NOVPUBHalf an hour later.
High up in the sky outside the open-air beast-taming arena.
“Did you learn anything from today’s match?” Pirite asked.
“I did.” Qiao Sang nodded.
“I just found out that genderless pet beasts can use Allure to indiscriminately enchant their targets.”
Pirite chuckled, “Fairy-type pet beasts are rare, and genderless fairy-types are even rarer, so it’s normal that you didn’t know.”
As he spoke, he started explaining: “The common understanding of the skill Charm/Allure is that it only works effectively on targets of the opposite sex, which gives it major limitations. In actual combat, very few professional beast tamers consider using this skill, because if you're unsure of the opposing pet's gender, there’s a 50/50 chance you’re just wasting time, giving your opponent an opportunity to strike back.”
Qiao Sang quietly glanced at Yabao after hearing this.
“But if you know your opponent's pet’s gender in advance, I think this move is still pretty useful.”
“Exactly.” Pirite nodded slightly in agreement.
“This skill actually works not just on pet beasts. As long as it’s the opposite sex, it can affect any living being.”
“It works on humans too?” Qiao Sang asked.
Pirite replied, “Yes, it works on humans too.”
Suddenly she felt an odd desire to find a fairy-type pet and experience what being Charmed felt like... She imagined it, but couldn’t quite picture what it would be like to be enchanted by a pet beast.
Then she thought of something and asked: “Can training mental strength help resist Charm?”
“It can.” Pirite said.
“In fact, the higher the pet’s level, the harder it is to be Charmed. That’s directly related.”
At that, he recalled the earlier battle and glanced at Fire Qilu, who was flying attentively, and chuckled: “Honestly, I was pretty surprised that your Fire Qilu was able to snap out of the Charm so quickly. Groki’s Fairy Treasure Butterfly is genderless, so he’s always treated Charm as his trump card.”
“Among pets of the same tier, over the past couple of years, his Fairy Treasure Butterfly has had a 100% success rate with Charm. It even succeeded in charming a king-tier pet in a public match.”
“If I’m not mistaken, that Fairy Treasure Butterfly’s Charm has probably reached the Perfected level, or even the Ultimate level.”
Hearing this, Qiao Sang couldn’t help but feel oddly proud of Yabao for breaking free... She suppressed a smile tugging at her lips and said, “I didn’t expect it either, especially since it was his first time getting hit by that move.”
“Your Fire Qilu has impressive willpower.” Pirite offered his assessment.
Unconsciously, Qiao Sang glanced at Yabao's tail, and her expression grew a little complicated.
Normally, if someone nearby praised him, Yabao would be wagging his tail by now. But this time, he just flew quietly, as if he hadn’t heard anything.
After a pause, she asked with a heavy heart, “Does Wave of Peace have any side effects for pet beasts?”
Side effects? Pirite thought for a moment and said, “No. Once the skill duration ends, everything goes back to normal.”
“How long does each phase of Wave of Peace usually last?” Qiao Sang followed up immediately.
Noticing the way she had just looked at Fire Qilu, Pirite instantly understood what she was worried about and reassured her: “Wave of Peace is a trait of the Fairy Treasure Butterfly. If Fire Qilu still hasn’t returned to its normal state, the trait is likely at A-rank or higher.”
As he spoke, he checked the time on his wristwatch: “At A-rank, the effect lasts about an hour. Just wait another ten minutes or so. If it’s S-rank, the effect lasts a whole day. If Fire Qilu still hasn’t recovered by then, you can let Ice Aipalu treat it.”
The trait's rank is that high… If Fairy Treasure Butterfly had used Wave of Peace instead of Charm at the start, wouldn’t Yabao have been flattened the entire battle… Qiao Sang shuddered at the thought.
Seeing her deep in thought, Pirite asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“If Fairy Treasure Butterfly had opened with Wave o Peace, the result of that match might’ve gone very differently.” Qiao Sang admitted her concern.
“Groki wouldn’t dare take that kind of risk.” Pirite said patiently.
“Wave of Peace’s effective range is limited, the farther the distance, the weaker it gets. Plus, it only weakens the opponent’s hostility and fighting spirit. Many pet beasts only fight because their tamers tell them to. They don’t necessarily have personal hostility or battle intent toward their opponents.”
“Compared to a wide-range attack like Charm, Wave of Peace clearly isn’t suited to be used as an opening move.”
