Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 997: Steel Chief Kane

Previously on Beast Taming: Starting From Zero...

Qiao Sang's Ice Emperor Ram sealed Wu Tianjiao's Four-Poison Algae Flower with an enhanced Ice Flower Seal under the Ice Field Domain, preventing it from breaking free and securing a 3:0 victory to advance to the finals against Yuan Tianlong. The arena erupted in cheers as the finalists were announced for the next night's showdown. In the locker area, Qiao Sang thanked Wu Tianjiao for shielding Gangbao during its evolution and had Lubao heal her pets, earning shared data on Yuan Tianlong in return. Back at the hotel, Qiao Sang reviewed the intel while Little Treasure demonstrated newfound control over his shadow, impressing his teammates.

"Amazing..." Qiao Sang gazed at Little Treasure, once again regretting deeply that he hadn't attended school.

During the brief time observing the battle, he had independently discovered a way to perform Shadow Control without needing hand seals.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure noticed his beast tamer's stare and shivered slightly, sensing an ominous feeling of impending trouble.

Quietly, Little Treasure stepped backward, turning his head away to dodge her gaze.

Qiao Sang asked: "That's impressive. Did you come up with it on your own?"

"Xun xun~"

Upon hearing "impressive," Little Treasure's spirits lifted instantly, and he dove into an enthusiastic, vivid recounting of his idea for the technique and the steps he took to master it.

Gangbao observed from nearby, her eyes slowly brimming with respect. Right then, she genuinely believed her trainer was clever, though in a way quite distinct from her own.

All of a sudden, her trainer's voice resonated in her thoughts:

Gangbao eyed Little Treasure, who grew more excited with each passing moment, and responded in her mind: "Gang Zhan."

... Gangbao pondered.

Qiao Sang observed Gangbao quietly and answered mentally:

Gangbao: ... ...

"Gang Zhan." Gangbao replied obediently through her thoughts.

Qiao Sang couldn't suppress a smile. Truthfully, following today's temporary bond evolution, she discovered that Gangbao's mind was remarkably lively.

Gangbao: ...

Yabao focused closely on Little Treasure's explanation.

"Yap yap!"

After absorbing the details, Yabao faced his trainer, tail swishing eagerly with hopeful eyes. "Yap yap?"

Qiao Sang delivered the harsh reality: "No."

"Yap yap..." Yabao's tail fell limp right away.

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure gently patted Yabao's back to comfort him.

Noticing this, Qiao Sang stated earnestly: "Little Treasure's version of Shadow Control differs from your approach to skills. For Shadow Control, the more discreet the activation, the more effective it becomes. However, with you, it's fine if foes predict your actions—the key is ensuring they can't stop it."

"Yap yap!"

Yabao agreed with the logic and bounced back energetically. Little Treasure quietly withdrew his paw.

Qingbao viewed the interaction and found it hilarious, letting out a soft chuckle. Little Treasure glanced her way.

"Qing qing."

Qingbao fluttered her innocent eyes and offered him a gentle, warm smile.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure felt somewhat embarrassed under her beaming expression.

---

11:10 PM

Qiao Sang completed her evening routine, slipped under the covers, and shut her eyes. As always, she reviewed the Beast Codex right before drifting off.

The pages turned swiftly. Spotting Gangbao's entry still listed as , a sudden recollection hit her. Sleep fled entirely as she snapped her eyes open and turned toward Gangbao perched by the window.

Gangbao detected the motion and looked over, but she froze—she couldn't read her trainer's mind at all.

"Feeling tired?" Qiao Sang eyed Yabao and Qingbao dozing on the bed and murmured softly.

"Gang Zhan." Gangbao shook her head.

Qiao Sang grinned: "Great, then let's head to the training area to experiment with your evolved state and check if you can trigger it voluntarily."

The hotel offered dedicated training spaces with top-notch seclusion.

Semi-finals and finals were scheduled consecutively for tomorrow. Qiao Sang had intended to practice during downtime, yet Professor Mikayla advised: "Occasionally, proper rest right before competing leads to superior performance. Have faith in the groundwork laid by you and Yabao."

Thus, she allowed rest while analyzing Yuan Tianlong's information, overlooking the chance to test Gangbao's temporary evolution and review her abilities. Naturally, aside from Little Treasure, the rest eventually succumbed to their urges and engaged in mild exercises in the indoor area.

"Gang Zhan." Gangbao nodded.

As her wings lifted, something occurred to her, and she chirped curiously: "Gang Zhan?"

Qiao Sang blinked in surprise: "No."

"Gang Zhan?" Gangbao inquired.

Qiao Sang hesitated, then wore an odd look. "Precisely when did you lose the ability to sense my thoughts?"

"Gang Zhan." Gangbao paused briefly and signaled it started roughly three minutes prior.

Qiao Sang pressed: "Does this happen every night around bedtime, when you can't pick up my thoughts?"

Gangbao nodded and chirped: "Gang Zhan."

After a moment, she noted that previously, sensing or not hadn't mattered, but recently, with so many ideas swirling, the abrupt quiet felt disorienting.

Qiao Sang: ...

Evidently, during Beast Codex sessions, Gangbao remained completely in the dark. Staring at her, Qiao Sang enunciated clearly: "I wasn't clearing my mind. I was checking the Beast Codex."

Should Gangbao's upcoming evolutions depend on Bond Power, Qiao Sang refused to let any doubts weaken their connection.

"Gang Zhan." Gangbao detected the sincerity in her trainer's words. She chirped, understanding now that her trainer hadn't been "blank-minded." She knew of the Beast Codex—it was the tool that enabled humans to form contracts and command beasts.

