The Eight-Tentacle Coral—a Water-type pet, the evolved form of the Hidden Coral Worm—didn't have invisibility as a skill, but as a natural trait.
Its skin contained nano-crystals that could adjust their color upon contact with objects, rendering it effectively invisible.
Qiao Sang stared blankly at the description.
Isn't this just a chameleon?
But the Beast Taming world lived up to itself—no chameleon from her previous life had ever been this extreme.
On the bus, the Eight-Tentacle Coral had its upper body pressed against the broad-faced man, while all eight tentacles hovered in the air.
With so many people in close proximity, not a single person noticed.
Thinking this over, Qiao Sang searched for more information about the Eight-Tentacle Coral.
She spent five minutes scrolling, eyes narrowing in confusion.
Nothing.
The articles didn't explain why its aura could disappear so suddenly.
At first, she thought on the bus that the man might have recalled his pet into the Beast Tamer Record.
But when a pet is recalled, a faint glow appears on it—visible to anyone nearby.
Clearly, the Eight-Tentacle Coral hadn't been recalled.
Then why did Firefang Dog report that the aura appeared and disappeared abruptly?
The broad-faced man was standing only two people away from her. Firefang Dog couldn't have missed his scent from such a short distance.
Yet it claimed the aura vanished and reappeared suddenly.
The Eight-Tentacle Coral had stayed on him the whole time, so its aura was never gone.
Could it be that Firefang Dog's nose wasn't sensitive enough?
So it only noticed when it got closer?
"Ya… qiu!"
Firefang Dog suddenly sneezed.
Qiao Sang frowned, still puzzled. She decided to post a question on the forum.
This was exactly when a forum proved its worth.
Soon, she received replies:
[Isn't it just a stealth skill?]
[Impossible. Stealth can't vanish and appear instantly; it should take at least a minute.]
[Maybe its stealth skill is just weak?]
[I agree with the above.]
[When I first trained my Extreme Iron Ox, its aura disappeared for just 2 seconds at first.]
[Stealth training tutorial: no need for 9998, just 998!]
[OP, don't be fooled—that last reply is a scam!]
Qiao Sang finally understood. That explained all the strange occurrences—it had to be the skill.
Stealth was rarely used outside specific locations, which was why she hadn't considered it before.
If Firefang Dog had a skill like Sandstorm to obscure the battlefield combined with stealth, that would be a devastating combo.
Too bad it didn't.
For now, teaching Firefang Dog stealth was unnecessary.
Qiao Sang closed her laptop and looked at Firefang Dog.
She hadn't forgotten tonight's training plan.
"Firefang Dog, use Fire Fang as many times as you can."
"Ya."
Though it didn't understand the purpose, it obediently nodded.
Three minutes later, Firefang Dog lay on the floor, panting heavily.
Qiao Sang counted—it had used the skill thirteen times.
More than she expected.
Though that might also be due to the energy meal it had eaten earlier.
Just as Qiao Sang considered checking the Beast Tamer Record,
"Ya~" Firefang Dog weakly called out.
She immediately understood, went to the kitchen, and juiced two red rice fruits into a bowl.
After the last batch of six fruits, her mother had bought six more.
This time, Qiao Sang rationed them—one every two days.
A single red rice fruit cost 700 Alliance Coins; daily consumption would be extravagant.
But Firefang Dog had worked hard today, and with 50,000 Alliance Coins in her wallet, she could afford a small indulgence.
Firefang Dog held the bowl with its two front paws, slurping the juice down. When finished, it happily called out.
Watching it perk up again, Qiao Sang couldn't resist patting its head.
Though cheerful, it was exhausted; not long after, it curled up and fell asleep.
Qiao Sang lifted it to bed and tucked it in, then returned to her desk.
Training without a plan was inefficient. She decided to draft a structured schedule.
First, morning runs at 6:00 to improve endurance and speed.
Firefang Dog's speed was poor—this needed serious focus. Otherwise, opponents would hit while it missed every strike.
The rest of the time would focus on skill usage.
Currently, Firefang Dog knew four skills: Bite, Ram, Fire Fang, and Fire Spark. Except for Ram, all were at beginner level.
Qiao Sang decided not to continue training Bite—Fire Fang, a more powerful intermediate skill, rendered it almost redundant.
Ram was already at proficiency level, needing over 300 points to reach the next stage, Minor Mastery. To reach that before the Saintwater Academy special entrance exams, she'd need to have it perform Ram about forty times daily.
Training speed while using Fire Fang and Fire Spark in addition to forty Rams daily was too much for a pet less than a month old.
Qiao Sang reconsidered and lowered the Rams to ten repetitions.
For the next nine days, she would focus on speed and raising Fire Fang and Fire Spark to proficiency.
Only through hardship does a beast rise above beasts.
Qiao Sang smiled, satisfied, looking at her training plan.
…
The next morning.
"Why haven't you left for school yet?" her mother asked, frowning.
Qiao Sang glanced at the time: 7:54. She'd overslept…
The 6:00 run plan was dead in the cradle.
"Mom, why haven't you left yet?" she countered.
She hadn't decided how to explain her leave from school. If she were a top student, she could have said she wanted to self-study and train Firefang Dog these last few days.
But her mother thought she was a mediocre student…
Who expects a mediocre student to study properly outside school?
Qiao Sang hadn't planned to hide it indefinitely, just until after the Saintwater Academy exam.
Her mother usually left earlier, but today was an exception.
Mistake…
"I have a client booked all day, leaving in the afternoon. It's still early. And you? How could you sleep in this late when it's the last few days? Classes start at 8:10; what time is it now?" her mother scolded.
"I'm leaving right now!" Qiao Sang raised her hand in promise.
She grabbed a piece of bread in her mouth, put on her shoes, picked up Firefang Dog, opened the door, and closed it in one smooth motion.
Outside, she exhaled, realizing she'd have to spend the morning away instead of resting at home after training.
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