For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Qiao Sang stood silently to the side.

Chen Tongtong gave Jiang Liu a meaningful look.

Curious, Jiang Liu asked, "What's wrong with your eyes?"

Chen Tongtong: "..."

So clueless.

Chen Tongtong resisted the urge to facepalm and whispered, "Money."

Only then did Jiang Liu realize, and he hastily pulled out 50 Union coins from his pocket and handed them over.

Chen Tongtong: "..."

No wonder you're single! Couldn't you have just gotten her contact information and transferred the money?

"Thank you, I'll be on my way now," Qiao Sang said with a smile as she took the money.

There was only a short window of time during the after-school rush, and she needed to make the most of it by finding more challengers.

"Wait, why don't you have a match with me too?" Chen Tongtong blocked Qiao Sang.

"I won't ask for money, just tell me the secret to training your Fire fang Dog."

Qiao Sang shook her head and replied, "I don't have any secrets."

"That's impossible. If there's no secret, then why is your Fire fang Dog so obedient?" Chen Tongtong was full of disbelief.

Training pet beasts wasn't a mystery, there were even university majors dedicated to it.

People who studied this were called Trainers, and like Beastmasters, they had to pass certification exams, ranging from F level all the way up to SSS level.

Some people would seek out Trainers to create tailored training plans for their contracted pet beasts.

But there were also those who had unique methods of taming beasts that they didn't want to share with others.

Take the Wei family from Jiang City, for example. By concocting a special food that attracted Fairy-type extraordinary creatures, they managed to make these elusive beings willingly become their pet beasts.

Naturally, this food recipe became highly coveted. If they had applied for a patent or sold it, they could have made a fortune. But the Wei family only used it for themselves.

Over the years, nearly every member of the Wei family managed to contract a Fairy-type pet beast, earning them the title of the Fairy Family after 300 years of development.

Chen Tongtong assumed that Qiao Sang simply didn't want to tell him her method.

He still remembered how one of the only two seniors in their school who had contracted a Fire-type pet beast tried to show off his Flame Armor Mouse by letting a younger student pet it, only for the mouse to immediately breathe fire on him.

The student wasn't harmed, but his hair was singed, and he had to shave his head. To this day, he still wears a hat every day.

But Qiao Sang's Firefang Dog... How could it be so obedient, even in a situation like that, where it remained still?

Qiao Sang was puzzled. "I'm its Beastmaster. Isn't it normal for it to listen to me?"

"Yap!"

The Fire fang Dog nodded, agreeing with its Beastmaster.

Chen Tongtong, seeing the Fire fang Dog's behavior, wasn't so sure anymore. Could it be that this particular Fire fang Dog was just naturally well-behaved?

"Can I pet it?" Chen Tongtong asked.

"Chen Tongtong, don't be impulsive." Jiang Liu cautioned.

Everyone in the school knew why their senior ended up bald. He was afraid that Chen Tongtong would become the second.

"It's fine, go ahead." Qiao Sang said nonchalantly.

Back when they were at the pet beast base, the Fire fang Dog had been willing to let her pet it even before their contract.

Chen Tongtong hesitated, but he crouched down and reached out to the Firefang Dog.

"Yap!"

The Fire fang Dog bared its sharp teeth in a friendly display.

Chen Tongtong instantly withdrew his hand, fearing the dog might bite him in the next moment.

"How about a battle? I don't need any secrets, just tell me how you usually train your Firefang Dog," Chen Tongtong said as he stood up.

"Alright," Qiao Sang agreed.

Although the Fire fang Dog had only been with her for three or four days, she did have some training insights.

Jiang Liu, seeing that the two had reached an agreement, stepped forward and said, "I'll be the referee this time."

Qiao Sang nodded.

Chen Tongtong summoned his pet beast.

Qiao Sang was silent as she looked at the extraordinary creature before her.

A 10-centimeter-long brown worm-type pet beast, resembling a dog's tail, was wriggling on the ground.

It was a Cottonseed Worm...

Cottonseed Worms are usually green, and it's rare to find a brown one. This cheap and common pet beast is typically avoided by Beastmasters who have any standards.

However, its evolution paths are diverse. So far, five different elemental evolutions have been discovered, and one of its forms, the Frostflap Butterfly, is a rare Ice-type pet beast, which significantly boosts the value of a Cottonseed Worm.

But all of that potential lies in its evolved forms.

Qiao Sang had read that Cottonseed Worms only know how to use Silk Thread and Charge—they can't learn any other skills.

Isn't this just giving her free money?

"You go first this time," Qiao Sang said.

She was afraid that her Fire fang Dog would end the battle with just one Ember...

Chen Tongtong knew exactly what Qiao Sang was thinking. Every time he brought out his Cottonseed Worm, the opponent always let him attack first.

This kind of disdain, this feeling of not being taken seriously, had actually benefited him in battles.

Normally, Cottonseed Worms evolve in three to five months, but he had delayed his pet's evolution for nearly a year. All of this was to build a solid foundation for a perfect evolution.

Thanks to this solid foundation, his Cottonseed Worm was no longer comparable to ordinary Cottonseed Worms!

He had even achieved 39th place in the Freshman Beastmaster Battle with the superior durability of his Cottonseed Worm's silk!

"Cottonseed Worm! Show her your strength!" Chen Tongtong shouted as he raised his hand dramatically.

"Ji!"

The Cottonseed Worm opened its mouth and shot out a bright, snow-white silk thread straight at the Fire fang Dog with incredible speed.

The Fire fang Dog hadn't even moved before it was tightly bound by the thread.

It struggled but couldn't break free.

Qiao Sang frowned. It seemed she needed to prioritize speed training for her Fire fang Dog.

"Finish it off!" Chen Tongtong continued to shout.

The Cottonseed Worm's body began to emit a faint white glow, and instead of wriggling, it suddenly launched itself into the air!

Its speed was noticeably faster than the Fire. fang Dog's previous Charge.

Qiao Sang gauged the distance, and three seconds later, she gave the command: "Fire Fang."

In an instant, brilliant flames destroyed the snow-white silk and accurately bit into the charging Cottonseed Worm.

"Ji!!!" The Cottonseed Worm screamed in agony.

Two seconds later, its eyes rolled back, and it fainted.

"Qiao Sang wins." Jiang Liu announced.

"Cottonseed Worm!" Chen Tongtong rushed over and cradled his fallen pet.

After confirming that the Cottonseed Worm was only unconscious, he returned it to his Beast Codex.

"Why?" Chen Tongtong looked up, his eyes red as he asked Qiao Sang.

"What?" Qiao Sang responded with a question of her own.

She didn't understand. Wasn't it normal for the Fire fang Dog to win against the Cottonseed Worm? Why was he reacting so strongly?

"Why was it so easy for you to break the Cottonseed Worm's silk?" Chen Tongtong stared at Qiao Sang, unwilling to accept it.

His Cottonseed Worm's thread was incredibly strong—once it bound the opponent, they could rarely escape. Even stronger opponents had to struggle for a while.

How could it be torn apart so easily, like a joke?

"Um." Qiao Sang thought for a moment.

"You didn't know that Fire-type beats Bug-type?"

Chen Tongtong: "..."

"Maybe you haven't fought a Fire-type pet beast before?" Qiao Sang guessed, thinking she had figured it out.

Chen Tongtong: "…!!"