Beast Taming: Starting From Zero-Chapter 757: Magical Clang

"But don't underestimate him just because his combat ability isn't all that great." Pirite continued.

"As long as the pet beast’s runes and items are well matched, it can often perform at or even above its peak potential."

However, if a pet beast hasn’t been trained at all and its base strength is lacking, then even exceeding its potential won't amount to much power... But the standards of pay-to-win players often can't be judged by common sense... Qiao Sang nodded seriously and said: "I understand."

Seeing her serious attitude, Pirite smiled in satisfaction.

To be honest, Qiao Sang was one of the most worry-free prodigies he'd ever met, at least she actually listened to what he said.

At that moment, Qiao Sang asked, "What type of appraiser is he?"

Appraisers were divided into various categories: Bloodline appraisers, fossil appraisers, material appraisers, item appraisers, and so on.

Pirite took a sip of water and replied, "He's a pet beast egg appraiser."

A pet beast egg appraiser... Qiao Sang became thoughtful.

She had heard of this type before, said to be able to determine the species, gender, egg age, and even talent of a pet beast based on the patterns on the egg’s surface.

Though most pet beast eggs clearly indicated the species at a glance, there were always exceptions.

Some eggs appeared to inherit the father’s side, but upon hatching, turned out to take after the mother’s lineage. Some even inherited traits from older generations.

All in all, it was a profound field of study.

Then Qiao Sang thought of something and asked again, "Since he’s a pet beast egg appraiser, does that mean the beasts he contracts with are all picked from eggs?"

Kid, you ask too many questions... Pirite paused and replied, "Possibly."

Qiao Sang pressed on, "If he selects all his beasts from eggs, then wouldn’t their innate talents be excellent?"

Even excellent talents can't compare to yours... Pirite grumbled internally but kept a composed surface:

"To become a B-level appraiser at such a young age, he must’ve been exposed to this field from an early age. He likely comes from a well-off background. Even if he didn’t appraise the eggs himself, someone professional would’ve done it for him."

So talent can really be judged just from the egg... rich players live in a different world... Qiao Sang thought to herself.

She had been taught that you could only determine a beast’s talent after hatching, by observing whether it inherited any gifted skills.

For a moment, Qiao Sang fell silent.

Finally, no more questions... Pirite quietly sighed in relief.

He had come to realize that Qiao Sang always had a lot of questions. It wouldn’t be a problem if they were all about training or combat, but she often veered into unrelated topics.

Like just now, or like that time she asked about materials from Chaosu Star.

God knows, he was just a teacher at the Imperial Beast University, originally still on vacation...

---

Who knew how much time had passed when a familiar staff member approached respectfully and said: "Miss Qiao Sang, please come backstage to prepare."

This match is so high-profile, why can’t they just teleport us directly onto the field like they did during the Ancient Guwu Region tournament... Qiao Sang grumbled inwardly, but rose and smiled: "Alright."

Then she pointed toward the backstage area and said to Pirite, "Teacher, I’ll be going now."

With that, she followed the staff member.

Qiao Sang took her position in the corridor.

Click click click... Suddenly, her ears twitched slightly, she heard hurried footsteps approaching from the far end.

Half a minute later, a somewhat familiar figure appeared.

Red mullet hairstyle parted in the middle, wearing silver earrings, it was the same man who had been introduced ahead of her on the first day of the Beast Tamer Star Tournament.

Qiao Sang still remembered the commentator's introduction: from 2nd District, 1.88 meters tall, four-time Pet Beast Arena Champion, Apollon Nowitzki.

"Miss Qiao Sang..." Apollon looked at the black-haired girl in front of him and gave a bitter smile.

"I apologize for last time."

Huh? Qiao Sang blinked in confusion and asked, "What happened?"

Apollon was momentarily stunned. Seeing that she genuinely didn’t seem to remember, his dim eyes lit up with hope: "Last time I mistook you for a fan who snuck in and even offered to get you an autograph, I’m really sorry."

After hearing that, Qiao Sang waved it off, "It’s nothing. Among the contestants, I really am the least well-known. It’s normal for people not to recognize me."

"How could that be!" Apollon blurted out.

"You’re the most popular one now!"

No need to exaggerate like that... Qiao Sang coughed lightly and asked, "So, is there something you needed from me?"

