Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

'He must be too embarrassed to tell his friends.'

'Or maybe his classmates don't have high hopes for him?'

'No problem!'

Paul had to let Asher feel the recognition and warmth of his peers, "Go up without worry! I'll be waiting for you outside!"

'I promise you won't be all alone!'

Asher, who had no idea what Paul was imagining: "?"

Asher's five little friends: "?"

'Daydreaming is a sickness.'

'Needs treatment.'

But anyway, this unfamiliar senior had good intentions. Asher waved at him. Seeing someone drop from a bubble, he stepped onto a spot in the center that looked like a magic circle.

The next second—

Asher was teleported into the bubble.

"Wait a minute?", Paul scratched his head, "Did I forget to ask his name?"

"No problem. I'll find out when he comes out."

———

Inside the bubble, Asher found that both the ground and the walls were surprisingly solid.

Not as illusory as they seemed from the outside, like they would pop with a poke.

"Is this some kind of technology?", Asher wondered aloud, "Or is it another Beast Tamer world tech ecosystem that I just don't understand?"

He stomped his foot and poked at the nearby walls, which shimmered with multicolored light that gradually transitioned into different dazzling hues. The texture was elastic and sturdy—it felt pretty interesting.

The next second—

A silver-white holographic screen appeared in front of Asher, displaying a slot for placing a Beast Tamer identity card. Asher lightly swiped his card.

A silver glow scanned across—

Verifying Asher and his ID card.

["Asher, freshman at Bluebird University. Identity confirmed. Would you like to start the challenge?"]

A mechanical voice rang out.

"Start."

["Defeat as many opponents as possible."]

The silver-white screen flickered twice, leaving behind these words before disappearing in an instant.

A small, aggressive spirit cat appeared in front of Asher and immediately launched an attack.

"Meow—"

Asher reacted instantly.

'Good grief.'

'Isn't this just like the simulation battle room at Bluebird University?"

'Using beast data and energy to construct a phantom that closely resembles a real beast in strength.'

Asher immediately understood what he needed to do next—

Destroy the phantom!

With a single glance, he judged that this little spirit cat wasn't very strong, probably around third-rank. Meanwhile, his Little White Snake was already third-rank advanced. If Little White Snake was awake, it would be the best choice to fight.

Unfortunately—

After waking up last night, it had swallowed the last drop of Dragon King's blood that was left over. It wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

Asher could only shift his gaze to Little Raven and Cat-Worm.

"Go ahead, compete for the spot. Let's see who defeats more monsters.", Asher said calmly.

Little Raven and Cat-Worm locked eyes, and it felt like lightning was crackling in the air—

'Of course, the bird/dragon would defeat more monsters!'

'Charge—'

In less than three seconds, the little spirit cat was swiftly dealt with. Immediately after, a stronger spirit cat appeared, but its fate was no different from its predecessor.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Little Raven and Cat-Worm swiftly eliminated ten rounds of opponents, each round featuring only one beast, ranging from third-rank to fifth-rank in strength.

Little Raven: o(^｀）o

Cat-Worm: （.-`ω-)

'Piece of cake!'

'Not as hard as expected!'

Then, they turned to look at each other—

'Hmph!'

'The bird defeated six!'

'The dragon took down four!'

'Including a fifth-rank one!'

Cat-Worm puffed out its chest proudly.

*Proud*

"Meow!"

'The dragon defeated an opponent stronger than itself!'

Little Raven: "…"

'It's not that I don't want to fight above my rank!'

'There just aren't any higher-level monsters to fight!'

Little Raven flapped its wings angrily, its golden-red eyes glaring at the direction where the data-constructed beasts appeared.

"Don't get too cocky. The next opponents will definitely be harder.", Asher reminded his two little ones to stay calm and not get carried away.

Little Raven and Cat-Worm turned around simultaneously and gave him a confident look—

'Don't worry! Don't you trust us?'

