"Of course, the clock starts once the new sparring partner arrives." Lin Yuanqi said after taking a deep breath.


    Hearing this, Qiao Sang was quite satisfied.


    Ten minutester, the gates of the training ground opened once again.


    "Isn''t this one too small? Feels like a kid who just became a beast tamer."


    "My daughter just graduated from junior high; this one looks about her age."


    "Lin Yuanqi, did you lose to a kid this small? Isn''t that embarrassing?"


    "Didn’t you hear him? This kid has quite the background. The contract beast is a Treasure-Seeking ghost, practically invincible."


    "I’ve never seen a ghost-type beast with psychic powers in real life."


    "Neither have I."Around a dozen people walked in, speaking in hushed tones.


    As they approached the edge of the training ground, the group moved toward the spectator seats on the right, leaving behind a square-faced man standing in the field.


    "Hello, I’ll be your sparring partner this time. I’m Wang Anqiang."


    As the man spoke, he formed a hand seal. Under a gray star array, arge, intimidating, crimson-red dog-like beast with two sharp tusks protruding from its upper jaw appeared before Qiao Sang.


    "Yap!"


    As soon as the beast appeared in the array, it let out a loud roar.


    Qiao Sang froze for a moment, staring at the beast before her. This powerful roar, this familiar figure, she had seen it countless times online.


    The ze Dog, the evolved form of the Fire Fang Dog.


    <i>If Yabao had evolved back then, this is what it would have looked like...</i>


    Qiao Sang spoke up, "Little Treasure,e back."


    In the spectator seats.


    "Why does this girl look familiar?" A bespectacled woman adjusted her sses.


    "Pretty people tend to look alike." Someone beside her chimed in.


    "Could she be your daughter''s former ssmate? She looks about the same age." Guessed a slightly overweight man.


    "Impossible. This girl just looks young. My daughter just graduated junior high. Are you saying Anqi lost to a recent junior high graduate?" The woman in sses retorted.


    <i>Hmph, you all wouldn’t stand a chance either... </i>Lin Yuanqi scoffed inwardly.


    He stared at Qiao Sang on the training ground, screaming in his mind.


    <i>You have to win! My reputation depends on you!</i>


    Lin Yuanqi still believed there was a high chance of regaining his dignity. After all, that stingy rich kid defeated him in just four minutes, while Wang Anqiang usually took about ten minutes to win.


    There’s no way such a freakishly talented beast like the treasure-seeking ghost could lose to a brute-force ze Dog.


    Its teleportation skill alone is enough to take down the ze Dog.


    Lin Yuanqi hadpletely forgotten that the treasure-seeking ghost was one level lower than the ze Dog.


    As he was mentally cheering for Qiao Sang and the treasure-seeking ghost, the little ghost floated back to its beast tamer,nding on her head.


    Qiao Sang formed a hand seal, and a red-and-white figure emerged from the gray star array before everyone.


    The entire ce fell silent.


    After a moment, someone whipped out their phone and started taking pictures frantically. Soon, everyone else followed suit, pulling out their phones and opening their cameras.


    "Holy crap! It’s a me Hound! I’m seeing one in real life!"


    "A battle between the two evolutions of the Fire Fang Dog? This video will blow up online! I even have the title: ze Dog vs. me Hound, Fire vs. Fire, Old me or New Crush?"


    "I remember now! This girl was the champion of the Bai Xin Competition over a month ago. Back then, her beast was still a Fire Fang Dog!" The bespectacled woman eximed.


    Everyone fell silent again, turning to look at the ponytailed girl on the field.


    <i>Wait, so this girl’s first contracted beast was a Fire Fang Dog, and not only did she evolve it into a me Hound, but her second contracted beast, the treasure-seeking ghost, even defeated Lin Yuanqi?</i>


    The crowd simultaneously turned to look at Lin Yuanqi, who was now staring nkly.


    On the field.


    "Yap!"


    As soon as Yabao appeared, he excitedly let out a roar.


    <i>No wonder they both evolved from Fire Fang Dogs; even their entrances were the same...</i>


    Qiao Sang couldn’t help but smile and ask, "Shall we begin?"


    "…Of course." Wang Anqiang snapped back to reality.


    "Yabao, it’s up to you." Qiao Sang spoke.


    "Yap!"


    Yabao, full of battle spirit, red at the ze Dog.


    The ze Dog stared back, and when it saw Yabao looking at it so passionately, its face flushed, and it shyly lowered its head.


    "Yap~"


    Wang Anqiang was dumbfounded. <i>What the heck! Why are you getting shy?!</i>


    "Batian! Pull yourself together! Use methrower!" Wang Anqiang shouted, trying to snap the ze Dog out of it.


    "Yap~"


    The ze Dog ignored him, gathering the courage to steal another nce at the beast that had stolen its heart before shyly lowering its head again.


    "Yap!"


    Yabao cloaked himself in mes, bing a fiery blur as he charged toward the ze Dog.


    "Batian! What are you standing around for? me Charge! Hit back!" Wang Anqiang’s voice nearly cracked from shouting.


    The ze Dog looked at the merciless Yabao rushing at it, its eyes filled with hurt. It didn’t follow its tamer’s orders to fight back; instead, it dodged to the left.


    But Yabao was too fast. Although the ze Dog managed to avoid a direct hit, it still took damage to its side.


    <b>Bang!!</b>


    The ze Dog was sent flying several meters away.


    "Yap…"


    The ze Dog weakly whined, looking at Yabao, whose mes had now died down.


    Wang Anqiang covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight.


    "Uh, why isn’t the ze Dog listening to you?" Qiao Sang asked, confused.


    "It seems… it has a crush on your me Hound…" Wang Anqiang said awkwardly.


    Qiao Sang: ...


    <i>She never expected her months-old Yabao to be... no, to be liked by another beast.</i>


    <i>He’s still just a kid!</i>


    Suddenly, Qiao Sang looked at the ze Dog and hesitated, "This ze Dog… it’s a male, right?"


    She had researched ze Dogs back when Yabao was still a Fire Fang Dog.


    She recalled that female ze Dogs had a tuft of fur on their heads that was a slightly lighter shade of red than the rest of their bodies. The ze Dog before her had a uniform coat of fur.


    "Yes." Wang Anqiang nodded.


    Qiao Sang was silent for a while before saying, "My me Hound is also male."


    Wang Anqiang: !!!


    "Batian! It’s a guy! He’s a guy!" Wang Anqiang yelled in shock.


    "…Yap?"


    The ze Dog froze, staring in disbelief at the beast he had fallen for.


    "Yap yap."


    Yabao shot him a disdainful nce.


    <i>What are you looking at? I’m obviously a handsome, dignified male.</i>


    "Yap…"


    The ze Dog, unable to handle the blow, wobbled unsteadily.


    "Yap."


    Yabao nced at him disdainfully again.


    <i>Are we going to fight or not?</i>


    "Yap yap!"


    The ze Dog’s eyes suddenly changed, and the mes on his exposed fangs ignited, signaling his resolve.