Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 1011: Another Possibility for the Evolution of Ghost-Type Pets

"I mean, it's just a lost wig, you didn't have to scream that tragically..." Qiao Sang felt somewhat speechless, yet she suddenly turned inexplicably cautious.

She inquired: "Did you spot an invisible Ghost-type pet dashing away with your wig?"

After all, Little Treasure was a General-level pet. For the item on his head to disappear so abruptly, the culprit had to be far more powerful than him or incredibly daring with an ability to transfer items.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure glanced left and right before shaking his head, his face filled with sorrow and fury, signaling he hadn't noticed anything.

"Yap yap."

Yabao, who was starting to feel drowsy, cried out, assuring him there was no need to fret and offering to check it out himself.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure got it right away. His eyes sparkled as he drifted to Yabao's side and bowed his head.

Yabao raised a paw, rested it on Little Treasure’s head, and shut his eyes.

"Yap yap..."

Roughly ten seconds passed before Yabao opened his eyes, shook his head, and let out a call.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure’s face fell in utter dejection.

Qiao Sang pondered briefly and reassured him: "Relax. Use the images from your Spatial Shift positioning to hunt for it. Worst case, I'll get you a brand-new one later."

The Emphatic Positioning of Spatial Shift could swiftly scan and target a precise area. It offered an overhead view, letting one pinpoint exact scenes. That's precisely how they'd located the Lele Seeds in the Secret Realm before.

With Emphatic Positioning granting a divine vantage, Little Treasure ought to manage it during his own positioning.

Qiao Sang’s thoughts raced sharply; ideas surged through her mind in a flash.

If the wig had vanished without any trace, it was likely snatched by an unseen Ghost-type pet or shifted by a Psychic-type pet via a skill like Item Transfer.

Being in the Zidia Region made the first option more probable.

Yabao’s Sensory Perception only picked up physical sensations on Little Treasure’s head; it couldn't detect invisible ghosts.

Yet the positioning images for Little Treasure’s Spatial Shift covered the whole surroundings. Maybe the Ghost-type pet figured it was safe post-theft and showed itself gleefully elsewhere.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure’s eyes gleamed once more, and he squeezed them shut.

Abruptly, a 3D holographic map of all You City materialized in his thoughts.

At that moment, curiosity spurred Qiao Sang to ask: "When a Ghost-type pet positions for Spatial Shift, do the mental images reveal invisible Ghost-type pets?"

Mikayla paused silently for a beat.

"A pet that's both Ghost and Psychic-type, plus mastering Ultimate-level Spatial Shift... think those are commonplace?"

Qiao Sang shot Mikayla a complicated glance.

Mikayla grasped the implication in Qiao Sang’s look and quieted again before continuing: "Certain knowledge stems from hands-on experience. Your Ghost Ring King fits every condition perfectly. Just query him straight after he finishes positioning."

Qiao Sang nodded, replying, "Okay."

Right then, Little Treasure flung his eyes wide open.

"Xun xun!"

Without waiting for Qiao Sang to utter a word, he shoved the pet egg ahead.

"Yap yap..."

Yabao shifted in his tamer’s hold, raised his paws, and helped receive the egg.

Seconds later, Little Treasure blinked out of existence.

Around five seconds on, Little Treasure popped back into view. In his grasp was a roughly forty-centimeter-tall pet, mainly grey-black with a brownish-grey underside, featuring solid black eyes devoid of whites. Atop its head sat the pink afro wig.

... Pet details flooded Qiao Sang’s mind. Then, a realization hit, drawing her eyes to the Kongkong Spirit’s paws.

Sure enough, a slim black mini-bracelet gleamed there.

No questions needed; the afro crowning the Kongkong Spirit marked it as the culprit.

"Xun xun!"

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure unleashed a barrage of scoldings at the Kongkong Spirit. Midway, he recalled something, yanked the pink wig free, plopped it on himself, and kept berating.

"Kong kong..."

All the while, the Kongkong Spirit stayed meekly in custody, appearing remorseful for its misdeed.

After nearly a minute of ranting, Qiao Sang coughed lightly. "Glad we recovered the wig."

"Xun xun..."

Cut off by his tamer, Little Treasure sensed his yelling fatigue and released his hold.

The Kongkong Spirit’s profound eyes fixed on Little Treasure’s wig.

Suddenly, a frantic voice boomed: "Kongkong, I finally found you!"

Qiao Sang turned toward the noise and spotted a robust, broad-shouldered, barrel-chested man with neatly combed oily hair.

The Kongkong Spirit drifted to the burly man, chirping "Kong kong, kong kong" twice.

Having heard it out, the man approached and apologized to Mikayla: "I'm truly sorry. My Kongkong Spirit adores the wig on your Ghost-type pet's head. Might you consider selling it to me?"

Qiao Sang: ???

"Xun xun?!"

Little Treasure erupted instantly at those words, diving into fresh tirade.

Mikayla responded coolly: "I'm not its Tamer. The Tamer's right there."

She nodded subtly in indication.

Only now did the burly man register the extra person nearby.

He paused briefly, eyed Qiao Sang, and restated: "I apologize. My Kongkong Spirit loves your pet's wig so much. Would you sell it to me?"

Qiao Sang replied icily: "No."

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure felt gratified and quieted down.

The burly man showed no dismay, didn't push, and instead told his Kongkong Spirit, "They won't sell. I'll grab you a matching one soon."

