Chapter 16: It Is Intuition

17:30 PM.

School let out at the Thirty-Seventh Beast Taming High School.

At 17:33, large crowds of students began walking out of the school gates in pairs or small groups.

"Are we battling right here?" a slightly deep voice rang out.

After reading for nearly an hour, Qiao Sang finally received her first inquiry.

She looked up to see a large, burly, tall man standing before her. A snake-like pet, as thick as a fist and earthy yellow in color, coiled around his waist and wound up to his neck before revealing its triangular head.

It was a Long-tailed Snake, the evolved form of a Short-tailed Snake.

Qiao Sang glanced at it twice, then took a pen from her backpack and silently added a few words to the paper.

【Beginner Pets Only】

The tall man clicked his tongue but said nothing more, turning to leave.

Once the first came, the second followed; soon, another person arrived.

This time, the inquirer was a boy with a sunny disposition. He approached Qiao Sang, scratched his head, and said somewhat sheepishly, "If I win, I don't want money. Can we exchange for your contact information instead?"

Qiao Sang replied readily, "Sure."

Not wanting money was even better. Her entire net worth, combined, was only 532 Union Coins—barely enough to cover a few losses, and she needed to save some for her fare home.

Standing beside the boy was a guy with spiky hair, wearing an expression that suggested he was just there for the drama; clearly, he was the boy's friend.

"Let's go fight over there," the spiky-haired boy suggested, pointing toward a poplar tree in Nanhe Park.

They were currently at the entrance/exit of Nanhe Park, where students were constantly passing by after school; it wasn't a suitable venue for combat.

Qiao Sang looked in the direction he pointed and nodded.

The three of them arrived under the poplar tree. The location was secluded, with no one visible within a 20-meter radius.

"I'll be the referee," the spiky-haired boy volunteered.

Naturally, Qiao Sang had no objection.

The boy made a summoning hand seal. Beneath a white star formation, a plump little pigeon about 80 centimeters tall with brown feathers appeared on the ground.

An ordinary Chubby Pigeon stood around 60 centimeters tall; this one had clearly been well-bred.

"Jiang Liu, you don't mind letting the girl attack first, right?" the spiky-haired boy asked.

Different matches had different rules; some decided who attacked first before the match began, while others didn't care who moved first.

"Of course," Jiang Liu replied, spreading his hands.

Acting as the referee, the spiky-haired boy chose Qiao Sang to take the first move. Qiao Sang didn't hesitate and spoke directly: "Fire-Fang Dog, use Spark."

"Ya!"

The Fire-Fang Dog leaped from Qiao Sang's arms, its eyes instantly turning sharp. It opened its mouth and released a reddish-orange flame the size of a baby's fist.

Facing this sudden attack, Jiang Liu gave no command. The Chubby Pigeon remained calm; just as the spark was about to hit it, it hopped twice to the left and evaded the attack.

Chubby Pigeons were widely known for being slow, and this one's speed was clearly not high either, but its reaction ability was good. It had likely undergone targeted training to evade attacks with minimal movement.

Qiao Sang analyzed the situation, but her commands did not stop: "Tackle."

The Fire-Fang Dog put strength into its four limbs and charged forward.

"Fly up and use Howl!" Jiang Liu issued his first command.

The Chubby Pigeon flapped its short wings and took to the air.

The Fire-Fang Dog had not undergone specific training, so its attack speed was not fast; the Chubby Pigeon had already taken flight by the time its charge was halfway there.

"Jiu!"

Howl was a relatively common skill. In battle, it couldn't deal direct damage, but it could momentarily affect the opponent.

To Qiao Sang, the sound was merely a bit piercing, but the Fire-Fang Dog's movements stiffened, and its speed slowed slightly.

"Air Strike!" Jiang Liu commanded immediately after.

Air Strike was an exclusive skill for flying-type pets, similar to Tackle for ground-based pets. The difference was that while Tackle relied solely on the pet's physical strength, Air Strike could utilize airflow to generate an impact far exceeding a normal tackle.

The Chubby Pigeon tucked its wings back, and a whistling airflow surrounded it as it charged straight toward the Fire-Fang Dog.

Seeing the Chubby Pigeon rushing toward it, the Fire-Fang Dog instinctively wanted to dodge.

"Don't move!" Qiao Sang issued the command at that exact moment.

Being hit by an Air Strike would certainly cause significant injury, but hearing Qiao Sang's command, the Fire-Fang Dog forced its body to stay still, choosing to obey her.

It was absurd!

The spiky-haired boy stared at the scene, his eyes widening involuntarily.

Whether it was Qiao Sang's command or the Fire-Fang Dog's reaction, everything felt ridiculous to him.

Setting the command aside, was a Fire-Fang Dog really this obedient?!

If it were a second or third contracted pet, it might be understandable, but this was clearly the first pet of a novice Beast Tamer.

Out of every 1,000 novice Beast Tamers, you couldn't find a single one who contracted a fire-type pet. In their school of over 3,000 students, only two "tough guys" had dared to make a fire-type their first contract.

Fire-type pets were known for being temperamental and difficult to control.

How on earth did she make a fire-type pet stand still and take a beating?!

If they weren't in the middle of a match, the spiky-haired boy would have run over to ask this fierce girl for advice.

"Now, jump!"

Qiao Sang watched the situation calmly, issuing the command just as the Chubby Pigeon was about to collide with the Fire-Fang Dog.

The Fire-Fang Dog did not hesitate; the very next second after Qiao Sang's command, it leaped upward.

Jiang Liu froze at the sight.

How did this Fire-Fang Dog...

How did it jump onto the Chubby Pigeon's back!

"Fire Fang, attack its wings!" Qiao Sang issued the next command while the opponent was caught off guard.

The Fire-Fang Dog bared its sharp teeth as flames immediately surged forth, and it bit down mercilessly on the Chubby Pigeon's right wing.

"Jiu!!!"

The Chubby Pigeon let out an agonizing wail, and after that cry, its body fell heavily to the ground.

"Ah-Pang!" Jiang Liu cried out in alarm.

The Fire-Fang Dog jumped down from the Chubby Pigeon. It turned to look at Qiao Sang, its eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Finally, Spark," Qiao Sang said calmly.

The Fire-Fang Dog quickly turned back.

Under the attack of the baby-fist-sized spark, the Chubby Pigeon let out a whimper and fainted.

The surroundings fell into silence.

About five seconds passed.

"You... fierce student, what is your name?" the spiky-haired boy asked awkwardly.

"My name is Qiao Sang," she replied.

"Qiao Sang wins," the spiky-haired boy announced the final result.

Jiang Liu silently recalled the Chubby Pigeon into his Beast Taming Codex.

"How did you judge the timing to make the Fire-Fang Dog jump onto the Chubby Pigeon's back?" Jiang Liu walked over, his expression complicated.

The girl before him looked even younger than him, yet her combat awareness was incredibly strong.

Given the speed of an Air Strike, the timing for a jump was not easy to calculate.

If the dog had jumped when the pigeon was already right in front of it, it would have been too late; one had to calculate the pigeon's descending impact speed.

And then there was the Fire-Fang Dog—if it had hesitated for even half a second, it definitely wouldn't have made it onto the pigeon's back.

All of this was built upon absolute trust and command over the Beast Tamer.

Qiao Sang said seriously, "It was intuition."

Jiang Liu: "..."

(End of Chapter)