Chapter 949: Continuing the Competition
Chapter 949: Continuing the Competition (Combined)
Just talking about it, and now the fact that Treasure Seeker can Spatial Shift is out in the open... Qiao Sang inwardly grumbled, then started reading the comments below:
"Damn, so the Beastmaster who bonded Qingqing Ni a while back was Qiao Sang!"
"Before: Who the hell got lucky and bonded Qingqing Ni? Now: That was pure skill!"
"Others become B-Class Beastmasters at 17 and bond Legendary Beast Companions, while I spent my 17th year complaining about the cafeteria, physical training, and morning readings, and I'm thinking about lunch before I even finish breakfast."
"Look at others' bonded pets: the legendary Qingqing Ni, a Ghost-type Beast Companion that can Spatial Shift. Now look at mine: a sleepy bear that can't even wake up in the morning, falls asleep during battles, and gets me laughed at by the whole class."
"Ah! Qingqing Ni! I want to see Qingqing Ni in a match!"
"Suddenly, Qiao Sang and Qingqing Ni seem like a perfect match. Only someone with that level of talent deserves to bond a Legendary Beast Companion."
"Wait, Qiao Sang isn't from Hollow Plains! How did she bond a Legendary Beast Companion from here? Quick, make Qiao Sang a resident of Hollow Plains! @Zhongkong Government"
"Qiao Sang was still participating in the National School Beastmaster League a year ago, and now she's in the Regional Tournament. I'm speechless..."
"I knew Qiao Sang looked familiar. I saw her at the exit of Secret Realm 16. She was the first one to come out of the Hidden Realm. I found it strange at the time, but now it makes sense. She must have bonded Qingqing Ni."
"Speaking of which, Qiao Sang really did bond Qingqing Ni. She did an Evaluation Mission a while back to find a familiar in the Hidden Realm. I always thought she was around my grandparents' age, but she's actually around my age..."
"To be honest, if Qiao Sang bonded Qingqing Ni, I have no complaints."
The comment section seemed pretty peaceful... Qiao Sang clicked to exit and instinctively refreshed the page, only to see another trending topic about her.
#Qiao Sang, National School Beastmaster League Champion#
The preliminary round just started, and everything is already out in the open... Qiao Sang casually clicked on it and watched the video.
It was a clip of the final battle between Fangy and Pare Oko, where she was announced as the 336th National School Beastmaster League Champion.
The caption read: "A year ago, Qiao Sang was still participating in the National School Beastmaster League..."
The comments below already numbered in the hundreds:
"Are students these days really that impressive? I'm relieved to see Dragon Nation has such talent."
"With Qiao Sang's strength, she would have dominated the National School Beastmaster League."
"What's the name of Qiao Sang's red familiar?"
"I specifically watched that match. Guess what I saw? The Green Star Array! Qiao Sang actually used the Green Star Array back then!"
"Wait, let me get this straight. Are you saying Qiao Sang went from a D-Rank Beastmaster to a B-Class Beastmaster in just one year?!"
"Ah, I always thought Qiao Sang awakened her Brain Domain at a very young age. Isn't that right?"
"Why isn't anyone who knows Qiao Sang coming forward to reveal more?"
"Qiao Sang is a resident of Yuhua. You should look for people there to get more information."
"Wait, hasn't the news of Qiao Sang participating in the Regional Tournament reached Yuhua Region yet?!"
"Here's a Yuhua resident! I usually only watch International Tournaments and Regional Tournaments. I haven't paid much attention to the National School Beastmaster League, but Qiao Sang probably didn't study in our Yuhua Region. Otherwise, the schools would have been trumpeting it by now."
A little while longer, and the match from Supernest won't be dug up again, will it... Qiao Sang closed the trending page, put down her mobile phone, and her expression remained unchanged.
Even if it is, it wouldn't matter. She was no longer on the same level as she was during the Supernest tournament.
...
Over the next few days, Qiao Sang continued to train at the villa in the suburbs as usual.
For the first three days, her news was still trending, but after that, the focus shifted to other contestants in the Regional Tournament.
The matches were ongoing, and the ones being discussed fervently were always the current ones.
Despite this, Qiao Sang could feel her growing fame.
People would secretly take photos of her on the street, and some would even approach her for a selfie. Even when she was eating, people would recognize her and insist on paying for her meal.
At the restaurant.
After politely declining a passerby's offer to treat her, Qiao Sang continued to eat quietly.
"Really not going to stay at a hotel?" Ye Xiangting asked from across the table. "The hotel you called last time seemed pretty good. I checked, and it has excellent privacy. I heard many contestants stay there."
Qiao Sang sipped her soup and said, "Staying at the Beastmaster Center is fine. No one bothers me there."
Apart from the occasional sneaky glance or photo when she went out, she wasn't disturbed as much as the internet suggested.
