Chapter 428: The Semifinals

Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Contestants’ Area.

Qiao Sang sat in her seat, reviewing information about the remaining competitors on her phone.

Now, apart from her, only three contestants remained.

Although she remembered most of their details, she wanted to double-check.

[Guwu Region, Ma Zongji.]

Pet 1: A high-tier Water/Fighting-type pet beast, Thousand-Path Water Bear. Known for relentless, flowing strikes akin to water currents. Proficient in high-tier moves like True Qi Punch and Waterfall Climb.

Trait: Water Absorption. Negates damage from water-type attacks while recovering energy instead.

Pet 2: A mid-tier Grass-type beast, Yaksohlor. Its normally soft spikes on its head and back become sharp and hard enough to pierce rocks when infused with energy. Close-range combat should be approached with caution.

Meanwhile, in the contestants’ area, a young man wearing a blue headband kept glancing nervously at Qiao Sang’s back.

“Ma Zongji, why are you staring at her? Nervous?” A middle-aged man next to him asked.

“A bit.” Ma Zongji admitted.

The man chuckled.

“You’ve already made it to the top four, and you’re still nervous?”

“It’s not about winning this semifinal.” Ma Zongji sighed.

“Even if I lose here, I’m confident I can secure third place in the next match. But I’m worried that if I face Qiao Sang, she might not summon her Ice Xilu.”

“You know my Thousand-Path Water Bear is practically immune to water-type moves due to its Water Absorption trait.”

The middle-aged man paused, his expression growing serious.

“She probably will, though. After all, Ice Xilu also has ice-type skills…”

He trailed off, realizing the probability wasn’t as high as he initially thought.

The two exchanged a knowing look before sighing in unison.

Meanwhile, Qiao Sang continued reading her notes.

[Guwu District, Hu Fan.]

Pet 1: A high-tier Water-type beast, Swift Sinking Frog. Unrivaled in water, where it moves at speeds too fast for the eye to track. It’s no exaggeration to say it can evade 99% of attacks underwater.

Trait: Torrent. When in a critical state, its water-type moves gain a dramatic power boost.

Pet 2: A mid-tier Electric/Flying-type beast, Thunder Tail Dragonfly. Its tail’s sharp spikes can unleash electrical attacks, making it dangerous even when approached from behind.

Trait: Speed Boost. This trait allows its speed to increase incrementally during battle.

---

As Qiao Sang read this, six rows behind her, a young man sat with his fingers clasped, muttering repeatedly, “Please let her use Ice Xilu. Please let her use Ice Xilu...”

This was Hu Fan.

A man beside him, seemingly in his thirties, finally couldn’t take it and asked, “What are you doing?”

Hu Fan opened his hands to reveal a small red bell. Lowering his voice conspiratorially, he said, “I got this red bell from Wish Wish Bell.”

The man raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Did you check the Wish Granting level of the Wish Wish Bell?”

Wish Wish Bells were Fairy-type beasts known for granting wishes to those they deemed worthy. However, their trait came with risks.

For an S-grade Wish Granting trait, there was only a 70% chance of the wish coming true. But if the wish failed, the outcome would backfire.

For example: Wishing for someone’s long life might result in their untimely death. Hoping to live happily ever after with a partner might expose their infidelity the next day.

Over time, some had begun experimenting with

reverse wishes

: I hope I fail my college entrance exam.

Result: A string of illnesses prevented them from attending the test, resulting in an actual zero score.

Because of such risks, Wish Wish Bells were both revered and feared.

Scratching his head, Hu Fan replied, “I didn’t ask. I just figured if it works, I can face Ice Xilu. If it doesn’t, maybe I won’t face Qiao Sang at all. Either way, I’ve got a shot at the finals.”

The man fell silent, surprised by Hu Fan’s uncharacteristic thoughtfulness.

---

[Xilu District, Shao Liben]

Pet 1: A high-tier Psychic-type beast, Predictive Tower Turtle. Its precise ability to anticipate opponents’ next moves based on subtle physical cues makes it formidable.

Trait 1: Inner Focus. Immune to flinching or intimidation, rendering it fearless.

Trait 2: Synchronize. When afflicted by poison, paralysis, or burns, this trait has a chance to inflict the same condition on its opponent.

Pet 2: A mid-tier Fire-type beast, Ashfire Fox. Its ears emit intense heat to intimidate opponents.

Trait: Flame Body. Physical contact skills against this beast have a chance to cause burns.

---

“This Predictive Tower Turtle might be tricky…” Qiao Sang thought, putting her phone away. She turned her attention to the arena, awaiting the match to begin.

Meanwhile, a stoic young man nearby closed his laptop, his screen displaying Qiao Sang’s profile.

“Confident?” Asked a sharply dressed woman in a black suit.

“As long as her Blazing Star Canine doesn’t use Meteor Rain, it’ll be manageable.” Shao Liben replied.

“And the others?” She pressed.

“Former defeated opponents.” He said flatly, folding his arms.

---

“Who will face whom in the semifinals?” The announcer boomed.

“Let’s look at the big screen!”

Four large holographic photos appeared, shuffling rapidly. After seven seconds, they settled:

[Yuhua District: Qiao Sang vs. Guwu District: Ma Zongji]

[Guwu District: Hu Fan vs. Xilu District: Shao Liben]

“Ma Zongji…” Qiao Sang’s mind raced with his details.

“Ma Zongji, huh.” Xu Yixuan said, adjusting her glasses.

“His Thousand-Path Water Bear has a type advantage against fire and is immune to water-type moves. But with your Blazing Star Canine’s mastery of Meteor Rain, even type disadvantages won’t matter. Plus, it has Psychic-type moves. You’ve got this.”

To her, the choice was clear: Qiao Sang wouldn’t risk using Ice Xilu against an opponent with such clear counters.