The Smell of Money

Could she be related to one of the investors?

Everyone quickly dismissed the thought.

The investors were all loaded. Their relatives probably wouldn't contract a Cotton Segment Worm...

Qiao Sang relaxed.

She didn't know if it was Fang Sisi's first battle, but this should have been Fang Sisi and the Cotton Segment Worm's first official match. Making it here without any mishaps was already a good start.

"Fire Fang Dog, who do you think will win?" Qiao Sang asked.

Contestant No. 12's Pet Beast was a Sand Bob Rat, which excelled at self-defense and evasion.

As for the Cotton Segment Worm, it was practically synonymous with weakness. Before its first evolution, it was basically among the weakest of all beginner Pet Beasts.

Unless something unexpected happened, Fang Sisi had no chance of winning.

Qiao Sang had only asked the Fire Fang Dog so it would observe the situation in the arena more closely and learn to judge the strength of both sides.

"Fang."

The Fire Fang Dog pointed its paw toward Fang Sisi and barked.

Qiao Sang: "..."

Was the Fire Fang Dog's judgment really that bad?!

"Why?" Qiao Sang couldn't help asking.

"Fang fang."

The Fire Fang Dog explained in its slightly raspy voice.

That person had just said it was handsome.

Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief.

Good thing it wasn't bad at judging...

"Contestant No. 12, Zhang Shuo, is sixteen this year and already has a year of pet-taming experience. His opponent, Fang Sisi, only became a Pet Tamer recently. Sha Duo, how do you think this match will play out?" The middle-aged commentator with slicked-back hair asked the handsome young man beside him.

Normally, Pet Beast match commentary was divided between a lead commentator and a co-commentator.

The lead commentator generally had sharp eyes and a smooth mouth, responsible for frantically reporting the developments of the match in real time.

The co-commentator was usually a popular guest invited by the organizers.

They were mainly responsible for analyzing strategies and tactics from a professional perspective, helping the audience understand the match.

The guest invited for this Hundred New Tournament was the recently popular Sha Duo.

Not long ago, he had won over audiences at the Yuhua Region tournament with his handsome looks and his determination to never give up until the very last moment.

Although he had ultimately stopped at the top twenty-four, he was even more popular than some top-ten contestants.

"I think..."

Before Sha Duo could begin giving his opinion, the match in the arena had already ended.

He continued, "Looks like I don't need to say anything."

The moment the match began, the Sand Bob Rat burrowed underground. The Cotton Segment Worm stood there blankly, only to be attacked and knocked unconscious when the Sand Bob Rat emerged from the ground.

Qiao Sang put away the phone she had been using to record and checked the time.

Twenty-one seconds.

Not surprising, really...

Fang Sisi returned to her seat with the Cotton Segment Worm and let out a long sigh. "I lost so badly."

Qiao Sang nodded. "A little badly."

The Fire Fang Dog didn't say anything, but nodded several times in agreement.

Fang Sisi: "..."

Wasn't her good friend supposed to comfort her?!

"But the Cotton Segment Worm is already at a disadvantage at this stage. Once you cultivate it into a Ba Xue Butterfly, your opponent probably won't be a match for you," Qiao Sang said.

Fang Sisi looked at the plump Cotton Segment Worm and was reluctantly comforted.

She hadn't expected to get very far in this tournament anyway. She had only come to join in the fun and gain some experience.

Fang Sisi quickly adjusted her mindset.

Pointing at the match in Group Seven, she laughed. "Hahaha, that Deep Fur Turtle is so dumb. It's just standing there stupidly and letting the other side hit it."

Qiao Sang: "..."

Had she forgotten that the Cotton Segment Worm had just stood in place and been taken out too...

There was basically nothing worth watching in the matches.

Most of the spectators were friends and family of the contestants. As more and more contestants were eliminated, the stands became much emptier.

But soon, spectators who had not gone far heard the discussions and gradually returned to their seats.

"Oh my god, it's a Little Horned Dragon!"

"Which family's young master came here to play around?"

"Didn't the host say? His name is Lu You."

"In Hanggang, other than Lu Corporation, what Lu family could possibly be this rich?"

"Lu Corporation is one of the investors in this tournament too, right? Did they invest just for their young master?"

F-rank Pet Tamers battling hadn't drawn them in, but an unevolved Dragon-type Pet Beast brought them all back.

Qiao Sang stared intently at the Little Horned Dragon in the arena.

This was the first time she had seen a Dragon-type Pet Beast in real life.

Those scales...

Those sharp claws...

That horn...

Every part of it gave off the smell of money...

There were no surprises in the match. The Little Horned Dragon claimed victory with an overwhelming advantage.

There was a reason the Dragon Type was widely acknowledged as the strongest type by most people.

Both its defense and attack power far surpassed those of ordinary Pet Beasts.

Fortunately, they were rare, slow to develop, and took a long time to evolve. Otherwise, ordinary Pet Tamers would have had no way to survive.

"Contestant No. 67, Lu You, has just delivered an unforgettable victory. It seems he'll be one of the seeded contestants in this tournament," the commentator praised Lu You.

Qiao Sang agreed with the latter half of that statement, but the first half was heavily exaggerated.

The Little Horned Dragon might have been a Dragon-type Pet Beast, but it was still a beginner Pet Beast.

It was obvious that it had not been cultivated for long. After exchanging powerful moves for two rounds, it had defeated its opponent with Dragon Claw, a relatively strong offensive skill.

Compared to the earlier matches, it counted as exciting, but calling it unforgettable was a stretch.

Qiao Sang lowered her phone and watched the video she had just recorded.

If they both kept winning, there was a high chance they would become opponents later on.

As a qualified Pet Tamer, analyzing opponents and developing tactics was also part of the curriculum.

"Qiao Sang, send me a copy of the video you just recorded. I was so focused on watching the match that I forgot to record it," Fang Sisi suddenly said.

"You like Little Horned Dragons too?" Qiao Sang asked.

She had a reason for asking. There had already been over thirty matches before this one, but Fang Sisi had never wanted to record anything.

"What? Little Horned Dragons are way too ugly. I don't like them at all. Didn't you notice that Apricot Mushroom Seed just now? It was so cute! Especially that cry it made when it was defeated and fell over at the end—it was absolutely adorable! Hurry up and give it to me. I need to watch it again!" Fang Sisi said excitedly.

Qiao Sang: "..."

She had forgotten that Fang Sisi was a sucker for looks...

After several more matches, the first F-rank Pet Tamer with an Intermediate Pet Beast finally appeared—Contestant No. 99, Guo Yiqi.

This was a true crushing match.

Guo Yiqi's Ba Du Butterfly merely flapped its wings once, and the scattered Poison Powder poisoned the opposing White Sand Fox unconscious.

As Qiao Sang watched the recorded video, she jotted down notes in her memo app.

"What do you think of the Ba Du Butterfly?" Fang Sisi spoke up beside her.

Qiao Sang paused, not expecting Fang Sisi to discuss this with her.

After thinking for a moment, she said seriously, "Fire Type counters Bug Type, but not Poison Type. Fortunately, the Ba Du Butterfly's poison isn't very potent. The Fire Fang Dog can use high temperatures to break down its Poison Powder. But the Ba Du Butterfly only used Poison Powder in this match and hasn't shown any other skills. If we run into it, I think it'd be better to strike first and keep the tempo in our own hands."

Fang Sisi: "..."

"I wasn't asking you that. I was asking what you think the Ba Du Butterfly looks like."

Qiao Sang: "..."