The competition continued into the afternoon; aside from a two-hour break at noon, the battles had barely stopped.
4:33 PM.
He Datao recalled his Meltdown Gorilla and stepped off the field.
"I think we've finished all our matches for today. Want to go out for a meal tonight?" He Datao asked with a smile. His perfect winning streak today had put him in a great mood.
Normally, school teams had unified catering for competitions, and going out required approval from the lead coach.
However, this was only the group stage. Sun Boyi had a good grasp of the level of the Grade 12 group and knew that since half the participants would advance from the groups, all three of them were safe. Consequently, he was currently in a relatively laissez-faire state, unlike coaches from other schools who would come over to give a pep talk or instruct on tactics every time a member of their school took the stage.
As long as it didn't affect the matches and they could win, the coach wouldn't object to them going out for a meal; He Datao knew this well.
"No thanks, I still need to prepare for tomorrow's matches," Xu Yixuan declined.
Although she knew advancing from the group stage was guaranteed, losing two matches in a row to Qiao Sang today had left her with little appetite to go out.
"Then just the two of us," He Dataao said, looking toward Qiao Sang.
"I..." Just as Qiao Sang was about to speak, Lubao slapped her with a paw.
"Lu."
*Go where? We need to train.*
Qiao Sang's mouth twitched, and she quickly changed her tune: "I also need to prepare for tomorrow's matches."
He Datao froze for a moment, immediately engaging in self-reflection.
Both people stronger than him were being this hardworking; what reason did he have to relax just because of a temporary victory!
"Then I won't go either," He Datao declared.
*I'll recall you into the Beast Codex in a moment. You don't even understand the balance between work and rest; even Yabao knew to go for a stroll when he first arrived...* Qiao Sang silently looked down at Lubao.
"Lu." Coincidentally, Lubao looked up.
"Wait until we get back, then we'll train," Qiao Sang said with a serious expression.
"Lu." Lubao nodded, indicating that was the plan.
...
Since she had promised Lubao, she couldn't just go back and lie down like she did during the qualifiers.
At the public training ground within the Hongrao Beast Taming Center, Yabao and Lubao were practicing skill release.
Because participants from other schools stayed at the Beast Taming Center and there was only one training area inside, the field was crowded with people and pets. Yabao and Lubao could only practice skills with low destructive power.
Though there were many people, few were actually training.
What a joke—the only Flame Listening Hound and the endangered beast Ice Lugia were right here; who would have the heart to train!
"A Flame Listening Hound! Heavens! It's right in front of me! That damn handsomeness is blinding me!"
"Look at that Ice Lugia's tail and ears! I want to touch them so badly!"
"The Flame Listening Hound just looked over! Was it looking at me? Was it looking at me?!"
"Quick! Take a photo for me, I want to be in the same frame as the two of them!" A boy excitedly handed his phone to a Power-Neck Duck, pointing toward the red-white and pale blue figures not far away.
"Li shou." The Power-Neck Duck took the phone and nodded, then with a serious and extremely professional expression, it shifted through various angles, frantically pressing the shutter button.
Many people around were similarly asking their pets to help them take photos.
"Aren't you going?" Qiao Sang asked, poking the little Treasure Hunter on her head while watching Yabao and Lubao.
"Xun xun~" Little Treasure Hunter shook its head, using a pre-prepared excuse with an extremely sincere expression.
There were too many people, and its skill power was too strong; it would be easy to hurt others, so it was better not to practice.
*Pulling my leg, keep pulling... you can actually say such a shameless excuse...* After complaining internally, Qiao Sang thought about skills Little Treasure Hunter could train.
The fact that Little Treasure Hunter knew Psychic-type moves hadn't leaked on the forums yet, meaning others didn't know. She should keep that hidden for now and not train Psychic skills in public.
As for Ghost-type skills, she still needed to master Dark Shadow Control first, but that move was best practiced with a target...
Qiao Sang thought for a moment and said, "Find a few ants to keep as spares first."
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure Hunter floated in front of its tamer and shook its short toes. The corners of its mouth curled into a smug expression, and it skillfully removed its ring, rummaged inside, and soon produced a beverage bottle.
Qiao Sang was genuinely bewildered looking at the bottle in Little Treasure Hunter's claw.
There was no drink in the bottle, but rather a dozen ants crawling slowly.
These ants were actually alive... Qiao Sang hesitated and asked, "When did you put these ants into the ring?"
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure Hunter rubbed its chin with its paw, appearing to recall seriously, then let out a definitive cry.
It was the night Big Brother Yabao got the whistle.
Qiao Sang was stunned for several seconds. That was at least a week ago. In an anaerobic environment, ants wouldn't last more than a few minutes; how could they still be alive?
Unless, Little Treasure Hunter's ring could already store living beings...
At the thought of this possibility, Qiao Sang couldn't help but feel excited. Whether a space could store living beings or not changed its significance entirely!
She remembered that the first trait of Little Treasure Hunter in the Beast Codex, "Reception," described the function of the ring. If the ring had truly changed, the data in the Beast Codex would surely update synchronously!
It was her fault; she usually only looked at skills and hadn't paid much attention to the trait data.
Qiao Sang immediately wanted to enter the Beast Codex to check the page regarding Little Treasure Hunter.
"BOOM!!!"
Just then, a sudden clap of thunder echoed in the sky.
Everyone on the training ground was startled.
"Scared the crap out of me! Why did it suddenly thunder?"
"The weather forecast didn't say it would rain today!"
"Good grief, who is this thunder trying to scare to death?"
"Damn, the sky turned dark so fast just from one thunderclap. Let's get going; looks like a rainstorm is coming."
"Holy crap! What kind of divine beast is undergoing a tribulation here!"
"Xun!"
Little Treasure Hunter was so frightened that it flashed back onto Qiao Sang's head, its two claws gripping her hair tightly.
*With this strength, I'm going to go bald sooner or later.* Qiao Sang looked up at the sky and saw that the previously clear sky was suddenly squeezed by thick black clouds, giving the feeling that a storm was imminent.
"Ya ya!"
"Lu."
Yabao and Lubao ran over.
Qiao Sang instinctively looked at Lubao and saw that its tail and ears were the same as usual, with no signs of enlarging.
Did the perception fail because of the rainy weather?
Qiao Sang didn't think too much more; with a wave of her hand, she recalled Yabao and Lubao into the Beast Codex.
Since Little Treasure Hunter liked staying on her head, she let it stay; it could act as a shield if the rain actually came. Before the rain started, Qiao Sang bolted toward the dorms.
"Student Qiao Sang!"
Just as she reached the corridor, a male voice sounded from behind, his tone full of pleasant surprise.
Qiao Sang turned around and found a boy whose bangs covered his eyes.
She paused.
Isn't this the Child of Fortune?
"Student Qiao Sang, it's great to run into you here. I've been looking for you for a long time." Wu Chang ran over, trying his best to show a friendly smile.
*Looking for me for a long time?*
Qiao Sang suddenly felt something and turned to look at the sky outside the corridor.
The sky full of dark clouds was dissipating, and there was no longer any sign of an impending storm.