Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 52: No Makeup for Nothing

“One move! Just one move! What do you think of this match, San Duo?” The middle-aged commentator said.

Winning in one move isn’t particularly remarkable in matches at this level.

The short duration and lack of atmosphere meant the audience couldn’t grasp anything professional; that’s when the role of the commentators and guests becomes crucial.

“The speed and power of Fire fang Dog's attacks are a cut above Fire Chain Snake, especially its attack speed. It launched its skill almost as soon as the match began, while contestant Xie Jianyin was still giving commands.” San Duo analyzed.

The middle-aged commentator, listening nearby, held a different opinion. While attack speed is undoubtedly important, he believed the key to victory lay in that Ember.

That was an Ember of the Minor Success realm. If that spark had only been at the beginner level, it wouldn't have had the power to generate enough explosive force to incapacitate Fire Chain Snake.

He remembered reading that contestant Qiao Sang was a fresh middle school graduate…

The host continued with the program, introducing the names of the contestants in the fourth group while the audience was still discussing the previous match.

“What’s wrong with Xie Jianyin? Why did he use only Fire Chain Snake when he had Long-tailed Snake?”

“It feels like he’s throwing the match, didn’t they have some kind of deal behind the scenes?”

“Fire fang Dog isn’t weak, there’s nothing surprising about its victory. If they were throwing the match, it would’ve at least taken a few rounds; how could it end so quickly? Besides, in a small competition like this, throwing matches is pointless.”

These days, there are many viewers for competitions, especially large-scale events where various media outlets and online platforms compete to report on them.

If it's an A-grade Beast Master event, the viewership would reach hundreds of millions.

Any Beast Master who appears in such competitions can gain a large following, and their market value can skyrocket.

Not to mention, achieving a certain ranking in such high-level competitions can lead to even greater recognition.

In these events, there are usually those who attempt to rig matches, whether it’s the capitalists controlling things behind the scenes or Beast Masters wanting to make a name for themselves.

However, for a competition like the Hundred New Competition, where even the ratings rely on the contestants' friends and family to boost viewership, rigging matches is utterly pointless.

Meanwhile, Qiao Sang had just sat down with Fire fang Dog.

“Genius Qiao, that was so cool! I couldn’t even process it when you won.” Bai Yunmiao laughed.

“I didn’t really process it either.” Qiao Sang replied.

“Yap Yap!” Fire fang Dog nodded in agreement.

“Haha, Fire fang Dog’s confused expression when it realized it won was hilarious. Too bad we didn’t record it. You can check it out online later; it could become a meme.” Bai Yunmiao continued to chuckle.

“Yap!”

Fire fang Dog suddenly became restless.

Aren’t the recordings supposed to show its impressive side? What’s wrong with its expression? How could it be funny?

Qiao Sang was also curious; during the battle, Fire fang Dog was facing away from her, so she didn’t see its expression at all.

But since it was a live broadcast, she’d have to wait until the morning’s matches were over to watch the replay.

The matches proceeded efficiently.

By the time it was the 20th group’s turn to compete, Bai Yunmiao took out a mirror from her crossbody bag to check her appearance.

Then she pulled out a comb and fixed her bangs.

Qiao Sang couldn’t help but say, “You brought a comb.”

Bai Yunmiao replied seriously, “As a refined Beast Master, I have to maintain my image in front of the camera at all times.”

Qiao Sang: …

This was the first time she’d heard refined used to describe a Beast Master; it seemed more appropriate for a Coordinator.

After all, Coordinators focus on both their pets' appearance and their own.

She thought Bai Yunmiao had potential to be a Coordinator…

Bai Yunmiao was the contestant in the 25th group, and her opponent wasn’t on Qiao Sang’s memo list.

“Fire fang Dog, who do you think will win?” Qiao Sang asked as usual.

“Yap.”

Fire fang Dog pointed to the little fat dobe flying above, which it adored.

Qiao Sang felt that since Bai Yunmiao hadn’t complimented Fire fang Dog’s looks, Fire fang Dog must have fairly assessed the situation and picked the pet it thought might win…

Bai Yunmiao's pet was a Golden Vine.

About 90 centimeters tall, it had a small, round, cyan-green body with golden eyes that were almost pupil-less, and it sported a five-centimeter-long tendril on its head, giving it a slightly cute and silly appearance.

On the field, both sides had been sparring for two minutes, exhausting some energy.

The little fat dove had slightly lowered its flying altitude.

Golden Vine swung its large head, and several leaf-shaped blades shot towards the little fat dove in the air.

The little fat dove flapped its wings in a panic, trying to dodge. Just when it thought it had escaped, two vines appeared from Golden Vine’s fingers, binding it tightly.

In the next second, the little fat dove’s viewpoint flipped 180 degrees.

“Coo!!”

Under the control of the vines, the little fat dove crashed down to the ground, headfirst.

“Bai Yunmiao win.” The referee announced.

Fire fang Dog covered its eyes, unable to watch.

Qiao Sang looked at Fire fang Dog, which was hiding its face.

Could it be a case of bad luck?

“How was my hairstyle on the field? Did it get messy?” Bai Yunmiao asked eagerly as she returned to her seat.

“It looks fine.” Qiao Sang replied.

Bai Yunmiao’s hairstyle was a neat bun, all tied up meticulously; it wouldn’t get messy unless there was vigorous movement.

Bai Yunmiao was very pleased with the answer, then took out her mirror and comb to fix her bangs again.

---

As the morning matches concluded, contestants and the audience began to exit the arena.

At the entrance of the arena, Bai Yunmiao pointed nervously at a reporter holding a microphone not far away.

“What should I do? I’m a bit nervous. If they interview me later, what should I say?”

Qiao Sang said, “It depends on what they ask, but they usually want to know why you’re participating and what your thoughts are on the competition.”

Bai Yunmiao nodded and asked, “How do I look right now?”

“Beautiful.” Qiao Sang praised.

“Then I… ah! They’re looking over here! Ahhh! They’re coming this way!” Bai Yunmiao exclaimed excitedly.

“Calm down, maintain your image.” Qiao Sang advised.

“You’re right… it seems they are indeed walking toward us!” Bai Yunmiao whispered excitedly.

Qiao Sang looked over and confirmed that the reporter with the microphone was indeed approaching them.

It seemed Bai Yunmiao’s foresight was correct.

No makeup for nothing.

Soon, the reporter and his team reached them.

“Contestant Qiao Sang, I’m a reporter from Hanggang Aggregation Platform. I’d like to interview you about Fire fang Dog and the competition. Do you have a moment?”

Qiao Sang fell silent, staring at the microphone in front of her.

Bai Yunmiao: …!