Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 999: Red Warm Dragon

Once the host's words echoed out, deafening roars of excitement burst from the crowd in the arena.

Cameras switched to the announcer's area. Tian Yiwan and Tang Xueran coordinated their lines: "Greetings to all viewers, I'm Tian Yiwan, your host for this round."

"And I'm Tang Xueran."

Together, they declared: "We're thrilled to have guided you through the entire Regional Competition."

Tang Xueran went on: "Broadcasting live from the Yukong Beast Taming Arena in Tianan City, where Yuan Tianlong and Qiao Sang battle for the ultimate title in the 767th Regional Competition."

"Millions of eyes are fixed on these two fighters. Yuan Tianlong stands on one side, the bold soul vowing to rise as a Dragon-type Heavenly King, fresh off victories in the Beilun and Lianbo Regional Competitions!" Tian Yiwan bellowed.

"Facing him is Qiao Sang, the field's youngest participant, stepping into her debut Regional Competition, sweeping through every bout to claim her place in this climactic showdown!"

While the announcers hyped the event, endless waves of applause rolled across the spectator seats. Tian Yiwan chimed in: "Marking the grand finale of this Regional Competition, a host of elite visitors has shown up today."

The lens shifted to the VIP zone. Tang Xueran started naming the notables. Besides Coach Tao, who'd appeared twice earlier, the lineup included past Central Hollow winners, local government leaders, and a rep from the Beast Taming League's Central Hollow division.

The feed glided by, catching Ye Xiangting's features. Gazing at these prominent icons she'd only glimpsed on screens before, Ye Xiangting perched rigidly, pulse pounding, face revealing her inner jitters. She couldn't have dreamed she'd end up in such an elite seating for the championship!

Now down to just two competitors, the special family viewing area wasn't required anymore. In tribute to the finalists, event staff had moved their kin straight into the VIP seats.

Coach Tao flashed a grin at the camera, then exchanged a short talk with Mikayla over Ye Xiangting. After some quick chatter, Mikayla abruptly presented her: "Meet Qiao Sang's mom."

Coach Tao turned to Ye Xiangting, pausing in surprise before her gaze sparkled. She extended her hand warmly. "Hi there, I'm Tao Yunkai. These days, I serve at the National Bureau. I handled enlisting Qiao Sang for the National Beast Taming Combat Team."

"Yes, yes, Qiao Sang mentioned you." Ye Xiangting answered, gripping her hand promptly.

"I'm Ye Xiangting."

Despite her background in mingling, she sensed an automatic tightness and unease around someone of this stature. Their conversation kicked off. One sought details on Qiao Sang, while the other couldn't wait to recount everything, down to the sky's mood when Qiao Sang unlocked her Beast Codex; as they shared, their bond grew stronger.

Mikayla thought to herself.

Right then, Liu Yao, in discussion with a neighbor, cut in: "I just gave Qiao Sang some basic lessons back then; she's the real guide shaping her now."

"Hi, teacher. I recall Qiao Sang attends Imperial Beast University." A fellow queried eagerly from Liu Yao's other side.

"Are you on staff at Imperial University? What's Qiao Sang's typical coursework like?"

Mikayla: ...

All at once, the crowd unleashed shrieks and hollers far louder than anything prior. The man whipped his attention to the arena. Mikayla did the same, as Qiao Sang and Yuan Tianlong stepped onto the stage.

A glowing "10" hologram popped up. A robotic tone ticked off the countdown with shifting digits: "9, 8, 7... 3, 2, 1."

The glow faded. The spectators dropped into a shared hush. All eyes locked on the battlefield.

"The championship bout's opening round kicks off now." Tian Yiwan announced from the booth.

"Curious to see what beasts Qiao Sang and Yuan Tianlong unleash first."

Across the arena, the trainers both shaped seals at once. Twin radiant crimson star formations blazed on the floor. In moments, a pair of massive beasts materialized inside each circle.

