Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 964: The Fourth Round

The following day.

Yukong Beast Arena.

Although the official start of the match was still roughly thirty minutes away, the spectator stands were already packed with a dense sea of people.

Both humans and their pets were engaged in animated conversations regarding the contestants they supported.

"Do you believe Huang Hailu will deploy his ace today?"

"Ke-ke!"

"I'm of the same mind! This battle determines entry into the Top 27, after all. There is a high chance we will see B-rank Beast Masters clashing."

"Ke-ke!"

As a pet roughly twenty centimeters in height, spherical and predominantly white, continued its chatter, the nearby spectators began to feel a wave of sleepiness wash over them.

One spectator with more mental fortitude turned around and remarked irritably, "Can you please make your Drowsy Ball be quiet?"

The Drowsy Ball, being a Primary-stage Psychic-type pet, possesses a vocal tone that naturally induces slumber in others.

"My apologies, sorry about that." The Drowsy Ball’s Beast Master quickly silenced the creature manually.

Drowsy Ball: ...

Elsewhere in the stands.

"Do you think Qiao Sang will call upon the Qinyin Fairy again today?"

"It’s unlikely, considering we are moving into the Top 27."

"Sigh, aside from the Qinyin Fairy, I'm really hoping Qiao Sang summons the Steel Sword Falcon. I have never encountered such a magnificent bird-type pet before."

"That is actually a reasonable expectation; at the very least, it is a General-level pet." The speaker recalled a detail and suddenly began to chuckle.

"Thinking of that Steel Sword Falcon always makes me laugh—remember how it finished its last match with only a single feather remaining?"

Just as the words left his mouth, he felt a sudden coldness on his scalp. Reaching up instinctively, his hand brushed against something wet and slimy.

A sense of dread filled the man. He pulled his hand back and stared down at it.

It was covered in hair.

"Who! Who did this!" the man roared, spinning around.

In the row directly behind him, a Fruit-Hair Freak looked away, pretending to whistle as if it were completely innocent.

The Beast Master accompanying the Fruit-Hair Freak glanced at the man's bald spot and quietly tried to shield his pet with his hand. He was well aware that the Fruit-Hair Freak’s current idol was Qiao Sang’s Steel Sword Falcon; the chance that his pet was responsible was nearly 100%.

However, the victim's sharp gaze had already locked onto them. This Fruit-Hair Freak was the only creature in the vicinity capable of producing a liquid that caused instantaneous hair loss.

The man stood up immediately, ready for a confrontation. Nearby onlookers stepped in to separate them, and security personnel arrived on the scene shortly after.

Such disturbances were commonplace in the stands. Many attendees brought their pets to view the matches, and the unique traits and temperaments of these creatures often led to chaos. The crowd had grown accustomed to it.

The various commotions among the audience did not disrupt the proceedings on the field. The host, perched atop a bird-type pet, enthusiastically introduced the prominent guests in attendance. One by one, the guests acknowledged the crowd with a wave.

"Today, we are also joined by Coach Tao from the National Beast Bureau!" the host announced loudly.

Upon hearing her name, a middle-aged woman in the front row—distinguished by her jet-black hair and fine lines at the corners of her eyes—rose, smiled, and waved to the spectators before returning to her seat.

The National Beast Bureau, or the National General Administration of Beasts, serves as the gathering point for the highest-level Beast Masters within the Dragon Kingdom. The representatives for international tournaments are selected from this institution every year. Even retired professional Beast Masters from the Bureau typically hold significant roles in regional Beast Bureaus.

The crowd erupted into hushed speculation: "Why has she come?"

"Wasn't it mentioned that Chen Tianqin was chosen for the national team's development program? She might be here to observe him."

"Could she be Chen Tianqin’s personal coach?"

"It's possible."

"I suspect she might be scouting for new talent. Haven't there been years where the champions were recruited directly into the national team?"

"That’s true, though they don't always pick the winner. They consider age and other vital statistics... Do you think Qiao Sang might be recruited?"

"Almost certainly. Even the National Bureau would struggle to find a B-rank Beast Master that young."

