Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

So what if they hadn’t warned her about teleporting without notice? It was the fifth time already.

Well, excluding the third time when she had prepared in advance for the trip to the Golden Entertainment Tower, it was really only four times.

No big deal.

Qiao Sang stood up and put on a polite, gentle smile.

“Vice Principal, you wanted to see me?”

Liu Yao remained silent, fixated on a strange pet beast he had never seen before.

Its fur was smooth and luxurious, with red stripes typical of feline pets. In many ways, it resembled a tiger or lion-type beast.

Its long, fluffy tail, red eyes, and distinct fangs were proportionally smaller than when it was still a Fire Fang Dog.

The fangs of a Fire Fang Dog were a milky white, but in this new form, they had become a cool white. Although shorter, they looked even sharper.

Why had it evolved into this new form? What were the conditions?

“Vice Principal, Vice Principal.” Qiao Sang called out twice.

Liu Yao finally looked up, his gaze complex as he studied the youthful face before him.

He thought this child, who had only been a Beast Master for a little over a month, contracting two pet beasts so soon was already extraordinary.

One of the beasts even surpassed the conventional energy levels for its stage in just about three months, making her the second-most talented young Beast Master he knew of.

But now, she had managed to evolve the Fire Fang Dog into a completely new form. This alone put her on a level beyond other geniuses of her time.

“When Teacher Qin told me, I didn’t believe it at first. But it’s true.” Liu Yao chuckled softly.

Teacher Qin?

Qiao Sang blinked, recalling that it was also Teacher Qin who had mentioned her energy levels before.

It seemed this teacher’s gossiping speed rivaled that of her mother…

“Let’s sit down and talk.” Liu Yao said, moving to the guest sofa instead of the Vice Principal’s cushy chair.

Qiao Sang sat across from him.

“Old Xian, brew some tea.” Liu Yao addressed the Sky Bat.

“Xian.”

With a wave of its wings, the Sky Bat glowed blue as cups, a kettle, and tea leaves floated up and began preparing tea with practiced ease. Clearly, this wasn’t its first time doing this.

Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up, her mind wandering as she imagined the future when Yabao and Little Treasure would master telekinesis as well.

“Do you know why your Fire Fang Dog evolved into this new form?” Liu Yao’s voice pulled her back to reality.

Qiao Sang shook her head. She had been completely baffled when Yabai had evolved into a Flame Hound.

“Then why do you think it happened?” Liu Yao pressed.

“Because of his energy levels?” Qiao Sang ventured after thinking for a moment.

“That could be part of the reason, but it’s not the whole story. Our research institute in the Yuhua region has tried raising various pet beasts to exceed conventional energy levels to trigger evolution."

“While not every pet beast responded to the process, the Fire Fang Dog was one of those that did. However, when it evolves solely due to exceeding energy levels, it turns into a Blaze Dog.” Liu Yao explained patiently.

Qiao Sang nodded.

Sometimes, pet beast evolution required more than one condition. Like the Silver-tailed Sea Serpent she encountered before, which needed to both be in the ocean and have a poison dew pearl in its mouth to evolve.

“Xian.”

The Sky Bat finished preparing the tea, placing five cups on the guest table. Clearly, two of the cups were meant for Yabao and Little Treasure, while the last one was for itself.

Holding the cup like a scholar, the bat sipped its tea slowly.

Qiao Sang marveled at the sight—so, pet beasts could enjoy tea too?

“Yap.”

Yabao sniffed the tea but quickly lost interest, returning to sit beside his Beast Master.

“Xun.”

Little Treasure floated over and sniffed the tea. Though it didn’t smell like milk, he curiously stuck out his tongue for a taste.

“Xun.”

His expression froze, and he immediately flew back to perch on Qiao Sang’s head.

So bitter. So awful…

Qiao Sang barely held back her laughter. As she suppressed her amusement, a thought struck her.

“Could it be related to our bond?”

When the relationship between a pet beast and its Beast Master reaches a certain level of harmony and intimacy, it might trigger an evolution that’s different from the usual one.

Liu Yao paused—bond? How long had she contracted the Fire Fang Dog for their bond to reach that level?

Still… Qiao Sang’s talent was beyond ordinary standards, so it wasn’t entirely impossible…

“The research institute has studied the bond between Beast Masters and their pets extensively, and the Fire Fang Dog doesn’t evolve through bonding.” Liu Yao shook his head.

“Then what if both the energy levels and the bond were met?” Qiao Sang asked.

“Though few people have met those conditions, some have. You should think about what else sets your Fire Fang Dog apart from the others.” Liu Yao replied, sipping his tea.

Qiao Sang also took a sip.

“Vice Principal, I’m just a student. I haven’t even started high school yet. Shouldn’t this research on how my Fire Fang Dog evolved be left to professionals?”

Liu Yao put down his cup and cleared his throat. “I’m a professional researcher—an advanced one, at that.”

Qiao Sang: ...

The Vice Principal’s identity was impressive. He was not only an A-level breeder but also a senior researcher.

In comparison, being the Vice Principal of Shengshui High seemed almost unimpressive…

“As the first Beast Master to evolve a Fire Fang Dog into a new form, I hope you can cooperate with the institute in our research.” Liu Yao continued.

“Of course, there will be benefits.”

Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up.

Liu Yao spoke seriously, “I can request for you to become a trainee researcher. If you ever want to pursue a career in research, this will be an excellent foundation.”

Qiao Sang: ...

She knew well what being a researcher meant. It was a prestigious role where, as long as you completed your research tasks and produced results, you didn’t need to worry about much else.

Once your project was approved, you’d receive significant funding, access to resources, and even apply for protection when entering secret realms.

But.

It was a waste of time.

She hadn’t even started high school yet. Her missing theoretical knowledge hadn’t been made up, and she had already skipped a day of intensive training yesterday.

If she got involved in the Fire Fang Dog evolution project, she wouldn’t have time for training.

Besides, Little Treasure was about to be one month old and needed a training plan. Yabao had just evolved to the intermediate stage, leaving her with a lot to handle.

Becoming a trainee researcher would be a huge opportunity for anyone looking to become a full-time researcher.

But all Qiao Sang wanted was to earn money, raise her pet beasts, and get into a good university so she could become a professional Beast Master.

Since she didn’t plan on being a researcher, the title would be nothing more than a fancy status symbol with no real benefit to her.

She was about to politely decline when Liu Yao spoke up, “I recall you mentioned wanting to live off-campus. If you participate in the research, I’ll approve it.”

Qiao Sang: !

Liu Yao continued, “I can also approve you having a phone, but you can’t use it during class.”

Qiao Sang: !!

“Oh, and I forgot to mention—trainee researchers receive a salary of 100,000 a month.”

Qiao Sang shot to her feet. “Thank you for this opportunity, Vice Principal!”

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T/N: Same, Qiao Sang, same. Money can move my feelings.