Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 976: Coach Tao Admits Coming For Qiao Sang

-----

6:00 PM.

Beast Center.

Room 2603.

Qiao Sang reclined on her bed, her thumb flicking through various search results on her smartphone.

Typically, a Beast Master is only permitted to visit breeding centers or beast bases to find a partner once their brain domain has undergone its initial awakening. However, certain individuals are born with unique advantages.

In cases where a guardian holds a B-rank or higher Beast Master qualification, they can apply for an egg or a pet without an immediate contract for themselves or their offspring. This privilege facilitates an early bond, allowing the contract to be formally established the moment the child is capable.

This method bypasses the lengthy initial bonding period and ensures the pet obeys the Beast Master’s directives immediately after the contract is signed. Yuan Tianlong was a prime example of such a privileged individual. He eventually contracted Dragon-types for his entire team. During previous interviews, he had openly declared his ambition to earn the title of Dragon-type Heavenly King.

Recalling Chen Tianqin’s remarks, Qiao Sang drifted into deep reflection.

While she was lost in thought, Mikayla’s voice broke the silence: "Are you interested in heading out for dinner tonight?"

Qiao Sang raised her head to see that Mikayla had materialized out of thin air within the room. "No thanks, I think I’ll just get delivery."

As her tournament ranking continued to climb, the public's fervor was becoming overwhelming. She didn't feel like venturing out so soon after such a high-profile victory.

"Don't bother with a delivery service. Just tell me what you're craving and I’ll pick it up for you," Mikayla offered.

"We should get some training in after we've eaten."

Qiao Sang didn't refuse the help and placed her order: "I'd like the braised wheaten cake from that shop we visited last time."

"Xun xun!" Little Treasure chimed in, making it clear he wanted a portion as well.

Despite not speaking the language, Mikayla’s long life helped her guess the pet's intent. She let out a small laugh, "Your Ghost Ring King truly has a diverse palate."

Most pets exclusively consume food saturated with energy. Qiao Sang’s Ghost Ring King was an exception; he ate practically anything. Mikayla had even spotted him snacking on melon seeds just a few days prior.

Qiao Sang smiled and answered, "He enjoys experimenting with new flavors."

Mikayla nodded and vanished instantly. Ten minutes later, she returned with the meal. On the coffee table, Little Treasure opened his jaw, employing telekinesis to shift the meat into his mouth.

As she ate slowly, Qiao Sang remembered a question: "Is it possible to trigger the Mutual Destruction trait on purpose?"

Mikayla understood the context immediately. "You didn't find any records of the Phantasm Hate Fox possessing that trait before, did you?"

As expected, Qiao Sang thought. She gave a small hum of confirmation. "In previous matches, when the fox took damage, its rivals never suffered the same pain."

Mikayla replied without a second thought: "That's because it’s a Hidden Trait."

Qiao Sang was taken aback. She recalled that in the Beast Codex, Little Treasure’s Cursed Body, Gangbao’s Power of Bonds, and Lubao’s Snowfall were all categorized as Hidden Traits.

She possessed some knowledge on the subject. Unlike standard traits, Hidden Traits can be manifested through specific training, provided the pet has the underlying genetic potential. For instance, if a pet lacks the capacity for Bond Evolution, no amount of emotional closeness will grant it the Power of Bonds.

Mikayla went on to explain, "Most traits function passively, but some do not—like the Ghost Ring King’s Invisibility or the Qinyin Fairy's Wind Transformation. These can be used at will. While Hidden Traits usually trigger on their own, they can be brought under conscious control once a certain level of mastery is reached."

"Do you know why pets with the Power of Bonds often share their master's thoughts during a fight? It’s because that power is active throughout the battle, whereas it might stay dormant during daily life."

Qiao Sang’s eyes brightened. "Does that mean if Gangbao learns to control it, she wouldn't be able to sense my private thoughts?"

Gangbao, who was busy with her energy pellets, shot her Beast Master a quiet, knowing look.

Mikayla took a sip of her soup and added with a grin, "That usually only works for low-level Power of Bonds, though. Your Steel Sword Falcon has already undergone Bond Evolution several times; her power level must be immense. She likely stays synchronized with your mind even during her downtime."

Qiao Sang and Gangbao exchanged a look of mutual understanding, both letting out a quiet internal sigh at the same time.

"But it still can be managed, right?" Qiao Sang inquired.

Mikayla nodded. "Indeed. If that Mutual Destruction trait hadn't been seen before, it either just manifested before your bout, or his level is high enough that he kept it hidden. I suspect the latter is more likely."

He certainly treats me like a serious threat, Qiao Sang mused.

Mikayla set down her chopsticks and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "I almost forgot, there is one other possibility."

"And what's that?" Qiao Sang asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Information warfare," Mikayla stated.

"Chen Tianqin belongs to the National Bureau. It's possible some of his older data was wiped. When you looked him up, you were probably only seeing his most recent performances."

Qiao Sang nodded. "That makes sense."

When scouting opponents, people usually focus on recent footage since it shows current power levels. Older data is harder to track down and usually involves unevolved pets, making it less useful for strategy.

Mikayla elaborated, "For those competing in major international or even interstellar tournaments, information is a resource. They often have teams dedicated to digging up dirt on rivals while scrubbing their own digital footprint, or even planting false information to mislead others. Your opponent today might have used that trait before his fox even evolved, but the records were deleted. People have short memories; they remember the result, but not the specifics of the fight."

I've learned something new, Qiao Sang noted.

