Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 1018: Still Not Enough

"Start." Qiao Sang glanced over at Baowuwu.

"Wuwu." Baowuwu gave a nod, purple light gleaming in its eyes.

Nearby onlookers shot dark looks their way, obviously recognizing Baowuwu already.

Qiao Sang surveyed the area before releasing her grip and setting Yabao down on the ground.

From her experiences on Chaosu Star, she knew that in wild areas, it was best not to conceal or store items. Instead, summoning a strong pet beast and letting it enlarge right beside you deterred plenty of problems.

Yabao grasped his Tamer's intention, and his form started to gradually enlarge.

Once he exceeded ten meters in height, the air around seemed to solidify. All eyes turned upward, breaths catching. They all looked away quickly, abandoning any schemes against Baowuwu.

A few couldn't handle the oppressive force and fled swiftly with their pet beasts to hunt elsewhere.

Most folks here aimed to locate the Spirit-Passing Cat.

Strong pet beasts go to the powerful. Near a Tamer with a King-level companion, they realized that even spotting the Spirit-Passing Cat wouldn't let them claim it. Better to search far from anyone with a King-level pet.

Still, some Tamers displayed curiosity at the unfamiliar pet beast, while others spared a single calm glance before resuming their tasks.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure watched enviously as Big Brother Yabao's enormous form scared everyone off.

Yabao dipped his head, blue light flashing in his eyes. Telekinesis lifted his Tamer onto his back.

"Teacher, coming along?" Qiao Sang inquired.

 Mikayla grumbled inside but replied evenly: "No thanks. I can match the Blazing Divine Lion's speed."

With that, she floated up abruptly, hovering at the level of Yabao's back.

 Qiao Sang mused.

As these notions raced through her mind, Baowuwu drifted ahead.

Yabao trailed right after.

Tamers searching nearby parted to let them through wherever they went.

After roughly ten minutes of travel, Baowuwu stopped before a dilapidated skyscraper, its steel frame bared.

Gazing over, thick green vines releasing black fumes cloaked the structure. Sturdy concrete had turned into fuel for the sprawling roots.

A handful of Ghost-type pet beasts munching on the vines paused at the noise. Spotting the gigantic crimson shape, they startled and faded into nothingness.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure drifted to the black-gas-emitting vines and, copying the Ghost-types, bent down for a nibble.

"Xun xun!"

One bite in, Little Treasure's face twisted in revulsion. He spat it out with a disgusted look.

Ebony Vine, a snack fit for Ghost-type pet beasts. It wouldn't upset the stomach and filled one up. Yet Little Treasure was used to tasty energy meals, flavor-matched energy pills, and assorted snacks; this was beyond him.

Qiao Sang couldn't hold back a laugh at the sight.

"Wuwu." Baowuwu gestured toward the structure.

"Inside there?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Wuwu." Baowuwu confirmed with a nod.

Qiao Sang leaped straight from Yabao's back, landing firmly.

As a B-level Tamer now, even sans formal training, the physical boosts from feedback let her drop from over ten meters effortlessly.

Yabao's bulk gradually diminished.

Qiao Sang trailed Baowuwu inside.

Little Treasure clutched the pet egg and scurried after.

Mikayla's eyes subtly shifted to a point two hundred meters off before she soared into the skyscraper.

Two hundred meters distant, in a similarly wrecked edifice, a short black-haired woman in her thirties peeked out. Staring at the far skyscraper, she wondered aloud: "Did she spot us?"

"Man man." Next to her, a thirty-centimeter purple pet beast sporting a mini shrinking bracelet—like a tiny alarm clock—nodded assuredly.

Slow-Slow Clock, a King-level Ghost-type pet beast with the  trait. The world unfolded in slow motion to its sight. Even casual foe movements stood out crystal clear.

The woman's face grew grave at once.

Her Slow-Slow Clock boasted perfect Breath Concealment. Amid Ghost Mist, she herself masked her presence. Getting detected anyway showed this foe was tougher than expected.

"Man man?"

Slow-Slow Clock cried out, questioning if they'd keep tailing.

The woman mulled it over briefly, then clenched her jaw: "Follow."

Baowuwu sniffed out heavenly treasures and scarce pet beasts. Trailing it beat solo-hunting for the Spirit-Passing Cat hands down.

Meanwhile.

Deep in the Ebony Vine-wrapped building, Qiao Sang stuck close behind Baowuwu.

"We're being tailed." Mikayla stated, drawing alongside her.

"I know." Qiao Sang showed zero surprise.

"One was two hundred meters back earlier, another at three hundred meters up high, and one's already in here with us—lurking around the corner twenty meters behind."

She halted, then noted: "The trailing one makes no footfalls; must be a Ghost-type pet beast."

Mikayla nodded approvingly: "You're sharper than I thought."

Qiao Sang let out a sigh:

"Teacher, you don't get it. For those entry missions to Secret Realms for the regional contest, my teammates were total duds. Last time, like you recommended, I teamed with a B-level Tamer for Secret Realm No. 53. She barely lifted a finger at first; I solo-guarded against wild pet beasts. Hauling two  deadweights solo in a Secret Realm—how could I not stay hyper-vigilant? Pure experience."

Dead weight Mikayla: ...

Qiao Sang remembered her prior hunch and shifted tone: "But luckily, that hired Tamer pulled her weight later on, or I couldn't have wrapped the mission so neatly."

Mikayla eased up hearing that, her frown lifting as she said: "Secret Realms make prime training grounds. I'll pick a few more for you to dive into soon."

Qiao Sang: "...Sure."

"Wuwu!"

Baowuwu halted up front, pointing at a snoozing Ghost-type pet beast in the corner and crying out.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure zipped right over.

Qiao Sang advanced, but before getting a good look, thick dark mist rolled in ominously.

