Chapter 317: The Preliminary Concludes


    This series of maneuvers left everyone present enlightened.


    <i>It turned out that the peculiar habit of spinning opponents dizzy wasn’t the doing of the Treasure-Seeking Demon at all, it was its Beast Tamer!</i>


    Qiao Sang waspletely unaware that she had beenbeled as someone who took pleasure in spinning opponents dizzy.


    The match ended in an unsurprising victory.


    Although the Long-Tailed Snake was also a mid-level pet beast and had a considerable size, Yabao’s mastery of psychic power was leagues ahead. Coupled with an energy level far surpassing others in his tier, the Long-Tailed Snake simply couldn’t break free from the psychic control.


    After the match, Qiao Sang took Yabao back to the contestants’ seating area at Shengshui High School to await the arrival of the reporters.


    Given that the National Campus Beast Mastering League’s provincial preliminaries involved numerous simultaneous matches, and preliminaries generally didn’t attract much attention, each venue only had at most one reporter and a cameraman.


    When the broadcast announced that all matches in Group A2 had concluded, the venue’s sole reporter dashed toward Shengshui High’s contestant area, with a cameraman lugging a camera hot on his heels.


    <i>I knew they’de to interview me…</i> Qiao Sang patted Yabao’s fur and gave him a look.“Yap...”


    Yabao followed her gaze and saw two humans approaching, one with a microphone, the other carrying a camera.


    Having been interviewed before, Yabao immediately understood his Beast Tamer’s intent.


    Without a word, he tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle, aiming to look dashing when he appeared on camera.


    Back during the Bai Xin Competition, Qiao Sang had been a gutsy rookie whose first contracted beast was a fire-type, with some raw talent in battles. Reporters back then maintained a professional distance during interviews.


    Now, though, this reporter practically shoved the microphone into her face.


    Qiao Sang silently took a step back to put some space between her and the microphone.


    Just as she prepared to answer questions about the me Hound''s psychic abilities, the reporter bombarded her with another set of questions:


    “Why do you enjoy spinning your opponents dizzy so much? Does it hold a special meaning for you, or do you simply derive some kind of enjoyment from it?”


    Qiao Sang: ???


    ---


    An hour after the match, a thread titled <i>Shengshui’s Super Seeded yer Qiao Sang Has a Habit of Spinning Opponents Dizzy</i> exploded on the forums.


    Qiao Sang sat on the school bus back to Shengshui, silently scrolling through the thread.


    “Three-dimensional shadow control like this is insane! Looks like Zhejiang Province is going to make a name for itself this year!”


    “That skill’s incredible, but the way the Treasure-Seeking Demon spins opponents around reminds me of a noodle chef. I don’t get it, but I’m amazed!”


    “It’s not the Treasure-Seeking Demon’s fault, it’s Qiao Sang’s doing.”


    “Why do these geniuses always have quirks? There was Ding Yanjing with his tickling tactics, and now Qiao Sang with her dizzying spins.”


    “Ding Yanjing’s tactics were borderline torture. Qiao Sang’s just using it as part of herbat style. me Hound’s attacks were normal before the Treasure-Seeking Demon showed up.”


    “Speaking of me Hound, its fire and psychic abilities are so strong! Even when it just stares down an opponent to make them spin, you can feel its dominance!”


    “Speaking of me Hound… anyone up for a heist?”


    The replies went on and on. After reading for a while, Qiao Sang put her phone away and gazed quietly out the window.


    <i>No big deal.</i>


    In the end, that reporter still asked about me Hound''s psychic abilities. Once the interview aired, the gossip wouldn’t matter.


    Sitting beside her, Xu Yixuan typed intently on her phone, a serious expression on her face:


    “<i>How to rapidly improve a pet beast’s resistance to dizziness.</i>”


    She never expected Qiao Sang to have such a bizarre quirk! Based on their respective strengths, both of them would almost certainly advance to theter stages of the provincialpetition.


    <i>The odds of facing each other were high. Losing was one thing, but losing while spinning? Absolutely uneptable!</i>


    Xu Yixuan wasn’t the only one thinking this way.


    That evening, the Clear Breeze Potion sold out across Zhejiang Province, and Qiao Sang single-handedly boosted the sales of anti-dizziness remedies statewide.


    Of course, that’s a story for another time.


    ---


    The bus pulled into Shengshui High just as the evening light began to fade.


    As Qiao Sang got off the bus, someone called her name.


    From the voice alone, Qiao Sang knew who it was.


    “Mom? Why are you here?” She turned her head and, sure enough, saw her mother standing there.


    “The store isn’t too busy, so I thought I’de pick you up since you’re back.” Ye Xiangting walked over with a smile.


    “How’d the match go today?”


    Qiao Sang grinned. “I got all 18 points, of course.”


    Over the past week, she had been updating her mother daily after each match. Naturally, Ye Xiangting understood what 18 points meant.


    Hearing this, Ye Xiangting’s smile widened.


    “You little rascal! Who would’ve thought you’d be so talented in battles? Competing against seniors for a whole week without losing a match, who do you take after?”


    “You, of course!” Qiao Sang teased.


    “If you’d chosen to be a professional Beast Tamer, you might’ve been a regional star by now.”


    Ye Xiangting couldn’t hold back herughter.


    “Hahaha, that’s possible! Let’s go home! I’ll make something delicious tonight.”


    The warm glow of dusk faded as their voices trailed off into the distance.


    “I want sweet and sour ribs!”


    “Sure, I’ll make them!”


    “And c chicken wings!”


    “Done!”


    “Oh, and--”


    “Hold on! I want to ask, do you have the rankings for this week’s matches?”


    “Yeah, why?”


    “Send them to meter. I’ll post them on my Moments.”


    “...”


    ---


    Dinner was at the apartment in Tianjing Garden.


    Since they had to gather early at school the next day, staying there was more convenient.


    After finishing dinner and tidying up, Ye Xiangting headed home.


    Qiao Sang sat on the sofa, phone in hand, looking at the announcement in the group chat about the next stage of thepetition.


    “November 4th, Huicheng Beast Taming High School.”


    November 4th, that was the day after tomorrow. <i>Where was Huicheng Beast Taming High School again?</i>


    As Qiao Sang pondered, a jet of water thinner than her pinky sprayed her face.


    She wiped her face helplessly and looked at Lubao, whose nostrils were bubbling with water in frustration.


    “Still mad? I told you, you’re our secret weapon. You can’te out too soon.”


    “Lu lu!”


    Lubao wore an<i> I don’t believe you</i> expression, though the water bubbles shrank slightly.


    Seeing this, Qiao Sang grinned. Just as she was about to say more, a thought struck her. She turned to Yabao, who was watching thepetition channel.


    “How’s your ear traininging along? Block the sound for me.”


    “Yap!”


    Yabao’s attention immediately shifted. He folded his ears down and blinked expectantly, waiting for praise.


    Qiao Sang smiled like a proud mother but quickly turned to Lubao before Yabao’s ears popped back up.


    “I didn’t let youpete because those opponents were too weak. Yabao and Little Treasure could handle them. The tougher opponents areter on, that’s when I’ll need you.”


    “Lu lu.”


    Lubao’s tail swished lightly as the water bubbles vanished entirely.


    Qiao Sang exhaled in relief. <i>Finally pacified.</i>


    “Xun?”


    Little Treasure, watching the whole scene, tilted his head in confusion.


    <i>Why didn’t our Beast Tamer think to ask me to block my ears?</i>