Chapter 17: Don't You Know?

The two remained silent for a long time.

Qiao Sang stood to the side without saying a word.

The guy with the spiky hair gave Jiang Liu a meaningful look.

Curious, Jiang Liu asked, "What's wrong with your eyes?"

Spiky Hair: "..."

*So stupid.*

Resisting the urge to facepalm, Spiky Hair squeezed out a single word: "Money."

Only then did Jiang Liu realize, and he hurriedly pulled 50 Alliance Coins from his pocket and handed them over.

Spiky Hair: "..."

*You truly deserve to be single! Couldn't you have asked for contact info before transferring the money?!*

"Thanks, I'm leaving now," Qiao Sang said with a smile as she took the money.

The peak period after school was short, and she needed to use this time to scout for more people.

"Wait, play a match with me too," Spiky Hair stopped Qiao Sang. "I don't want money either. Just tell me your secret to raising a Fire Fang Dog."

Qiao Sang shook her head. "I don't have a secret."

"Impossible. If there were no secret, why is that Fire Fang Dog so obedient?" Spiky Hair said, looking completely unconvinced.

Methods for raising pets weren't exactly secrets; universities even had majors dedicated to pet breeding.

The Alliance referred to graduates of these majors as Breeders. Much like Beast Tamers, they had to pass grade exams, progressing from F-rank up to SSS-rank.

Some people who contracted pets would specifically seek out Breeders to design a series of training regimens.

However, some people had their own unique ways of taming pets and were unwilling to share.

Take the Wei family in Jiang City, for example. By using food that Fairy-type transcendent creatures loved, they managed to make elusive Fairy-type creatures appear before them and voluntarily become their pets.

Such food was naturally highly coveted; if the recipe were patented or sold, it could make a fortune.

But the Wei family insisted on using it only for their own kin.

Eventually, almost everyone in the Wei family possessed a Fairy-type pet, and after 300 years of development, they earned the title of a "Fairy Clan."

Spiky Hair believed Qiao Sang was simply unwilling to tell him.

He still remembered a senior in the second year of high school, one of only two people in school to have contracted a Fire-type pet. When that senior brought out his Fire Armored Rat to let a junior pet it, the rat immediately blasted him with a mouthful of flames the moment it emerged.

The person was fine, but his hair was scorched off. He had to shave his head and had worn a hat every day since.

This Fire Fang Dog was nothing like that; it could stand still and obey even in such a situation.

Confused, Qiao Sang asked, "I am its Beast Tamer. Isn't it normal for it to listen to me?"

"Yaa."

The Fire Fang Dog nodded, as if agreeing with its Tamer.

Looking at the Fire Fang Dog, Spiky Hair became uncertain. Was this dog so well-behaved simply because of its innate personality?

"Can I pet it?" Spiky Hair asked.

"Chen Tongtong, don't be impulsive," Jiang Liu advised.

The reason the senior had become bald was common knowledge throughout the school; Jiang Liu was afraid Chen Tongtong would become the school's second bald student.

"It's fine, go ahead," Qiao Sang said indifferently.

Back at the pet base, before they had even contracted, the Fire Fang Dog had been willing to let her pet it.

Moved, Chen Tongtong crouched down to look at the Fire Fang Dog and just reached out his hand.

"Yaa."

The Fire Fang Dog friendly displayed its sharp teeth toward him.

Chen Tongtong immediately retracted his hand, terrified that the dog might take a bite out of him in the next second.

"Just battle me. I don't want any secrets anymore. Just tell me how you usually raise your Fire Fang Dog," Chen Tongtong said, standing up.

"Alright," Qiao Sang agreed.

Although the Fire Fang Dog had only been with her for three or four days, she did have some insights into its upbringing.

Seeing that the two had decided, Jiang Liu stepped forward. "I'll be the referee this time."

Qiao Sang nodded.

Chen Tongtong summoned his pet.

Qiao Sang fell silent as she looked at the transcendent creature before her.

A brown, bug-type pet about 10 centimeters long, resembling foxtail grass, was wriggling on the ground.

It was actually a Caterpie...

Caterpies were mostly green; brown ones were rare. Most Beast Tamers with any ambition wouldn't bother contracting such a cheap and common pet.

However, its evolutionary forms were diverse. Researchers had identified five different elemental evolutions, including the rare Ice-type Beautifly, which increased the value of a Caterpie by dozens of times.

But all that value depended on its evolution.

Qiao Sang had read in books that besides silk spitting and tackling, Caterpie couldn't learn any other skills.

*Isn't he just handing me money?*

"You go first this time," Qiao Sang said.

She was afraid the Fire Fang Dog would end the battle with a single spark...

Chen Tongtong naturally knew what Qiao Sang was thinking; every time he brought out his Caterpie, she let him take the first move.

This contempt, this feeling of being looked down upon, benefited him in every battle.

A normal Caterpie could evolve between three to five months, but his Caterpie had been held back for nearly a year. All of this was to build a solid foundation for a perfect evolution.

With such a thick foundation, his Caterpie was no longer something an ordinary Caterpie could be compared to!

He had even achieved a respectable 39th place in the first-year Beast Taming Battle Competition, thanks to his Caterpie's silk tenacity, which far exceeded that of ordinary specimens!

"Caterpie! Show her your strength!" Chen Tongtong shouted, thrusting his hand upward.

"Pie!"

Caterpie opened its mouth and let out a cry, sending a streak of brilliant white silk racing toward the Fire Fang Dog.

It was so fast that the Fire Fang Dog was bound by the silk before it could even take a step.

The Fire Fang Dog struggled, but it couldn't break free.

Qiao Sang frowned; it seemed speed training for the Fire Fang Dog needed to be moved up on her schedule.

"Give it the finishing blow!" Chen Tongtong continued to roar.

A faint white light flickered over Caterpie's body. Instead of wriggling, its 10-centimeter body launched itself through the air!

Its speed was significantly faster than the Fire Fang Dog's previous tackle.

Judging the distance, Qiao Sang issued a command after three seconds: "Fire Fang!"

A brilliant burst of flame instantly destroyed the white silk and accurately bit into the charging Caterpie.

"PIE!!!" Caterpie let out a shrill cry.

Two seconds later, its eyes rolled back, and it fainted.

"Qiao Sang wins," Jiang Liu announced.

"Caterpie!" Chen Tongtong rushed over and scooped up the fallen Caterpie.

After confirming it was merely unconscious, he recalled it into his Beast Codex.

"Why?" Chen Tongtong looked up at Qiao Sang, his eyes red.

"What?" Qiao Sang asked back.

She didn't understand. Wasn't it perfectly normal for the Fire Fang Dog to win against a Caterpie? Why was he reacting so strongly?

"Why did you break through Caterpie's silk so easily?" Chen Tongtong stared intensely at Qiao Sang, asking with resentment.

His Caterpie's silk was incredibly tough; once it bound an opponent, they basically couldn't escape, even if they were strong—it would take a considerable amount of effort.

It shouldn't have been as easy as if they were just playing around.

"Uh," Qiao Sang thought for a moment, "Don't you know that Fire-type counters Bug-type?"

Chen Tongtong: "..."

"Maybe you just haven't battled a Fire-type pet before?" Qiao Sang thought she had hit the nail on the head.

Chen Tongtong: "...!!"