Flame Fusion (Two in One)

Room 708.

Qiao Sang sat half-upright on the bed, looking at Ya Bao and the others as she began considering who would be most suitable for the B-rank Pet Tamer assessment.

Besides the two assessment battle formats Teacher Mikala had mentioned, there was another point: Pet Beasts that participated in the 1v1 assessment could not appear again in the 2v2 Team Battle.

As the team's only King-level Pet Beast, Luobao naturally needed to participate in the 1v1 assessment for a safer chance.

As for the Team Battle... Qiao Sang's gaze fell on Ya Bao, Little Treasure, and Gang Bao.

Honestly, Ya Bao and Little Treasure were the most suitable pair—one for main offense, one for main control.

Ya Bao and Gang Bao would make a decent pairing as well.

Gang Bao now had the Super-Level Skill Holy Sword. In terms of pure offensive power, it was much stronger than Little Treasure.

It was just that Ya Bao and Gang Bao had never fought doubles as a team before, so their coordination might not be as seamless as Ya Bao's with Little Treasure...

"Qing Qing?"

As thoughts flashed through her mind, Qingbao raised a paw and called out, asking why she had not looked at it. Was it because she had not considered it?

Qiao Sang: "..."

You know it yourself... Qiao Sang said tactfully:

"You're still too young. There will be plenty of chances to battle later."

"Qing Qing..."

Qingbao lowered its paw, revealing a disappointed expression.

"Xun Xun~"

Seeing this, Little Treasure patted Qingbao on the head and began comforting it with the air of someone who had been through it before.

Don't be sad. It had gone through the same thing before.

Qingbao glanced at Little Treasure, then looked at its own Pet Tamer and pointed at Little Treasure as it called out:

"Qing Qing."

It wasn't big either.

"!!!"

Little Treasure took a step back, as though an arrow had pierced its heart.

Qiao Sang coughed and said, "It only looks small. It's actually much older than you."

That sentence took only 0.01 seconds to pierce Little Treasure's heart again.

"Steel Sword."

Gang Bao looked at the state of its boss and called out in its Pet Tamer's mind, saying that it had only just evolved and the proficiency of its newly awakened skills was not high. If they wanted to secure the assessment safely, it would be better to send Ya Bao and Little Treasure. They would be participating in the Regional Tournament soon anyway, and it could take the field then.

Gang Bao had never doubted whether its Pet Tamer could complete the mission.

The proficiency of its newly awakened skills wasn't high... It had synchronized thoughts with her again and noticed that she had just been thinking about Holy Sword... Gang Bao was right. Excluding Luobao, the safest combination was Ya Bao and Little Treasure... Having reached that conclusion, Qiao Sang no longer hesitated and said:

"Luobao will fight in the 1v1 individual battle. Ya Bao and Little Treasure will handle the 2v2 Team Battle."

"Xun Xun!"

Little Treasure instantly came back to life at full health.

"Ice Emperor."

Luobao called out with a serious expression.

"Fang Fang..."

The originally excited Ya Bao froze, then turned and gave Luobao a deep look.

Having decided on the lineup, Qiao Sang picked up her phone and booked the Indoor Training Field for seven that evening.

Seven that evening.

Pet Tamer Center.

Indoor Training Field.

"Xun Xun!"

"Xun Xun!"

Little Treasure circled Qingbao, repeatedly reminding it to watch its heroic figure carefully later.

Little Treasure did not really care whether it got to fight, but once it thought about how this was the perfect opportunity to show its strength before a future underling, its enthusiasm surged.

"Qing Qing."

At first, Qingbao nodded along obediently, but Little Treasure's reminders went on and on. It stopped nodding, and its smile gradually became perfunctory.

In the end, Qingbao directly transformed into wind and vanished from the spot.

"Xun Xun?"

Little Treasure remained where it was with a bewildered expression.

Then it seemed to think of something and looked toward its Pet Tamer.

"It's fine. It's still here," Qiao Sang said.

"Xun Xun..."

Little Treasure relaxed.

"So you've decided? Yan Qilu and Ghost Ring King will team up?" Mikala asked from the side.

Qiao Sang hummed in acknowledgment. "Ya Bao will be the main attacker, and Little Treasure will be the main controller. Little Treasure also has the Super Perception trait, so it's suited for doubles."

"Do they have a Combination Skill?" Mikala asked again.

"Ya Bao's Clones can use different skills, and Little Treasure can use Darkness Shadow to perform Darkness Shadow Control," Qiao Sang said.

"Not bad, but it isn't enough." Mikala said slowly, "The B-rank Pet Tamer assessment requires at least one King-level Pet Beast. In the 1v1 battle, the examiner will definitely send out a King-level Pet Beast. In the 2v2 battle, the examiner may send one King-level Pet Beast among their two Pet Beasts, or both may be King-level Pet Beasts."

Qiao Sang was stunned. "How are we supposed to fight if both are King-level Pet Beasts?"

The higher a Pet Tamer's rank, the less information about them circulated online. Everyone said that the B-rank Pet Tamer assessment required at least one King-level Pet Beast and that the assessment was no longer a simple 1v1 battle.

