s father had gifted her…

---

“Senior…”

“What’s up?”

Xu Yixuan, who was crouching nearby and massaging her own beast, looked up groggily.

She was somewhat self-aware, knowing that most people found her chatter annoying and avoided engaging with her whenever possible. Even her teammates on the school team rarely responded to her.

Having someone like Qiao Sang voluntarily start a conversation felt like a rarity.

“With the national campus beast mastering league coming up, have you gathered intelligence on the participants from other schools? If so, where did you find it?”

Xu Yixuan was taken aback.

She had assumed someone as formidable as Qiao Sang wouldn’t bother paying attention to opponents, let alone actively seek out information on them before a match.

“Most of the participants are returning competitors we’ve faced before.” Xu Yixuan replied.

“If you’re looking for information on someone specific, I’ve got it all here. Or I could just send you the profiles of all participating schools from Zhejiang Province.”

That’s not what I’m asking about! Qiao Sang cleared her throat.

“Since last year’s tournament, everyone’s strength must have improved significantly. Where can I find updates on those changes?”

Xu Yixuan was stunned.

She hadn’t expected someone as monstrously talented as Qiao Sang to be this cautious! Most people only skimmed opponent profiles to learn about their beasts and fighting styles, but Qiao Sang was going above and beyond.

Who else deserved to win if not her?

Her admiration for Qiao Sang soared to new heights.

“Well, if you know someone, you could directly contact people from other schools. If not, you can post on the Zhejiang Province high school forums or publish a request through the beastmaster center.” Xu Yixuan explained seriously.

---

That evening, a new post appeared on the Zhejiang Province high school forums:

“Shengshui High School Replaces Senior Team Member Before National Campus League! Who Is the Mysterious Newcomer?”

The post began with one line:

Exclusive information available for purchase. PM with your price. No scams, guaranteed accurate.

The thread exploded instantly.

Shengshui High School was the top school in Hanggang City and the second-ranked beastmaster school in Zhejiang Province.

A team replacement, especially so close to the national campus league? Unbelievable!

Even non-participating high school students were intrigued, flooding the thread with clicks and comments.

---

Inside Qiao Sang’s room, her computer screen displayed the forum’s notification panel, while her phone buzzed continuously with new private messages.

Meanwhile, Qiao Sang was in the living room explaining the effects of a potion to Lubao.

The vice principal, an A-rank breeder, had efficiently processed the Blue Dew Crystal into a potion in under an hour.

“This stuff can make you see if someone has eye gunk from a kilometer away.” Qiao Sang said.

“Lu.”

Lubao, intrigued, grabbed the potion and prepared to drink it.

Startled, Qiao Sang stopped her just in time.

“Wait!”

“Lu?”

Lubao paused, her expression puzzled.

“This isn’t for drinking; it’s for your eyes.” Qiao Sang explained.

“Lu.”

Unfazed, Lubao nodded and tilted the potion, carefully applying drops to her eyes.

Qiao Sang admired Lubao’s composure. Such unshakable confidence… truly impressive.

After Lubao finished applying the potion, Qiao Sang asked, “How do your eyes feel now?”

“Lu…”

Lubao blinked a few times, looked around, and then shook her head, no change.

“That doesn’t make sense…” Qiao Sang muttered, inspecting the remaining potion.

“If it’s fake, wouldn’t the vice principal have noticed during processing?”

“Lu."

Lubao flicked her tail and walked toward the courtyard, clearly uninterested in wasting more training time.

Qiao Sang sighed. I’ll need to verify materials before trading in the future… She placed the leftover potion on the table and returned to her room.

---

“Xun~”

As soon as the door closed, Little Treasure emerged, picked up the potion, and sniffed it curiously. Imitating Luobao, he applied two drops to his eyes.

“Xun…”

Blink. Nothing.

“Xun.”

Another blink. Still nothing.

“XUN!”

One last blink, and Little Treasure huffed in disdain, setting the bottle back on the table. Fake!

---

Back in her room, Qiao Sang noticed her forum inbox had reached 99+ messages.

Her first thought was: Wow, so many people are online instead of doing homework!