It might not work on others, but for Yabao, that move is practically a finisher... Qiao Sang nodded, a lesson learned expression on her face.
After a few seconds, she suddenly asked: “So if a pet beast with maxed-out fighting spirit unfortunately gets hit by Wave of Peace, is there a quick way to snap it out of it?”
You’re obviously talking about Fire Qilu... Pirite didn’t call her out, but simply answered the question: “In theory, if a pet loses its fighting spirit but still listens to commands, it can still attack, just with slightly slower reflexes.”
After a short pause, he added: “But if it’s the first time a highly spirited pet gets hit by this move, it might fall into a state of confusion, because it’s experiencing that kind of emotional shift for the first time. It’s like something being torn from its body. It will feel sluggish, physically and mentally.”
“In such cases, letting it experience Wave of Peace a few more times will help a lot in future battles when it encounters it again.”
So it was a brain issue... Qiao Sang internally went, I knew it!
After a moment of thought, she asked: “Would using Healing Soundwave work just as well for training?”
When it came to skill mechanics, Pirite didn’t even have to think: “Healing Soundwave calms agitated emotions and helps the target think clearly. It’s quite similar to Wave of Peace in that sense. But in terms of weakening battle intent, Wave of Peace is still much more powerful.”
Qiao Sang instantly understood.
If she wanted Yabao to react less dramatically to Wave of Peace in the future, she’d better find a pet that actually knew the move and have it help with training.
---
Twenty minutes later.
Villa.
"Yap..."
"Xun xun..."
Yabao and Little Treasure were leaning against the wall in the corner of the living room, looking utterly dejected, as if completely enveloped by a gloomy atmosphere.
"What’s wrong with you two?" Qiao Sang asked, slightly headache-ridden at the sight.
She could more or less understand why Yabao looked the way he did.
Although he had previously been hit by the Wave of Peace, he still retained his memory. Now that he had recovered, thinking back, he probably felt quite foolish.
Plus, he had been hit by two of the opponent's moves, both of which had strong effects, it was understandable to be a bit demoralized.
But she couldn't understand Little Treasure.
The match had been a great win, and he had even struck a cool pose at the end. He should be feeling good, so why this look?
"Yap..."
Yabao turned his head with a depressed look at his beast master, about to share how he felt.
But Qiao Sang had already put on a 'I understand' expression: "I get how you feel. But to still win in front of such a suppressive opponent is already very impressive. Don’t worry, I’ll immediately find a pet beast that knows the Wave of Peace to help you train. Next time you face this kind of situation in a match, it won’t be like today.”
“As for the charm attack, training your mental strength can help build resistance. From now on, take some time every day to practice meditation and perception, skills that help with spiritual power. How does that sound?”
"Yap!"
Yabao was stunned for a second, then leapt into his beastmaster’s arms, excitedly rubbing his face against hers.
Perfect!
He felt much better!
Qiao Sang held Yabao, smiling.
Yabao’s problem was easy to solve.
He just felt like he had performed poorly today, but once he understood that training could prevent this from happening again, he would cheer right up.
"Yap!"
Yabao jumped down from Qiao Sang’s arms, looking determined.
He was going to train his spiritual power right now!
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of identical small Fire Qilus appeared in the living room.
Half of them immediately closed their eyes and began meditating on the spot. The other half went to different objects and placed their paws on them.
This level of initiative… amazing. Qiao Sang felt sincerely moved.
"Gang Slice..."
Gangbao, off to the side, watched Yabao use Clone Technique, then glanced at the spirit markings on her own body and quietly headed toward the dedicated training room.
Qiao Sang turned her attention to Little Treasure.
She looked at the little one still leaning against the wall with a gloomy air and sighed internally, asking: "What’s wrong with you?"
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure turned his head to the side, calling out softly in a dejected voice, indicating that it was nothing.
"If it’s nothing, I’ll go then." Qiao Sang said, taking a few steps to create the sound of leaving.
"Xun xun!"
After just two steps, Little Treasure turned around with a pout, looking utterly aggrieved.
When he saw his beastmaster was still there, he couldn’t hold back anymore and started tearfully accusing: "Xun xun!"
"Xun xun!"
Someone said he wasn’t charming!
Huh? Qiao Sang froze for a moment.
“Who said that?”
"Xun xun!"
Little Treasure looked like he was trying very hard not to cry.
After the match, some of the spectators said that!
Then he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He took off his halo ring, pulled out a few tissues, and started bawling, crying and blowing his nose.
