https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1067-Thunder-Dragon-s-First-Battle/13458587/
Chapter 1066: Fast-Paced Match
Chapter 1066: Fast-Paced Match (Combined)
This Skill is... Qiao Sang was momentarily at a loss.
"Tingting!"
The Thunder Dragon glared again.
Qiao Sang looked into its sharp eyes and fell into deep thought.
"Tingting."
The Thunder Dragon's expression softened, and it called out, indicating that it had finished casting the Skill.
Qiao Sang remained silent for a couple of seconds before turning to survey the surroundings.
Soon, her gaze landed on a green Insect Familiar moving about a hundred meters away.
In Flame Sky Star, Wild Familiars were numerous, and it was quite common for them to wander into someone's residence, especially houses like villas that had open Training Arenas and gardens.
"Bring it over", Qiao Sang said.
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker called out.
In the next second, the green Insect Familiar, which was moving around, was lifted by a force and quickly flown over to the Thunder Dragon.
"Renren!"
The green Insect Familiar looked panicked and called out, indicating that it was just lost.
Qiao Sang didn't understand its meaning and said, "Don't be afraid, I just want you to help me confirm a Skill."
The Endurance Bug, a Bug-type Basic Familiar, was known for its incredible patience, able to endure even the dirtiest and smelliest environments.
"Renren." The Endurance Bug calmed down and nodded.
It was willing to help with this small favor.
"Use the Skill you cast just now on the Endurance Bug again", Qiao Sang said.
"Tingting!"
The Thunder Dragon nodded, then looked at the Endurance Bug with wide, sharp eyes.
"Renren..."
A strong sense of fear rose in the Endurance Bug's heart.
After about three seconds, it turned and ran without any hesitation.
The Thunder Dragon resumed its usual expression and eyes.
"Xunxun?"
The Treasure Seeker called out, asking if it should chase after it.
"No need", Qiao Sang smiled. "I already know what Skill Tingbao cast."
Intimidating Glare, a basic Skill of the Normal type, uses a sharp gaze to instill fear, thereby reducing the opponent's Defense.
The Thunder Dragon was still a Basic Familiar, so using this Skill had no effect on her or Fangy and the others, but for another Basic Familiar like the Endurance Bug, the impact was significant.
"Tingting?"
The Thunder Dragon called out in a questioning tone.
Qiao Sang somehow understood its meaning and said, "It's Intimidating Glare, which can make the opponent afraid and lower their Defense."
The Thunder Dragon's expression showed understanding.
Skills that Familiars are born with or acquire through Evolution or Awakening are imprinted in their minds, but the specifics are only revealed after a successful cast.
Since the Thunder Dragon hadn't bonded with her yet, it couldn't steadily increase its proficiency by casting Skills. To increase its chances of winning in battles, Qiao Sang gathered her thoughts and asked:
"Any other Skills?"
"Tingting." The Thunder Dragon shook its head.
"Then your current goal is to successfully cast Dragon Tail every time", Qiao Sang set the training objective. "You can't consistently cast this Skill yet, which introduces a lot of variability in battles. You need to practice this Skill constantly. When you run out of energy, drink an Energy Recovery Serum. Once you can cast Dragon Tail successfully every time, we'll move on to other training."
"Tingting."
The Thunder Dragon nodded and looked around, as if searching for something.
"What are you looking for?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Tingting."
The Thunder Dragon called out, indicating that it wanted the Leader to give it a drink to restore its energy.
“Xunxun!”
Before Qiao Sang could say anything, Treasure Seeker hurriedly appeared, calling out eagerly.
Leader will get you the Energy Recovery Serum right away!
Qiao Sang: “……”
……
The next day, early morning.
9:05 AM.
Room.
“Why aren’t you at the Open Training Ground?” Qiao Sang asked while turning on her computer, watching Treasure Seeker dart through a series of black holes.
“Xunxun…”
Treasure Seeker called out, looking exhausted, indicating that the hatred transfer effect hadn’t worn off yet. Just now, Big Brother Yabao had bared his teeth at it.
It’s still effective after so long… Qiao Sang was a bit surprised but didn’t comment. She focused on her task, searching for the Authorities' website to register for the Bonding Contest.
After submitting her application, she glanced over the registration conditions, precautions, and the match’s schedule and location.
[Beastmaster Rank and Familiar Level are unrestricted, as long as the Beastmaster and Wild Familiar haven’t bonded yet.]