"I wouldn't be so sure. I heard Qiao Sang is still a student at the Imperial Beast Academy. At her age, her studies are still a priority."

As the debate continued, the host concluded the guest introductions and proceeded: "The contestants remaining in this round have overcome numerous trials to stand here. Now, let us look to the screen to see who the light of victory will favor in this round's matchups."

"Please welcome our referee from the Beast Notary Office!"

A massive virtual display materialized in the center of the arena. A woman dressed in formal attire stood and waved to the crowd. Beside her, a Base-Divider Unit split in two, its heads drifting toward the giant screen. The screen shimmered as the heads merged into it.

Every eye was glued to the display. The portraits on the screen shuffled and cycled rapidly before finally locking into pairs. The heads of the Base-Divider Unit emerged once more, their color remaining unchanged.

Qiao Sang scanned the results quickly and located her image in the second-to-last position of the bottom row:

[Zeng Feitian VS Qiao Sang]

Zeng Feitian, age 38, B-rank Beast Master. Roster: Two King-level pets, one General-level, one High-level, and one Mid-level.

Upon seeing her opponent’s name and photo, Qiao Sang couldn't help but grumble internally.

Another thought occurred to her, leaving her feeling slightly drained. Based on the match order, she would likely compete on the final day of the fourth round. The fifth round was scheduled to begin the very next day.

Qiao Sang had not even entertained the notion that she might lose.

Meanwhile, in the participant area, a man with a black micro-fringe haircut contemplated Qiao Sang’s photo for a moment before standing up and departing.

---

7:00 PM.

Beast Center.

Qiao Sang was currently navigating the official Regional Championships forum. Ever since her morning scouting session ended, she had dedicated the entire afternoon to digging up information on Zeng Feitian.

Despite being one of the few B-rank Beast Masters in the tournament, Zeng Feitian’s last appearance in the Regional Championships was nine years ago, back when he was only a C-ranker.

Because he hadn't participated in major public tournaments since then, reliable data was scarce. She was forced to analyze his old battle footage and hunt for mentions of him in forum threads.

The top of the forum was dominated by talk of today's matches. Qiao Sang scrolled down until she found a relevant post:

# Qiao Sang VS Zeng Feitian: Who has the edge? #

She opened the thread to find a flood of comments: [While I'm rooting for Qiao Sang, a rational look suggests Zeng Feitian has the upper hand. Hasn't it been leaked that Qiao Sang only recently reached B-rank? How can she stand against a veteran B-ranker?]

[I’ve seen both of them fight. Right now, I think Qiao God has the advantage. Zeng Feitian has no answer for the Ice Emperor Ram’s Ice Field Domain. PS: I’m not even a Qiao God fanboy.]

[I think it comes down to strategy. If Zeng Feitian correctly predicts when Qiao Sang will deploy the Ice Emperor Ram, he could use a General-level pet to exhaust her first. If she can't use Ice Field Domain against his King-level pet, he wins.]

[Zeng Feitian should take this, right? He has two King-level pets after all.]

[To become a B-rank Professional Beast Master, you need two King-level pets. I attempted the B-rank exam myself; it’s impossible to pass with just one.]

[Don't compare Qiao Sang to normal people. She's only 17 and has a contract with the Qinyin Fairy. Why is it so hard to believe she hit B-rank with one King-level pet?]

[If it’s true that Qiao Sang only has one King-level pet, then Zeng Feitian is the certain winner. Even if his Iron Battle Dragon loses to the Ice Emperor Ram, it can deplete her energy. He’ll still have his other King-level pet, the Flying Radium King, ready to go. How do you counter that?]

Qiao Sang’s gaze lingered on those last four words for a moment. She exited the thread and began a new search.

The search results appeared quickly: [Flying Radium King, King-level Flying-type pet. Features the "Mark" ability. Legend says that once it targets its prey, the mark allows it to track them regardless of where they hide.]

Qiao Sang thought to herself instinctively.

"Yap yap..."

Yabao, who was occupied with the match on the television, suddenly sensed something. He turned his head toward the window, looking at the sky. However, nothing was visible.

Yabao appeared uncertain.

Just then, a thunderous boom erupted from the live broadcast on the TV, and the entire arena floor collapsed.