"Out comes Ice Emperor Ram and Red Warm Dragon!" Tian Yiwan yelled.

At the same instant, the live stream comments went wild. The display overflowed with "Ice Emperor Ram" mentions and hype marks. Sparse nods to Red Warm Dragon got swiftly drowned out.

[Aaah! Ice Emperor Ram! Goddess Qiao unleashes Ice Emperor Ram right at the finals' start!]

[Grateful to Goddess Qiao for showing Ice Emperor Ram this early.]

[Her fight was only yesterday, yet it seems ages ago.]

[Ice Emperor Ram boasts this big a following?]

[Ignore the hype; they're all Guwu region folks.]

[Says who! I'm from Central Hollow!]

Inside the arena, hefty snowflakes started drifting down.

Qiao Sang’s spirits dropped as she eyed the beast standing about twelve meters high. Its body gleamed deep crimson, with fiery brow ridges curling skyward, sturdy legs and tail decked in metal bands.

From the tournament's kickoff, Yuan Tianlong had always led with his Sawtooth Dragon each time. She hadn't foreseen him altering that tactic just for her.

As her mind raced, the chill aura from Lubao swelled. The air turned frigid fast, frosting over whatever it touched in a heavy ice layer, right down to the Red Warm Dragon's raised leg.

Red Warm Dragon, a King-rank beast blending Dragon and Fire traits. It burns with fierce battle drive, core heat surpassing 3000 degrees. As its zeal peaks, the blaze on its brows flares brighter. Boasting Solar Power to boost Special Attack under sunlight, plus Flame Body, Blaze, and Inner Focus... Such stats raced through Qiao Sang’s head.

A vast dome that blanketed the whole arena materialized overhead.

"Max-strength Gigantic Ice Spikes is here!" Tian Yiwan exclaimed with thrill.

"Ice Emperor Ram dives in with Ice Field Domain and full-force Gigantic Ice Spikes from the get-go. She's aiming big—does she intend to knock out Red Warm Dragon in one go?"

The "ice mountain" plunged. Right then, Yuan Tianlong commanded: "Fire."

His order barely landed when intense blazes roared from Red Warm Dragon. A sharp "bang" rang out as the encasing ice burst into fragments.

... Qiao Sang’s face stayed mostly steady. She'd delved into Red Warm Dragon's profile ahead of time.

Drawing from Rong Yuhua and Wu Tianjiao's reports, without precise figures, it was clear from evolution timeline and prior showings that its stamina outpaced Lubao's.

She was confident Lubao had the Red Warm Dragon's details locked in too.

"Lu Di."

The frosty haze around Lubao billowed. The very next instant, Red Warm Dragon got sealed in ice once more.

BANG!!!

The ice mountain slammed down. The arena trembled. The surface buckled, sinking inches under the brutal force!

"Red Warm Dragon shrugged off the Ice Flower Seal's freeze, but Ice Emperor Ram saw it coming, locking it down again right away. Gigantic Ice Spikes lands square on Red Warm Dragon!" Tang Xueran raced through the play-by-play of the swift action.

"Will Red Warm Dragon endure that blow?" Tian Yiwan wondered.

Folks who'd followed Yuan Tianlong's run knew this deep down.

Unlike before, the "ice mountain" lingered after impact, refusing to melt away.

Boom!

A fiery dragon shape erupted upward from under the pinned Red Warm Dragon's spot! The enormous ice mass couldn't hold against this savage power; flames speared right through, rocketing toward the heavens!

Splits spiderwebbed across the mountain. As fissures spread, a colossal fireburst erupted from its core.

Qiao Sang uttered coolly: "Keep going."

"Lu Di." Lubao responded.

Frost visibly crept through the atmosphere. The exploding flames got wrapped in a solid ice casing instantly, exposing Red Warm Dragon's form within.

From the booth, Tian Yiwan hollered: "The shell cracks, the peak crumbles, yet Ice Field Domain holds strong! No matter if Red Warm Dragon escapes the freeze or shatters the mountain, one whim from Ice Emperor Ram refreezes it!"