Asher: "…"

'Honestly, not entirely.'

But he couldn't say that out loud, or he'd get beaten up by them.

Fortunately—

The next round refreshed. This time, the opponent's strength didn't change much, but the number increased from one to two.

Little Raven and Cat-Worm: 'Nice! Charge!'

Fighting one-on-one?

No way!

Their goal was to defeat their own opponent and then snatch the other one.

Asher watched as the ranking challenge somehow turned into a household rivalry race.

Asher: "?"

He couldn't quite understand the thought process of his two little ones.

But as long as the results were good, he had no reason to stop them.

———

"Huh? Where's Asher?"

Having challenged the [Freshmen Ranking], June finally made it onto the leaderboard. Though she was ranked in the lower middle section, she was still somewhat satisfied.

After all, with so many universities in South Soren—

And so many freshman Beast Tamers—

Getting a rank of 426 was already decent.

But precisely because of that, June now understood just how big the gap was between herself and the [Combat Ranking].

"I never really thought there were so many Beast Tamers, but now that I see this… there are way more than I imagined."

June pouted, holding onto Ivy's arm, grumbling, "I checked. The freshman ranking's No.1, Andy Williams, barely made it to 9987th place on the [Combat Ranking]. Let alone me, stuck at 400-something…"

Can't move up.

No way to move up.

"Junior?", While waiting for Asher, Paul spotted two familiar juniors—June and Ivy.

"Senior Paul!", June and Ivy also noticed Paul standing there. Looking around and not seeing Asher, they guessed that either he hadn't arrived or had already started the challenge. They walked over.

"June, you challenged the [Freshmen Ranking]?", Paul asked with a smile, recalling what he had overheard.

June nodded gloomily, "Yeah, and now I understand the gap between me and other Beast Tamers."

Not just a little big.

It was massive.

So big it was depressing.

Paul couldn't help but laugh, "Junior, you're still a freshman. You've only just started university and haven't even finished one semester yet. It's completely normal not to match up to those with more experience and training. Don't get discouraged over something like this."

"But… is there only one freshman left on the [Combat Ranking] now?", Paul was a little surprised.

Before, the top three freshmen had all been on the [Combat Ranking], though their positions were barely holding on. The third place was even hanging onto the 10,000th rank by a thread.

But now, both second and third had been pushed off, leaving only the top-ranked freshman.

Thinking of this, Paul started worrying about the junior he just met.

'The kid seemed gentle and had a good personality. If he got crushed too badly…'

Paul clicked his tongue.

'Sigh!'

'Paul, oh Paul, take on the responsibility of a senior. Think about how to comfort the junior when he comes out.', Paul, who has never been good with words, was already racking his brain in advance, trying to figure out what to say later.

June and Ivy, standing beside him, didn't mind that Paul had fallen silent mid-conversation.

After all, they weren't that familiar yet.

On the first day of welcoming new students, they were assigned to Paul. They exchanged contact information, and occasionally, Paul would send them information about Beast Tamer-related activities. Their relationship was just enough to greet each other when they met on campus—nothing more.

Running into each other here today was purely fate.

"Should we send Asher a message?", June, not seeing any sign of Asher, leaned in and whispered to Ivy.

Ivy looked hesitant, "But if Asher is already inside challenging, wouldn't we be disturbing him?"

Hearing this, June, who had been typing away, slowed her movements.

"Is your friend challenging the [Combat Power Ranking]?", Paul wasn't eavesdropping on purpose, but since he was standing nearby, he naturally overheard. His expression turned slightly awkward, but he still asked with concern.

June and Ivy nodded, "He's challenging the [Combat Power Ranking]. We agreed to meet here, but we're not sure if he's already inside…"

"Go ahead and send the message, it's fine. If your friend is inside, he won't receive it anyway.", As he spoke, Paul pointed to the dreamy bubble above them, "That bubble is made of special material. When someone is inside, all electronic signals from the outside world are blocked."