But no one had ever said that, in the 2v2 Team Battle, the examiner might send out two King-level Pet Beasts.

"Sending two King-level Pet Beasts is rare. In the vast majority of cases, the examiner only sends one King-level Pet Beast," Mikala comforted her.

Qiao Sang did not relax upon hearing that.

She was Qingqing Ni's Pet Tamer. Given how obsessed people in the Zhongkong Region were with Qingqing Ni, once they learned she was Qingqing Ni's Pet Tamer, the chance that the examiner would send out two King-level Pet Beasts was practically enormous.

"Don't overthink it. This is an assessment supervised by the Pet Beast Alliance. There can't be any deliberate attempts to make things difficult," Mikala said, seeing Qiao Sang's expression and understanding what she was worried about.

"When an examiner sends two King-level Pet Beasts into a Team Battle, it is based on the examinee's situation. Some people already have several King-level Pet Beasts when they come for the assessment, so naturally King-level Pet Beasts must be sent to assess them."

So that was how it was... Qiao Sang let out a breath of relief, but her expression immediately turned serious again.

Even one King-level Pet Beast in a Team Battle would be difficult to deal with.

After all, Ya Bao and Little Treasure were still General-level Pet Beasts, and both were still in the early stage. While dealing with one King-level Pet Beast, they would also have to stay alert for attacks from another General-level Pet Beast.

Honestly, it would be hard.

Maybe she should just do as that examiner had said and complete the mission in another city first.

The deadline for this mission was before the Regional Tournament officially began anyway...

"Fang Fang!"

"Xun Xun?"

Just as she was thinking that, Qiao Sang saw Ya Bao and Little Treasure looking at her eagerly, asking when training would begin. The thought that had just arisen immediately faded considerably.

She had already registered. At worst, if she failed this time, she could take the assessment again next time.

"Let's start training first." Qiao Sang walked to one side of the field and stood still. "Only through battle can I learn as quickly as possible what skill combinations will work best for them."

Mikala smiled approvingly upon hearing that, walked to the other side, and stood still.

"Then I'll use your Ice Emperor Ram and Steel Sword Falcon as sparring partners."

"Ice Emperor."

"Steel Sword."

Luobao and Gang Bao entered the field.

"Fang Fang..."

Ya Bao's eager expression turned serious when it saw Luobao.

"Xun Xun..."

Little Treasure initially shrank back at the sight of Luobao, but when it immediately noticed Gang Bao, it gritted its teeth and became serious as well.

It could lose to anyone but not to a little underling!

Otherwise, how would it be the boss in the future?!

"Qing Qing..."

Feeling the atmosphere on the field, Qingbao could not help appearing beside its Pet Tamer.

A group of people clung to the railing outside the Indoor Training Field's windows, staring at the scene inside. Another group waiting below could not help asking:

"Can you see it?"

"Ahhh! We can see it! We can see it! Qingqing Ni! It's really Qingqing Ni!" the people pressed against the windows shouted excitedly in lowered voices.

The people below immediately grew excited too. "Get down already and let me go up to take a look!"

The people above ignored them.

"Qingqing Ni's Pet Tamer definitely isn't from our Zhongkong Region. Not one of her Pet Beasts is from our region."

"Are you done yet?! Hurry up and let me go see!" the people below urged.

"Listen to yourself. Isn't Qingqing Ni from our Zhongkong Region?" the people above only cared about chatting with the others clinging outside the windows.

"Is this team training? Why isn't she having Qingqing Ni train too?" someone asked unhappily.

The person beside them was a little calmer. "Qingqing Ni is still too young, isn't it?"

As they spoke, the temperature inside plummeted.

Someone said in amazement:

"What is that blue Pet Beast with three tails called?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a Pet Beast Identifier.

Yet the instant he raised the Pet Beast Identifier, his hand froze in midair.

The row of people above who had been excitedly discussing things also fell silent at that exact moment.

"You don't plan to hog that spot all to yourselves, do you?!" the people below complained, tugging at the person above who had just taken out the Pet Beast Identifier.

To their surprise, the person above fell straight down and crashed onto the ground.

The people below were startled and quickly scattered, then focused their gazes on him.

A thick shell of ice had formed over the fallen person's face, like an ice sculpture mask.

Everyone: "!!!"

Only then did they realize what had happened and pull down the people above one by one.

They discovered that every single one of their faces had frozen over with ice, without exception.

For a moment, the outside of the Indoor Training Field fell completely silent.

Indoor Training Field.

Luobao flicked its tail.

The ice shells covering Ya Bao and Little Treasure instantly melted away.

"Ice Heaven Domain is basically impossible to counter for General-level Pet Beasts." Mikala asked, "Do you want Ice Emperor Ram to stop using that move from now on?"

"No need." Qiao Sang answered without even thinking.

Why ban whatever they feared? If the King-level Pet Beast sent by the examiner had a Super-Level Skill, they could not exactly forbid the other side from using it too.

"Fang Fang..."

