Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 952: Little Treasure''s Interview
Previously on Beast Taming: Starting From Zero...
"Why was he recalled so soon! The Ghost Ring King was still waving at the crowd!"
"I never imagined the Shadow of Darkness from a Ghost Ring King could expand to such a massive scale!"
"That was terrifying. Who claimed that skills cast by a Shadow of Darkness don't scale in power? If the Ghost Ring King tried a Psychic Headbutt in his natural tiny form, it would never have achieved this kind of impact!"
"These combination moves are absolutely incredible!"
"Even if the Ghost Ring King relied on this specific combo as his finishing blow, its coolness factor is undeniable! You just don't see this kind of synergy with any other pet."
"I recall hearing myths about a dual-attribute species possessing both Ghost and Psychic types."
"Exactly, those were just legends. Qiao Sang’s Ghost Ring King is the living proof."
"Exceeding 60 meters... that Shadow of Darkness has surely attained the Ultimate level."
"The giant manifestation of the Ghost Ring King is so intimidating; he looks nothing like the adorable original body."
"Qiao Sang’s strength is terrifying. Two matches, two clean sweeps. The craziest part is she hasn't even summoned a King-level pet yet. She’s dominating everyone using only General-level pets."
"Do you believe she can break into the top ten?"
"That depends entirely on how powerful her King-level pet actually is."
"It seems unlikely. Even as a B-rank Beast Master, she must be a novice. How can she hope to rival veteran B-rank professional Beast Masters?"
"Why are you evaluating her like a normal human? She’s a complete freak of nature; she even managed to contract a Qingqing Ni."
"...Fair point."
The roar from the spectator stands was deafening. While the audience had seen the Shadow of Darkness and Psychic Headbutt combo before, they had never witnessed a Shadow of Darkness towering over 60 meters.
Furthermore, since this took place during the third round, Little Treasure’s victory via such a spectacular combination move sent the crowd's excitement to its peak.
Simultaneously, the official livestream chat was moving at a blistering pace: [Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!]
[Huge congrats to God Qiao on another win!]
[Ghost Ring King! Ghost Ring King!]
[It feels strange remembering that Qiao Sang once defeated me using a Ghost Ring Spirit.]
[Oh my god! Ghost Ring King is incredibly handsome!]
[So glad she took the win; cutting class was totally worth it.]
[Qiao Sang’s King-level pet is definitely that Blazing Star Canine from the National Campus Beast Tamer League. Rumor has it the Blazing Star Canine was her very first pet.]
[I traveled from the Yuhua Region just for this. Qiao Sang is a living legend at our school. The students at the bottom of the rankings say every day that they’re just like Qiao Sang—once their brain domains awaken, their own legends will begin.]
[Are you saying Qiao Sang’s grades used to be at the bottom?]
[Rumors are just noise. God Qiao dedicates all her focus to pet cultivation; she likely didn't have time for schoolbooks. The more powerful a Beast Master’s brain domain, the better their memory. With a brain domain far beyond her peers, her grades couldn't possibly be bad.]
[Is it just me, or is the comment section always full of students whenever Qiao Sang matches are on...]
---
In the family seating section, Ye Xiangting was busily uploading photos to her social circle with the caption: "Congratulations to my daughter for another match victory!"
In no time, dozens of comments appeared, overflowing with praise and amazement. Ye Xiangting beamed with pride, responding to her closest friends.
Liu Yao checked his phone, paused as a thought struck him, and then shared the news of Qiao Sang’s win on his own social circle as well.
---
Inside the contestant tunnel, Qiao Sang paused and performed hand seals to bring forth Little Treasure.
"Xun xun..."
The moment Little Treasure emerged, he hurried to open his ring, retrieved some energy recovery fluid, and began gulping it down.
"Why not just rest inside the Beast Codex?" Qiao Sang inquired.
Pets within the Beast Codex can transmit their desire to leave directly to their Beast Master's mind. The more developed the Beast Master’s brain domain, the more vivid these sensations are. Qiao Sang had stopped specifically because Little Treasure had been clamoring to come out.
"Xun xun..."
Between sips of the recovery fluid, Little Treasure chirped, explaining that he could recover just fine outside and didn't want to miss the upcoming interview.
Qiao Sang: ...
Suddenly, Little Treasure’s ears twitched. He finished the fluid in one gulp, tossed the bottle into a trash bin, and pulled a black cape from his ring—one he had purchased on Chaosu Star—to wrap around his body.
Qiao Sang’s lip curled slightly. She realized they were approaching the media zone.
The exit for contestants leads right through the interview area. It had been there during the preliminaries, but she had rushed past it then, too worried about getting Gangbao treated by Lubao to care about reporters. Little Treasure must have noted the location from inside the Beast Codex.
Qiao Sang sighed inwardly as they reached the press line.
The reporters' faces lit up as the young girl walked toward them. They crowded the barrier, shouting questions in an attempt to get her to stop.
"Contestant Qiao Sang, how do you feel about another clean sweep victory?"
"How did you manage to contract a Ghost Ring King with the Psychic attribute?"
"Why did you have Ghost Ring King learn Shadow of Darkness? Was it to compensate for his small stature?"
"Xun xun!"
Little Treasure, who had been scanning for a camera to wave at, froze at the last question. He floated directly in front of the reporter, letting out a stern cry. The reporter was startled by the pet's sudden confrontation.
Qiao Sang stopped and looked at the reporter, translating Little Treasure’s words with a deadpan expression: "No, he says he awakened that move naturally upon evolution. He definitely didn't learn it because of his size."
"Xun xun."
Little Treasure nodded firmly, confirming her translation.
Since Qiao Sang had answered the first question, the reporters surged forward, pointing their mics at Little Treasure: "What are your thoughts on winning with such a clean sweep?"
