In the stands, the eight remaining candidates sat in a row, closest to the field.

A delicate-looking boy asked, "Who do you think will win?"

"The girl, probably. Her pet beast is a Fire fang Dog." Replied Zheng Yining.

When she had approached to make small talk earlier, she had observed up close that the Fire fang Dog seemed to have a harmonious relationship with the girl.

It didn't resemble the online stories where novice Beast Masters who contract fire-type beasts are essentially asking for trouble.

Commanding the Fire fang Dog in battle shouldn’t be an issue.

"That's not certain. Do you know who that Lu Liangye is?" Li Yang, who was sitting nearby, joined the conversation.

"The Master of Pretending."

"The idiot from the group who said that experts are always the last to arrive."

Li Yang: ...

"He had an independent awakening last September. Hanggang City news even reported on him. If it weren’t for the fact that the high school entrance exams had just ended, he’d probably be a first-year student at Litan Beastmaster High School by now," Li Yang explained.

"Then how did he end up taking part in Shengshui High School's special recruitment exam?" The delicate-looking boy was shocked.

It's not that he looked down on Shengshui High School, but Litan Beastmaster High School was the only school in Zhejiang Province that outshined Shengshui. With such a top choice, who would opt for the second-best?

Besides, if he chose Shengshui, it should’ve been through direct admission, right?

Why was he even taking this special recruitment exam? Doesn’t this imply that one of the five spots is definitely his?

"No idea." Li Yang answered.

Who knows what that pretentious Lu Liangye is thinking?

Listening to the conversation, Zheng Yining felt a tinge of sympathy for the girl on the field.

Despite having a Fire fang Dog, her opponent was the one most likely to win first place. Running into him in the first round, what terrible luck.

On the field, Qiao Sang took a pair of dark green triangular sunglasses from her backpack and put them on the Fire fang Dog.

It was the Firefang Dog’s favorite color and style.

After all the training over the past few days, it was all for today’s exam. This duel was too important, and from the very start, they needed to go all out and use their secret weapon.

"Yap!"

With the dark green triangular sunglasses on, the Fire fang Dog raised its head and struck a cool pose, instantly radiating a different kind of energy.

"The battle rules are 1V1. Release your respective pet beasts. Fight on my command. If one side falls or loses the ability to fight, they lose the match." Sun Boyi announced.

This type of match, where there’s no set rule on who attacks first, is quite popular these days.

It emphasizes the element of surprise and tests whether the Beast Master chooses to wait and observe or strike first.

"Running into me in the first round, sorry about that!" Lu Liangye said with a smug tone, though his expression and attitude conveyed the opposite of an apology.

Qiao Sang: "..."

This guy is so annoying.

As he made his pre-battle remark, a pet beast with a predominantly light blue body appeared from a white star array.

Its mouth was yellow, its neck encircled by a white collar. With a pair of fins instead of legs, it stood upright using its tail for balance.

It was a water-type beast, a Water Ring Carp.

“A Water Ring Carp? That girl’s done for. Even if we don’t consider strength, the element disadvantage alone is tough.”

"Do you think you can handle the Water Ring Carp if you face it next?"

"...My beast is a ground-type, so I’d be at a disadvantage too. Oh man, I really hope I don’t face him in the next round!"

The candidates on the stands discussed fervently.

Zheng Yining sighed, feeling even more sorry for the girl on the field.

What rotten luck...

Just then, Sun Boyi gave the signal to begin.

"Get close, confuse it, and finish it off." Qiao Sang commanded decisively.

In the blink of an eye, the Fire fang Dog dashed forward.

Good speed, Sun Boyi mentally noted.

Finish it off? How?

Lu Liangye felt like laughing, and he actually did...

"Ha! Use Water Gun. Don’t let it get close."

For a beginner-level Water Gun, the range is usually around 2 meters. However, the Water Ring Carp's Water Gun reached a full 5 meters, clearly indicating it was at the proficient level.

The Fire fang Dog easily evaded the attack.

In the blink of an eye, the Fire fang Dog seemed to split into two.

The Water Ring Carp was bewildered, unsure which one to aim for.

Both Fire fang Dogs quickly flanked the Water Ring Carp from either side, their fangs wrapped in flames.

“Surround yourself with Water Ring!” Lu Liangye commanded calmly.

“Is that fire too intense?”

Li Yang, who had a bit of knowledge, questioned.

“Is it? I’m nearsighted.” The delicate-looking boy squinted, focusing intently on the field.

Li Yang: ...

On the field, the Fire fang Dog's fiery fangs bit into the water ring, but instead of canceling each other out as one might expect, the next moment the water ring shattered, and the fangs sank viciously into the Water Ring Carp's head.

"Ring!! Ring!!"

The Water Ring Carp let out a cry of pain.

"Impossible! Water Ring Carp!" Lu Liangye lost his composure, calling out frantically.

Meanwhile…

"Those are intermediate-level Flame Fangs." Qin Wen observed.

"That Fire fang Dog is impressive. It seems it was already trained before being contracted." Zheng Guoping commented.

"This Fire fang Dog is less than two months old," Remarked the slicked-back man, who had been silent until now.

"Impossible." Zheng Guoping replied incredulously.

"You doubt the Vice Principal?" Qin Wen gave him a side glance.

Zheng Guoping was at a loss for words.

Vice Principal Liu Yao was someone Shengshui High School had begged to come.

He was not only an A-rank Breeder but also a senior researcher who had won the prestigious Tongyu Award.

He originally worked at the Princiss Advanced Research Institute, and it was only after the principal, his old elementary school friend, pestered him for a month that he finally agreed to join the Beastmaster High School.

If he said the Fire fang Dog was under two months old, then it must be… under two months old.

Zheng Guoping looked at the Fire fang Dog on the field, which had just released the Water Ring Carp and was now proudly strutting around.

Even though the dark green sunglasses covered its eyes, the way it held its head high, chest out, and its smug expression made it clear—it wanted everyone to know it had won...

Is this Fire fang Dog really less than two months old?

On the field, the Water Ring Carp lay unconscious on the ground.

After Sun Boyi announced the result, Qiao Sang walked up to Lu Liangye and said, "Sorry about that."

Lu Liangye: …!!

Qiao Sang picked up the Fire fang Dog and walked to the stands.

Even before training, she had dared to take the Fire fang Dog to challenge high school students at the gates of a Beastmaster High School, and won three out of three matches.

Now, with the Fire fang Dog’s strength vastly improved, and her opponent being a middle schooler who hadn’t even taken the high school entrance exam, how could she lose?

Winning was the norm.

As soon as Qiao Sang sat down, she couldn’t help but yawn again.

The other candidates looked at her with a mix of shock and admiration.

That was a clean and decisive win!

Such an effortless victory against an elementally superior opponent wasn’t something just anyone could pull off.