Chapter 48: The New Talent Competition

"Kiba!"

Kiba's bark pulled Jiao Sang out of her thoughts.

Looking down, she realized that the entire bottle of Qiyuan milk had been drunk.

Kiba looked up at its tamer with a longing expression, wanting another bottle.

Jiao Sang handed over the water she had prepared nearby.

Now, with her assets reduced to just three digits, she had to mix water with milk; otherwise, her funds might be depleted before the New Talent Competition even began.

Kiba had no objections to this.

It drank the water in large gulps, took a couple of bites of the super spicy wings, and then turned back to its training.

Jiao Sang watched with a complex expression.

Kiba seemed really determined to learn the Mars Rain technique.

Jiao Sang stared at Kiba, who was continuously spewing flames, and then took out her phone to search for training institutions in Hanggang City that taught Mars Rain.

Soon, the phone's web page displayed several institutions offering skill training.

One of them was just three streets away from her current location.

Jiao Sang clicked on it.

[One-on-One Nanny-Style Tutoring]

[One of the Most Renowned Fire-Type Pet Beast Skill Training Institutions in the Country]

[With a team of nearly 500 trainers, including 1 A-level Beast Tamer, 12 B-level Beast Tamers, and 122 C-level Beast Tamers]

[Successfully trains over 20,000 skills each year]

The introduction seemed exaggerated. If it were truly one of the most renowned institutions in the country, the number of successful skill trainings each year should be followed by another zero.

However, if it really had an A-level Beast Tamer as a trainer, the institution's strength could not be underestimated.

Jiao Sang clicked on the live chat to inquire about the cost of training Kiba to learn Mars Rain.

The price was quickly sent over.

Jiao Sang's eyes widened.

So many zeros…

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand…

Jiao Sang couldn't bear to continue looking and quickly closed the page, putting her phone away.

Kiba would just have to keep practicing on its own. Training with someone else was out of the question…

…

…

June 30th.

Early in the morning, Jiao Sang took the No. 63 bus to the pet beast arena in Shuke Park.

The entrance to the arena was already crowded with people, most of whom looked to be around Jiao Sang's age.

A few reporters were holding microphones, randomly interviewing people.

Jiao Sang, holding Kiba, deliberately took a longer route to the No. 2 entrance to avoid being interviewed by any sharp-eyed reporters.

After all, Kiba was wearing sunglasses, making it stand out among the young tamer crowd.

Kiba wasn't wearing the sunglasses on its own initiative; Jiao Sang had put them on it. The Mars Rain training had made no progress in the past few days, and Kiba seemed to have lost some confidence, speaking less. Jiao Sang decided to put the sunglasses on it to boost its spirits.

Although Kiba still spoke little, its mental state improved after wearing the sunglasses.

After waiting in line for about twenty minutes, Jiao Sang confirmed her name and received her participant badge, then made her way to Row 11 in Zone D of the arena.

"Jiao Sang!"

The person in Seat 5 of Row 11 waved and called out.

Jiao Sang sat down next to Fang Sisi and asked, "How many from our class are here besides you?"

Last night, Fang Sisi had chatted with Jiao Sang on the phone and found out they both had signed up for the June 30th New Talent Competition, leading to this meeting.

"Not many, probably 4 or 5. The timing of the New Talent Competition coincides with a few matches of the Galactic Cup, so everyone wants to watch the live broadcasts," Fang Sisi answered, her eyes shining as she stared at Kiba.

It was the first time she had seen Kiba wearing sunglasses.

How cool! Fang Sisi thought, and said it out loud.

If it were any other time, Kiba would have puffed out its chest and barked proudly at such praise.

But now, it just puffed out its chest without making a sound.

Kiba wanted to bark proudly too, but it couldn't. It had eaten too many super spicy wings in the past few days, and its throat was sore…

"Your Cotton Worm is doing well. It looks much bigger than last time," Jiao Sang complimented.

She actually meant to say it was fatter…

In just five days, the Cotton Worm had become much rounder.

However, insect-type pet beasts like the Cotton Worm have a short evolution cycle and develop much faster if they eat and sleep well.

This change was clearly visible.

"Cotton~" Hearing the compliment, the Cotton Worm shyly turned its back to Jiao Sang.

"Is it bigger? I didn't notice," Fang Sisi said, picking up the Cotton Worm and weighing it. "It does seem heavier."

Cotton Worm: "…"

The meaning was the same, but it felt uncomfortable hearing it from its tamer…

After chatting for about twenty minutes, the seats around them gradually filled up.

With the sound of fireworks, the New Talent Competition officially began.

"What's your number?" Fang Sisi asked.

"123. What about you?" Jiao Sang replied.

"11." Fang Sisi answered.

Jiao Sang: "…"

"Shouldn't you go to the waiting room and queue up? I think it will be your turn soon," Jiao Sang couldn't help but remind her.

The preliminary matches of the New Talent Competition were not randomly assigned but were based on the numbers, with 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, and so on.

"I don't think so. There are still five pairs ahead of me. I'll go to the backstage when the fifth pair starts. I want to watch more matches," Fang Sisi said.

Although Jiao Sang felt it was inappropriate, she didn't say anything more.

Fang Sisi had a point. It would take a considerable amount of time for the host to introduce the event and for a few matches to be held.

16 minutes later.

"Damn! How fast! Jiao Sang, I have to go now!" Fang Sisi picked up the Cotton Worm and left her seat, running down the aisle toward the backstage.

The host's introduction alone took about 10 minutes of the 16 minutes.

The remaining time saw one match per minute.

The F-level Beast Tamers who went on stage only had basic pet beasts, with limited skills. The matches usually ended in about three rounds if the opponent made the first move.

Jiao Sang had thought it would be her turn in the afternoon or the next day.

Now it seemed certain that it would be her turn in the morning…

"Number 11, Fang Sisi."

"Number 11, Fang Sisi."

The host at the pet beast arena called Fang Sisi's name twice, but she never appeared.

"Let's congratulate…" The host was about to declare the 12th participant the winner when a voice came through the earpiece.

"Let's congratulate Number 11, Fang Sisi, for her grand entrance!"

The host had always announced the participants' numbers and names in a straightforward manner. This was the first time the word "grand" was added to the entrance announcement.

For a moment, the audience was filled with anticipation.

3 seconds later.

Fang Sisi, panting, appeared on the field, followed by the plump Cotton Worm, which was struggling to move.