June decisively sent the message.

Three minutes passed.

No response.

No need to say more—Asher was definitely already inside the challenge.

"I wonder how far he'll go.", June looked up at the dreamy bubble above, rubbing her chin, eyes full of curiosity, "Last time, I barely made it to round 12 before I couldn't hold on anymore."

"Ridiculous."

"Absolutely ridiculous."

"I only have one pet beast, and I had to fight a Tier-4 Beginner and a Tier-4 Advanced beast at the same time… My Fire Fox Queen doesn't know how to split herself in two.", June complained.

"That sounds really tough.", Ivy hadn't challenged it herself, but just hearing June's experience, she could already imagine the difficulty.

"Sigh, still, it's like I said, junior, you're a freshman.", Paul, still waiting for Asher, patiently explained to the two juniors.

"Generally speaking, third and fourth-year students can easily clear the first 20 rounds. So, the first 20 rounds mainly serve to evaluate the average strength of the Beast Tamer's pet beast. From round 21 onward, the opponents' strength will at least match the challenger's pet beast strength. That's when the real challenge begins."

June: "?"

Ivy: "?"

Both of their faces showed deep confusion, "The opponents match the strength of our own pet beasts? Can… can that even be beaten?"

"No wonder I didn't make it on the ranking! So, 12 rounds was just a warm-up, and it meant nothing?", June's gaze turned vacant, and her mentality slightly collapsed.

She had thought lasting until round 12 was already an achievement.

"Although it's not easy, it's not as impossible as you think.", Paul smiled as he watched the two juniors' shocked expressions.

New students who had just stepped into a broader world carried a kind of youthful, energetic drive. They weren't overly cautious or hesitant. That was why Paul liked interacting with them—guiding them along the way.

"Matching data strength doesn't necessarily mean the simulated beasts will be stronger than your pet beasts."

"You've probably experienced battles where an opponent was slightly higher in level than you, but you still won, right? At Tier-3 or Tier-4, power level is just one factor in victory. A Beast Tamer's excellent command, combined with strong cooperation between them and their pet beast, often produces a '1+1 > 2' effect."

June and Ivy nodded thoughtfully.

"As long as you can maintain that synergy, getting past round 25 isn't a big problem. Beyond that…", Paul paused.

June couldn't resist her curiosity and urged, "What happens after that?"

"Beyond that, the simulated beasts' power will surpass the challenger's pet beasts by an entire tier."

Your pet beast is Tier-3 or Tier-4?

Okay.

The system will generate Tier-4 and Tier-5 opponents.

Fight.

And get beaten without a word.

June and Ivy had no idea what the challengers thought about this, but they were already speechless.

'Isn't this challenge system a little too ridiculous?'

'How… how is anyone supposed to win?'

June frowned deeply, while Ivy's face was tinged with worry.

'Asher… With his strength, he shouldn't have too much trouble, right?'

"Worried about your friend?", Paul glanced at the two identical expressions of concern and felt a bit curious.

'Hmm… Is their friend a girl?'

'Doesn't seem like it.'

'The two of them are already very close.'

'But if it is a guy… just looking at those worried little expressions, they definitely doesn't seem like just 'normal friends'.''

Paul could confidently say that he had the purest of intentions towards these two juniors—he simply saw them as juniors who needed guidance and occasionally shared useful information with them.

But that didn't mean Paul was unaware of how popular June and Ivy were. In the first-year Combat Department and Pet Beast Nursing Program, their beauty was well-known. And since they were always together, one like a dazzling red rose, the other like a delicate white rose, they attracted countless admirers.

But… did they have a protector?

"That… Vicky, right? You're not waiting for him, are you?", Paul suddenly realized.

'It has to be him!'

Before June and Ivy could answer, a familiar voice rang out from behind them, "Huh? Who's calling my name?"

The three of them turned around and locked eyes with a clueless Vicky, who was scratching his head.