What? No restriction on Familiar Level?
Qiao Sang was taken aback and quickly got up, hurrying out of the room to find Teacher Mikara’s shadow.
Soon, she spotted Mikara meditating cross-legged outside through the floor-to-ceiling window.
Qiao Sang went to the Open Training Ground and got straight to the point.
“Teacher, if there are no restrictions on Familiar Level, does that mean I won’t encounter General-Class or Royal-Tier Familiars?”
“No,” Mikara replied, still meditating. “In Flame Sky Star, Wild Familiars that have reached General-Class or Royal Tier usually have their own specific duties and rarely seek to bond with Beastmasters. In this match, you’ll most likely face opponents with Advanced Familiars.”
Qiao Sang: “……”
Mikara added, “But even then, it’s rare. Most opponents will have Junior or Intermediate Familiars.”
Well, forget about first place, second and third place are out of the question too… Qiao Sang’s motivation dropped.
Mikara seemed to sense Qiao Sang’s thoughts, opened her eyes, and looked over.
“The purpose of participating in such matches is to test and cultivate the bond between you and your Familiar. Whether you and your Familiar are compatible is more important than winning or losing.”
As she spoke, there was a loud “bang” nearby.
Qiao Sang turned to see Thunder Dragon’s tail glowing silver, striking the ground forcefully.
“I understand,” Qiao Sang said, shifting her gaze back.
For a Professional Beastmaster, losing in private doesn’t matter. What matters is winning in the most important matches.
Qiao Sang turned and headed back to her room to meditate.
Thunder Dragon is working so hard; she should also step up her efforts and develop a new Beastmaster Page as soon as possible.
Just as she entered the hall, a gust of wind transformed into Qingbao, who called out seriously:
“Qingqing.”
When it participates in matches, it needs to be formal, and the opponents should be at the same level.
Qiao Sang found Qingbao’s concern amusing and replied, “If there’s a match like that, I’ll sign up.”
“Qingqing.”
Qingbao relaxed and transformed back into wind, returning to the open training arena.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Qiao Sang changed direction and walked to the door.
Opening it, she found no one there, only a familiar stench filling her nostrils.
She bent down to look.
A familiar bouquet of flowers lay by the door.
How could Meichouni still send me flowers... Qiao Sang hesitated for a moment, then bent down to pick up the flowers and walked into the room.
...
Time passed.
Two days later.
Qiao Sang woke up early, freshened up, and had breakfast with Fangy and the others. She then put on her backpack containing Lulu and Tingbao, held Fangy in her arms, and went with Teacher Mikara to wait for a passing taxi or a rental mount familiar outside the residential complex.
The streets of Flame Sky Star were filled with people interacting with wild familiars and some unique buildings. It was quite interesting to look at, and she didn't want to miss it by having the Treasure Seeker directly teleport them. Besides, her experience riding the shoulder ape king when she first arrived at Flame Sky Star was quite pleasant.
Although there were many wild familiars, not all of them were suitable for riding or serving as transportation. Taxis were much cheaper than rental mount familiars, so they were still widely used.
After waiting for about ten seconds, a taxi passed by the entrance instead of a rental mount familiar.
Qiao Sang waved it down, and the taxi stopped.
"Are you going to Mulei Stadium?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Sure am", the elderly driver replied confidently.
Hearing this, Qiao Sang opened the car door.
In the back seat, a familiar about 20 centimeters tall, soft and fluffy, and mostly white like cotton, sat there.
It was a shared ride... Qiao Sang hesitated for a moment before getting in.
The elderly driver noticed her hesitation and said, "You're all going to the same place."
Hearing this, Qiao Sang got in the car.
Migala glanced at the cotton-like familiar in the back seat and chose to sit in the front passenger seat.
The elderly driver was a man of few words and didn't talk much.
Cotton Seed, a Grass-Type Basic Familiar, was extremely light and could easily be blown away by the wind... Qiao Sang discreetly examined the familiar next to her, recalling the relevant information in her mind.
"Xunxun..."
The Treasure Seeker couldn't resist appearing and poked Cotton Seed's soft body.
Cotton Seed looked over, then pouted and suddenly burst into tears:
"Mianmian!"
"Mianmian!"
"Xunxun..." The Treasure Seeker looked at a loss.
The elderly driver glanced at the scene in the rearview mirror and said, "Passengers in the back, please be careful and don't touch other passengers."