Once dinner was finished, Little Treasure’s eyes emitted a blue glow, and the entire group vanished from the apartment.

---

Suburbs, Villa.

The Muscle-Protective Tiger pulled the door open, and as Qiao Sang stepped inside, she was showered with a burst of colorful streamers.

"Congrats on reaching the Top 16!" Yu Ke and Yu Le yelled with excitement.

"Yap yap..." Yabao brushed a few streamers off his nose with a paw.

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure appeared, spinning with joy under the falling paper ribbons. A light breeze stirred, and Qingbao floated silently to a spot just outside the mess.

Qiao Sang gave a laugh. "It's just the Top 16; was a full ceremony really necessary?"

"Absolutely!" Yu Le insisted.

"You beat Chen Tianqin! THE Chen Tianqin who was scouted by the National Bureau!"

Mikayla cleared her throat and said, "I’ll leave you kids to catch up. I’ll be at the outdoor training area."

"Everyone is saying that since you took down a National Bureau member, your admission is practically guaranteed now," Yu Ke said, smiling.

Qiao Sang answered with a calm expression, "I'm already in."

Yu Ke: "!!!"

She stared at Qiao Sang in shock. Even though she had suspected something after seeing the photos of Coach Tao Yunkai and Qiao Sang leaving the Heavenly King Hotel, she figured they were just in talks. She never imagined it was a settled matter! The National Bureau worked incredibly fast!

Yu Le, however, remained much more collected. She froze for only a moment before cheering, "I knew Goddess Qiao would make it! That guy from the Rong family keeps bragging about getting in, but so what if he rented out all the training grounds? He was knocked out early anyway."

Qiao Sang’s heart gave a little jolt. "The guy from the Rong family?"

"Rong Yuhua. He was also a contestant in this regional tournament," Yu Ke explained.

"I noticed him sitting near you during two of your matches, but you probably didn't pay him any mind."

Qiao Sang’s eyelid gave a twitch. She felt a sudden, childish urge to block his number on her phone.

Pushing the urge aside, she checked the availability of local training fields on her app. Every single rentable space was still listed as booked. Qiao Sang let out a sigh and set her phone down.

"Is something wrong?" Yu Ke asked.

"The training fields are still all fully reserved," Qiao Sang replied.

Yu Ke speculated, "Rong Yuhua probably didn't book them this time. It’s likely the other Beast Masters who are here for the event. People get inspired after watching a good match and want a place to spar."

Yu Le added, "Or maybe Rong Yuhua has so much money he just forgot to cancel the reservations he made?"

Losing interest in the subject, Qiao Sang said, "Let's talk more later. I need to get to training."

---

11:00 PM.

Qiao Sang returned to Room 2603, cleaned up, and crawled into bed. Out of habit, she shut her eyes to inspect the Beast Codex.

"Xun xun?" Little Treasure whispered, pointing a small toe toward the door and asking Qingbao if they should head out.

"Qing qing." Qingbao glanced at their sleeping master and shook her head.

"Xun xun?" Little Treasure looked puzzled. His fifth sibling had accompanied him the last few nights to hunt for troublemakers.

Qiao Sang opened her eyes. "What exactly are you going out to look for?"

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure jumped, his eyes darting around as he let out a nervous, guilty chirp. Busted...

He’s definitely up to something, Qiao Sang thought to herself.

"Qing qing~" Qingbao chirped in a sweet tone, explaining that some bad people had been watching their room lately, and Little Treasure wanted to check if any were still around.

Little Treasure stared at Qingbao in disbelief. You're just going to tell her?

"Yap yap?!" Yabao, who had been half-asleep, bolted upright with a fierce expression, jumping off the bed to stand guard.

"Qing qing." Qingbao chirped again, reassuring him that the intruders had been chased off last time.

"Yap yap..." Yabao relaxed instantly, his drowsiness returning as he flopped back onto the mattress.

Qiao Sang suddenly put the pieces together, "So that mysterious wind in the other rooms the other day was your doing?"

Little Treasure nodded. Just as Qiao Sang was about to respond, Qingbao looked up with wide, innocent eyes and chirped softly, asking if they were being naughty by doing that...

"Not at all!" Qiao Sang assured her.

"It’s their own fault for trying to spy on us."

She added, "If it wasn't for you two, I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep so well lately."

"Qing qing~" Qingbao’s eyes turned into happy crescents, and she nuzzled against her master. Qiao Sang gently petted her head.

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure watched the fifth sibling act so cute and felt like he had been outmaneuvered... By the window, Gangbao watched Qingbao with a calculating gaze. In the water tank, Lubao remained focused on her Ice Armor training, completely undisturbed.

---

The following day.

8:00 AM.

Qiao Sang was jolted awake by her phone vibrating incessantly. She reached for it and found it overflowing with notifications. Most were people asking when she had officially joined the National Bureau.

Qiao Sang recalled her mother’s voice—full of hidden excitement and a bit of complaining about being kept in the dark. She checked the social media trends. The top headline was: [Coach Tao Confirms He Came Specifically for Qiao Sang]

Right below it: [Qiao Sang Officially Joins National Bureau]

Qiao Sang tapped the first link. It was a clip of Coach Tao being swarmed by press. A journalist asked: "Photos were taken of you and Qiao Sang leaving the Heavenly King Hotel separately. Were you two dining together?"

"We were," Coach Tao confirmed with a nod.

"Did you have a prior relationship?"

"No," Coach Tao answered simply.

"I invited her there to discuss her recruitment into the National Bureau."