Chapter 938: Tianan City
Chapter 938: Tianan City (Combined)
"About one or two months ago, Qingbao evolved", Qiao Sang said modestly. "This time, I spent a bit longer in the Hidden Realm."
Migala naturally knew the exact timeframe of Qingbao's evolution. Her exaggerated reaction was just to show that she was completely unaware of what had happened in the Hidden Realm.
"Ya Ya!"
Just as she was about to say something, Fangy came out of the bathroom, head held high, looking like it was waiting for a scream.
Migala looked at Fangy, paused for a second, then put on a stunned expression, followed by one of disbelief:
"Flame Kiru evolved too?!"
After doing all this, she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
It wasn't that she found acting shameful, but she felt her performance might have been a bit too over-the-top.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy showed a proud little expression and nodded.
"Fangy evolved on the day we left the Hidden Realm, Teacher. You have no idea what I went through in there..." Qiao Sang got excited and began to recount in detail how she entered the Underground, encountered the Molted Dragon, managed to deal with one, only for another to appear, and how she rescued Fangy, which had absorbed the Luminous Fire Seed.
Migala put on a serious listening face.
After rambling for a while, Qiao Sang was parched and got up to grab a bottle of water.
Migala pretended to be deep in thought and said, "So, Flame Kiru's evolution path is the Luminous Fire Seed?"
Qiao Sang shared her thoughts:
"Not necessarily. Fangy evolved outside the Underground, under the sunlight. It might have something to do with the sun."
Adinix's prediction had a deeper meaning. Moreover, the three new skills Fangy gained after evolving were all related to the sun, making it hard for her to not connect Fangy's evolution condition with sunlight.
However, she didn't want to say this, as she had just mentioned that Fangy evolved on the day they left the Hidden Realm, and there was no way she could have known about the new skills right away.
After finishing, she suddenly remembered that she should probably inform the Vice Principal about Fangy's evolution...
Indeed, if Flame Kiru evolved due to the Luminous Fire Seed, it would likely have evolved in or burst out of the lava. But if it was because of the sunlight, its behavior of bursting out of the Underground made sense. After all, when a familiar reaches the energy evolution threshold, it is drawn to the evolution artifact and tries to get closer... Migala fell into deep thought.
This time, her reaction was genuine.
A few seconds later, Migala gathered her thoughts and smiled.
"Flame Kiru's successful evolution is good. Its evolution path was unknown, and I was worried. Now that your Qingbao and Flame Kiru have both evolved, I'll have someone from the Imperial Beastmaster Academy come to adjust the Energy Pills based on their conditions."
Qiao Sang said immediately, "Thank you, Teacher."
"That's my duty", Migala replied. "But before that, we need to head to Tianan City."
Qiao Sang nodded, "I understand."
Tianan City, the city where the Regional Tournament is officially held.
"Rest up early, and we'll set out tomorrow." Migala finished her instructions, turned, and prepared to leave.
As she placed her hand on the doorknob, she suddenly thought of something and turned to ask:
"Have you decided on a name for Flame Kiru's evolution form?"
Qiao Sang answered, "Yan Jiaou."
Not a bad name... Migala pushed the door and left.
Qiao Sang looked at the closed door, deep in thought.
"Steel Blade?" Steel Treasure called out, wondering what was going on.
As it said, it couldn't always synchronize with its Beastmaster's thoughts, and right now, it had no idea what Qiao Sang was thinking.
Qiao Sang said seriously, "I feel like something's a bit off with Teacher."
"Steel Blade?"
Steel Treasure showed a puzzled expression.
What's wrong?
Qiao Sang shook her head and said, "Nothing, I might have been overthinking it."
She couldn't just say that she felt Teacher Mikara's reaction to Fangy's Evolution seemed too calm, as if she had accepted it too quickly, which made her feel a bit uneasy.
Steel Treasure: "……"
Qiao Sang stopped thinking about it, took out her mobile phone, and dialed the Vice Principal's number.
She had to inform him about Fangy's Evolution to ensure that the data was collected properly and to prevent any unexpected Evolution.
After a few seconds of the ringtone, the call was answered.
The Vice Principal's clear and steady voice came through the speaker:
"Hello, Qiao Sang?"
Qiao Sang started with some small talk, "Vice Principal, did you go to the Prediction site? Did you find anything useful?"
"No", Liu Yao replied calmly. "Maybe it's just not the right time yet."
He paused, then asked, "Why are you calling me suddenly? Is there something you need?"
Since Qiao Sang officially joined the Campus Beastmaster League and no longer needed his help to take leave, she rarely initiated contact with him anymore.
Qiao Sang cleared her throat and said, "Fangy has Evolved."
There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line.
