Beast taming, starting from zero point
Chapter 329 - 316: So What?

Chapter 329: Chapter 316: So What?

The shadow quivered as if trying to break free and come alive from the ground, but ultimately, it did not leave the floor.

"Xun~"

Xiao Xunbao’s stubby toes curled upward, and with a "swoosh," eleven Huang Wanhua were flung into the sky in unison.

"Wán Wán!!!"

A 360-degree high-speed spin, a classic move, was replayed.

The doppelgangers of Huang Wanhua vanished one after another, and in just a second or two, only its real body was left alone in midair, continuing to experience the high-speed rotation.

"Wán!!!"

Huang Wanhua cried out, tears, snot, and drool smeared across its face, making it look especially pitiful.

Moreover, the pathetic cries elicited extra sympathy from the onlookers, who couldn’t help but feel a bit of empathy. Even though it wasn’t them being spun around, they felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.

"Yuck... this Treasure-seeking Demon’s skill in Shadow Control is so advanced."

"Yeah, even the shadows can split, yuck... into so many forms; the skill must be at least at the Beginner level, how can anyone compete against that."

"If the skill improves a bit more to physical attacks, I reckon, yuck... Ding Yanjing of Litian Royal Beast High School might not stand a chance either."

"Why are you all, yuck... vomiting, you’re making me feel sick too."

"I don’t know, my stomach just feels uncomfortable."

"Same here..."

"Just don’t look at Huang Wanhua, I think the most urgent task is to train our pet beasts to have better resistance to dizziness. Look at this Treasure-seeking Demon, after taking control it just spins the opponent; if one can withstand this move, there might still be a chance to win."

"But didn’t our school just compete with Shengshui Middle School a few days ago?"

"Just let the other schools know; if this Qiao Sang really loses a few matches because of this and scores less, our students’ ranking might just go up."

"Bro, you’re funny. With Qiao Sang’s strength, do you think she can lose a few matches? Even if someone from another school really beats her, do you think our kids can surpass her? You know she’s a spontaneous awakener! In grade one! And already in the Green Star Formation!"

"I’m just saying. Are you a teacher from Shengshui Middle School? You seem so worked up." Old Li, who had infiltrated group A2 to gather intelligence for Litian Royal Beast High School, became wary upon seeing the other’s emotional response and probed.

He clearly remembered that this face was not among the leaders and coaches of Shengshui Middle School.

"Hehe, worked up? I’m not worked up."

As Chen Shengtang spoke, his eyes became slightly moist—if he were a teacher at Shengshui Middle School, that would be great! He wouldn’t have to suffer from sleepless nights all week!

On the field, the referee’s whistle declared the end of the match.

Huang Wanhua lay on the ground foaming at the mouth, looking like it needed to be rushed to the emergency room.

Zhang Shiming panicked and immediately yelled, "Doctor! Doctor!"

Two pet beasts dressed in white coats, resembling brawny pigs, promptly brought a stretcher and carried Huang Wanhua away.

The competition continued.

Zhang Shiming took a deep breath and formed hand seals.

His quick defeat cast a somber atmospheric pressure on the other two members seated in the Beast Taming High School contestants’ area.

Who was Zhang Shiming? He had placed in the top 24 in the province in the last National Campus Beast Taming League, the linchpin among them!

If even he lost instantly, what would become of them when they took the stage?

"Is she really in grade one?" a girl with shoulder-length hair asked despondently from the bench.

Although the name of this "she" was not mentioned outright, the boy sitting beside her clearly understood who she was referring to.

"There’s a difference between being 15 years old," the boy said. "Think of it this way, she’ll definitely become a big shot in the future. This might be our only chance to face her. Just imagine that we’ve fought with a future big shot. Doesn’t that comfort you a bit?"

The girl was taken aback, then her mind flashed to Qiao Sang’s age, the color of the Star Array, the Flame Listening Dog, and the Treasure-seeking Demon’s recent use of Shadow Control.

Come to think of it, that did make her feel a lot better...