Qiao Sang went on: "My version of the Beast Codex is unique. It displays your full stats, so I review it nightly. Due to its distinct properties, you sense nothing when I focus on it."

"Gang Zhan..." Gangbao stared at her trainer.

Reading the sentiment, Qiao Sang smiled: "It's fine. We're the closest of partners, right?"

A surge of warmth filled Gangbao's heart, paired with an enigmatic boost in strength.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure, who had eavesdropped, lifted his paws excitedly.

Qiao Sang turned to him with a smile: "It's alright that you overheard too."

Honestly, during their initial contracts—even with Yabao—she never imagined revealing this secret to her beasts. Yet now, including the newest like Qingbao, she sensed no barriers in sharing anything.

She acknowledged how her perspective had shifted dramatically since entering this beast-taming world. Yabao and the rest had become her irreplaceable allies.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure swirled joyfully in the air. Though he didn't grasp why his master's words held such weight, it seemed vital to her and his subordinate, filling him with a profound trust.

"Gang Zhan."

Just then, Gangbao suggested attempting the Bond Evolution with a chirp, then fluttered off toward the training room.

"Shy yet touched..." Qiao Sang picked up on Gangbao's emotions, watched her pretend nonchalance, chuckled, and rose from bed to trail after.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure called from behind and dashed to catch up.

The suite's training space featured reinforced materials for sound isolation and resilience, suitable mainly for routine drills; devastating skills weren't meant for indoor use.

To prevent disturbing Yabao and the others, Qiao Sang entered and secured the door before announcing: "Let's start."

"Gang Zhan."

Gangbao nodded, then settled onto the ground as a brilliant white glow burst from her form.

Though the room's ceiling reached no higher than 20 meters, its length extended far beyond.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure eyed the radiance enveloping Gangbao, his face betraying clear envy.

As the glow subsided, Gangbao's form had transformed entirely into her King-level state.

Gradually, her body diminished in size, and she rose to her feet.

Meanwhile, Qiao Sang settled into a nearby lounge seat, shut her eyes, and projected her mind into the Beast Codex.

The pages rustled quickly, leading her straight to Gangbao's section.

Name: Steel Chief Kane (Gangbao)

Attributes: Steel, Flying

Level: King Level (1,000,000 / 10,000,000) +

First Trait: Mirror Armor. Level: A , Status: (Exceptionally useful), Description: (When affected by an opponent's stat-lowering move or characteristic, reflects those effects back to the pet that used the move or triggered the characteristic)

Second Trait: Hard Skull. Level: D, Status: (Difficult to use), Description: (Provides immunity to recoil damage from its own moves)

Third Characteristic: Sharpness. Level: S, Status: (Supernatural), Description: (When using slicing moves, power is increased by 90%)

Fourth Characteristic: Mental Fortitude. Level: B, Status: (Useful), Description: (Possesses a trained spirit that will not flinch from an opponent's attack or pressure, and remains unmoved by Intimidate)

Fifth Characteristic: Dauntless Shield. Level: A (), Status: (Exceptionally useful), Description: (Defense increases upon entering the field, though there is a time limit; defense returns to normal over time.)

Sixth Characteristic: Pressure. Level: A (), Status: (Exceptionally useful), Description: (Exerts pressure on the opponent, making them feel an overbearing aura)

Hidden Characteristic: Bond Power. Level: A (), Status: (Exceptionally useful), Description: (Can use the power of the bond to perform beyond conventional abilities during battle)

Skills: Iron Defense (Ultimate) max, Trickery (Proficient ) +, Steel Wing (Great Success ) +, Air Slash (Great Success ) +, Peck (Great Success ) +, Air Absorption (Perfect ) +, Metal Claw (Competent ) +, Metal Sound (Beginner ) + Wing Blade (Ultimate ) max, Quick Attack (Great Success ) +, Scary Face (Beginner ) +, Heavy Slam (Proficient ) +, Hurricane (Great Success ) +, Double Team (Perfect ) +, Swords Dance (Proficient ) +, Roost (Proficient ) +, Holy Sword (Proficient ) +, Iron Tail (Beginner ) +, Flash Cannon (Beginner ) +, Steel Beam (Beginner ) +

... A rush of delight washed over Qiao Sang.

This trait proves incredibly handy, boosting the slicing and shredding force for moves like Steel Wing, Air Slash, or Gangbao's go-to Wing Blade.

She scrolled onward.

Two additional traits: Dauntless Shield and Pressure.

Pressure needs little explanation—it unleashes an intimidating presence, one that Little Treasure and Qingbao possess as well...

Thinking about it, among her five beasts, Yabao seemed the ideal candidate to unlock this trait, but he hadn't.

Still, it made sense; awakening Pressure demands considerable effort.

Little Treasure, being a rare variant, likely inherited royal blood.

Qingbao hardly needs mention—she carries her legacy and promises to become a divine beast.

Qiao Sang refocused and examined the remaining new trait.

... Qiao Sang recalled today's evolution, when lightning struck Gangbao, yet she endured without agony.

She turned to the skills list.

Three fresh additions.

Iron Tail: A superior Steel-type technique, swinging a reinforced tail to strike the foe and inflict harm.

Flash Cannon: A superior Steel-type technique, concentrating inner light into a burst for a potent strike, occasionally reducing the enemy's defenses.

This one's promising. During her contests on Chaosu Planet, she faced a Steel Giant Dragon employing it.

Qiao Sang vividly recalled its devastating impact.

She continued to the final skill below.