Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

’He’s one of the favorites to win the whole thing.’

Lu Dongjie was stunned for a moment, then he realized—the quarterfinals were tomorrow.

From now on, the young prodigies would officially start clashing!

Su Zhi’s luck with the bracket was really terrible.

Even if he beat the tournament’s number three seed, Cao Mingyu, the number one seed, Shao Ya, would be waiting for him in the semifinals. And in the finals, he’d have to face either the number four or number two seed...

To be honest, Lu Dongjie had no idea how far Su Zhi could go.

But still—you just had to believe in God Su!

”And that’s all for today’s tournament coverage! The quarterfinals will officially begin tomorrow at 5 PM. Please tune in to livestream channel 00401 to cheer on Su Zhi!”

...

...

”Fang Yuan?”

In the cafeteria, Su Zhi just so happened to run into someone he knew.

Fang Yuan had ordered a plate of shredded stir-fried pancakes, doused it in half a pot of vinegar, and was sitting at the table right next to Su Zhi.

Even though this was the municipal tournament, his every move was disciplined and proper, as methodical as a student in a school cafeteria.

”We meet again,” Fang Yuan said, his expression unchanging.

It was as if he weren’t the same person who had dragged Su Zhi to eat just a few days ago.

Su Zhi nodded and sat down to eat his own meal.

’Stoic is still better than just plain weird,’ he thought. ’You have to admit, Fang Yuan has Cao Mingyu beat in that department.’

”What’s 004 doing?” Su Zhi asked, noticing the White Flame Battle Spirit.

was floating motionless beside the table, the flames covering its body seemingly frozen in place.

Only by looking very closely could one see the faint flickering of its flames.

”Stability training,” Fang Yuan said curtly.

”A-woo.”

Yu Bao trotted toward 004 with a ”Bling Bling,” wanting to play.

After a moment, seeing that 004 wasn’t reacting at all, Yu Bao seemed a little dejected.

If it had been Xiaoyue, she would have at least put on a show of being annoyed before eventually playing with Yu Bao.

”Please control your Pet Beast.”

Fang Yuan said without looking up, ”My Pet Beast has no need for socializing. Please do not disturb her.”

Yu Bao had no choice but to retreat.

”I don’t think what you’re doing is right.”

Su Zhi put down his chopsticks.

After a long hesitation, he finally said what was on his mind.

He didn’t like to criticize or interfere with another person’s path, just as he didn’t like others doing the same to him.

But this time... he felt he had to say something.

”You shouldn’t treat your Pet Beast like a tool.”

Su Zhi said seriously, ”A Pet Beast is a Beast Tamer’s partner, and also a member of their family. If you don’t invest your emotions, if you don’t care about her feelings, how can you ever hope to resonate with her?”

”If a Pet Beast is constantly shrouded in emotional detachment and high pressure, can it truly reach its competitive potential?”

”Let me make myself clear one last time: that’s just your wishful thinking.” Fang Yuan also put down his chopsticks and looked at Su Zhi.

”Beast Taming is Beast Taming. It’s not about raising a pet, and it’s not a game of house.”

”A Pet Beast’s purpose is to grow stronger and win battles. Fostering an emotional connection is completely unnecessary; it only becomes a burden.”

”Only through purity can one reach the zenith of Beast Taming. This is a view acknowledged by all mainstream Beast Tamers.”

After speaking, Fang Yuan quickly shoveled the rest of the shredded pancakes in his bowl into his mouth.

”I know you won’t agree with me. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. The arena itself will prove who is right.”

Su Zhi stared at the floor. ”If I beat you in the arena, will you change your mind?”

”Talk to me when you make it to the finals.”

Fang Yuan stated this expressionlessly, then picked up his tray and strode away.

shot an almost imperceptible glance at Yu Bao before following its Beast Tamer out.

Even as it moved, the flames on its body remained still, as if frozen in a photograph.

Yu Bao watched 004 go until it was out of sight, then looked up at Su Zhi.

”It’s okay.”

Su Zhi picked up a slice of boiled meat with his chopsticks and gave it to Yu Bao. He forced a smile, but it was a complicated one.

Yu Bao tilted its head, deep in thought for a moment. It couldn’t figure anything out, so it gobbled down the slice of meat.

’When your mind is a mess, chowing down is the answer!’

Seeing Yu Bao’s solution, Su Zhi took a deep breath and also buried his head in his food.

·

「The next day, 5:00 PM.」

”Hello everyone, and welcome to livestream channel 00401! I’m your commentator, Lu Dongjie!”

”Starting today, we’re moving from two rounds a day to just one, because every single match from here on out is going to be intense and spectacular.”

