"Liao Chaonan, representing Shengding Beastmaster High School. His beasts include a Snow Butterfly and a Poison-Tailed Moth. If you face him and he sends out the Poison-Tailed Moth, avoid close combat at all costs. Its venom is far stronger than an average moth's. Even if you manage to land a hit, you risk succumbing to abnormal status effects."

At this point, the virtual screen switched to display another boy's photo and profile.

Sun Boyi continued, "Huang Kaijun, from Lianyu Beastmaster Academy. His beasts are a Moonrush Grass and an Eight-Tube Coral."

"This one is interesting. He wasn’t notable a couple of years ago, but this year, he changed tactics. The commands he gives don't match the moves his beasts execute."

"For instance, he might command 'Root,' but his beast uses 'Parasitic Seed' instead."

"It's not that his beasts disobey him; he's prearranged everything to confuse his opponents. When they hear his command, they'll instinctively react incorrectly."

Hearing this, Xu Yixuan patted Qiao Sang's arm and mouthed silently, "This guy is sly."

Qiao Sang nodded in agreement.

She imagined what it would be like to face him.

The opponent shouts "Root!" You assume he’s preparing to recover, so you confidently direct your beast to attack the Moonrush Grass at its base.

But instead of rooting itself, it unleashes Parasitic Seed from above.

Just thinking about it felt like being toyed with.

"If you face him, ignore what he says and focus on what his beasts are doing." Sun Boyi advised. With a tap on his tablet, the virtual screen switched to another person:

"Ruan Yunwen, from Wucai High School. Her beasts are a Glide Owl and a Two-Tailed Land Turtle. He Daotao, you should remember her."

Recalling a time when he had been utterly outclassed, He Daotao’s expression stiffened.

Qiao Sang studied the girl on the screen.

The photo showed a pale-skinned girl with a classic oval face. Though her features were soft and graceful, her cold gaze made her seem unapproachable.

Qiao Sang vaguely remembered her.

In forum posts discussing the top contenders among seniors, Ruan Yunwen was a frequent topic, mostly about her relationship with her Glide Owl.

The Glide Owl, an evolved form of the Fat Dove, was an advanced beast. Having one in a high school competition was like holding a trump card.

Any high schooler with an advanced beast was almost guaranteed to take first place in the province.

But Ruan Yunwen was the exception.

Her Glide Owl wasn’t originally hers; it had belonged to her father. He entrusted it to her on his deathbed, resulting in a lack of synergy between them.

During last year's national campus beast mastering league, the Glide Owl outright refused to cooperate. In one elimination match, it lay down and fell asleep as soon as it was summoned, ignoring her completely and costing her the match.

However, this year’s competitions showed significant improvement in their relationship. The Glide Owl was no longer disobedient.

Qiao Sang glanced at He Daotao's grim face and leaned over to gossip, "What happened between them?"

"Nothing much." Xu Yixuan whispered back.

"She just crushed him in last year’s league."

Qiao Sang had expected some dramatic love-hate backstory but found this rather boring. She maintained a polite listening posture while mentally dismissing it.

Sun Boyi continued to highlight the strong contenders displayed on the screen.

Meanwhile, universities across Zhehai Province were similarly briefing students on tough opponents.

Dozens of virtual screens across campuses displayed a photo of the same person.

The photo featured a girl with delicate features and a slight baby face. Her slightly upturned phoenix eyes carried a faint smirk, exuding an air of future dominance.

At one university:

"Qiao Sang, 15 years old. Three beasts: a Flame Hound, a Treasure-Seeking Demon, and an Ice Qiya. Don’t stress too much if you face her. She's a prodigy, the kind you see once in decades."

"But she's still young. If you prepare specifically for her, there’s a chance to win."

"During group matches, she only used Ice Qiya, but she won’t rely on it exclusively in the eliminations."

"You’ve all studied her battles, right?" A buzz-cut man with sparse eyebrows gestured dramatically. Beside him, a large crate of potions was revealed.

"Our school bought these Cleansing Potions specifically for your training!"

Similar scenes played out at other schools, where Cleansing Potions were distributed to every student advancing to the elimination rounds.

At Shengshui High School.

Unintentionally boosting the province's Cleansing Potion sales, Qiao Sang was attentively listening.

After Sun Boyi spent over forty minutes reviewing the strongest contenders, he surveyed the group: "Got it all?"

"Got it!" Qiao Sang and her two teammates responded in unison.

Sun Boyi nodded.

"Good. Pack up tonight. Tomorrow at 9 a.m., we’ll meet at the school gate to head to Kainan City. The elimination rounds will take place at Kainan Beast Battle Arena."

6:32 PM.

At Qingcheng Gardens, Building C, Unit 606.

In her room, Qiao Sang was packing luggage into her Little Treasure’s ring.

Suddenly, she heard the front door slam and her mother’s cheerful voice: "I’m back!"

Judging by her tone, her mother was in an excellent mood. Qiao Sang walked out of her room to see her mother beaming, followed by a Gravity Monkey in a delivery uniform carrying a large box.

"Put it there." Her mother directed, pointing to the living room.

"Heavy." The Gravity Monkey muttered, setting the box down.

"Thank you." Her mother smiled.

"Heavy-heavy." The Gravity Monkey replied, grinning before leaving.

"What’s this?" Qiao Sang crouched by the box to inspect it.

Ye Xiangting set her bag on the sofa.

"Forgot already? You asked me to buy an energy tester."

Qiao Sang scratched her head sheepishly.

"Oh, right. Didn’t expect you to act so fast!"

She began unpacking the box.

"By the way, I have a match the day after tomorrow. We’re leaving for Kainan City tomorrow morning."

Ye Xiangting paused.

"So soon?"

"It’s not that soon." Qiao Sang said, pulling out the tester.

"We had a three-day break, after all."

Ye Xiangting took out a black gold card and placed it on the coffee table.

"I signed the shop contract today, so we don’t need the money for now. Take the card, you’ll need it in Kainan."

Qiao Sang looked at her.

"But you haven’t bought a house yet."

"Buying a house takes time." Ye Xiangting removed her jacket and sat on the sofa.

"There aren’t many places with both spacious layouts and good facilities for beast training. I’m still deciding."

"Take the card. By the time you’re back, I should’ve found a place. Then we can finalize it."

"Fair enough." Qiao Sang agreed.

The energy tester was more advanced than the school’s. After setting it up, she called, "Lubao, come here."

Her Lubao sauntered over, but before she could reach the tester, the Fat Dove curiously affixed the sensor to itself.

The screen displayed: 41192.

"Not bad." Ye Xiangting praised, stroking its feathers.

"You’ve got a high energy level. Once we move, we’ll arrange your evolution."

"Coo!" The Fat Dove spread its wings excitedly.

As a mid-tier beast, a score above 40,000 was indeed impressive. Qiao Sang nodded in approval.

Finally, Lubao arrived.

"Coo coo!" The Fat Dove cheerfully handed the sensor over, gesturing for Lubao to try it.

"Lu."

Respecting her elder, Lubao obliged.

As soon as the sensor was attached, the screen flashed: 92127.