5:30 p.m.
Classes ended at Hanggang No. 37 Beast-Taming High School.
At 5:33 p.m., large groups of students, walking in twos and threes, poured out of the school gates.
"Are we fighting right here?" a slightly deep voice asked.
Qiao Sang had been reading for nearly an hour when she finally got her first inquiry.
She looked up to see a tall, burly guy standing in front of her. Coiled around his waist and winding all the way up to his neck was a snake-like pet as thick as a fist, earthy yellow in color, only revealing its triangular head near his collar.
A Longtail Snake—the evolved form of the Shorttail Snake.
Qiao Sang glanced at it twice, then took out a pen and silently added a few words to the paper taped to her backpack.
[Beginner-level pets only]
The big guy clicked his tongue, didn't say anything else, and turned to leave.
Once there was a first, there was soon a second.
This time it was a sunny-looking boy. He scratched his head awkwardly as he stood in front of Qiao Sang and said, a little embarrassed, "If I win, I don't want the money. Can I exchange it for your contact info instead?"
"Sure," Qiao Sang replied readily.
Not taking money was even better. All her assets combined added up to just 532 Alliance Credits—enough to lose a few matches at most. She still had to save some for the trip home.
Standing beside the boy was a spiky-haired guy, wearing an expression that screamed here for the drama, clearly his friend.
"Let's fight over there," the spiky-haired guy suggested, pointing toward a white poplar tree in Nanhe Park.
They were currently right by the park entrance, with students constantly passing by—not exactly an ideal battlefield.
Qiao Sang followed his gaze and nodded.
The three of them walked over to the poplar tree. The location was secluded, with barely anyone within a twenty-meter radius.
"I'll be the referee," the spiky-haired guy volunteered.
Qiao Sang had no objections.
The boy formed a summoning seal. Within a white star array, a plump, round-bodied creature appeared on the ground—a brown Little Fat Pigeon about eighty centimeters tall.
Ordinary Little Fat Pigeons were around sixty centimeters tall. This one had clearly been well raised.
"Jiang Liu, no problem letting the girl attack first, right?" the spiky-haired guy asked.
Different competitions had different rules—some decided beforehand who attacked first, others allowed free initiation.
"Of course," Jiang Liu said, spreading his hands.
With the referee choosing Qiao Sang to go first, she didn't hesitate.
"Firefang Dog, use Fire Spark."
"Ya!"
Firefang Dog leapt out of Qiao Sang's arms, its gaze instantly sharpening. It opened its mouth and released a red-orange flame about the size of a baby's fist.
Faced with the sudden attack, Jiang Liu didn't issue any command. The Little Fat Pigeon remained calm. Just as the fire spark was about to hit, it hopped twice to the left and cleanly avoided it.
Little Fat Pigeons were notoriously slow, and this one didn't seem fast either. But its reaction time was good—it dodged with minimal movement. Clearly, it had undergone targeted training.
Qiao Sang analyzed the situation even as she continued issuing commands.
"Charge."
Firefang Dog dug in with all four limbs and rushed forward.
"Fly up and use Howl," Jiang Liu finally gave his first command.
The Little Fat Pigeon flapped its short wings and took to the air.
Firefang Dog hadn't undergone speed training yet. By the time its charge reached halfway, the Little Fat Pigeon was already airborne.
"Coo!"
Howl was a fairly common skill. It couldn't directly deal damage in battle, only slightly disrupt the opponent for a brief moment.
To Qiao Sang, the sound was merely a bit piercing. But Firefang Dog's movement stalled, its speed slowing slightly.
"Aerial Strike," Jiang Liu immediately followed up.
Aerial Strike was a skill exclusive to flying-type pets, similar to ground pets' Charge. The difference was that while Charge relied purely on physical strength, Aerial Strike could harness airflow, generating impact far greater than an ordinary collision.
The Little Fat Pigeon tucked its wings back. Air currents swirled around it, accompanied by a whistling sound, as it shot straight toward Firefang Dog.
Seeing the oncoming attack, Firefang Dog instinctively tried to dodge.
"Don't move!" Qiao Sang shouted at that exact moment.
Getting hit by an Aerial Strike would definitely cause serious damage. Yet upon hearing Qiao Sang's command, Firefang Dog forcibly restrained its body and obeyed.
It was absurd.
The spiky-haired referee stared at the scene, eyes widening.
Both Qiao Sang's command and Firefang Dog's response felt absurd to him.
Leaving aside the timing of the order—was Firefang Dog really this obedient?!
If it were a second or third contracted pet, maybe. But this was clearly a first pet of a rookie beast tamer.
Among a thousand rookie beast tamers, you couldn't even find one who dared to contract a fire-type pet as their first. In their entire school of over three thousand students, only two people had the guts to do that.
Fire-type pets were notorious for their violent temper and difficulty to control.
How on earth did she get a fire-type pet to obediently stand still and take a hit?!
If they weren't still in the middle of a battle, the spiky-haired guy would've already rushed over to seek advice from this fearsome girl.
"Now—jump!"
Qiao Sang watched the situation calmly and issued the command just as the Little Fat Pigeon was about to collide with Firefang Dog.
Firefang Dog didn't hesitate. The moment the order came, it leapt upward.
Jiang Liu froze.
How did this Firefang Dog—
How did it end up on the Little Fat Pigeon's back?!
"Fire Fang—attack its wing!" Qiao Sang immediately followed up before her opponent could react.
Firefang Dog bared its sharp teeth, flames surging instantly. It clamped down mercilessly on the Little Fat Pigeon's right wing.
"Coo!!!"
The Little Fat Pigeon let out an agonized shriek, and after that scream, its body crashed heavily to the ground.
"Ah Pang!" Jiang Liu cried out.
Firefang Dog jumped off the fallen Little Fat Pigeon and turned its head toward Qiao Sang, excitement shining in its eyes.
"Finally—Fire Spark," Qiao Sang said calmly.
Firefang Dog quickly turned back.
Under the baby-fist-sized Fire Spark, the Little Fat Pigeon whimpered once and passed out.
Silence fell all around.
About five seconds later—
"Um… Fearsome—uh, classmate, what's your name?" the spiky-haired guy asked awkwardly.
"My name is Qiao Sang," she replied.
"Qiao Sang wins," the spiky-haired referee announced.
Jiang Liu silently recalled the Little Fat Pigeon into his Beast Codex.
"How did you judge the timing to make Firefang Dog jump onto Little Fat Pigeon's back?" Jiang Liu asked as he walked over, his expression complicated.
The girl in front of him looked even younger than he was, yet her combat awareness was terrifyingly sharp.
At the speed of an Aerial Strike, calculating the jump timing wasn't easy at all.
If Firefang Dog jumped when the Little Fat Pigeon was already too close, it would've been too late. The calculation had to factor in the pigeon's diving speed.
And Firefang Dog—if it had hesitated even half a second, there was no way it would've landed on its opponent's back.
Everything depended on absolute trust between beast tamer and pet, and precise command.
Qiao Sang answered seriously, "It was instinct."
Jiang Liu: "..."
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