Chapter 98: Count Me In

The days of training were monotonous, but this was only true for Firefang.

Under the shade of a tree by the Liu Gan Creek, Qiao Sang and Little Treasure Ghost leisurely ate their ice pops.

"You're still young, you should eat less cold stuff," Qiao Sang said, taking a bite of her ice pop.

"Treasure~"

Little Treasure Ghost cheerfully responded and then put the entire ice pop in its mouth, its body shivering and its eyes curving into crescents.

Seeing this, Qiao Sang sighed inwardly; Little Treasure Ghost was really getting more mischievous.

Ever since the incident with pretending to sleep, Little Treasure Ghost's nature had become even more unrestrained.

In the past, if she told it to eat less cold stuff, it would immediately put down the ice pop.

But now, it would agree verbally while its body acted so honestly.

On the other side, Firefang sensed the energy within its body and opened its mouth.

In the next second, a ball of energy the size of a baby's fist appeared in front of it.

Firefang kept its mouth open, maintaining the rotation of the energy ball, trying to make it more solid.

"Firefang, keep it up!"

"Treasure! Treasure!"

Qiao Sang and Little Treasure Ghost cheered from the side, like members of a cheerleading squad.

Firefang focused on the energy ball, and when it felt the internal structure was stable enough, it tilted its head back and launched the energy ball into the sky.

Qiao Sang looked up, closely watching the energy ball's movement.

Sure enough, after rising to about four meters, the energy ball rapidly descended, falling into the Liu Gan Creek.

"Bang!"

A loud noise, and water splashed everywhere.

Then, a fish floated to the surface, belly up.

"Little Treasure," Qiao Sang called.

"Treasure~"

Little Treasure Ghost, with the ice pop still in its mouth, mumbled a response.

It extended its two short toes, and a blue light emanated from its body, with the focus bead on its neck also glowing faintly.

The fish in the water was controlled and floated over.

Qiao Sang placed the fish in a plastic bag she had prepared.

This was already the seventh fish to suffer since Firefang started training with the energy ball.

Fortunately, the fish in the Liu Gan Creek were all wild; otherwise, the training ground would have to be changed again.

"Fire."

Firefang was already used to failure. It didn't get discouraged and continued to sense the energy within its body.

Ten days had passed since it started practicing the energy ball. The size of the energy ball had grown from the size of a fingernail to that of a baby's fist.

For a beginner pet beast, the progress was quite fast.

However, the internal structure of the energy ball was not solid enough, and it would often fall uncontrollably after rising a short distance, sometimes even exploding in mid-air.

Qiao Sang checked the time.

17:01.

With the help of the F-grade energy recovery liquid, Firefang practiced until it was time to eat every day.

Qiao Sang considered herself a relatively ambitious person, but she didn't think she could be as diligent as Firefang without pressure.

Having such a carefree pet beast was truly... refreshing!

Her fellow new beast masters, who graduated from junior high school at the same time, were still exploring how to get along with their pet beasts.

Forget training skills; sometimes, even getting their pet beasts to master the skills they already knew required coaxing and persuasion.

The five recommended pet beast personalities were good, but being good-natured didn't always mean being diligent.

Fang Sisi had even messaged her a few days ago, complaining that her Cotton Worm was unwilling to spin silk.

Qiao Sang suggested she look it up online or consult a breeder.

The next day, Fang Sisi sent her the breeder's diagnosis.

Although the diagnosis was lengthy, it could be summarized in one word: lazy.

Qiao Sang watched with satisfaction as Firefang condensed the energy ball again and leisurely finished her ice pop.

...

17:56.

At the dining table.

Auntie San took a bite of the braised fish and sighed, "Qiao Sang, the fish you bring is always so delicious."

Qiao Sang took a bite of rice and said, "It's because Auntie San cooks it so well."

"You, this child," Auntie San laughed. "By the way, Ranran, how did your blind date go today?"

In the ten days Qiao Sang had been staying at her hometown, Ye Ranran had already gone on three blind dates.

Qiao Sang, feeling it was none of her business, decided to indulge in some gossip.

She lowered her head to eat but perked up her ears to listen.

Ye Ranran glanced around the table and then fixed her gaze on Qiao Sang. "Why do I feel like you've gotten darker?"

Qiao Sang: "!"

Getting darker or fatter were things girls cared about, and Qiao Sang was no exception.

She had been outside every day, though she stayed in the shade, but with the strong sun and no sunscreen, the possibility of getting darker was quite high.

"I just bought some Bright Frost Coral powder. You can soak it and drink it," Ye Ranran said.

Bright Frost Coral powder could noticeably improve skin tone, and its effects were immediate, making it highly praised in the current beauty market.

Qiao Sang nodded repeatedly and said, "Sure, so how did your blind date go today?"

Ye Ranran: "…"

"It's no good. That person supported Klicka during the Galactic Cup," Ye Ranran said helplessly.

The Galactic Cup had ended a few days ago, but many people were still immersed in it.

Klicka was the one who had defeated Lin Ya.

His strength was clearly superior to Lin Ya's, and he won all the way to the top three.

Although Klicka was strong, almost everyone in the Dragon Nation supported Lin Ya.

Even if they weren't beast masters, they couldn't possibly not know what Lin Ya represented in the Dragon Nation.

Supporting different beast masters during the Galactic Cup could easily lead to emotional splits.

According to statistics, during each Galactic Cup, the divorce rate among couples increased by 9%, and arguments and breakups among couples due to the Galactic Cup were common.

"That's indeed no good. What kind of people are they introducing?" Auntie San said, clearly supporting Lin Ya.

When the meal was almost finished, Uncle San, who had been silent, spoke up, "Ah Sang, I need someone."

Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment before remembering the relay marathon Uncle San had mentioned recently.

Uncle San lived in town, and he couldn't even find three people to form a team for the marathon?

Was it because Uncle San had poor relationships or was he being ostracized by the town's beast masters?

Qiao Sang imagined many scenarios.

"But Little Treasure is still very young, I'm afraid I'll be a burden," Qiao Sang said worriedly.

If Uncle San wanted to participate, he must want to win.

The marathon was a very challenging competition, and the participating pet beasts were usually well-trained, with a certain level of speed and endurance.

They were physically and mentally excellent.

If it was just a three-person team, each sending one pet beast, it would be fine, but if two pet beasts were required, Little Treasure Ghost was clearly not suitable for this event.

"It's fine. We just need someone to fill the spot. You can just be a number. Besides, the competition not only looks at the overall team ranking but also calculates the ranking of each pet beast based on their performance in each relay segment. I mainly want to win the individual ranking," Uncle San explained.

Qiao Sang immediately felt relieved.

If it wasn't about winning the team ranking, it would be fine even if Little Treasure Ghost only ran 100 meters and then gave up.

"Alright, count me in. Who's the other person?" Qiao Sang asked.

Ye Ranran stopped her chopsticks and said, "It's me."

Qiao Sang: "…"