"Yap yap!"

"Yap yap!"

Distracted by the scene, Yabao barked twice in excitement. The sensation of being watched by an unknown gaze was immediately forgotten.

Meanwhile.

High in the sky, thousands of meters above the Beast Center, a massive silver-white bird-type pet beat its wings. The man with the black micro-fringe, seated upon it, reviewed the data on his pet identifier:

[Blazing Divine Lion, King-level Fire and Psychic dual-attribute pet from the Yuhua region. Due to it being a newly discovered form, detailed data is unavailable.]

Zeng Feitian reflected for a few moments before stowing the device away.

---

Over the following days, Qiao Sang maintained her schedule between the Beast Center and her villa.

She had expected that knowing her opponent in advance and having a later match date might interfere with her sleep. However, that wasn't the case. She slept soundly during this period, only waking after the sun had risen high in the sky.

The final day of the fourth round arrived quickly.

10:00 PM.

The Yukong Beast Arena was bathed in brilliant light.

Beams of white light swept over the crowd. The stands were a solid mass of people; not a single seat remained vacant. In the front-row VIP section, Coach Tao, who had been present at the start of the round, returned for this concluding night.

A match had just concluded on the field, leaving the terrain severely damaged. As the participants departed, the entire floor retracted and was replaced by a fresh arena.

At the commentators' booth, Tian Yiwan checked the roster and his eyes sparkled. He spoke with a voice full of contained excitement:

"Up next are Qiao Sang and Zeng Feitian! We have the youngest and most formidable dark horse of the year facing off against a powerhouse who has remained undefeated since the tournament began, having only used two pets thus far. In this intense clash between two B-rank Beast Masters, what kind of performance will they deliver!"

As the introduction ended, two blue bird-type pets swept in from the arena's edges, hovering in mid-air. Standing on their backs were Qiao Sang and Zeng Feitian.

The roar of the crowd was deafening.

"Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!"

"Zeng Feitian! Zeng Feitian!"

"Qiao God! Qiao God! Destined for divinity!"

"Feitian! Feitian! Soaring to the skies!"

"Qinyin Fairy! Qinyin Fairy!"

Despite the late hour, the audience's energy was even higher than before. Such was the influence of high-profile contestants.

In the family seating area.

Ye Xiangting, Liu Yao, and Mikayla were seated together. With the tournament narrowed down to the Top 54, the family section had many empty spots, allowing the official guest limit to be increased from two to three.

Ye Xiangting watched the arena with a strained expression. This was her first time seeing her daughter compete against a B-rank Professional Beast Master. In any regional championship, B-rankers were considered elite. In her daily life, the only B-ranker she actually knew was Qiao Sang.

"Try to relax," Mikayla said, noticing her tension.

"I encouraged her to join this competition mainly for the experience. The objective is met regardless of whether she wins or loses."

Ye Xiangting: ...

The root of her anxiety was her desire for a win. Previously, she hadn't known Lubao could perform a Super-rank skill like Ice Field Domain. Now that she knew Qiao Sang had two King-level pets and was on par with other B-rankers, it was impossible not to hope for victory.

On the battlefield.

A holographic countdown of "10" manifested in the air. A synthetic voice counted down: "9, 8, 7... 3, 2, 1."

The numbers faded. Qiao Sang and Zeng Feitian executed their hand seals simultaneously.

Two giant, crimson star arrays ignited at nearly the same moment. From within these arrays, two massive forms emerged.

The temperature in the arena plummeted instantly as heavy snowflakes began to drift down. The official stream exploded with activity; the chat was overwhelmed with exclamation marks and mentions of the Ice Emperor Ram.

Qiao Sang observed the pet standing roughly thirteen meters tall across the field. Its body possessed a metallic sheen, and it stood on two legs with distinctive curved patterns. The relevant statistics flashed through her mind.

Lubao glared at her distant foe, recognizing it as the pet her Beast Master had described days earlier. Silently, she tilted her head back, and the jewel on her brow began to radiate a blue light.

Simultaneously, a brilliant white beam of energy erupted from the Iron Battle Dragon’s maw, surging directly toward Lubao.