Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

"Pull me in." Qiao Sang said.

They had already added each other as friends yesterday.

"Sure." Jin Feifan responded.

Before long, Qiao Sang’s phone chimed with a notification.

After quickly finishing her siomai, Qiao Sang took out her phone to check.

The group name was simple and clear: Freshmen Training Group.

Including her, there were 14 people in the group. Qiao Sang recalled the vice-principal mentioning two teachers yesterday, and counting them, the number seemed to match.

The group announcement listed the meeting time, location, and some important instructions.

9 a.m., Training Field No. 2.

Her phone kept buzzing with messages; The group was lively even this early in the morning.

After hesitating for a moment, Qiao Sang switched her phone to silent mode.

She definitely needed to keep her phone with her during training, but it couldn't be constantly ringing.

Inside the group chat:

Fang Qi: Everyone, update your names in the group chat so we know who’s who.

Peng Xiaoyuan: Oh wow, everyone’s here now!

Jiang Nai: Judging by the profile pic, looks like a girl joined.

Wang Jihang: Everyone's up so early.

Lu You: Since Jin Feifan added this person, it’s probably a guy.

Fang Qi: Isn’t Jin Feifan a girl? I think I saw her during the special admissions exam coordination.

Jiang Nai: What kind of girl would be named Jin Feifan?

Lu Liangye: She’s a girl.

Jiang Nai: Oh, how do you know?

Lu Liangye leaned against his bed, scrolling through the group messages.

How did he know? After coming out of the vice-principal’s office yesterday, he checked the group list and noticed this person wasn’t in it yet. Now that everyone was here, it could only be her.

Lu Liangye: The new person? I saw her with the vice-principal yesterday.

Jiang Nai: Who asked about the new person? We were talking about Jin Feifan.

Lu Liangye: ...

After checking the messages for a bit, Qiao Sang changed her group name and set the phone aside to continue eating her breakfast.

"Let me treat you to dinner." Qiao Sang offered.

"Okay!" Jin Feifan agreed cheerfully.

Her roommate seemed like a nice person, much less intimidating than her two pets.

"Why don’t the people in the group even know whether you’re male or female? Have you never spoken in there?" Qiao Sang asked.

Jin Feifan blushed. "I’m kind of shy around new people."

Qiao Sang was a bit surprised. Some introverts don’t interact well in person but are quite active online. But Jin Feifan seemed the same both online and offline.

---

8:55 a.m.

Training Field No. 2.

"Who’s still missing?" A tall man with skin paler than most women leaned against the wall and asked.

A woman in business attire checked her list, comparing the names with the kids who had already arrived.

"Two girls are still missing: Qiao Sang and Jin Feifan." Qin Wen replied.

"Why do women, regardless of age, always have no sense of time?" The man complained.

Qin Wen glanced at him and said calmly, "The meeting is at 9 a.m., and it’s only 8:55. If anyone lacks time management, it’s probably you, Luo Qian."

"But I got here early today, didn’t I?" Luo Qian retorted.

"Heh." Qin Wen sneered.

"Out of ten meetings, you’re late to eight. You didn’t even show up for the special admissions self-awakening exam, and for the coordination meeting, you were nearly 40 minutes late. Do I need to go on?"

"Alright, alright, you're the boss. I just made one comment, no need to roast me." Luo Qian conceded.

"Don’t call me that. You’re 31, and I’m 32. I can’t accept being called your boss." Qin Wen said sternly.

Luo Qian: ...

No wonder she’s still unmarried—who could put up with this temper? Poor guy, whoever he is…

"How about I let you pick first when we form teams later?" Luo Qian said, giving in.

"Do you have any sense of responsibility? We’re picking the best team to compete against Litan, not playing house. Choose properly." Qin Wen scolded.

Luo Qian: ...

Just then, the doors to the training field opened, and two girls stepped in.

The time was 8:59 a.m.

---

Qiao Sang had been full after five siomai, but seeing the table full of food made her feel wasteful, so she had eaten a bit of everything.

As a result, she ended up overeating and had to run to the bathroom, delaying her arrival.

When the two girls rushed to Training Field No. 2, they barely made it in time.

The field was indoors. As soon as they reached the entrance, Qiao Sang heard a group of people talking inside.

When they stepped in, the ten boys and girls inside all turned to look at them, and the chatter stopped abruptly. The large training field fell into an awkward silence.

Qiao Sang walked straight in, quickly spotting a few familiar faces.

Three were people she had seen during the special admissions exam, and one was Lu You, whom she had met during the Bai Xin competition.

"Alright, everyone’s here. Gather around." Qin Wen clapped her hands and called out.

She looked at the two girls who had just arrived with satisfaction. They hadn’t been late, which proved Luo Qian wrong. Moreover…

Qin Wen discreetly observed the girl with a Fire Fang Dog in her arms and a Treasure-Seeking ghost on her head.

Although the vice-principal had already told her about this, seeing it in person was still astonishing.

Thankfully, the vice-principal had prepared her mentally. Otherwise, her authority as a teacher might have been shattered on the first day.

"Whoa! How does this girl have two pets? And look at them, Fire Fang Dog and Treasure-Seeking Ghost!" Luo Qian whispered in shock.

Qin Wen ignored him. This idiot was probably too busy flirting to check the work group chat.

The 12 students quickly lined up, each with their own pets by their side.

Qiao Sang observed the scene.

A little ball pofu, short-tailed snake, bubble fish, baby dragon, electric bat, deep fur turtle, pointed-beak sparrow, mighty duck, bubble bell, long-eared cat, and snow lynx.

Including her Fire Fang Dog and Little Treasure-Seeking Ghost, no one had the same type of pet.

The girl next to Qiao Sang leaned over and whispered, "Big Boss Qiao, remember me?"

Qiao Sang glanced at her and nodded. "I remember, Zheng Yining."

Zheng Yining beamed. "I didn’t expect to see you again so soon!"

"Neither did I." Qiao Sang replied.

She had initially thought the students attending this training would all be battle-hardened. But after seeing their pets, she realized she had been mistaken.

The little ball pofu, pointed-beak sparrow, and long-eared cat were clearly not suited for battle.

If this training was meant for individual beast battles, the school would have picked stronger candidates from the freshmen.

After a moment’s thought, Qiao Sang considered another possibility.

Could it be that these 12 students were selected from those with poor academic performance?

"This is our first time meeting, though some of you may have seen us during the special admissions exam."

"You 12 were handpicked by us teachers. Some of you were recommended, others were special admissions students who self-awakened, and some were selected through the coordination exams."

"This training will divide you into four groups: Three in individual battle, three in team battle, three in individual coordination, and three in team coordination."

"Let me introduce myself. I’m Qin Wen, and I’ll be handling the group assignments for individual and team battles."

"I’m Luo Qian. You can call me Teacher Luo or Teacher Qian. I’ll be responsible for individual and team coordination groups." Luo Qian said with a smile.

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