”Today, we’re kicking off the quarterfinals for the first-year high school division! It’s independent competitor Su Zhi versus the tournament’s number three seed, Cao Mingyu from No. 1 High School!”

[Annihilation: Bros! Where’s the love for God Su? Let’s get this chat hyped! /doge]

[Frost Shadow Qtm: An independent competitor. ’Nuff said. He only made it to the top eight by pure dumb luck.]

[Golden Rare: Trust me on this one, it’s a no-brainer. Just bet everything on Su Zhi’s opponent.]

[Viewer 38128: Exactly. A trash Pet Beast like a Yu Dian Dog making it to the quarterfinals is just pure luck.]

[Viewer 877691: Listen to me, just bet it all on Cao Mingyu! You can’t go wrong!]

[Mingyu My God: I haven’t seen any of Su Zhi’s matches, but from the sound of it, I guess he really is just lucky.]

[Yuyu Fly Brave: Exactly! How dare some no-name independent try to ride my idol’s coattails!]

Yesterday’s victims had turned coat, becoming the newest core members of the scam artist clique.

The unsuspecting onlookers chimed in, completely played by a group from the Sitting and Forgetting Dao.

”This channel would like to issue a friendly reminder: please stay away from Pet Beast gambling and embrace a healthy lifestyle.”

As always, Lu Dongjie offered this reminder with a perfectly harmless smile, then immediately went on the app and bet everything he had on Su Zhi.

In the last few minutes before the match, Cao Mingyu and Su Zhi met in the contestants’ waiting room.

”My friend, Su Zhi, I will not be holding back.”

Cao Mingyu said with the utmost seriousness, ”It is precisely because you are the friend I respect most that I must defeat you with everything I have!”

He expected Su Zhi to dodge the comment as usual.

This time, however, Su Zhi returned the smile, a light gleaming in his eyes.

”We’ll give it our all.”

The entrance opened, and the blinding light of the arena flooded the corridor.

Amidst the dazzling light, the two Envoy’s Pet pairs ascended the stage from their respective tunnels...

”Welcome, viewers, to channel 00401. Entering the arena from the left is the tournament’s number three seed, Cao Mingyu, and his Pet Beast, Wave White.”

”And entering from the right is our independent competitor, Su Zhi, with his Pet Beast, the Yu Dian Dog.”

”This is the first time in nearly a decade that an independent competitor has made it to the quarterfinal stage of the municipal tournament. Competitor Su Zhi’s popularity has skyrocketed thanks to his dazzling fighting style.”

”However, considering the realistic disparities in power, Attributes, skills, and tactics, Cao Mingyu and Wave White have the much higher probability of winning this match...”

A stream of comments agreeing with the sentiment scrolled past, though a few honest souls pointed out that the commentator was just trying to hustle the new viewers again.

In truth, Lu Dongjie really didn’t know if Su Zhi had this match in the bag.

His opponent was the number three seed, after all—not the kind of opponent you could beat just by trying hard.

He’d even secretly asked a friend from the dueling club to run an analysis, which concluded that Su Zhi’s odds of winning were indeed quite low.

But... Lu Dongjie still chose to bet it all on Su Zhi.

God Su is an article of faith!

”The match is about to begin! When two titans clash, the bolder one prevails! Now, let’s wait and see what happens!”

The referee was in position. The Hawkeye system was ready.

The match light turned from red to blue, and the peripheral Energy Barrier began to form.

Su Zhi and Cao Mingyu each took their command seats.

Yu Bao faced Cotton, its eyes locked on its opponent.

The match light turned from blue to green—

The battle began!

”Cotton, flash attack! Align your left and right paws, position your body on the arena’s central axis, tail angled down fifteen degrees, and make sure your expression is symmetrical...”

Cao Mingyu spoke at a rapid-fire pace.

He had completely abandoned his usual steady, orthodox Royal Dao fighting style, opening with a sneak attack that left the audience dumbfounded.

But Cao Mingyu himself felt an incredible sense of liberation.

’This was the municipal tournament! Only by following his heart could he unleash his true combat potential!’

’My friend Su Zhi, allow me to use your own philosophy to defeat you!’

A brilliant light enveloped the entire stage, but thanks to the filtering effect of the Energy Barrier, the spectating audience was unaffected.

SWOOSH—

A Furious Sand Blade suddenly shot out from within the brilliant light, aimed unerringly at Cotton.

Cotton, not expecting Yu Bao to be so accurate, was startled and quickly rolled out of the way.

As the brilliant light faded, both Cao Mingyu and Cotton stared wide-eyed.

”How could I stumble in the same place twice?”

Su Zhi pushed the star-shaped sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.

”A-woo.”

Yu Bao also pushed up the aviator sunglasses on its snout.

This time, they had come prepared!

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