"Kong kong."

The Kongkong Spirit averted its gaze, seeming displeased.

 Qiao Sang had no desire to hang around. She pulled out her phone, glanced at navigation, and readied to depart.

Unexpectedly, the burly man stepped into their way, saying awkwardly: "Can we talk privately for a moment?"

Qiao Sang shot back instantly, "It's not for sale."

The man stiffened, then clenched his jaw. "Not even for 5,000?"

Qiao Sang conveyed her stance via her stare.

With her current vast wealth, she wouldn't trade Little Treasure’s cherished wig for paltry 5,000 Alliance Coins.

As she geared up to decline once more, the man read her short quiet as waver and hushed his tone: "I'm exploring a fresh evolution route for Kongkong Spirit. Help me out here?"

Qiao Sang stood utterly baffled, unable to make sense of it.

Qiao Sang instinctively glanced at Teacher Mikayla.

Mikayla mulled it over briefly and noted, "I recall Kongkong Spirit evolves via two paths: absorbing an A-grade Dark Stone minimum, or fusion with Night Shell Ball."

The burly man eyed Mikayla, caught on, and explained: "You're not from Zidia Region, so it's understandable you don't know. Dr. Zhang Taitong just released research claiming certain Ghost-type pets possess an extra evolution path tied to happiness."

Qiao Sang furrowed her brow.

"Evolution through emotional power?"

The man affirmed with a nod. "Probably. But happiness alone isn't enough—though it's essential."

This sparked contemplation in Qiao Sang.

She pondered the details of this path. Little Treasure’s present route capped at Imperial rank racial limit. 

The man seized the moment: "So, what do you say? 5,000 for it? Think of it as befriending someone."

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure lifted both paws, clamping down hard on his wig.

Qiao Sang eyed the man and stated: "No. Your Kongkong Spirit might rejoice with it, but my Ghost Ring King wouldn't."

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure dropped his paws and puffed up proudly.

"Kong kong..." The Kongkong Spirit eyed its Tamer.

The burly man went rigid.

...

Before he could respond, Little Treasure checked Qiao Sang's phone navigation, eyes flashing blue. He teleported away with Qiao Sang and Mikayla.

"Kong kong!"

Witnessing this, the Kongkong Spirit wailed furiously at its Tamer and faded into invisibility.

The burly man: ...

--

Beast Center.

Post check-in, Qiao Sang and Mikayla made for the lodging zone.

Mikayla halted at her door, saying kindly: "Rough days behind you. Rest well. Teacher Flauda arrives near noon tomorrow."

"Okay." Qiao Sang agreed, swiping her Tamer Badge to unlock the adjacent room.

"Yap yap..."

Inside, Yabao flapped wings to the nightstand, delicately setting the pet egg down, wary of any jostle or mark.

Task complete, exhaustion hit anew. He yawned wide and curled up cozily on the bed.

Qiao Sang freshened up quickly, propped against the bedhead. She grabbed her phone, accessed Imperial Beast University's site, hit the points section, and redeemed two Compacting Potion bottles.

Then, mulling the Kongkong Spirit Tamer’s words, she fired up a search engine, entering "Dr. Zhang Taitong."

Results appeared promptly.

[Zhang Taitong, Male, 126 years old, A-grade Researcher, Ghost-type pet specialist, at Zidia Ghost-type Ninth Research Institute. Formerly cracked Vomit Skeleton to Lotus Mud Man evolution puzzle...]

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure peeked over, voicing awe.

Qiao Sang grinned: "What's impressive about that?"

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure jabbed at a certain figure.

Qiao Sang: "...

"Fair point. Longer-lived Tamers tend to grow stronger."

Qiao Sang whispered, "Teacher Mikayla outshines him by miles."

"Xun xun?!"

Little Treasure twigged fast, eyes bulging in a startled cry.

Qiao Sang hushed urgently: "Quiet down."

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure pawed his mouth shut.

"So for future puzzles, ask her. She'll know for sure," Qiao Sang advised.

"Xun xun?"

Little Treasure looked baffled.

Qiao Sang: ...

By the window, Gangbao quietly eyed his Tamer.

Qiao Sang recalled abruptly and queried: "Nearly slipped my mind. During Spatial Shift positioning to nab the Kongkong Spirit, did you spot other invisible Ghost-type pets too?"

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure recalled, crying that he hadn't. His focus was solely the wig then.

Qiao Sang: ...

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure gestured with a paw, called out, then shut his eyes.

Three seconds later, eyes open, he cried again.

"Xun xun~"

Invisible Ghost-type pets typically show just outlines, readily telling them apart from visible ones.

Qiao Sang concluded and searched anew for Dr. Zhang Taitong’s latest work on her phone.

The page loaded.

Nearly every site buzzed with the paper.

Qiao Sang tapped one:

[Late July this year, Researcher Zhang Taitong issued "Another Possibility for the Evolution of Ghost-type Pets." He posits some Ghost-type pets hold another energy type. Stimulating it could unlock a novel evolution route.]

[This energy resembles internal emotions or intake of positive emotional energies. It applies broadly to Ghost-type pets, akin to negative emotions fueling certain evolutions.]

[He urges: Contracted a Ghost-type pet? Test it. Make them joyful, sustain happiness. Expose to positive emotional energy—new breakthroughs await.]

[Racial limit reached? Still try. New form achieved? Contact him for research, advancing Ghost-type pet futures.]