Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Little Treasure saw everything around him change.

When the flute melody ended-

"Xun xun."

Looking at the scene reverting back to normal, Little Treasure showed a dazed expression.

"Xun xun?"

Then he seemed to realize something. He turned to look at Adinishi, calling out in confusion, asking what he had just seen.

"Dee dee."

Adinishi put down the red flute, grabbed a potato chip, took a bite, and casually replied that what Little Treasure saw was his next evolution location.

"Xun xun!"

Adinishi enjoyed Little Treasure's expression, eating even more happily.

"Xun xun~"

Seeing this, Little Treasure's eyes gleamed for a second before he quickly concealed it, calling out sweetly, asking if maybe, later on, Adinishi could play the flute in front of his beast master too, so his little friends could also see their next evolution location.

"Dee dee..."

Adinishi paused mid-bite and shook his head, indicating no.

It didn't like humans, nor did it like appearing in front of them.

Without a word, Little Treasure pulled out a pile of food from his ring and placed it before Adinishi.

Adinishi stared at the food silently for a moment.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure immediately pulled out another pile.

"Dee dee..."

Adinishi's expression turned conflicted.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure tossed the food from his paw onto the ground and pulled out yet another pile from his ring.

"Dee dee!"

Adinishi now looked serious.

It said it would reconsider, it wasn't entirely impossible to negotiate.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure cried out happily.

His beast master had come here precisely to ask this one to play the flute.

But judging from earlier, even Brother Yabao and the others couldn't beat this one.

If he could convince this being to voluntarily play the flute, his beast master would surely lavish him with praise, and maybe even Brother Yabao would willingly yield the leader's position...

A scene popped up in Little Treasure's mind: "Yap..."

Brother Yabao looked at him, patted his shoulder, and said:I never expected you to be this capable. It looks like you're the new boss from now on.

"Lu Ai."

"Gang Slice."

Nearby, Lubao and Gangbao nodded in agreement.

His beast master smiled with relief and approval: "Since your brother Yabao says so, you'll be the new leader from now on."

"Xun xun..."

Thinking of this, Little Treasure couldn't help but grin foolishly.

---

In the dense forest,

Famu Moth freely released its powerful aura.

The nearby wild beasts all retreated.

Along the way, Qiao Sang barely saw any wild beasts.

"When we meet Adinishi, if anything goes wrong, sit on Famu Moth's back. It will take you away." Pirite said while remaining vigilant.

"What about you?" Qiao Sang asked.

"You don't need to worry about me."

Pirite replied calmly, "If Adinishi really is at Emperor-level, I have my ways to deal with it. But with you here, I can't act without restraint."

I get it, I'm the burden...Qiao Sang sighed inwardly.

She understood. If a fight broke out, with her current strength, she'd be nothing but cannon fodder.

Seeing Qiao Sang remain silent, Pirite thought she was worried about making the trip for nothing, so he explained his plan: "If I successfully convince Adinishi to play the flute, I'll have Nyudikaka fetch you."

Nyudikaka? Isn't it still fighting with the Steel Armor Emperor...Qiao Sang was about to speak when, "Fa fa."

Famu Moth suddenly stopped and called out.

"Careful, something's approaching." Pirite halted, his tone serious.

Qiao Sang instantly became alert, scanning her surroundings.

Though they'd seen few beasts along the way, occasional noises still arose. But Famu Moth had never stopped before, whatever could make it stop must be formidable.

"Yap..."

Yabao seemed to sense something too, digging his claws into the ground, ready to fight.

At that moment, the scenery ahead distorted like ripples on water.

Soon after, an elderly man with graying hair and a handsome young man with black hair stepped out from nowhere.

Upon seeing Famu Moth, disappointment flashed across the old man's face.

Holy crap, definitely big shots, using spatial skills... Qiao Sang's heart thudded, and she instinctively glanced around.

Seeing nothing nearby made her even more cautious.

There was no doubt that the beast casting this spatial skill was currently invisible...

Adinishi was here, and now these two powerful beast masters suddenly appeared, Qiao Sang reasonably suspected they were also after Adinishi...

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the black-haired youth looked at her and exclaimed in surprise: "Qiao Sang?"

Huh? Who are you? Do I know you?Qiao Sang looked confused.

Perhaps her expression was too obvious, for the youth chuckled and said, "I saw you in the Beast Tamer Star Tournament. You did well."

Hey, hey, what's with this elder-praising-child tone...Qiao Sang complained inwardly.

