Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

As soon as Little Treasure appeared, he noticed that he was surrounded by a dense crowd, all staring at him.

"Xun..."

The little ghost's expression was exaggerated, his eyes wide, mouth forming an O shape.

So many people...

"Little Treasure." Qiao Sang called.

"Xun..." Little Treasure turned back with a blank look, still with an O shaped mouth, gazing at his Beastmaster.

Qiao Sang chuckled, "It's time to show off your training results."

Though this wasn't an official competition, in a way, it was the little ghost's first public performance in front of so many people.

The previous spectator role in that pet marathon was already automatically erased from Qiao Sang's memory.

Little Treasur paused at his Beastmaster's words, looked around at the people, then back at the pudgy bird in front of him, suddenly enlightened.

Wasn't this just like the scenes from those competitions Big Brother Yabao watched on TV? Was he going to be on TV?!

"Xun!"

Thinking of this, the little ghost nodded vigorously, his expression growing excited.

As the pet appeared in the center of the arena, sounds of surprise and chatter filled the Shengshui Hall.

"Is that a ghost-type pet?"

"Signing a contract with a Treasure-Seeking Ghost as the first pet? Are the freshmen this daring nowadays?!"

"Actually... I think I'll sit this one out. I heard Beastmasters with ghost-type pets tend to have... a few screws loose. What if she retaliates if I win?"

"Haha, with your Sand Hamster? You scared?"

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"Let’s not make it obvious. We’re still buddies."

"..."

"No wonder she was so bold before. So her pet is a Treasure-Seeking Ghost. Gotta admit, ghost-types are a real hassle."

"Wait, something’s off. Isn’t Qiao Sang’s pet supposed to be a Flame Hound?" The mushroom-headed boy who’d discussed school team members earlier looked bewildered at the Treasure-Seeking Ghost in the arena.

"Didn’t any of you notice the color of her star array just now?" Wang Yiding said in a serious tone.

The mushroom-headed boy was momentarily stunned. Since they were all freshmen, he’d assumed everyone’s star array was white.

Besides, the impact of seeing a Treasure-Seeking Ghost had been so overwhelming that he hadn’t noticed the array’s color.

So, was the information not wrong, but Qiao Sang had contracted a Treasure-Seeking Ghost as well?

"What color was it?" The mushroom-headed boy swallowed, asking nervously.

"It was gray." Before Wang Yiding could respond, another boy muttered.

Mushroom-headed boy: !!!

...

In the arena.

Zhang Jinchuan held his breath, watching Qiao Sang's movements intently.

"The battle's started. Aren't you going to attack?" Qiao Sang asked.

Right... attack... Caught off guard, Zhang Jinchuan forgot his original plan to stay cautious and let the opponent move first.

He steeled himself and was about to give a command, but suddenly, the Treasure-Seeking Ghost vanished from the arena, reappearing in front of the pudgy bird within a blink.

"Fat Dove! Dodge!" Zhang Jinchuan shouted urgently.

But it was too late. The little ghost's eyes glowed with a purple hue. Under his mastered Hypnosis skill, the Fat Dove had no time to resist and closed its eyes, falling heavily to the ground.

At that moment, the female teacher acting as referee blew her whistle, "Fat Dove has lost the ability to fight. The winner is Qiao Sang!"

The Shengshui Hall was in an uproar.

"Damn! That was so fast! Not even a minute!"

"Zhang Jinchuan from Class 5 is pathetic! Even though it’s a ghost-type opponent, losing this quickly is embarrassing."

"Did none of you notice how Qiao Sang intentionally distracted him at the start? Otherwise, he would've noticed the Treasure-Seeking Ghost's disappearance and had time for Fat Dove to respond."

"That just means her strategy to divert his attention worked brilliantly."

"But I feel like Qiao Sang was genuinely trying to remind him. Given her ghost-type pet's natural advantage, she didn’t even need that tactic."

"Nonsense. Look at which rookie Beastmasters command without speaking and have their pets act on their own. Clearly, she planned her strategy for this fight in advance."

"If you put it that way, she's impressive. After all, it takes coordination for a pet to remember and execute a plan. Could your Deep-Fur Turtle manage that?"

---

In the arena.

"Need a break?" The female teacher asked as she approached.

"No need." Qiao Sang shook her head.

The battle just now didn't even count as a warm-up for her little ghost, who practiced skill releases daily.

"Anyone else wants to challenge?" Principal Wang Weidou asked at the right time.

The hall fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, hesitant, and no one dared to step forward.

For beginner pets with limited skills, ghost-type pets were almost a cheat code. With no counter skills or attributes, they couldn’t even touch them, let alone fight.

Everyone waited for someone else to go first so they could pick up the slack.

Seeing no one step up, Qiao Sang turned to the referee and asked, "Teacher, may I borrow the microphone?"

The teacher was slightly taken aback, then handed it over.

Qiao Sang took the microphone, her mind running through every taunt scene she'd seen online, finally picking a less antagonistic one.

After all, she’d still be at the same school with them for three years, seeing them daily. Alienating everyone didn’t seem wise.

Clearing her throat, Qiao Sang raised the mic with a slight smirk and said mockingly, "Just this?"

"Xun~"

Mimicking his Beastmaster, Little Treasure struck the same expression, lifting a stubby claw to pick his nose.

Not satisfied, he even flicked the imaginary speck off his claw, looking every bit the troublemaker.

The hall went silent.

Then, in an instant...

"Damn! Don’t stop me! Let me be the first to go next!"

"No way, I’m up next!"

"I’m going first!"

"Let me go first!"

"Stop shoving, I’m going!"

Soon, a long line formed at the edge of the arena.

Nice. Provocation tactics, highly effective.

Qiao Sang was pleased with the scene she’d created with just one line.

"Class 1, Jiang Wenhua." The next boy introduced himself and summoned his White Sand Fox.

As the referee signaled the start, Little Treasure disappeared immediately, reappearing in front of White Sand Fox.

Once again, it only took a Hypnosis, and the White Sand Fox was down.

Only 5 seconds had passed, the match was over.

"Xun~"

Little Treasure grinned, raising a claw to challenge the next in line.

The boy: !!!

As the following matches went on, the freshmen couldn’t bear to watch, while the upperclassmen looked on, entertained.

The approach was simple and repetitive, vanishing, reappearing, then a Hypnosis.

Basic as it was, no one lasted more than 5 seconds, let alone blocked the Treasure-Seeking Ghost's attacks.

After winning 16 consecutive matches, a boy wearing blue glasses and sporting a buzz cut finally stepped forward.

"Class 1, Chen Dongjun."

He formed a hand sign, summoning a pet with a deep blue body, a neck covered in light blue fur, and two purple wings emerging from the fur on its head.