Qiao Sang: "..."
Migala: "..."
"Xunxun..."
The Treasure Seeker started making all sorts of funny faces at Cotton Seed.
"Mianmian."
Finally, under the barrage of funny faces, Cotton Seed stopped crying and smiled.
"Xunxun..."
The Treasure Seeker sighed in relief.
"Mianmian?"
Cotton Seed looked at Qiao Sang, then at the Treasure Seeker, and called out again.
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker shook its head and showed its white ID bracelet.
"Mianmian?"
Cotton Seed called out again, looking puzzled.
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker nodded.
They chatted away, with the conversation going back and forth.
In the midst of their casual chat, the taxi arrived at its destination.
Qiao Sang paid the fare and got out of the car with Teacher Mikara.
Cotton Seed did the same. It waved its claws at the Treasure Seeker before turning and leaving.
Qiao Sang looked around.
The venue was bustling with people, with familiars and humans each making up about half of the crowd.
Most familiars were small and didn't have Miniaturization Bands, with only a few wearing them.
Most of the people looked young, some even carrying backpacks, resembling high school students.
Qiao Sang quickly scanned the area and got a sense of the crowd interested in the match.
If nothing unexpected happened, she might very well be the highest-level Beastmaster among the participants...
“Tingting.”
Thunder Dragon climbed out of the backpack and looked around as well.
Noticing some familiars glancing at their Beastmaster, Thunder Dragon’s face fell. It climbed up and hung onto Qiao Sang’s neck, asserting its presence.
More gazes turned their way.
While in Flame Sky Star, humans and wild familiars lived together, seeing Dragon Companions in the streets was still incredibly rare.
Seeing a wild Dragon Companion so attached to a human, Qiao Sang instantly gained a “wealthy” aura in the eyes of both passersby and wild familiars.
It was well-known that the most crucial point for a wild Dragon Companion to bond with someone was the ability to provide for them.
If someone was talented but poor, it simply wouldn’t work.
“Tingting……”
As the gazes increased, Thunder Dragon’s body was enveloped in Yellow Lightning Arcs.
Qiao Sang pressed down her slowly rising ponytail and warned, “Don’t Discharge.”
“Tingting……”
The electric arcs on Thunder Dragon’s body disappeared.
Migala glanced at it.
At that moment, a reporter approached and asked Qiao Sang, “Hello, are you a contestant in the competition?”
Qiao Sang nodded.
“Xunxun~”
Treasure Seeker appeared and waved its claws enthusiastically at the camera.
Seeing another familiar it had never seen before, the reporter’s eyes lit up, and she asked, “Are you also participating in this match?”
As she spoke, she handed the microphone to Treasure Seeker.
“Xunxun~”
Treasure Seeker shook its head and showed its claw with the white ID bracelet.
“That’s a shame,” the reporter said with a look of regret.
Then, she turned to Qiao Sang and asked, “Which familiar will be competing with you this time?”
“It’s this one,” Qiao Sang said, pointing to Thunder Dragon hanging on her neck.
The reporter’s eyes lit up again. “Do you have confidence in winning this match?”
After asking, she handed the microphone to Thunder Dragon.
Thunder Dragon glanced at her, turned its head away, and refused to answer.
Qiao Sang was about to answer for Thunder Dragon.
However, the reporter seemed unsurprised, took back the microphone, and said to the camera, “It looks like this Dragon-type contestant is very confident in its own strength. Its eyes tell me that it doesn’t even consider the opponents worth mentioning.”
Qiao Sang: “......”
What kind of reporter is this...
Migala gave a nod toward the entrance and walked in that direction.
Qiao Sang quickly followed, holding Fangy.
After checking their contestant status, a uniformed familiar made a “please” gesture.
“Teacher, I’ll head over now,” Qiao Sang said.
The Bonding Contest had few entry restrictions, attracting many participants and wild familiars. It had gained a small following and was broadcast monthly on a TV channel.
The match rules were designed for a fast-paced format.
All Preliminary Round contestants would compete in the same Arena during the preliminary stage.
The Arena would be divided into many sections, and only the standout performances of Beastmasters and their familiars would be shown on camera.
Qiao Sang had already familiarized herself with the match rules and pace over the past two days. Once she entered, she would be taken to the Arena to wait for the match to begin under the camera, unable to go to the audience stands with Teacher Mikara.
Migala, also familiar with the match rhythm, nodded and said, “Alright.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