June, Ivy, and Paul: "…"

Vicky: "?"

Paul gave Vicky a subtle look, 'Ah… If the two juniors really had feelings for Vicky, it'd be like… a flower stuck in… cough.'

"Where's my big bro? He already went in?", Vicky ignored their looks and strode up to June and Ivy, grinning.

Paul choked on air.

'Wait, what?'

He had interacted with Vicky before, but why was it only now that he realized… Vicky was kind of… dumb?

June: "He should be inside already. Let's wait a bit… maybe we can see his name on the ranking."

As she spoke, June, Ivy, and Vicky all looked up at the massive ranking board suspended in midair, filled with countless names.

From time to time, they could see some rankings shifting and changing.

None were drastic.

Those ranked lower were struggling to climb up.

Although a change of one, ten, or even a dozen spots didn't make a huge difference, being ranked slightly higher still sounded better when mentioned.

However, no new names had appeared.

The ranking competition had been going on for over a month. Other than those who had rushed in quickly at the start, the ones still on the board by now were all truly capable, making it difficult for them to be pushed off. Their rankings also wouldn't change too much.

Just then—

They noticed the entire ranking board beginning to flicker.

Huh?

Even the onlookers who hadn't been paying attention to the [Combat Power Rankings] were drawn in.

"This is...", June had a vague premonition but wasn't entirely sure. She looked at Paul beside her with a questioning gaze.

"This is the notification for someone making it onto the board.", Paul's voice was slightly tense.

In the first half-month after the ranking board was launched, it would flash constantly as soon as the venue opened. People were making it onto and falling off the board non-stop, scrambling to get a spot. After all, the further along it got, the harder it became to climb. With so many towering figures above, just looking at them was enough to make people lose confidence.

After so many days, those capable of making it onto the board had already secured their spots. A simple change in ranking wouldn't cause the entire board to flicker.

But now…

Who could have jumped onto the board at this point, straight from below the 10,000th rank?

Some high-ranking expert who had forgotten to challenge the board?

That didn't seem likely either… Most third- and fourth-year Beast Tamers had fewer courses to attend, with the school allocating them more time to hone their skills or take part in extracurricular challenges—like this ranking challenge.

In fact, the third- and fourth-year Beast Tamers often climbed the ranks even faster than the first- and second-years.

So… Somehow, Paul recalled a junior he had spoken to not long ago but hadn't asked for their name.

'That unknown junior is also challenging the board, right?'

'Could it be him?'

Paul found it hard to believe, yet he was filled with anticipation. With an anxious heart, he stared unblinkingly at the flashing ranking board.

SWOOSH—

A name appeared at the very bottom of the board, instantly pushing the 10,000th-ranked person off.

Before the crowd could even get a good look at this new contender's name, it surged forward at an unstoppable pace.

"Holy crap! This guy is climbing like crazy. He didn't even stop in the 9,000 range—he's shooting straight up."

"More than that! He blew past 8,000 too!"

"7,000… 6,000! No sign of slowing down!"

"5,000… 4,000… Damn! Why is there such a huge gap between people? I've fought so hard in so many challenges and still got stuck around 5,000, barely moving up. And look at this guy! Look at him!"

"3,000… 2,000… Still climbing! Shit! I'm getting heart palpitations just watching this!"

"1,000… And he's still going!"

The venue, once bustling with various activities, fell into an eerie quiet. It wasn't total silence, but everyone had instinctively turned to the [Combat Power Rankings] in the center, murmuring under their breath, their eyes filled with nothing but envy.

As the new name charged into the top ten, its climbing speed finally slowed.

And then—

It stopped at 8th place.

The crowd: "!!!"

Above their heads, countless exclamation marks seemed to flash.

Shocked!

Utterly stunned!

"A straight drop-in at 8th place—?"

Everyone's expressions were filled with disbelief and astonishment.