"Many Psychic pets struggle with Spatial Lockdown. How did you master it? Can you share your secret?"
"How did you first meet Qiao Sang?"
"Are the online rumors true that your Beast Master contracted a Qingqing Ni?"
"A Breezewing Nini was spotted at the Tianlie City Pet Center recently. Was that your teammate evolving?"
"What is your opinion of today's rivals? Which one was the most memorable?"
"Xun xun..."
Initially overwhelmed by the wall of cameras, Little Treasure soon adjusted his cape and began responding to the reporters with a dignified, mock-serious demeanor.
Qiao Sang fought back a smile as she translated his self-important replies.
---
Later that night, after the matches concluded, Qiao Sang dined with her mother, the Vice Principal, and Teacher Mikayla. Afterward, she utilized Little Treasure's positioning and Teleportation to return directly to their Pet Center room.
It was a necessity; after today’s performance, her fame had skyrocketed. She had nearly been swarmed at the stadium exit and barely managed to slip away.
Once inside, Little Treasure rushed to grab his computer from his ring, summoning Yabao and the others to watch the match replay. The rest of the team watched politely.
"Xun xun!"
"Xun xun!"
During every highlight, Little Treasure would provide a dramatic narration of his thoughts during the battle. When the video showed him waving while signaling Qiao Sang with his eyes, the room cheered.
"Qing qing?"
Qingbao chirped curiously, asking what he had been trying to tell their Beast Master at that moment.
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure stiffened, caught off guard by the question.
"Gang Zhan."
Gangbao chimed in, suggesting that he probably wanted to return to the Beast Codex quickly to recover for the interview, since those take a long time.
"Xun xun!"
Little Treasure gave Gangbao a look of pure gratitude and nodded frantically.
"Qing qing."
Recalling the long interview session she had witnessed from the Codex, Qingbao accepted the explanation with a nod.
Qiao Sang lounged on the bed, checking messages from her friends and family.
She noticed a message from Fang Sisi and opened the chat: [(Image)]
[(Image)]
[Tell me right now! Is this person on the news with your face and name actually YOU!]
Qiao Sang laughed and typed: [It’s me.]
Fang Sisi replied instantly: [You... you’ve actually become a B-rank Beast Master?!]
[Yeah,] Qiao Sang sent back.
Fang Sisi typed furiously: [I knew it! From the moment we met, I knew you were destined for greatness! Remember what I told you once?]
Qiao Sang messaged: [What?]
The reply came a second later: [Don’t forget me when you’re rich and famous!!!]
[...]
After the ellipsis, Qiao Sang added: [I still can’t let our pets marry. Yabao and your Flower Butterfly are not a size match.]
Fang Sisi: [I know, I know. Yabao is King-level now; the size difference is too much.]
Qiao Sang: [How do you know that?]
Fang Sisi: [I’ve been watching the stream. The Steel Slash Falcon and the Ghost Ring King were both General-level. Since you’re B-rank, you must have a King-level pet. It has to be Yabao. It couldn't be that rare one, right? I heard Water Luriana are nearly impossible to evolve.]
Qiao Sang: [...As long as you’ve given up on Yabao.]
Fang Sisi: [I want the Ghost Ring King now.]
Qiao Sang: [???]
Fang Sisi: [I saw today’s match! Ghost Ring King is incredible! Ghost and Psychic attributes? And that Shadow of Darkness where he stands on the giant head? The aura is just too cool! If my Mianmian was with him, their kids would be legendary! Plus, he doesn't even need a shrinking bracelet; he’s the perfect size for Mianmian!]
Qiao Sang: [...]
Qiao Sang ignored the request. After finishing her chat with Fang Sisi, she picked up a book about Central Hollow Region pets to study.
The recent matches had highlighted her lack of knowledge regarding local species. Many pets in the tournament were ones she couldn't even name. Luckily, Teacher Mikayla had anticipated this and provided several reference books.
---
At two in the morning, Little Treasure crept to the nightstand, took his Beast Master’s phone, and checked the trending news.
[Qiao Sang, Mutated Color Variant Ghost Ring King]
[Ghost Ring King, Ghost and Psychic-type Pet]
[Qiao Sang Secures Another Clean Sweep]
"Xun xun..."
Seeing himself trending, Little Treasure giggled into his paws and began reading the comments intently.
"Xun xun..."
The more he read, the wider his grin became. Overjoyed, he began floating around the room, eventually drifting into the hallway to let out a muffled, excited shout.
"Xun xun!"
After releasing his energy, he floated back inside, only to jump in fright when he saw his little brother watching him.
"Xun xun?" Little Treasure whispered.
"Gang Zhan."
Gangbao let out a flat cry, indicating that Little Treasure’s giggling and floating were disturbing his sleep.
Little Treasure: ...
"Gang Zhan."
Gangbao pointed a wing at the nightstand, reminding him to plug the phone in. With that, he went back to sleep.
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure obediently plugged in the phone. As he finished, he felt like something wasn't quite right.
---
The following morning, Qiao Sang woke up, refreshed herself, and turned on the Regional Championship broadcast. The current elimination round would span five days. With four days until her next bout, she intended to study the other contestants, as any of them could be her future opponent.
"Yap yap..."
Yabao watched the screen intently beside her.
"Xun xun..."
Surprisingly, Little Treasure joined them, watching the matches with unusual focus.
Qiao Sang looked at him curiously. "Why the sudden interest in the matches this morning?"
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure chirped while staring at the TV, implying he was studying his potential enemies.
Qiao Sang blinked in surprise.
"Xun xun?" Little Treasure tilted his head at her.
"It's nothing..." Qiao Sang looked back at the screen.
Once the Championship concluded, she decided she would find a scholarly pet to tutor him. It would be a waste not to utilize his newfound drive for learning.