Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Deep Sea Mantis Hotel.

Room 2088.

Qiao Sang spread her arms wide and let herself fall backward onto the soft bed with a heavy flop.

"Xun!"

"Xun!"

"Hic~"

Little Treasure rolled around on the bed, restless.

Why haven’t I evolved yet?!

Qiao Sang sighed helplessly.

"You’re the youngest; isn’t it normal for you not to evolve yet?"

"Xun Xun!"

Little Treasure argued back indignantly, insisting he had been second in line before!

"By contract timing, you’re still second." Qiao Sang explained, sitting up and pulling out her phone. She searched for Little Treasure’s evolved form, Ghost Ring Spirit, and held it up to the little creature.

"But by size, even if you evolve, you’ll still be the third."

"Xun…"

Little Treasure stared seriously at the image of his future form, then set the phone aside and resumed rolling around on the bed.

"Xun!"

"Hic~"

"Xun!"

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Size didn’t matter. It was all about strength! Strength-wise, he had gone from second to third place!

Little Treasure’s getting harder to fool as he grows up… Qiao Sang thought with mild amusement.

Lowering her voice, she said, "Being third for now doesn’t mean anything. Once you evolve, you can reclaim second place."

"Xun~"

Little Treasure immediately stopped rolling, his eyes lighting up as he looked at ihis trainer.

Exactly! That’s what I was thinking!

But then his excitement quickly faded into a dejected expression.

"Xun…"

When will I even evolve?

"Soon." Qiao Sang reassured it, patting its head with a smile.

"You just need to train a bit more."

She had already given Little Treasure an A-grade potential booster from the provincial competition, which had marginally increased his stats. Though not as dramatic as an S-grade booster, it was still progress.

For Little Treasure to evolve into Ghost Ring Spirit, he first needed to split his ring into two and then use a Dark Phantom Crystal at night.

The ring was no longer an issue, but obtaining a high-quality Dark Phantom Crystal was.

In the past, Qiao Sang would have just allocated points to Little Tresure to force his evolution. However, with her current unlimited one-year VIP card, she wanted to try a more refined approach using the best quality materials.

She decided not to tell Little Treasure of this plan. At the moment, he was driven by his competitive spirit, spurred on by Lubao. If he found out she could force his evolution, he might slack off entirely.

"Xun Xun!"

Encouraged, Little Treasure clenched his tiny fists, his face determined. He removed his ring and picked up an ant toy, preparing to train.

At that moment, Qiao Sang’s phone buzzed. She picked it up to see the caller ID: Xu Yixuan. She answered the call.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

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"Qiao Sang! You’ve hit a million fans!"

Xu Yixuan’s voice exploded through the speaker, nearly giving Qiao Sang a heart attack.

"A million?" Qiao Sang repeated, startled.

"Not just a million, nearly two million now!"

Two million?! Qiao Sang was momentarily stunned. She quickly calculated the potential earnings from advertising for an account with such a massive following.

Then she remembered her one-year rich person experience and calmly replied, "It’s just two million. How much could an ad bring in, anyway?"

"I wouldn’t know." Xu Yixuan admitted.

"But wow, two million! I never thought I’d know a two-million-level influencer personally!"

For a high schooler like Xu Yixuan, money wasn’t as crucial, especially when basic needs and pet-training expenses were already covered. Pets and fame were far more interesting.

Qiao Sang chuckled.

"You really keep an eye on things, don’t you? I didn’t even notice I hit two million, but you found out so quickly."

"Well, I’m one of your fans too." Xu Yixuan admitted with a laugh.

"You? My fan?" Qiao Sang was taken aback.

"Since when?"

"Ever since you beat Ding Yanjing." Xu Yixuan replied with a grin.

You don’t seem the type… Qiao Sang thought, recalling a crazed fan she’d encountered on a previous mission. I wonder what that person is up to these days…

Nighttime.

In one of the busiest streets of Haicheng, by a nearby canal, a man wearing a windbreaker stood on a boat, arguing.

"We agreed on 9,000 before!"

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A skinny middle-aged man grinned slyly.

"That was before. Now is now. Ice Qiya has evolved into Ice Xilu. Do you know how hard it is to get tickets now? You’re lucky I’m even reselling!"

"15,000." The man growled.

"25,000. Final offer." The middle-aged man replied.

"I only have 15,000."

Seeing the man’s serious expression, the seller relented, "Fine, 20,000. Take it or leave it."

"Deal." The man transferred the money without hesitation.

As he disembarked with his ticket, a smile crept across his face.

Qiao Sang, here I come.

If Qiao Sang were here, she’d recognize him as the crazed fan from her past.

In the following days, Qiao Sang consistently sent Little Treasure into battles. Spectators grumbled but still filled the stands, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ice Xilu.

Finally, on the last day of the group stage, the announcer's voice boomed:

"Now, let’s welcome Qiao Sang from Yuhua District and Bai Binbin from Xilu District!"

As Qiao Sang stepped onto the field, spectators erupted in anticipation.

"Ice Xilu! Ice Xilu!"

"I want to see Ice Xilu!"

In response to the deafening chants, Qiao Sang began forming hand seals with unshakable composure.

A green star array lit up.

In the next moment, a red-and-white furred creature with an elegant and imposing aura appeared on the battlefield.

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"Yaaap!"

Yabao let out a thunderous roar, exuding a powerful and majestic presence. For a brief moment, the audience fell silent.