"Xun xun!!"
"Xun xun!!"
Qiao Sang: …
Qiao Sang was silent for two seconds, then her face suddenly turned indignant: "How blind! What exactly did they say?"
"Xun xun!"
"Xunxun!"
Little Treasure wiped his tears and let out two cries.
They said Greg-something was the most handsome, and that if it were a charm contest, Snow-something wouldn't have lost!
After saying that, he blew his nose again.
That’s it? That’s what this is about? Qiao Sang thought silently but outwardly showed an expression of sudden realization: “The people who said that were probably Groki's fans. You know how fans only see their own idol, others won’t think that way. Think about it, weren’t there only a few people saying that?”
Back when the match ended, she’d heard some voices from the crowd, but none talking about charm, so this probably wasn’t even a widespread opinion.
"Xun xun..."
Little Treasure paused at her words and stopped crying.
Now that he thought about it, there really weren’t many people who said that… just one, maybe...
Seeing Little Treasure's expression, Qiao Sang knew she was right and took the opportunity to add: “Don’t worry, you have lots of fans too. When we entered the competition, wasn’t your introduction all about your past works? And remember what everyone called you during the Blue Star tournament?”
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure brightened up, his eyes shining.
Qiao Sang gave one last push: “To me, you’re way more charming than the Snow Lion King.”
"Xun xun~"
Little Treasure was fully revitalized by that, even floating around his beastmaster in joy.
Finally back to normal… Qiao Sang felt relieved.
---
After dealing with the emotional issues of Yabao and Little Treasure, Qiao Sang returned to her room, quickly washed up, then sat cross-legged on her bed and began practicing her hand seals, aiming to improve her speed.
As long as her mental power didn’t connect with the Beast’s Codex in her brain during the process, no star array would appear.
Qiao Sang repeated the hand-seal motions.
She keenly noticed that with practice, her hand speed had indeed improved a little compared to before.
Time ticked by.
She didn’t know how long had passed when the door opened and Yabao walked in, looking sleepy.
Qiao Sang stopped forming seals and glanced at the clock on her desk: 11:02 PM.
"Yap..."
Yabao jumped onto the bed, found a comfortable spot, and quickly fell asleep.
Looking at the sleeping Yabao, Qiao Sang suddenly thought of something. She picked up her phone and opened the official website of Yulianton University, posting a task to find a pet beast that could use the Wave of Peace.
After posting the task and setting notifications, she was about to turn off the screen when a message popped up from the task backend.
Qiao Sang tapped it open: [Is this Qiao Sang herself?]
Qiao Sang paused for a moment and replied: [Yes.]
Almost immediately, the other party sent two messages in quick succession: [Since it’s really you, I’ll take the task!]
[But I can’t come find you until the day after tomorrow. I won’t be on campus tomorrow.]
So being famous had its perks too… Qiao Sang opened the person’s profile: Senior, Coordination Department, Class 3, Lamar Skoriva.
[Okay, I’ll wait for you the day after tomorrow.]
---
The Next Day.
6:30 PM.
Qiao Sang arrived just on time and sat down in the audience seats with Pirite.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the live scene of the Beast Tamer Star Tournament!” The announcer delivered the familiar opening line.
Although many star contestants had already been eliminated, the audience seats were still packed to capacity.
Once the announcer finished the usual introductions, the screen displayed the contestants’ photos, quickly flashing between them.
“Today, which contestants will bring us another exciting battle?” As the announcer's voice fell, the photos stopped.
Qiao Sang saw her opponent, a woman with the same black hair and black eyes as her, with the facial features of the Dragon Nation.
C-rank rune master, Tao Jun.
“Tao Jun, C-rank rune master, 28 years old. She can draw two different types of enhancement runes on a beast at the same time.” Pirite explained.
Qiao Sang suddenly thought of a rather serious question: “If the rune is drawn on the beast’s body, and the part with the rune, like a patch of fur or skin, gets damaged or falls off, will the rune still work?”
Pirite was silent for a moment.
“Probably not. But high-ranking rune masters are said to be able to engrave the rune’s energy inside the beast’s body. In that case, even if the surface rune is damaged, it wouldn’t matter.”
Qiao Sang showed a thoughtful expression.
“A C-rank rune master probably can't do that yet, right?”
Pirite was silent again, then nodded with a soft “mm.”
To be honest, he had already started feeling sorry for the rune master named Tao Jun.
