Chapter 979: Round Six

The reporters present were completely blown away.

"May I ask how your discussions went? Has she already joined the National Beast Taming Bureau?"

"So, are you saying that your visit to watch the match in person today was specifically for Qiao Sang?"

"When will she officially join the team for training?"

"Chen Tianqin is also from the National Beast Taming Bureau; what is your take on him losing to Qiao Sang?"

"Since you invited Qiao Sang to join the National Beast Taming Bureau, you must think highly of her. What kind of results do you think she can achieve in the Regional Tournament?"

Tao Yunkai raised his hand, checked the time on his watch, then lowered it and smiled.

"Qiao Sang has officially joined the National Beast Taming Bureau. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't be answering any further questions for now. Goodbye."

Having said that, he vanished from the spot.

The video ended.

So it was Coach Tao who revealed it... Qiao Sang pulled down the screen and browsed the comments:

【I said it back then, the two matches Coach Tao attended were both on the days Qiao Sang competed. In one of them, she left right after Qiao Sang finished. She definitely came for Qiao Sang.】

【It's perfectly normal for someone of Qiao Sang's age with this kind of strength to be selected for the National Beast Taming Bureau. Why does it not feel surprising at all?】

【The National Beast Taming Bureau is really fast. They let someone join before the competition is even over.】

【Holy crap, I remember some international youth tournaments have an age limit of 20. Wouldn't Qiao Sang just be slaughtering everyone if she participated in those?】

【How could Qiao Sang be in the same group as those little brats? Let's look at strength, not age, okay? She'll definitely go straight to the youth group.】

【Be a bit bolder, okay? With her talent, she might even go straight into the first team as a main player.】

【Impossible. I don't deny she could join later, but right now it's absolutely impossible. To join the first team, you at least need to be a B-rank Beast Tamer.】

【I feel like Qiao Sang has the strength to be in the top three, maybe even the runner-up. Besides Yuan Tianlong, she seems to be the strongest in this Regional Tournament.】

Yuan Tianlong... Qiao Sang exited the trending topics while instinctively recalling information about him.

Without a doubt, he was the most formidable candidate for the championship in this Regional Tournament.

Now was not the time of the registration assessment. With both Lubao and Like Ya Bao having evolved one after another, it would be a lie to say she had absolutely no thoughts of winning the championship.

But for now, the most important thing was to successfully enter the top eight.

Qiao Sang put down her phone, her professional drive kicking in. She sprang up from the bed, washed up briefly, and prepared to have breakfast before heading to training.

As she came out of the bathroom, she found the little treasure-hunting ghost holding a mirror, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, constantly making fierce expressions. She asked curiously:

"What are you doing?"

"Xun xun~"

Little Xunbao continued to strike a fierce pose in front of the mirror while letting out a cry, indicating that it was stimulating its Dark-type attributes.

Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment:

"Why are you stimulating your Dark attribute?"

"Xun xun~"

The little treasure-hunting ghost put down the mirror and looked over.

That teacher yesterday said the Destiny Bond ability was a hidden ability. It looked it up last night and found that hidden abilities could be trained out through certain methods. Destiny Bond is a Dark-attribute ability, so it was seeing if it could try to stimulate the Dark attribute.

Qiao Sang was dumbfounded.

Her first reaction was: Ah? Are you already smart enough to look up information and self-study?!

But then she remembered that the little treasure-hunting ghost was naturally clever, having previously used a substitute to play games behind her back, which she only discovered after a long time. She couldn't help but re-evaluate the little treasure-hunting ghost's learning ability and said:

"That's not how you stimulate the Dark attribute."

"Xun xun?"

The little treasure-hunting ghost revealed a curious expression.

Then how do you stimulate it?

"To stimulate more Dark attribute, first you must naturally carry the Dark attribute in your body, then learn some Dark-attribute skills, or absorb items containing the Dark attribute," Qiao Sang explained.

Nowadays, she could be considered someone who knew a thing or two about beast taming knowledge.

"However," Qiao Sang stared at the little treasure-hunting ghost, her tone shifting as she continued:

"Your attributes are Ghost and Psychic, with Ghost being your primary attribute. Your next stage of evolution is also Ghost. With the increase in Ghost-attribute energy, you definitely won't be able to awaken a Dark-attribute ability."

In the earlier stages, especially when pets have multiple evolutionary paths, they might awaken abilities of other attributes. Like Ya Bao's Moonlight Power was like that back then.

But once a pet's evolutionary chain is fixed, even if it awakens a new ability, it can only be an ability of its own attributes.

"Xun xun..."

The little treasure-hunting ghost understood.

It let out a long sigh.

What a great ability, being able to fight above its tier, and if it can't do it, the opponent can't either. In the future, it wouldn't be afraid to challenge Big Brother Like Ya Bao and Lubao. Why couldn't it awaken it?