Apollon opened his mouth to speak.

But just then, the announcer’s voice echoed from the corridor: "Next match: Elan Prio versus Qiao Sang!"

The staff member, who had been standing quietly like air, respectfully said: "Miss Qiao Sang, it’s your turn."

He gestured toward the field.

"I’ll be going now." Qiao Sang said and walked toward the entrance.

"Then contact me after the match!" Apollon called out to her retreating figure, his tone slightly anxious.

A sudden change of attitude is always suspicious... Why now of all times, right after the revelation about Luobao’s healing light? Could it be he’s terminally ill, or someone in his family is? Qiao Sang lifted a hand and waved behind her, signaling she understood.

At that moment, the crowd erupted in cheers.

The commentator’s voice boomed: "Qiao Sang is waving to the crowd as she enters!"

Qiao Sang: …

She turned her wave into a proper one and stepped into the arena.

From across the field, she saw her opponent, a man with short brown hair who looked to be in his twenties, and recalled his detailed profile in her mind.

Elan Prio, 35 years old. He only had three pet beasts, but all were General-ranked.

Ladybug: A flying/bug dual-type General-level beast. Likes flying under the stars while scattering powder. It’s said that whoever the powder touches will experience good luck. Has the "super sight" trait and can see bacteria on any object it stares at intently…

Myfuong: A grass-type General-level beast. Its spores induce hallucinations when inhaled.

The last one: Magical Clang. A psychic-type General-level beast. Produces bell-like sounds. The bells on its body emit high-frequency noises inaudible to human ears, causing temporary deafness…

Which one will he summon first?

Elan looked at her with a polite smile and said, "Miss Qiao Sang, please go easy on me."

Bro, you’re 35 years old, your beasts are fully equipped with runes and items, and you’re asking me to go easy on you? The nerve… Qiao Sang sneered inside but feigned ignorance:

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Elan said nothing more.

Say "go easy" once and the audience chuckles. Say it twice and it becomes embarrassing.

Then a mechanical voice echoed through the arena: "3, 2, 1, battle begin!"

Qiao Sang immediately began forming hand seals.

After two days of training, her speed had improved significantly.

Unfortunately, age brings experience.

She was still 0.5 seconds slower than her opponent.

A green star array lit up first on the field.

Then came an orange-yellow star array.

Magical Clang... Qiao Sang looked at the beast about two meters tall, floating in mid-air, with two yellow bells on its head, a silver bell on its neck, and silver bells on each paw. Its body was covered in white spirit patterns.

She quickly scanned the silver bells on its neck and paws.

They didn’t match the reference images. These three bells were items...

Just as she realized that, Magical Clang Clang’s eyes began glowing blue.

Her newly summoned Yabao was immediately levitated into the air under its mental control.

"Magical Clang takes the lead, using telekinesis to control Fire Qilu!" The commentator called out.

Meanwhile, the audience started murmuring: "Qiao Sang looks strong, but she always seems to start off at a disadvantage..."

"That’s because her hand speed isn’t as fast as the others."

"Why is her hand speed so slow?"

"It’s already fast enough. You should consider how young she is."

"Uh, I already forgot how old she is..."

"Magical Clang is a psychic-type pet beast. It’s not easy to approach. This match is going to be a tough one."

Just as the crowd was discussing, Magical Clang controlled Yabao and had him dash quickly in its direction.

"Shake it!" Elan gave the command.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two yellow bells on Magical Clang's head started to shake.

An invisible sound wave shot toward the approaching Yabao.

Controlling Yabao with psychic power, then using the sound of the bells to make it deaf, so it can’t hear my commands? Qiao Sang analyzed her opponent’s strategy in her mind.

To be honest, she thought this combination of moves was pretty effective.

Unfortunately, the one in the arena was Yabao.

With Yabao's strength, even without her commands, he could still react swiftly in battle.

What the opponent absolutely shouldn’t have done was let Yabao get close to Magical Clang...

And it was even approaching in a straight line...

"Yap!"

Yabao stared intently at the opponent that was getting closer, an excited expression appearing on his face.

"Ma-ma..."

Magical Clang felt the heat in Yabao’s gaze and shivered slightly.

It remembered its beast master’s instructions before the match. The bells on its neck and claws began shaking as well.