It wasn't that they couldn't understand someone making it to 8th place, but to do it like this, at this time, with such an overwhelming leap…

Well, they still couldn't understand. In fact, they were utterly shaken.

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't be shocked yet! Look at that person's name first."

A loud voice jolted the stunned crowd back to reality.

Huh?

What about the name?

At first glance, it didn't seem like much. But then—

[8th place, Asher Snow, Bluewind University, First Year. Contracted Beasts: Three-Legged Golden Crow, Cat Dragon. Combat Power: 59,981]

"First year? Am I seeing things?"

"And that combat power… Holy crap! Isn't he just under 100 points away from 7th place? Excluding the two monsters in 1st and 2nd, the rest of the top ten all hover between 60,000 and 50,000. If he pushes a bit more, he could move up even higher."

"Three-Legged Golden Crow… Cat Bug… What kind of species are these? I don't think I've ever heard of them before."

"Also, aren't you guys noticing something terrifying? He… He only used two beasts. Two! The entire top ten all have three beasts! Holy shit! What kind of monster is this? His two beasts alone have combat power on par with others' three beasts."

"No kidding! I used three beasts and barely reached half his combat power. This is killing me! Comparing myself to him just makes me want to quit."

"Asher! Shouldn't our focus be on Asher's name? That Asher! The one from Bluewind University."

The others: "?"

Wait a second.

Asher… Bluewind University… That name did sound familiar.

"DRAGON KING!"

Someone shouted, and instantly, everyone remembered!

Asher.

Bluewind University.

First Year.

These three keywords combined, and the legend of Asher immediately resurfaced in their minds.

Old Rothschild.

Ancestral Dragon evolving into Jargon Dragon King.

So…

"If I remember correctly, Asher is a Professor of Beast Evolution, right? Right? He's in the Beast Evolution major at Bluewind University?"

The others: "…"

They didn't want to answer.

But someone kept pressing for a response.

Answer?

How were they supposed to answer?

As Beast Tamers, as combat-oriented students, it was normal for them to be outmatched in Beast Evolution research by Asher.

But to be outmatched in raw strength as well…

Humiliating.

Utterly humiliating.

To be overshadowed by a Beast Evolution professor.

At this moment, the fact that Asher was a first-year student wasn't even the biggest shock.

It was the fact that he was a Beast Evolution professor that truly left everyone in disbelief.

After all, in most Beast Tamers' minds, those who pursued Beast Evolution studies were just ordinary people. Very few Beast Tamers chose this path, and even if they did, their beasts were typically not very strong in combat.

Yet Asher had completely shattered that stereotype.

What could they even say at this point?

"Asher, you're insane! Absolutely insane!", June's face was flushed with excitement as she gazed up at the ranking board, speaking without thinking.

Ivy gently nudged June's arm, her bright doe-like eyes brimming with amusement, "What are you saying? Asher's Little Raven and Cat Dragon have always been strong. Isn't this result perfectly normal?"

She paused, her willow-leaf brows furrowing slightly, "Wait… Where's Asher's third beast?"

Huh?

June realized it too.

"Maybe the contract is too new, so it's not strong enough, and Asher didn't use it?", June tilted her head uncertainly before waving her hand dismissively, "Eh! Who cares? Whether he uses it or not is up to him. We just have to trust Asher."

"That's true.", Ivy nodded, also feeling there was no need to worry too much.

If he needed to use it, Asher would surely do so himself.

Vicky was also laughing foolishly on the side, "Hehe! As expected of my big daddy. Just awesome!"

Jessica and Aeron were also drawn over by this commotion.

"Where is Asher? He's already on the ranking list, but he hasn't come out yet?", Jessica looked left and right but didn't see Asher.

"Probably... he's still challenging?", Paul said uncertainly.

His mind was a little confused.

He knew about Asher.

He also knew about Asher's achievements.

Paul was aware of Asher's livestreams and recorded footage.

