Qiao Sang: !!!

She stared in shock at her Yabao, who was baring his teeth and snarling at the uncle.

What are you doing attacking him?! Can't you see the hulking Phantom Fiend and the imposing Stronghold Sky Owl next to him? Do we look like we can handle this?!

"Yap!"

Feeling his Beastmaster’s gaze, Yabao turned his head and gave her a serious nod.

He was ready...ready to fight!

Qiao Sang: "..."

No, she wasn’t ready to fight.

The flames were intercepted by the Stronghold Sky Owl as it swooped forward. Zhang Rongtang remained unscathed, his expression unchanged, as if the attack hadn’t fazed him at all.

He glanced at the pet beast he'd seen recently on the news and then at the girl whose face was obscured by the dim night, and he turned to Wu Chang.

"Your friend seems to have a bit of a temper."

No, my temper is perfectly fine; it's Yabao who’s the problem… Qiao Sang sighed in relief when she realized this villainous uncle didn’t seem upset.

Honestly, the most terrifying encounter would’ve been the kind of over-the-top villain who kills anyone just for passing by. Thankfully, this uncle seemed somewhat reasonable.

Wu Chang, startled and touched, hurriedly said, "Qiao Sang, this has nothing to do with you. You should leave now!"

Great idea! Qiao Sang thought Wu Chang’s suggestion was incredibly timely.

She was afraid if they lingered any longer, Yabao’s sense of justice would spiral out of control.

"Yabao..." Qiao Sang called softly. She was about to suggest retreating.

"Yap!"

But before she could finish, Yabao responded loudly, taking her words as a command. His flames flared up as he charged forward like a fiery rocket.

Qiao Sang: ?!!

A fiery streak cut through the night. Zhang Rongtang frowned slightly and ordered, "Shadow Claw!"

The Phantom Fiend stepped forward, and its cold claws gleamed with purple light.

Boom!

Red and purple lights collided. The Phantom Fiend’s enormous claw pressed down on Yabao's head, rendering him unable to advance even an inch.

"Yap!"

Yabao growled, his body crouched low. His paws dug into the earth as the flames surrounding it surged.

But the Phantom Fiend intensified its power as well.

Boom!

The purple light overwhelmed the red. Yabao was sent flying several meters by the energy blast.

Even though Yabao’s Flame Charge had been honed to perfection, it was no match for a Phantom Fiend two levels stronger.

The difference between pet beast ranks was vast. Advancing from basic to intermediate, then advanced, was relatively achievable with sufficient resources and time. However, advancing from advanced to general rank was exponentially harder, requiring not only resources and time but also immense natural talent.

In short, the general rank was a significant threshold.

While news occasionally reported intermediate beasts defeating advanced ones, advanced beasts overcoming generals was nearly unheard of.

This was the very reason Qiao Sang hadn’t wanted to get involved.

She always considered herself rational.

Even though she had enough points to promote Yabao to an advanced beast, would it really change the outcome?

Her opponents weren’t just one general-ranked pet but possibly others yet to be summoned.

Why risk everything to save a pet that had nothing to do with her?

Qiao Sang’s decision was clear, she wouldn’t intervene.

It was reckless and irrational to act otherwise.

This wasn’t a regulated competition; there were no rules or mercy here.

Yabao was still young and impulsive, unaware of the consequences. It was her duty as his Beastmaster to correct his actions.

Qiao Sang thought this through carefully. Yet, as she watched Yabao struggle to stand, her resolve wavered.

"Yap..."

Yabao, battered but undeterred, slowly rose. His eyes burned with determination, his will unbroken.

Once more, he transformed into a fiery streak and charged.

"Qiao Sang, stop! You can’t win!" Wu Chang shouted anxiously.

He hadn’t realized he’d dropped the formal classmate, a subtle sign of their growing closeness.

I don’t want to fight either… Qiao Sang sighed inwardly. She took a deep breath and, just as Yabao clashed with the Phantom Fiend again, she shouted:

"Take him down!"

"Yap!"

Hearing his Beastmaster’s command, Yabao’s eyes gleamed with excitement. The flames around him expanded wildly, the fiery tendrils whipping through the air. His white fur seemed to glow with a scorching red hue.

The Phantom Fiend’s cold claws lit with purple energy.

As they clashed, Yabao’s figure blurred, and suddenly, dozens of identical flaming Flame Hound clones appeared, lighting up the night.

Wu Chang froze, his jaw dropping as his mind went blank.

"So many clones?!"

The Phantom Fiend’s claws came crashing down, but they only struck one of the clones, which dissipated into embers.

Seeing the swarm of fiery Yabao clones closing in, Zhang Rongtang’s calm facade finally cracked.

His pupils constricted, and shock replaced his composure.

A perfected Flame Charge wasn’t enough? Even the Shadow Clone Technique had been mastered to this degree... Zhang Rongtang quickly regained his focus and commanded:

"Wind Blast!"

The Stronghold Sky Owl soared upward. With a powerful beat of its wings, a fierce, unnatural gale swept through the area, erasing all the Flame hound clones.

As the night returned to silence, Zhang Rongtang’s instincts screamed at him.

Where was the real Flame Hound?!

Heat flared at his side, and a streak of red light flashed. Zhang Rongtang’s hand suddenly felt empty.

Looking down, his expression darkened, he was holding nothing.

The containment device for Luckbringer had vanished!

Turning, Zhang Rongtang spotted the Flame Hound standing beside Qiao Sang, holding the containment device in its mouth.

In that instant, Zhang Rongtang realized the rumors about the Flame Hound’s latent psychic abilities were true.

"Take Luckbringer and leave. Call the authorities." Qiao Sang instructed, handing the device to Wu Chang.

Wu Chang eagerly took it, his hands trembling.

"But what about you?" He asked.

Qiao Sang turned to face the villainous uncle and, steeling her nerves, replied,

"I’ll hold him off."

A surprising sense of safety flooded Wu Chang’s chest.

Taking a deep breath, he summoned his Sensory Bird and prepared to escape.

Though there were many things he wanted to say, he knew now wasn’t the time.

Zhang Rongtang watched calmly and spoke evenly,

"Did I say you could leave?"

As he finished, his hands formed seals, and an orange star formation lit up the ground.