The invisible sound wave quickly expanded its range.

"Yap!"

Yabao’s ears twitched. He sensed something was wrong.

His body didn’t resist and allowed himself to be pulled closer. He simply opened his mouth.

A red-and-gold beam filled with terrifying energy shot straight toward Magical Clang.

"Ma-ma!"

Magical Clang was startled and instinctively vanished on the spot, teleporting to a position a hundred meters high in the air.

This movement caused it to lose control of Yabao.

BOOM!!!

The red-and-gold beam passed through Magical Clang's original location, followed by a violent explosion. A wave of flames surged through the air like a tsunami.

"Ma-ma..."

Magical Clang looked at the surging flames, showing a frightened expression.

Suddenly, it felt a chill behind it.

"Ma-ma..."

It seemed to realize something and stiffly turned its head.

Seeing Fire Qilu appear behind his pet, Elan was about to issue another command.

At that moment, Qiao Sang said with a playful tone, "If I were you, when Magical Clang first controlled the opponent, I’d have made sure it controlled the mouth too, since that’s where the skills are launched."

That... actually makes sense... But why are you suddenly telling me this... Elan looked at the black-haired girl in the distance, confused.

Qiao Sang stared at him and smiled faintly.

BOOM!!!

A loud sound exploded in the air.

Elan instinctively looked up and saw Fire Qilu using Fire Fang, biting down hard on Magical Clang.

Suddenly realizing something, he looked at Qiao Sang in disbelief and shouted angrily: "You distracted me on purpose just now!"

Congratulations, you got it right... Becoming a B-rank appraiser at 35 must’ve taken a lot of effort, no wonder you didn’t have much time to train your pet for real battles. No real combat experience, and you don’t even know not to get distracted by your opponent’s words during a match... Qiao Sang thought to herself, but on the surface pretended not to hear:

"What did you say?"

To be fair, it wasn’t entirely her fault. She had never seen the effects of Magical Clang's bell sounds. If they were as powerful as the Wave of Peace from Fairy Treasure Butterfly, then Yabao probably wouldn’t be able to hear her commands by now.

In that case, she had no choice but to strike elsewhere, he couldn’t just stand there doing nothing.

Elan: ...

Elan was now certain, she had done it on purpose!

"Fire Qilu used Exploding Flame Bomb to force Magical Clang to move! It escaped the control and teleported behind Magical Clang! Fire Qilu used Fire Fang to bite down on Magical Clang!"

The announcer's voice grew more excited: "Oh! Magical Clang used Substitute!"

Qiao Sang looked up and saw that the Magical Clang bitten by Yabao had disappeared, now appearing a hundred meters away.

Forcing out a Substitute isn’t bad, it at least consumed a lot of its internal energy... Qiao Sang was fairly satisfied with the current situation.

"Go in!" Elan saw Magical Clang looking a bit timid and, feeling displeased, shouted loudly.

"Ma-ma!"

Hearing its beast master’s voice, Magical Clang summoned its courage and took on a serious expression.

Just as it was about to attack, Yabao had already opened his mouth.

A thick spiral of flame shot out instantly, rushing toward Magical Clang position.

Magical Clang raised its claw, and a semi-transparent barrier with a diameter of about three meters appeared in front of it.

The flame collided with the barrier but didn’t immediately explode or destroy it.

"Ma-ma..."

Magical Clang gritted its teeth, maintaining the energy of the semi-transparent barrier.

Mirror Reflection, it can reflect special attack damage back to the opponent at twice the power... Qiao Sang recognized the move and frowned slightly.

Yabao's fire whirl might only be a mid-tier skill, but it had been trained to ultimate. The fact that it couldn’t directly shatter the mirror meant Magical Clang not only had a high skill proficiency but still had more energy than Yabao, even after using Substitute...

With Mirror Reflection, most special attacks were difficult to use, unless the attacking move was significantly stronger than the reflection.

Just as she was thinking this, the flames on the barrier suddenly reversed direction and surged back toward Yabao with increased power.

Yabao disappeared from his original position and reappeared above Magical Clang.

The redirected flames missed their mark.

If Yabao couldn’t hear her voice, then she would use visual cues he could understand... Thinking this, Qiao Sang raised her hand and snapped her fingers.