"That's because everyone is still in the preliminary round, and your next opponent hasn't been determined yet", Ye Xiangting said, concerned. "The preliminary round ends today, and the top 100 tournament starts tomorrow. Once the team-up list is released, you'll definitely be bothered. You won't get enough sleep, and you'll lack energy for your matches."
Qiao Sang looked up and smiled.
"Mom, you forgot about Lulu."
Actually, she wasn't that concerned about sleep. With the preliminary round over, there were still over 200 contestants, and she hadn't thoroughly reviewed their profiles yet. Qingbao's Tailwind Skills were still far from mastery.
Being disturbed might be a good thing. She could use the time to review the profiles and train at the villa all night.
Ye Xiangting held back the words she was about to say.
At that moment, Migala put down her mobile phone and said, "The Energy Pills for Fangy and the others are ready. They should be delivered today, and I'll bring them over to you."
Qiao Sang's eyes lit up, and she nodded. "Great."
With Energy Pills suitable for their current level, Fangy and the others could grow faster.
"Does the school help with making Energy Pills?" Ye Xiangting asked, surprised.
"Qiao Sang's situation is special", Migala smiled. "She's in the best Beastmaster class at our school, and this is one of the perks."
Hearing this, Ye Xiangting felt a surge of pride. Then, she reflected on her own journey.
She had opened the Nursery to earn more money to cultivate her daughter's familiars, but her daughter had never asked for money, not even for the most expensive Energy Pills, which the school provided. She wondered what all her hard work and earnings were for...
At that moment, Qiao Sang spoke up.
"Mom, you finally came to Hollow Plains. You should go out and explore. There are many things here that Flying Beasts can use. Unified Owl and Faithwarden will definitely find something useful."
Ye Xiangting was taken aback and smiled. "I have been out, but I heard that Huitian City has the most Flying Beast items. I'll try to visit after watching your top 100 matches."
Huitian City... Qiao Sang suddenly remembered the Blunt Stone she bought there.
She had initially planned to teach Steel Treasure the bite skill but got sidetracked with other things and never had the chance to start.
Now, with the Regional Tournament approaching, she was too busy to find the time.
If it weren't for her mother mentioning it, she might have forgotten about it altogether...
...
That night.
After watching the last preliminary round, Qiao Sang turned off the TV and looked toward the window.
The window was tightly shut, and the soundproof glass blocked out all the wind and noise from outside. However, the curtains inside were still wildly fluttering due to the Wind Glide.
Qiao Sang felt the wind whistling past her ears and her hair continuously billowing in the Wind Glide. After a moment of silence, she spoke:
"Qingbao, why don’t you take a break first?"
"Qingqing."
The wind in the room suddenly vanished, and everything returned to calm. Qingbao materialized, floated over to the bed, and picked up her mobile phone to check the time. She shook her head, indicating that the ten-hour Skills training session wasn’t over yet.
After saying that, Wind Transformation disappeared.
The next second, the wind in the room reappeared.
Qiao Sang’s hair flew up as she glanced at the Treasure Seeker who was enthusiastically discussing the match with Fangy. She sighed inwardly:
Why are all the familiars she’s taken in so competitive? Only Treasure Seeker is a bit more laid-back.
"Xunxun?"
Treasure Seeker sensed its Beastmaster’s gaze and excitedly called out, asking if it was its turn to compete tomorrow.
"Maybe", Qiao Sang said. "I need to see who the opponent is."
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker clenched its claws and called out with determination, indicating that no matter who the opponent was, it would knock them down.
It looked at its Beastmaster with eyes that said, "Pick me, pick me."
At times like this, it was quite proactive... Qiao Sang could understand some of Treasure Seeker’s thoughts.
Treasure Seeker didn’t like training or battling much, but it loved basking in the spotlight and enjoying the cheers of the crowd.
In other words, it didn’t like battling, but it loved battling in front of a large audience and winning the match.
"Ya Ya!"
Before Qiao Sang could say anything, Fangy called out in dissatisfaction, indicating that it should be its turn to compete.
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker’s expression was unusually firm as it called out to Fangy, saying that Beastmaster had already said that the tougher opponents were further ahead. Since this was only the second match, it should be its turn to compete!
"Fangy"
Fangy was taken aback, thinking it over and finding Treasure Seeker’s logic reasonable.
Past matches had indeed been like that, with Fangy being stronger than Treasure Seeker and taking on the tougher opponents.
Treasure Seeker glanced at Fangy’s reaction, feeling smug: it knew Fangy would buy into this.
Qiao Sang listened to their conversation, her lips twitching, and said:
"It’s not certain, the opponents are random, and there’s a chance we could face a strong one early on."
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy perked up immediately upon hearing this.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker wore an expression of disbelief.