Ya Bao panted heavily, staring fixedly at Luobao.

It was not as though there was absolutely no way to deal with Ice Heaven Domain. Ice Heaven Domain was a Super-Level Skill, and Lava Purgatory was also a Super-Level Skill. As long as it predicted the move in advance and used Lava Purgatory before Ice Heaven Domain, casting it at the right point, Lava Purgatory could break through Ice Heaven Domain's freezing effect on the ground.

It was just that Luobao was one rank higher than Ya Bao. Even if Lava Purgatory broke through the domain, the window would be brief, and they would surely be frozen again soon...

As thoughts flashed through her mind, Qiao Sang noticed Little Treasure covering its face as though it were too ashamed to show itself. She immediately realized she had been thinking about it the wrong way.

What they needed to overcome now was not how to handle Ice Heaven Domain, but how to make Ya Bao and Little Treasure cooperate and bring out greater strength.

At that moment, Mikala asked:

"Have you tried having Yan Qilu fuse its Flame Type skills together?"

Qiao Sang froze for a moment. "You mean having its Clones use different Flame Type skills and then fuse them?"

"No." Mikala instructed, "The skills used by Clones only look powerful. Compared to the skills used by the main body, their power is not worth mentioning."

"What I mean is fusing the flame skills cast by Yan Qilu's main body."

"No." Qiao Sang shook her head.

To be honest, Ya Bao's ultimate moves had been enough to deal with the opponents it had encountered so far, especially after it gained Lava Purgatory. That was why she had not thought much about Combination Skills afterward.

Of course, that was also related to needing to hurry and complete missions, leaving her no time to think about it.

"I know your Yan Qilu has Lava Purgatory," Mikala said. "But Lava Purgatory only affects Pet Beasts on the ground. As far as I know, almost everyone in the Zhongkong Region has a Flying Type Pet Beast. There is a high chance the examiner will send out a Flying Type Pet Beast, so you need to prepare an ultimate move that can rival Lava Purgatory in the air as well."

"A Fusion Skill made from Flame Type skills is a very good choice."

"Of course, this isn't something that can be accomplished overnight." Mikala said seriously, "But I think you can give it a try."

She thinks too highly of me. There is only one week... Qiao Sang looked at Ya Bao and Little Treasure, then said seriously, "I understand."

After helping train until late at night, Mikala left the Indoor Training Field.

"Do you want to rest?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Fang!"

Ya Bao shook its head.

"Xun Xun!"

Little Treasure glanced at Gang Bao and Qingbao, gritted its teeth, and shook its head as well.

"Then let's try again," Qiao Sang said.

"Ya!"

Ya Bao opened his mouth, and a spinning flame shot out in an instant.

Immediately after, a red-and-gold beam followed.

In the blink of an eye, the red-and-gold beam caught up to the scorching spinning flames.

With a thunderous bang, the power of the flames exploded.

The entire indoor training room seemed to tremble.

Failed again... A hint of exhaustion showed on Qiao Sang's face.

She had specifically chosen Ya Bao's two most commonly used fire skills lately to fuse together, only to find no sign of fusion at all.

The power of the Exploding Flame Bullet was too great. It simply could not fuse with the Flame Vortex.

If she switched the order, casting Exploding Flame Bullet first and then Flame Vortex, it might be worth trying.

After all, Flame Vortex's energy was not as violent and was easier to control. She could try fusing them gradually during the process.

However, Flame Vortex's casting speed simply could not keep up with Exploding Flame Bullet.

Could it be that she had to train Exploding Flame Bullet to the peak of Ultimate Mastery first?

As she pondered, Ya Bao had already begun another round of practice.

The training continued from nightfall until dawn.

"Xun Xun..."

Little Treasure dragged his exhausted body as he Teleported beside his Beastmaster, letting out a weak cry to indicate that he could not go on.

While Ya Bao practiced fusing fire skills, he had also been continuously sparring with Gang Bao, and had even sparred with Luobao once during that time.

Qiao Sang's eyes were bloodshot as she stared at him without saying a word.

"Xun Xun!"

Little Treasure was startled when he saw his Beastmaster's eyes and hurriedly cried out.

He would train, he would train. Was that not enough?!

"No." Qiao Sang looked at him, her bloodshot eyes faintly glinting with excitement. "I've got it! I've got it!"

Beneath those bloodshot eyes, that excitement looked somewhat crazed.

"Xun Xun..."

Little Treasure silently Teleported beside the sleeping Luobao and gently nudged him with a paw.

Luobao was a light sleeper and woke up at the slightest push.

He opened his eyes and looked at Little Treasure.

"Xun Xun!"

Little Treasure hurriedly pointed in the direction of his Beastmaster.

"Ice Emperor."

Luobao looked in the direction he indicated and understood. The gem on his forehead lit up with blue light, which shone over his Beastmaster.

The blue light quickly faded, and the bloodshot veins in Qiao Sang's eyes receded.

"I've got it!" Qiao Sang said excitedly to Ya Bao. "Flame Vortex, try making the Flame Vortex hollow inside!"