"Qing qing?"

At this moment, Qingbao floated over, revealing a puzzled expression, and called out, indicating that wasn't the little treasure-hunting ghost capable of Taunt?

Taunt, a Dark-attribute skill.

Qiao Sang patiently explained: "That's because the little treasure-hunting ghost's evolutionary chain wasn't completely fixed back then. Its other evolutionary path is Dark-attribute. Also, skills and abilities are different. You might be able to learn Dark-attribute skills now, but you can't stimulate Dark-attribute abilities; those have to be naturally carried in your genes."

"Qing qing."

Qingbao remained puzzled.

But in its memory, there were pets that evolved abilities not of their own attributes in later stages.

Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment:

"What kind of pets?"

"Qing qing."

Qingbao shook its head, not remembering.

Qiao Sang pondered for a few seconds and guessed:

"That might be because it actually still had another evolutionary path in its later stages."

"Qing qing?"

Qingbao revealed a curious expression.

Doesn't the little treasure-hunting ghost have one?

"Xun xun..."

It was the little treasure-hunting ghost that answered, shaking its head.

No.

It had checked on the computer a long time ago. It originally wanted to choose an evolutionary path that was as mighty and domineering as Big Brother Like Ya Bao, or if that failed, at least one with a larger body size. Unfortunately, there wasn't one.

Qiao Sang, however, fell into deep thought.

The little treasure-hunting ghost's evolutionary limit is the Emperor rank. If she wanted to participate in the Interstellar Cup in the future, an Emperor-rank pet definitely wouldn't be enough. At that time, she would most likely use the Beast Taming Codex's golden finger to see if the little treasure-hunting ghost could evolve to the next stage.

If it could evolve smoothly, it would be a new form that had never appeared in the Alliance. She wondered if it would gain new attributes.

After all, as the beast taming society has developed to this day, everything that should have been researched has been. Pets follow the evolutionary routes of their primary attributes. Only pets like Like Ya Bao, a pure Fire-attribute that gained the Psychic type, and pets like the Evergreen Worm, Bamboo Flower Snake, and Little Leaping Fish that can transform into the Dragon type, which have been slow to be researched, require a lot of time.

Many pets get stuck at a certain stage because the next stage is a major transformation, gaining other attributes or directly transforming into another attribute. Could the little treasure-hunting ghost be like that?

Soon, Qiao Sang felt she was thinking too much. A species' potential is limited, and a species limit exists. It's impossible for every species to reach the God rank.

Otherwise, the Qingqingni species wouldn't be revered as a legend.

The Treasure-Hunting Ghost species reaching the Emperor rank should be its true limit. Even if it breaks through the limit and evolves again relying on the golden finger, it would still be its original attributes... Qiao Sang gathered her thoughts and said:

"Stop thinking about the Destiny Bond ability for now. Eat something, we're going to training."

"Xun xun..."

"Qing qing."

"Dongdong!"

Suddenly, a knock on the door came.

Gangbao flew over, checked the surveillance screen, and opened the door.

Ye Xiangting walked in carrying bags of food, saying in a good mood: "I brought you something to eat."

"Xun xun~"

The little treasure-hunting ghost instantly forgot about the Destiny Bond ability and floated over excitedly, looking expectant.

"What food?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Just steamed buns and soy milk, and some energy meals for the pets." Ye Xiangting said, placing the items on the coffee table and opening them.

Qingbao floated to the side and sniffed at the food.

It hadn't eaten many of the things brought over.

"Ya ya..."

Like Ya Bao, who was fast asleep, unconsciously sniffed towards the direction where the box was opened, and then its eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Ya ya!"

When it saw the food, its eyes lit up, it instantly woke up, and flew over wagging its tail.

Lubao jumped out of the water tank and walked over unhurriedly.

Qiao Sang walked to Like Ya Bao's side, picked up a steamed bun, and started munching on it.

"Your family knows about you joining the National Beast Taming Bureau," Ye Xiangting smiled. "They are all asking when you'll hold a celebration banquet."

"I won't go if there's a banquet," Qiao Sang said. "After this competition ends, I'm going to continue my training."

Ye Xiangting felt a slight disappointment in her heart, but soon expressed understanding:

"Training with your teacher is important. The banquet isn't urgent. We'll hold it whenever you come home."

As she said this, she thought of something and laughed:

"When we go back, I probably won't have time for a banquet. Ever since Like Ya Bao appeared, the shop has become very busy. I checked the surveillance; it's even busier than when Like Ya Bao's new evolutionary path was first researched."

Qiao Sang took a sip of soy milk and asked:

"Then is it okay if you don't go back?"

"It's fine," Ye Xiangting said nonchalantly. "You're participating in the Regional Tournament. Now, nothing is more important than watching your match."