Because Paul's hometown was NY City, he had always paid attention to Asher, the rising genius of NY City.

Before, they had no connection.

But after making contact... Paul suddenly felt that the junior he had just chatted with, the more he looked at his facial features, the more he resembled Asher?

Paul: "..."

He never expected to really run into a big shot, a top-tier figure from another field, a cross-field genius who was still a big shot, that kind of "junior." Paul felt that the term "junior" was too embarrassing to say.

In front of Asher, perhaps he was the real junior.

"Ahem!", After coughing twice, Paul barely managed to adjust his mindset.

"Being ranked doesn't necessarily mean the challenge has ended. Once a certain number of rounds are cleared, and the displayed strength is enough to qualify for the ranking, the list will temporarily reflect their current results.", Paul explained to the group, being more familiar with the ranking mechanism of the [Combat Power Ranking], "Asher... He should have displayed enough strength to rank after completing a certain round, so the ranking list recorded his current score first."

"If he continues to challenge and clear rounds, his strength evaluation will continue to rise."

Naturally.

The ranking list would also change.

The other Beast Tamers, who also understood this mechanism but had reached their own limits at the ranking threshold, "..."

Good heavens.

The difference between people—was really as vast as half a world.

A combat power of ten or twenty thousand, barely making it onto the list at the bottom, was their limit. Breaking through was as hard as ascending to the heavens.

A combat power of over fifty thousand, directly landing in 8th place, was effortless for Asher, and he could still go further.

The blow.

This blow was truly too much.

Many Beast Tamers already wanted to turn around and leave.

But then they thought—what if Asher kept pushing higher…? They suddenly didn't want to leave anymore.

Not for anything else.

They just wanted to see how high Asher could go in the end.

———

"The 28th round. The data constructs the Alliance used for ranking challenges are indeed quite something.", Asher silently counted the number of opponents defeated by Little Raven and Cat-Worm.

The first 20 rounds were effortless for them.

The strongest opponents were only slightly weaker than them.

With Little Raven at the fifth tier and Cat-Worm at the fourth tier, the two teamed up, flying and leaping around, ending the fights easily.

Then, in the 21st round, the number of constructed beasts suddenly jumped to four, and their strength directly matched Little Raven and Cat-Worm. The difficulty spiked instantly.

But were Little Raven and Cat-Worm the kind of pets that would be intimidated?

No.

Little Raven and Cat-Worm were both excited.

'Yes!'

'Finally, some decent opponents!'

No need to hype themselves up.

The opponents were assigned clearly.

The fight was no longer easy.

But who made Little Raven and Cat-Worm both cheat-tier?

King's Aura!

King's Eyes!

Shadow Tentacles!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh—

Even if they were data-constructed beasts, facing these unconventional skills… they still had to drink the bitter cup of defeat.

Compared to the previous 20 rounds, these newly generated beasts were at least more capable of putting up a fight.

Until...

They encountered constructed beasts a whole tier stronger than Little Raven and Cat-Worm.

Asher: "!"

Surprised, but also reasonable.

One at the sixth-tier beginner level, one at the fifth-tier beginner level, and one at the fifth-tier intermediate level.

The number decreased by one, but the quality increased.

Little Raven and Cat-Worm didn't need to compete for opponents anymore; they matched up directly. The busiest person suddenly became Asher.

When facing weaker opponents before, Asher could let Little Raven and Cat-Worm handle things freely.

As the opponent's strength grew, Asher had to get serious.

Fortunately.

Little Raven and Cat-Worm were no ordinary beasts, and they cleared even this higher-level challenge.

Then...

Asher received the notification that he had entered the ranking list.

"8th place, over 50,000 combat power? A bit low.", Asher muttered words that would definitely get him beaten if others heard.

Two pets with over 50,000 combat power and he thought it was low?

What's up with this guy?

Did he want to ascend to the heavens?