Before she could respond, the old man also glanced over.

He subtly examined Yabao and Gangbao, his gaze flickering as he asked, "Are you the Miss Qiao who won the championship?"

Ahem, this is a little embarrassing...Qiao Sang straightened her back slightly.

"That's me."

After confirming, the old man looked at Pirite and asked, "And this is?"

"He's my teacher." Qiao Sang introduced.

"Oh, a professor from Yulianton University, no wonder you've trained your Blue Star beasts to Emperor-level." The old man's cold demeanor eased, and he praised sincerely.

Pirite smiled slightly without denying it and then asked, "Did you sense our presence and come over?"

"Exactly."

The old man admitted, "We're here looking for a certain beast. We sensed Famu Moth's aura and thought it was the one we were seeking, so we came directly."

"May I ask which beast you're searching for?" Pirite continued to inquire.

The old man paused before replying, "Adinishi."

At those words, Qiao Sang looked over in surprise.

Honestly, she had already suspected their goal was Adinishi, but she didn't expect them to state it so openly...

Pirite showed just the right amount of surprise: "The Phantom Beast Adinishi? You mean it's here?"

Wow, teacher, I didn't know you had such acting skills... Qiao Sang silently remarked, but outwardly she maintained her astonishment.

"Yap..."

Yabao looked back and forth between the teacher and his beast master with a confused expression.

Weren't they here precisely to find Adinishi and the kidnapped Little Treasure? Why were they acting like they'd never heard of Adinishi?

The old man smiled faintly.

"I'm not entirely sure either, but we received information that Adinishi is nearby."

He then turned to Qiao Sang and said warmly: "If you're also interested in Adinishi, we could search together."

"No need."

Pirite rejected politely, "Finding a Phantom Beast isn't that easy. We have other matters to attend to here."

The old man kept smiling.

"May I ask what you're here for? Perhaps we could assist."

Pirite's face remained composed.

"I brought Qiao Sang here for field training."

In other words, they didn't need help.

The old man understood and showed a regretful look. Then, as if thinking of something, he smiled again: "We'll be returning to 1st District in a few days. Shall we exchange contact info? Perhaps we can travel together later."

Normally, people would direct such an offer to a peer or decision-maker, but here, the old man was clearly looking at Qiao Sang, awaiting her response.

"Our field training might take quite a while." Pirite politely refused again.

"Still, let's exchange contact info. We might stay here for some time too." The old man said, pulling out his phone and approaching Qiao Sang.

But at that moment, Pirite stepped forward, blocking him and pulling out his own phone.

"My number is..."

The old man's mouth twitched slightly but quickly masked it.

Once the exchange was done, Pirite said, "Then we'll take our leave."

With that, he strode away.

Qiao Sang hurried after him.

Once their figures completely disappeared, Ogav frowned.

"That teacher really has no tact."

The old man said flatly, "He's doing it on purpose."

With such a genius like Qiao Sang, it was understandable for a teacher to protect her this way.

"Didn't expect to meet Qiao Sang here. Even if we don't find Adinishi, this trip's still worth it." Ogav remarked.

In truth, the Beast Tamer Star Tournament champion wasn't usually worth their attention, he hadn't even watched the competition, but this year's winner had a beast capable of using the super-tier skill Healing Light, which had already caused a stir in their circles.

The old man didn't deny it.

At his age, longevity was extremely important.

He no longer aimed for brain domain development, but aside from beast evolution, Healing Light could restore the body to optimal condition, eliminate hidden ailments, and even prolong life.

"Later, find a way to meet them again. We have more pressing matters now." The old man ordered.

"Understood." Ogav nodded.

"Sense again." The old man looked toward the empty air.

"Kuang kuang."

A beast's voice came from the air nearby.

A minute later, the scenery distorted again like water ripples.

The old man stepped through.

Ogav followed right after.

The scenery quickly returned to normal.

---

"We must find Adinishi before they do." Pirite said gravely.

"Turn left up ahead." Qiao Sang said, sensing Little Treasure's location.

The two of them delved deeper into the forest, crossing streams and pushing through foliage as they advanced quickly.

With Famu Moth accompanying them, their path was smooth.

After about twenty minutes, Qiao Sang stopped at the entrance of a moist, mossy cave.

"I can sense him inside."

Adinishi was inside...Pirite's heart pounded faster.

Just as they were about to step forward, the cave entrance ahead distorted again like before.

And then, those two familiar figures appeared once more.

Four pairs of eyes met.

Silence fell instantly.