If it were before, she would weigh the pros and cons and choose to earn more money so her daughter could afford to raise pets.

But now, the Imperial Beast Taming Academy covers all pet energy pills, and both Like Ya Bao and Lubao have evolved to the King rank, and her daughter has even become a B-rank Beast Tamer.

Whether she earns a little more or a little less doesn't seem that important anymore.

Qiao Sang felt moved after hearing this, and the steamed bun tasted even better.

The next day.

Sky Beast Taming Stadium.

The audience seats were packed with heads, and the noise was deafening.

High in the air, a reporter wearing a T-shirt sat on a Flying-type pet, holding a microphone and speaking to a Mechanical-type pet that looked like a camera with a lens for a head:

"Hello everyone, I am currently above the Sky Beast Taming Stadium, which is the site of the Regional Tournament. Today, the round of 16 to the top 8 will be held. All contestants have entered the venue. Which contestant do you think is more likely to win this round and enter the top eight?"

Following the reporter's words, the camera-like Mechanical-type pet cooperated by turning its direction, aiming its lens at the contestant area below, automatically zooming in and focusing.

Contestant area.

Now that only 16 contestants remained, it was incredibly spacious. Many contestants let the pets they usually carried with them sit in the adjacent seats.

Qiao Sang held Like Ya Bao, who was wearing sunglasses, Gangbao stood on her shoulder, and her backpack was on her left, with Lubao's head peeking out, drinking energy recovery liquid, while the little treasure-hunting ghost sat on the right wearing a black cloak.

Many contestants gathered their gazes over.

A portion of them felt it was novel.

Even though everyone summoned their pets to sit beside them, no one had summoned almost all their pets to sit beside them like Qiao Sang.

There was another group of people who wanted to find the figure of the Qingyin Fairy.

The last group of people had their gazes fall on Qiao Sang, looking with complex eyes at this young girl who had been on the trending topics countless times and had joined the National Beast Taming Bureau before the competition had even officially ended.

You have to know, the National Beast Taming Bureau has its own set of standards for selecting people. The Regional Tournament doesn't know how many times it has been held, and many people participate in the Regional Tournament just to be noticed by professional beast taming clubs or the National Beast Taming Bureau, so they can participate in higher-level competitions in the future.

There are many people noticed by professional beast taming clubs, but very few are noticed by the National Beast Taming Bureau.

Even if you win the Regional Tournament championship, the National Beast Taming Bureau might not necessarily notice you.

Compared to strength, the National Beast Taming Bureau seems to prefer young Beast Tamers with monstrous talent.

The host appeared in the center of the venue, proceeding with the process.

After welcoming the audience and introducing the guests, she said:

"After fierce competition, we have decided on the top 16. Next, for the round of 16 to the top 8, who will be in which group? Let us invite the referee from the Beast Taming Notary Office!"

Following the host's words.

A giant virtual screen appeared on the field, showing the photos of the top 16 contestants.

The Fentongji split in two, its spherical head floating towards the giant virtual screen in the center of the venue, soon merging into it and disappearing.

The 16 photos were quickly shuffled and mixed up.

After about ten seconds, the photos were paired up and fixed.

The Fentongji's head flew out from within, its color unchanged.

Everyone on the field cast their gazes over.

Qiao Sang saw herself in the third group list.

【Qi Fuqing VS Qiao Sang】

The one who defeated Zeng Feitian in the previous round... Qiao Sang looked at the photo and name, quickly recognizing this opponent.

Qi Fuqing, 37 years old, B-rank Beast Tamer, had gone to the Lianbo region and Beilun region respectively to participate in Regional Tournaments, both achieving good results, and is a fairly famous Beast Tamer.

Just as she was thinking, her shoulder was patted twice.

Qiao Sang turned her head, and a face with exquisite makeup and a bright, moving appearance came into view.

It was Qi Fuqing.

She smiled sweetly and said: "See you on the competition field later."

Having said that, she didn't wait for a response and got up to leave directly.

"Ao ao~"

The bird-type pet following beside her, about 90 centimeters tall, with a mostly white body, three feathers standing on its head, and wearing a miniature shrinking bracelet, didn't leave immediately, but instead threw a flirtatious glance at Gangbao, who also turned its head, before flapping its wings and following Qi Fuqing's pace.

Gangbao: "..."

Aobao Sparrow King, King-rank Flying-type pet, doesn't like staying up late, but often can't sleep, and every time it finishes staying up, it's in a irritable mood. This species has three colors: red, blue, and white, and they all regard the other two colors of the same kind as enemies. Among them, the white Aobao Sparrow King is the scarcest... Qiao Sang looked at the departing pet, information related to it flashing through her mind. ===== CHAPTER 980 =====