Losing in a second to such a future big shot was no disgrace!

...

The Ghost-absorbing Lantern, Zhang Shiming’s second pet beast.

Having thoroughly researched her opponent Qiao Sang the night before, she naturally wasn’t surprised.

However, this was the first time she had faced a Spectral-type pet in a competition... Qiao Sang’s expression turned slightly more serious.

"Xun Xun~"

Xiao Xunbao waved its paws enthusiastically in greeting.

It had interacted with the Ghost-absorbing Lantern before, so naturally, it had a good impression of the Ghost-absorbing Lantern’s kin.

"Ghost-absorb."

The Ghost-absorbing Lantern was startled for a moment, then subconsciously raised its paw to wave back.

The competition began in such a friendly atmosphere.

As the whistle sounded, Xiao Xunbao’s expression changed, and it became invisible at the first opportunity.

The Ghost-absorbing Lantern reacted a beat too slow, only then remembering this was a competition, and quickly turned invisible as well.

With both pet beasts gone from the field, it seemed completely empty.

The spectators below began to discuss what they saw.

"Spectral versus Spectral, it looks like the Treasure-seeking Demon’s Shadow Control won’t be of much use this time."

Shadow Control manipulates shadows. If a spectral-type pet beast has its shadow controlled, all it needs to do is turn invisible.

Without a shadow, that move naturally loses its effect.

"We shouldn’t speak too soon, though. What if Qiao Sang has a trick up her sleeve, and the Treasure-seeking Demon’s Shadow Control can actually transform into a physical attack? After all, if a shadow can split, it’s not far off from becoming three-dimensional."

"Skill proficiency isn’t that easy to train. Not to mention going from proficiency to mastery taking several months—reaching completion of a high-leveled skill from the beginning stage would take several years, even for someone exceptionally gifted."

"That’s true..."

Of course, Qiao Sang knew best about Xiao Xunbao’s proficiency with Shadow Control.

She had specifically taken a month off to train, significantly increasing Xiao Xunbao’s proficiency in various skills.

Although Shadow Control was a high-level skill, unlike Mars Rain, it didn’t require a special field or copious amounts of Energy Recovery Potion for practice. Its proficiency increased daily, nearing completion.

Qiao Sang glanced at the spectator seats from the corner of her eye.

If there were no surprises, there would be someone specially sent from Litian Royal Beast High School to gather intelligence.

The more strength she displayed in the competition, the more targeted the forum posts would become in their analysis.

But, so what?

"Ghost flames!"

"Shadow Control!"

Qiao Sang and Zhang Shiming issued their commands at the same time.

Several ghostly green flames suddenly lit up in mid-air, then swiftly flew toward a specific location.

Spectral-type pet beasts can still see each other even when invisible, just as a vague outline, not particularly clear.

This was clear to everyone present.

What they didn’t understand was something else.

"The Ghost-absorbing Lantern is invisible, right? Using Shadow Control should be useless."

"Maybe Qiao Sang wants Shadow Control to manipulate the shadows of the ghost flames."

"With Qiao Sang’s strength, she might actually be able to do that."

"Impossible! Ghost flames are so tiny and numerous, controlling their shadows is even harder than using an attack skill to counter or just dodging outright."

Amidst the spectators’ discussions, Xiao Xunbao revealed itself.

To everyone’s surprise, it appeared not where the ghost flames had struck, but ten meters away from the ground below.

The crowd was dumbfounded.

Was the Ghost-absorbing Lantern’s vision impaired?!

The discrepancy in attack distance was just too great!

"Xun~"

Xiao Xunbao extended its short toe, and the shadow cast on the ground started to shake along.

Suddenly, the black shadow broke free from the ground’s hold and surged towards the sky!

Stretching! Expanding! Splitting!

This series of changes was completed almost instantly!

Multiple dark shadows, like black silk, converged from all directions toward a point in the sky and entangled it.

"Ghost-absorb!!!"

As the shadows converged and tightened, the Ghost-absorbing Lantern’s figure appeared before everyone’s eyes.