A few seconds later, Liu Yao regained his composure and tried to steady his voice, "You mean Flame Kiru has Evolved?"
Qiao Sang nodded and repeated the vivid description she had given to Teacher Mikara.
So it wasn't just my imagination, it really did Evolve... Liu Yao was stunned again.
This time, he was silent for a long time.
So long that Qiao Sang thought the phone signal had been interrupted, but then Liu Yao's voice, trembling, broke the silence, "Where are you now? I'll come to you immediately!"
"I'm in Sky Rift City in Hollow Plains. I'll be heading to Tianan City tomorrow. You can find me there", Qiao Sang said.
Liu Yao was taken aback, "Why are you in Hollow Plains?"
"I'm out on a training trip with a teacher from the Imperial Beastmaster Academy", Qiao Sang explained. "She brought me to participate in the Regional Tournament in Hollow Plains. The Hidden Realm I mentioned is where I need to complete my final mission."
Then, she brightened up, "By the way, the Regional Tournament is starting in a few days. You can come and watch my match if you're here."
Liu Yao fell silent for the third time.
He never expected Qiao Sang to be participating in the Regional Tournament, especially in Hollow Plains.
Before he could say anything, Qiao Sang continued excitedly, "You wouldn't believe it, but Adinix's Prediction was spot-on. Not only did Fangy's Evolution Site match perfectly, but Lulu's did too."
"Wait!" Liu Yao was confused. "What do you mean Lulu's did too?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Lulu has also Evolved", Qiao Sang said with a smile. "She Evolved a few months before Fangy."
There was a dead silence.
Liu Yao's mind was in a daze.
Could he have misremembered the time? Was it six years, not six months, since they last met?
Otherwise, how could he hear such absurd news...
Liu Yao asked in a dazed voice, "How did Lulu Evolve?"
"It happened like this..." Qiao Sang quickly recounted the details of Lulu's Evolution.
Lulu's energy was already full when she was in the Supernest. This quick Evolution was probably fate... Liu Yao remained silent for a few seconds, trying his best to process the information. "I see. Wait for me. I'll buy a ticket to Tianan City right away."
...
The next day, 3 PM.
At the airport.
On the plane to Tianan City.
Qiao Sang opened her mobile phone and checked the trending topics.
[Leaked: Regional Tournament Contestant List]
[Yang Yuanhang Arrives in Tianan City]
[Shocking! Qingfeng Ni Spotted in Sky Rift City!]
[Tianan City Hotels Raise Prices]
[Live: Tianan City's "Human Wave" Scene]
[Insane! Regional Tournament Preliminary Round Tickets, Scalpers Charge Over Ten Thousand!]
In the trending topics about the Regional Tournament and Tianan City, Qingfeng Ni's trending stood out.
Sure enough, whenever Qingbao makes an appearance in Hollow Plains, it ends up trending... Qiao Sang reflected internally as she clicked on the trending topic about the online list of participants.
As the Regional Tournament approached, the internet was flooded with lists of participants every day. However, based on the accuracy of past lists, only about 70% of the names were correct.
Qiao Sang scanned through the list briefly and noticed her name was still missing.
This marketing account isn't working...
Just as she was thinking this, the sweet voice of the flight attendant came over the amplifier:
"The plane is about to take off. For your flying safety, please ensure that your mobile phones and all electronic devices are turned off or set to flying mode..."
It's still better to have a familiar flying... Qiao Sang heard the announcement and switched her phone to flying mode.
Migala, sitting beside her with closed eyes, said calmly, "Over the next few days, try to understand as clearly as possible what new skills Yan Jiaou has awakened. It would be best if you can get it to master and smoothly release these skills."
I already know what they are... Qiao Sang, feeling a bit mischievous, asked, "What if it awakens with an Epic Skill? Should I still try to master it?"
Migala: "..."
Migala's lips twitched, and she almost chuckled, but then she remembered that Qiao Sang's familiars had already awakened with Epic Skills three times. It wasn't impossible for Flame Kiru to evolve to the Royal Tier and awaken with an Epic Skill again. She held back and said, "No, that wouldn't be necessary."
...
One and a half hours later.
Tianan City Airport.
Tianan City, the central city of Hollow Plains, is known as the safest city in the country. Since it was named Tianan City, no Space Rifts have ever appeared here, making it extremely safe.
Qiao Sang got off the plane and immediately summoned Fangy and the others.
As she walked out of the airport, she saw a sea of people and familiars outside, all here for the Regional Tournament. Among them were visitors from other regions and even foreign tourists.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy jumped out of Qiao Sang's arms, wanting to grow larger.
Qiao Sang saw Fangy's intention and stopped him, "No need."
"Ya Ya?"
Fangy looked puzzled.
Don't I usually sit on your back?