Since the prior stage, he'd swung to Qiao Sang's side, and his calls showed it.

Tang Xueran broke it down more evenly: "No beast has cracked Lubao’s chain this swiftly before. Lubao can snap-freeze the foe with a mere idea, but prolonging this will drain energy heavily."

Tian Yiwan grinned: "With Energy Regeneration, Ice Emperor Ram doesn't seem fazed by stamina loss."

In the arena, Qiao Sang fixed her eyes on the freshly iced Red Warm Dragon, and her pulse jolted unexpectedly.

Qiao Sang pulled back her wandering mind and yelled on reflex: "Ice Armor!"

Lubao had no moment to ponder. In a flash, elegant ice plating formed over her whole frame.

That same instant, the iced Red Warm Dragon hovering above disappeared.

The crowd froze in shock. Before grasping what happened, a dazzling, blistering blaze detonated from under the ice mountain. The already fractured mass exploded apart, hurling huge ice blocks everywhere.

At the same time, viewers spotted a crimson shape buried deep in the earth, scarred and battered.

The blaze's rush was blindingly quick, spanning the arena in a flash. A wild flame surge blasted up under Lubao, fresh in her ice armor.

Lubao soared through the air from the hit. The arena's icy essence evaporated, warmth creeping back in. The stands buzzed with frenzy.

"Oh no! Red Warm Dragon hid below the entire time! So what burst up first? A duplicate? A stand-in?"

"Yuan Tianlong lives up to his name. First beast to bust the Ice Flower Seal and actually tag Ice Emperor Ram, huh?"

"Genius move! He figured surface exposure meant freezing, so he burrowed and fired Hellfire from below. Plus, deploying a duplicate to throw her off."

"Reminds me of Little Treasure's tricks; that one thrives on decoys to fool rivals."

"Hold on, how'd Red Warm Dragon bounce back so rapidly from that massive strike? Most beasts would drop, no shot at hitting back."

"Feels like Yuan Tianlong banked on Ice Emperor Ram going down first..."

"Red Warm Dragon deployed a decoy to mislead Ice Emperor Ram as the real deal struck from underground." Tian Yiwan explained.

"Looks like Yuan Tianlong plotted this out way ahead."

"Super-tier zone moves are tough to shatter at equal ranks, though not unbeatable." Tang Xueran dissected while eyeing the dragon vaulting from the dirt.

"Big gaps in stamina or might, or a devastating chain matching Super-tier force, or striking the user to disrupt their flow—all can make the zone collapse."

Even as a Qiao Sang backer, Tian Yiwan kept it sharp. "Hellfire alone couldn't topple Ice Field Domain, but the ploy was sharp: fake out with a copy while the true form nailed Lubao's spot."

"Spot on." Tang Xueran concurred.

"Qiao Sang sensed trouble in the nick of time and ordered Ice Emperor Ram to shield with Ice Armor."

Out on the field, Yuan Tianlong directed: "Press the assault."

Ice Field Domain guzzled huge reserves. Versus the domain, Lubao's real headaches were Healing Light and Energy Regeneration. Break the domain, hammer nonstop during her damage without healing or recharge breaks, and the win was theirs.

Yuan Tianlong eyed the downed Ice Emperor Ram, poised for the next blow.

Of Qiao Sang's lineup, Lubao matched best against Sawtooth Dragon. His habit of opening with Sawtooth Dragon hinted she'd counter with Lubao.

Lubao held Water traits, clashing well with Fire-based Red Warm Dragon, but her style leaned Ice-heavy, often launching Ice Flower Seal or Ice Field Domain. He'd drilled counters for each pre-fight.

Till Red Warm Dragon lay knocked out, Lubao wouldn't drop the "ice mountain" at once—that left an opening for the dragon's move.

Yuan Tianlong’s eyes settled on the injured Red Warm Dragon.