Asher didn't want to ascend to the heavens; he just felt this score didn't quite match his overpowered Little Raven and Cat-Worm. He showed them the results, "Look, this is our score!"

"Although a bit low, overall, it's still pretty good."

Little Raven: =v=

Cat-Worm: OwO

'Not bad.'

'But there are others ahead?'

'Unacceptable!'

'Charge ahead!'

'Eliminate them!'

Little Raven and Cat-Worm exchanged glances, their eyes filled with battle intent.

'Wanna cooperate?'

'Yes!'

Just now, they had been competing against each other, even fighting over who defeated more opponents, but in an instant, they chose to join forces.

When there was no challenge, they created one for themselves.

But when there was a real challenge—

They immediately stood together.

Don't ask.

This was their unspoken understanding.

The bond of family.

Little White Snake, still sleeping soundly, "?"

So… did big brother and big sister consider Little White Snake part of this family?

———

It was uncertain whether Asher was numb to it.

But standing in front of the ranking list, staring at it intently, the Beast Tamers… their mentality had gradually evolved from collapse to numbness.

It was just a direct jump to 8th place.

It was just after reaching 8th place, "whoosh," the ranking jumped three spots to 5th.

They weren't jealous.

They weren't envious.

They really weren't—sob sob sob! They were actually dying of envy!

"If Asher comes out, I just want to ask how he trains his pets. As a pet evolution professor, does he have some secret training method?"

"That's not impossible. Look at Asher's two pets—never heard of their species before. Maybe he bred them into new evolutionary paths."

"Even if they are new species, pet quality and strength are related, but at this level, it's no longer just about species. This is pure power."

And then—

As expected but still beyond imagination—

Asher… reached the top.

[1st place, Asher Snow, First Year, Bluewind University freshman, pets: Three-Legged Golden Crow, Cat-Dragon, combat power 118,690]

The Beast Tamers on-site: "…"

Silent.

Very well.

Once again, they had gained a direct understanding—Asher, a genius of geniuses, completely different from them.

———

[Water Otter University]

Beside a large training pool simulating seawater, a woman in a swimsuit, exposing large areas of honey-colored skin, had half of her body soaking in the special water. Occasionally, when she raised her hand, the skin covered by the swimsuit appeared fair in contrast.

"Ice Mandarin, Extreme Speed Freeze."

"Bo—", The small pet beast Ice Mandarin, with multicolored feathers but an ice-blue base color, fiercely exhaled a breath infused with freezing energy towards the distance. The water surface rapidly froze, but before Ice Mandarin could turn around and joyfully pounce into its Beast Tamer's embrace, the ice quickly melted again.

Failed.

Ice Mandarin lowered its head in disappointment.

"It's okay, we'll just keep practicing. There's still time before the competition.", Sophia's face lit up with a dazzling expression filled with wildness.

"Learning skills is supposed to be like this. You have to keep honing them through constant training."

"Don't give up!"

"Boo!"

The previously listless Ice Mandarin instantly perked up under its Beast Tamer's encouragement.

Before the pair could continue their training—

A small figure came rushing over.

"Sophia! Sophia! Something big happened! Your first place on the [Combat Power Rankings] got overtaken.", A petite girl, dressed in a tank top and shorts, wearing flip-flops, looking ready to jump into the water at any moment, came running toward Sophia with a "pata pata" sound.

"Eh?", Upon hearing this, Sophia turned to glance at the girl, "Christopher moved up? But if I remember correctly, his strongest pet beast, Wood Spirit Lady, is only at five-star advanced rank. Whether it's learning a new skill or something else, breaking through to six-star is definitely impossible."

As he spoke, Sophia glanced at the waterproof watch on his wrist, "I didn't get any messages from Christopher. He didn't brag to me?"

The girl—Sophia's direct junior—was panting heavily, finally catching her breath. She hurriedly shouted, "No! It's not Christopher. It's someone… someone who just made it onto the rankings today."

Sophia: "?"

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