Training Ground No. 1.
In the center of the field, Little Treasure and Piaopiao Ling were engaged in a free battle.
By the twelfth grade, everyone had been Beast Tamers for over two years. Their pets had shown significant growth, and their reaction speeds were many times faster than when they were first contracted.
At this stage, it was impossible to command every single movement as one did when they first became a Beast Tamer.
Otherwise, if the opponent launched a Flamethrower and it was already halfway across the field, the tamer's own pet would have already instinctively prepared a skill to clash with it.
In itself, there was nothing wrong with that, but the problem arose when the tamer only then reacted and gave a command.
And here was the issue.
Whether telling the pet to dodge or to use a skill, as long as the commanded skill differed from what the pet intended to use, there would be a brief hesitation in reaction, leading to a mistake.
And that single mistake could very likely determine the outcome of the battle.
Therefore, reducing the amount of commanding terminology was a necessary process for every novice Beast Tamer transitioning into a professional one.
As the tamer's commands decreased, the pet's own reactions and judgment became exceptionally important.
The twelfth-grade school team was currently training specifically on the pets' own combat judgment.
To put it simply, they were letting them fight on their own.
While Little Treasure trained, Qiao Sang stood by the side of the field, calculating her assets.
She discovered that while money came quickly, it disappeared even faster.
Despite still having seven figures in her bank account, the most important first digit had changed time and again.
Aside from the massive expense of energy pellets, the energy recovery fluid that Ya Bao needed to consume while practicing Meteor Shower with clones was being used as if it cost nothing; a few gulps and it was gone.
She had bought batch after batch of energy recovery fluid.
Learning skills cost money, and wanting to quickly increase proficiency after learning a skill also cost money!
*Sigh, money is flowing like water, my life is too hard...* After Qiao Sang finished her internal lament, her gaze shifted to the golden gloves worn on Little Treasure's paws in the center of the field.
It was time to sell those genuine pure gold gloves that Liu Qijia's father had given her...
"Senior..."
"What's up?"
Xu Yixuan, who was crouching nearby massaging her own pet, looked up dazed.
She had a bit of self-awareness and knew that her classmates found her talkative, so she usually avoided engaging in conversation if she could; her teammates on the school team were the same.
It had been a long time since someone like Qiao Sang had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with her.
"The National Campus Beast Taming League is about to start. Have you guys looked into intelligence on the participants from other schools? If so, where did you find it?"
Xu Yixuan didn't expect her to ask this.
She had assumed that a monster like Qiao Sang wouldn't care about her opponents, let alone take the initiative to research them before the competition.
"Most of the participants are old rivals," Xu Yixuan said. "Which one do you want to know about? I have all the data here. How about I just send you the files for all the participating members from schools within Zhejiang Province?"
*Is that what I want to know! No!* Qiao Sang coughed and said
"It's been almost a year since the last National Campus Beast Taming League. Everyone's strength must have changed during this period. Where should I go to find intelligence like that?"
Xu Yixuan was stunned.
She hadn't expected that while Qiao Sang possessed such freakish strength, she was also this cautious!
Most people researching opponents would, at most, find out what pets they had and their fighting style; very few were this meticulous.
If she didn't win, who would!
In an instant, Xu Yixuan's admiration for Qiao Sang reached a new level.
Xu Yixuan answered seriously: "If you know someone, you can just ask people from other schools. If not, you can post an inquiry on the general forum for Zhejiang Province high schools, or post a quest at the Beast Taming Center."
Qiao Sang understood.
That night, a new thread appeared on the general forum for Zhejiang Province high schools.
#Shengshui High School's 12th Grade School Team Actually Changed Members Right Before the Tournament! Let Me Reveal the True Face of the New Member!#
Upon clicking it.
There was only one sentence at the beginning
【First-hand info, DM me, bring an offer, honest pricing, check for yourself if you don't believe it】
As soon as the post went up, it exploded.
Shengshui High School was the number one beast taming high school in Hanggang City and number two in Zhejiang Province!
A school like that changed members right before the National Campus Beast Taming League?
And in the twelfth grade?
Wasn't this completely absurd!
Regardless of whether they were high school students about to compete or not, everyone was extremely interested and clicked in, causing the post's heat to skyrocket.
Inside the room.
The forum backend on the computer and the phone on the desk were constantly receiving new message notifications.
Meanwhile, the owner of the computer and phone, Qiao Sang, was in the living room explaining the effects of a potion to Lu Bao.
The Vice Principal truly lived up to his title as an A-rank Breeder; he had refined the Blue Dew Crystal into a potion in less than an hour.
"This thing allows your eyes to see if someone over a kilometer away has eye crust," Qiao Sang said.
"Lu."
Lu Bao looked interested and took the potion with its paw, preparing to drink it.
Qiao Sang was startled and quickly stopped it: "Wait!"
"Lu?"
Lu Bao stopped its movement, wearing a "what's wrong" expression.
"This is for dripping into the eyes, not for drinking," Qiao Sang explained.
"Lu."
Lu Bao nodded without a hint of embarrassment, then raised the paw holding the Blue Dew potion and dripped it into its eye.
At this moment, Qiao Sang quite admired Lu Bao's psychological fortitude.
Truly cold and aloof...
After Lu Bao finished dripping the potion into both eyes, Qiao Sang asked, "How do your eyes feel now?"
"Lu..."
Lu Bao blinked, looked around, and then shook its head, indicating it felt nothing.
"That shouldn't be..." Qiao Sang picked up the bottle with the remaining potion and looked closely, muttering, "If this were fake, the Vice Principal should have recognized it while making the potion..."
"Lu."
Lu Bao flicked its tail and walked toward the courtyard.
This was truly a waste of its training time; Ya Bao had already been training for half a day.
Qiao Sang: "..."
*It seems in the future, I'll have to authenticate the materials before making a trade...* Qiao Sang sighed, placed the remaining potion on the coffee table, and returned to her room.
"Xun xun~"
Once Qiao Sang closed the bedroom door, Little Treasure appeared. It picked up the bottle on the coffee table, looked at it curiously, sniffed it, and then followed Lu Bao's example by dripping two drops into its own eyes.
"Xun..."
Little Treasure blinked, feeling no change.
"Xun."
Blinked again, still nothing.
"Xun!"
After blinking once more, Little Treasure put the potion back on the coffee table with a look of disgust.
Fake!
...
Sitting in front of the computer, Qiao Sang was surprised to find that the private messages in her forum backend had already reached 99+.
The first thought that popped into her head was: *Good grief, so many people are playing on their phones and computers instead of doing their homework!*
(End of Chapter)