A huge wave of Yin energy swallowed the building.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure hugged the pet egg tight and teleported beside his Tamer.

"Gangbao." Qiao Sang summoned mentally.

Gangbao beat her wings hard without delay. A fierce wind roared up, scattering the dark fog.

Qiao Sang eyed the spot Baowuwu had indicated.

A brown vine had snared the dozing Ghost-type pet beast unbeknownst.

As she watched, it tightened, suspending the pet beast mid-air like a kite.

"Jia jia!"

The snagged Ghost-type pet beast awoke in panic, thrashing wildly.

Dark mist billowed anew.

As it threatened to engulf everything again, Qiao Sang commanded: "Aura of Intimidation."

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure's eyes hardened, unleashing unseen pressure.

The vine froze briefly.

Faint breathing sounded by the window.

Yabao's ears perked, and he aimed his maw at the noise.

A red-gold beam blasted out instantly.

The wall exploded with a thunderous crash.

"Zhi zhi!"

A meter-tall brown pet beast resembling a mini tree, fitted with a lightweight mini bracelet, took the hit. It shrieked while tumbling out of sight.

The vine dissolved, mist clearing.

The freed pet beast plummeted suddenly.

Qiao Sang dashed forward and snatched it safely.

"Jia jia..."

The pet beast—with two arms, two legs, three eyes including a red one on its forehead—gaped at its rescuer.

"You alright?" Qiao Sang checked.

"Jia jia!"

The three-eyed pet beast recovered and floated aside swiftly.

Recalling the human's save, it responded anyway, shaking its head to indicate no harm.

Mikayla spoke then: "Masked Puppet, Mid-level Ghost-type pet beast. That central eye pierces illusions; it's pretty rare."

"Wuwu!"

Baowuwu nodded smugly. Finds like its were always top-tier rarities.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure looked let down. 

"Jia jia?"

Masked Puppet seemed to recall something, eyeing Qiao Sang shyly all of a sudden.

"What'd it say?" Qiao Sang asked Little Treasure.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure grinned slyly and cried out.

Qiao Sang paused briefly, then answered honestly: "Not in person."

Masked Puppet's expression fell, and it blinked invisible.

Thanks to prior Spirit-Visible use, Qiao Sang spotted it rooted in place, sneering disdainfully at her.

Qiao Sang: ...

Next while Baowuwu kept scouting, it uncovered another decently rare Ghost-type pet beast plus two Wan-Yin Crystals to boost Ghost-type energy, but no more—and certainly no Spirit-Passing Cat.

Little Treasure chomped a Wan-Yin Crystal, inhaling the local Ghost Mist, thoroughly content.

Baowuwu munched the other beside him.

Qiao Sang cradled the pet egg in one hand, phone in the other. Glancing at the hour, she queried: "It's super late now. Stay here overnight or head back for rest?"

"Yap yap..."

Her words barely landed when Yabao yawned wide.

Mikayla eyed Little Treasure: "We depart tomorrow. This spot suits Ghost Ring King well."

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure bobbed his head eagerly in agreement.

Qiao Sang agreed readily. She picked a sheltered ruin nook, had Little Treasure fetch sleeping bags from his ring, lay them out, and zipped inside.

Yabao curled in the bag by his Tamer, shut his eyes, and dozed off fast.

Lubao followed suit.

Gangbao skipped the bag, perching atop the ruins with closed eyes, seemingly asleep.

"Xun xun~"

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure felt wide awake, bobbing around nearby.

"Wuwu..."

Baowuwu plopped on the ground, staring skyward melancholically.

"Xun xun?"

Little Treasure floated up and cried, inquiring: 

"Wuwu..."

Baowuwu replied it wasn't sure about returning when the moment arrived.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure patted its shoulder reassuringly. He cried that his Tamer was incredible and would surely get it home.

"Wuwu..."

Baowuwu peeked toward Qiao Sang's spot, still downcast.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure cried confidently. 

Baowuwu: ...

"Voom!"

All at once, space warped like cloth. A rift visibly tore open, widening to five meters across.

Intense Yin energy poured out, evoking hell's gateway flung wide.

"Xun xun..."

"Wuwu..."

Little Treasure and Baowuwu gawked upward.

Qiao Sang and Mikayla snapped their eyes open together.

In unison, Ghost Mist across town—from streets and ruins to skies and heights—spawned endless Secret Realm Cracks oozing Yin energy.

Townsfolk's faces drained of color. Lips quivered, pupils dilated wildly, terror etching their features.

They'd braced for Secret Realm Cracks, sure—but not this overwhelming swarm.

Ghost-type pet beasts of every shape slithered from the rifts.

This instant branded their deepest horror.

Zidia Region folk adored Ghost-type pet beasts, true—controllable ones for contracts and raising. Not these feral unknowns with wild tempers.

Fear and despair thickened the Ghost Mist further.

"Secret Realm Cracks! So many Secret Realm Cracks!"

"Exit! Where's the exit! I wanna leave!"

"What's happening? Simultaneous mass Secret Realm Cracks—I've never heard such a thing!"

"Doomed, we're doomed..."

---

By a dusty, web-draped ruin, a meter-tall black pet beast with an extra-long white beard, head spikes, and a lightweight mini bracelet on its claws, kept eyes shut.

Fear and despair auras from the Ghost Mist streamed into it nonstop.

A cool-faced youth in a black tee, seeming just 20-ish, watched it fondly.

. The youth addressed a nearby pet beast, silver-white around 80 cm tall with a tail double its length and a lightweight mini bracelet: "A little more."

The silver-white pet beast's eyes lit blue, staring skyward.

A horrifying energy radiated from it.

Air quaked.

Right then, fresh cracks materialized across town positions.