"Look at that." Qiao Sang pointed to a sign by the road.
"Ya?"
Fangy tilted his head.
What does it mean?
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker put his fists to his mouth and coughed, adopting a scholarly tone to indicate that the sign means no familiars larger than seven meters are allowed.
Qiao Sang nodded, "Exactly."
Before coming to Tianan City, she had specifically looked into the city's regulations.
Tianan City prohibits familiars larger than seven meters from appearing on the streets or in the sky.
This is because larger familiars can easily hurt passersby with a single step or tail flick. As the safest city in the country, Tianan City naturally aims to prevent such incidents.
Initially, the city banned familiars larger than six meters, but this policy faced a collective protest from local Beastmasters.
Champion-level familiars are typically around six meters tall, with some being slightly larger. Most Beastmasters have only one familiar in their lifetime, and it takes a lot of effort to train them to the General-Class. If they can't get a Miniaturization Band immediately, it would be unfair to keep them from bringing their familiars out for extended periods.
Royal Tier familiars, on the other hand, always have Miniaturization Bands, so the regulation was changed to ban familiars larger than seven meters from appearing on the streets and in the sky.
Fangy sighed.
At that moment, a familiar about eight meters tall walked by.
"Ya Ya?"
Fangy was startled and quickly called out.
Why can it stay so big?
"That will incur a fine", Qiao Sang explained patiently.
If a familiar exceeds the size regulations, its Beastmaster will be fined 1,000 Union Coins.
The informant can claim the entire 1,000 Union Coins.
While this is the rule, not all Beastmasters follow it.
As one of the most prosperous cities in the Hollow Plains, Tianan City has no shortage of wealthy and influential Beastmasters who don't care about a loss of a thousand or two coins.
Once, someone came to Tianan City and made enough money by reporting oversized familiars to buy a house in the city center. The story even trended.
"Fangy."
Fangy's expression changed to one of understanding.
"Come on up", Teacher Mikara's voice called from a distance.
Qiao Sang turned and saw that she was already seated on a rented Flying-type Companion.
So fast... Qiao Sang bent down to pick up Fangy and joined Teacher Mikara on the rented Flying-type Companion.
"Anyone else?" the old man asked, sitting at the front.
"No one else", Qiao Sang replied.
"Let's go."
With the old man's command, the three-meter-tall Flying-type Companion, marked with "For Rent", flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
"Are you here for the Regional Tournament?" the old man chatted.
Before Qiao Sang could answer, Migala nodded.
"Did you manage to get tickets?" the old man asked.
"We did", Migala replied.
Fortunately, they managed to register at the last minute, otherwise, Teacher's ticket would have been wasted... Qiao Sang felt a bit relieved.
"That's great", the old man said enviously. "When tickets went on sale, my whole family couldn't get any."
"Next time, you could have a Mechanical Familiar specialized in online activities help you", Migala suggested.
The old man paused. "I'll try that next time."
Then, he seemed to think of something and changed the topic:
"You're going to the Beastmaster Center, right? Are you planning to stay there?"
Qiao Sang replied, "Yes."
Without a reservation, it would be impossible to secure a room at the local Beastmaster Center during the Regional Tournament. However, if you're a participant, you just need to show your entry credentials.
"I'd say, stay at a hotel like Yuyuan. You might even run into some participating Beastmasters", the old man said.
Qiao Sang asked casually:
"Do participating Beastmasters not stay at the Beastmaster Center?"
The old man laughed.
"Who would stay at the Beastmaster Center for the Regional Tournament?"
He paused and added:
"Unless they're a Greenhorn, participating for the first time and have no experience."
Qiao Sang: "..."
"Why not?" Migala asked.
"Have you never paid attention to the Regional Tournament before?" The old man's expression turned to one of gossip.
"If a participating Beastmaster stays at the Beastmaster Center, how could they get any rest? Not to mention the fans, if the opponents find out they're staying there, they won't get a good night's sleep."
"Last year, a Beastmaster participating for the first time stayed at the Beastmaster Center. He won the preliminary round, and then he got noticed. Guess what happened?"
Qiao Sang perked up and asked, "What happened?"
"His neighbors in the rooms on either side somehow changed, and both rooms had all-night parties that night, keeping him awake all night", the old man said.
Seeing the passengers' stunned silence, he felt satisfied and continued:
"I heard the Beastmaster complained to the staff in the middle of the night, but when the staff came, they found the neighbors in both rooms were sleeping, not partying."
"But the Beastmaster insisted that the commotion kept him up all night, and he lost his match the next day."
The old man concluded:
That's why any Beastmaster with a bit of common sense and preparation wouldn't stay at the Beastmaster Center during the tournament.
Qiao Sang: "..."
(End of Chapter)
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