Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

The next day, Qiao Sang woke up and instinctively reached over to grab her phone to check the time.

Instead, she felt Little Treasure's paw.

Qiao Sang perked up and sat up immediately.

“You’re actually awake this morning?!”

For several days in a row, she’d woken up each morning to find Little Treasure still fast asleep. Today, however, he was fully awake, catching Qiao Sang by surprise.

The books said some pet beasts tend to sleep more during certain developmental phases, returning to normal once the phase is complete.

Could this be the case for Little Treasure?

Come to think of it, he did look slightly taller than before…

“Xun~”

What Qiao Sang didn’t know was that, afraid Little Treasure would lose track of time, she had set a three-hour limit on the virtual helmet before going to bed the night before.

This forced Little Treasure to log off midway, leaving he wide awake early in the morning.

---

What can you do with a million in the Beastmaster world?

Buy ten Fire Fang Dogs, or one Bubble Bell, or even a small Horned Dragon’s horn.

If you’re only buying, not maintaining, the choices are quite extensive.

Apart from pet beasts, daily life could also see considerable improvements.

With her sudden windfall, Qiao Sang decided it was time to treat herself.

Bright and early, she ditched the buy-one-get-one bread from the supermarket and headed to the priciest breakfast shop nearby, lavishly ordering every popular item on the menu.

The total cost? 567 alliance coins.

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Of that, Yabao and Little Treasure ate 552 alliance coins’s worth, while she only ate 15 coins.

As Qiao Sang munched on her 10-alliance coins sticky rice and sipped her 5-alliance coins soy milk, she couldn't shake the feeling that even with a million in the bank, her lifestyle hadn’t changed all that much.

Where exactly was the issue…?

“Yap!”

Just as Qiao Sang was deep in thought, Yabao nudged his empty bowl forward with a paw, signaling he wanted another serving.

“Boss, one more bowl of fire mushroom rice!”

“Got it!”

The owner quickly brought over a fresh bowl of fire mushroom rice.

“Hello, that’ll be 66 alliance coins.”

Qiao Sang silently took out the money, finally realizing where the issue lay…

---

At school, Qiao Sang unexpectedly spotted Jin Feifan at the training ground entrance.

“What brings you here?” She asked as she walked over.

The training grounds and schedules for the second-year and first-year teams were different, so at this time, the first-year team members should still be waking up.

Jin Feifan’s eyes brightened when he saw her. Shuffling her feet, she shyly said, “I was waiting for you.”

Qiao Sang was a bit taken aback.

Jin Feifan was someone with serious social anxiety. She rarely interacted with others, even online, so she hadn’t expected her to seek her out in person.

“Is something up?” She asked curiously.

“It’s five days until the school year starts, and I’m a bit nervous, so I thought I’d talk to you about it.” She said, hesitating slightly.

Qiao Sang blinked.

“Why didn’t you message me?”

“My phone’s broken, and I haven’t taken it to be repaired yet.” Jin Feifan said, a bit embarrassed.

No wonder. She thought it was strange for someone with social anxiety to avoid using their phone and approach her in person.

Comforting her, Qiao Sang said, “It’s alright. Don’t stress too much. Just chat casually with your classmates. If it gets tough, summon your Little Ball Pofu. That’ll surely help build connections.”

In the Beastmaster society, talking about pet beasts was the fastest way to bond with people.

Hearing this, Jin Feifan stood in stunned silence for a moment. Her face then turned red, and she raised her voice slightly, “That’s not what I’m nervous about!”

Qiao Sang was puzzled.

“Then what’s making you nervous?”

“Have you even read the group messages?”

Jin Feifan explained, “On the first day of school, there will be a strength showcase for the team members. Any of the new students can challenge us. If we lose, we could end up as substitutes or even get kicked off the team.”

“Really?!” Qiao Sang was thrilled.

“Yap!” Yabao was equally excited.

“I get the feeling you’re both… a little too happy about this.” Jin Feifan said, hesitant.

“Yap yap!”

Yabao nodded enthusiastically.

Showing off their skills was definitely something to be excited about.

“No, we’re not.” Qiao Sang awkwardly tried to keep Yabao from nodding.

Noticing Jin Feifan’s strange look, she paused, then changed her tone, saying with a serious expression, “Who would’ve thought such a thing would happen!”

Jin Feifan: …

“Are there any restrictions?” Qiao Sang asked.

“For example, if we win a match, can others keep challenging us?”

Jin Feifan nodded, feeling discouraged.

“There aren’t any restrictions like that. The group messages mentioned that after each win, the school medic will restore your pet beast’s condition immediately, and you’ll wait for the next challenger.”

“The school will decide if you get to stay on the team based on your performance and the number of wins.”

That’s perfect! So, as long as you don’t lose, you can keep fighting, and the points just keep adding up…

Qiao Sang was overjoyed, but she kept a straight face for Jin Feifan’s sake, sighing, “That’s really putting us in a tough spot.”

“Tell me about it.” Jin Feifan sighed.

After ten minutes of talking about the topic, Jin Feifan hesitated for a while before finally revealing her real reason for being there.

“I can’t leave the school grounds, so could you help me take my phone in for repairs?”

“Sure!” Qiao Sang, in an excellent mood, agreed without hesitation.

---

After Jin Feifan left, Qiao Sang strolled into the training ground humming a tune, a big smile on her face.

Wang Yao turned her head and noticed Qiao Sang and Yabao, tail wagging, striding in with a spring in their step.

Curious, she asked, “What’s going on? Why so cheerful?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just last night, while I was out buying something, I found a missing pet beast for someone, and in the process, the little treasure hunter learned a new skill.” Qiao Sang replied, scratching her head with a grin.

“Xun~”

Little Treasure popped out from atop his beast master’s head and nodded.

“What skill?” Wang Yao asked.

“Shadow Control.” Qiao Sang replied honestly.

To Qiao Sang, her pet beast’s skills were no secret; she just rarely had a chance to show them off or be asked.

For a Beastmaster, any skill evolution or growth in their pet beast was a reason to celebrate. It was common for people to show off on social media or even throw parties over their pets’ progress.

Qiao Sang was relatively low-key about it. Otherwise, she’d be posting on social media every three days.

“Shadow Control?”

Wang Yao was stunned, then burst out laughing, “Haha, Qiao Sang, I didn’t know you had such a sense of humor.”

“You don’t believe me?” Qiao Sang looked at her.

“Of course not. Only a fool would believe that. Shadow Control, really? I don’t even have a ghost-type pet beast, and I know that’s an advanced skill. Have you ever seen a low-level pet beast learn a high-level skill?”

Qiao Sang thought for a moment.

“Well, there’s Yabao and Little Treasure.”

Wang Yao: …