Qiao Sang looked at Treasure Seeker and said earnestly:
"Steel Treasure now has the strength to take on three opponents in a row. If you want to compete more in major matches in the future, you need to be strong enough to handle both early and late-stage opponents."
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker was bewildered.
What did she mean?
Was her Beastmaster dissatisfied with its strength?
Or was Little Brother about to surpass it?
Treasure Seeker glanced at Steel Treasure, who was intently performing the Frightening Face, and a sense of urgency welled up inside it.
If it was surpassed by the fourth one, wouldn’t it lose its only little brother?
Treasure Seeker was deeply worried, so much so that it spent half the night training and didn’t get much rest.
...
On the morning of September 8th.
The giant virtual screen at the mall was broadcasting the live stream of the Regional Tournament, drawing the attention of many passersby.
The number of viewers watching the live stream of the Regional Tournament had already climbed to tens of millions.
In various companies, some employees were sneaking into the bathroom to watch, while others were logging in to the live stream right at their workstations.
Despite it being a workday, 87% of the total population of the Hollow Plains was watching the Regional Tournament.
The audience stands at the Sky Beast Arena were packed, filled to the brim with people.
In the family area.
"Why can’t we sit together?" Ye Xiangting looked at the distant contestant area, trying to find her daughter’s shadow.
Unfortunately, there were too many people, and the distance was too great. Her enhanced vision wasn’t strong enough to see every face clearly.
"Probably live streaming to the camera", Liu Yao said. "The Contestants sitting together can be captured all at once."
"Can you see where Qiao Sang is?" Ye Xiangting asked.
Liu Yao glanced over the Contestant area and said, "She's in the sixth row, third seat."
"You have really good eyesight", Ye Xiangting reflected. "You found her so quickly."
Liu Yao smiled. "Once your Familiar evolves a few more times, you'll be able to see that well too."
A few more evolutions for the Familiar... Ye Xiangting was taken aback for a moment, then a realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.
That's right, her daughter is already a B-Class Beastmaster with a long lifespan and doesn't need to rely on the Nursery for resources. She should also train properly; otherwise, how much time will she be able to spend with her daughter in the future...
"Guests! Audiences across the nation! Welcome to this year's Regional Tournament!" the host's voice rang out in the arena.
Ye Xiangting's thoughts halted, and she looked towards the center of the field.
"Following a week of intense competition, we have a group of Contestants who have successfully advanced to the next round", the host announced loudly.
"Today, we will be holding the 216 to 108 elimination round of the Regional Tournament."
"First, let's welcome Luo Huan from the Beastmaster League..."
In the Contestant area.
"Xunxun..."
While the host was going through the formalities, the Treasure Seeker was chugging an Energy Recovery Serum.
The other Contestants occasionally cast glances at the Treasure Seeker.
Qiao Sang, the strongest dark horse of this Regional Tournament, had become a trending topic, and a lot of information about her had been released online, even without the need to look up specific details.
So this is the Ghost-type Beast Companion that can Spatial Shift... The Contestants scrutinized her, not underestimating her because of her small size or the lack of a Miniaturization Band.
Professional Beastmasters knew better than to judge a Familiar by its appearance; sometimes, smaller Familiars had an advantage on the battlefield.
"Are you feeling better?" Qiao Sang asked.
Honestly, she hadn't expected that a single comment last night would make the Treasure Seeker stop playing on her mobile phone and computer and start training instead.
"Xunxun..."
The Treasure Seeker swallowed the last of the Energy Recovery Serum and called out.
She was feeling better, but drinking a bit more might give her a bit more energy later. Unfortunately, they didn't allow her to drink any temporary energy-boosting Potions, but they didn't mind her having the Energy Recovery Serum.
Qiao Sang: "..."
You sure are optimistic, thinking I'll definitely send you out.
Qiao Sang didn't want to discourage the Treasure Seeker and kept her thoughts to herself.
At that moment, a Contestant who looked to be in his twenties, sitting beside her, hesitated for a while before finally mustering the courage to speak up.
"Everyone online says you bonded with Qingqing Ni. Is that true?"
"It's true", Qiao Sang nodded.
The fact that Qingbao was bonded to her wasn't a secret. In the past, she had kept a low profile, but now that she was participating in the Regional Tournament, she couldn't avoid the attention.
Besides, if Qingbao could evolve during the matches, she planned to have her participate.
Before he asked, the Contestant had already accepted this fact and quickly added, "My name is Rong Yuhua. Can we exchange contact information?"
Qiao Sang looked at him.
"I don't have any other intentions", Rong Yuhua hurried to clarify. "I just hope to see Qingqing Ni on your social media feed in the future."
Seeing his sincere expression, Qiao Sang took out her mobile phone and exchanged contact information with him.
A few minutes later, the host, holding a microphone, announced:
"Now, we will proceed with the Grouping. Please welcome the referee from the Beast Tamer Arbitration Office!"
(End of Chapter)
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