Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

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As one of the strongest competitors in the national championship, Cui Pingkun’s ace beast, Suan Tao, had long been on Qiao Sang’s radar.

Mechanical-type beasts require constant assembly and enhancement.

Depending on the needs of their beastmasters, mechanical-type beasts can develop highly adaptable combat styles.

Suan Tao wasn’t one of the mass-produced mechanical beasts from Liaoxi District, it was entirely created by Cui Pingkun himself.

That wasn’t something just anyone could do.

Every mechanical beast that can form a stable evolutionary chain and be sold on the market is the result of immense knowledge, countless material combinations, and incalculable trial-and-error costs.

But Suan Tao wasn’t a market product.

In other words, searching for Suan Tao’s weaknesses on the internet was futile.

Qiao Sang could only analyze Cui Pingkun’s past matches to identify vulnerabilities.

She discovered that Cui Pingkun would insert attribute cartridges into Suan Tao’s slots based on his opponent’s beast.

This strategy could completely overwhelm an ordinary beastmaster.

Fortunately, mechanical beasts have energy storage limitations at every stage. Their power systems, operating systems, and module load capacities prevent them from learning skills infinitely or enhancing proficiency without restriction.

So, Suan Tao wasn’t truly invincible.

However, the fact that it could adjust its elemental resistance to counter opponents’ attacks was still troublesome.

Qiao Sang thought carefully.

No matter which beast she sent out, Cui Pingkun could always insert a counter-element cartridge into Suan Tao’s slot.

In that case, she might as well send out the one with the highest chance of winning: Lubao.

Regardless of what element Suan Tao’s slot contained, it was still, at its core, a mechanical beast.

And all mechanical beasts, no matter how strong their offense and defense, had a fundamental weakness, their internal structures.

Lubao had the Melting Water trait. Other beasts might struggle to enter an opponent’s body, but mechanical beasts were assembled from various mechanical parts.

No matter how seamlessly the head, torso, and limbs were put together, there had to be a gap somewhere.

Suan Tao was exceptionally well-constructed, with almost no visible gaps. However, its palm and the twin-blade slots on its back had energy output devices, both of which connected to its internal structure.

Lubao’s objective wasn’t to attack Suan Tao with Water Stream Jet but to use Water Stream Jet to approach and melt herself, then infiltrate Suan Tao’s body through the energy output device on its back.

“Suan… Suan…” Suan Tao trembled as it sensed movement inside its body, its expression filled with terror.

It had no choice but to plead for help from its beastmaster.

Qiao Sang smirked and commanded, “Water-”

Cui Pingkun’s face turned pale with shock, and he urgently shouted,

“I forfeit! I forfeit this match!”

His heart pounded wildly, adrenaline surged, and cold sweat poured down his back in sheer panic.

Suan Tao was his life’s work. Losing the match was one thing, but if its internal structure were damaged, there was no telling how long it would take to repair!

Mechanical beasts weren’t like ordinary beasts, internal damage couldn’t be healed by any restorative skill.

Since Suan Tao was his own creation, he alone had to figure out how to fix it. The time and materials required were beyond imagination.

Just like that… he forfeited?

Qiao Sang was momentarily stunned and turned to look at the mechanical beast wearing a referee badge.

Cui Pingkun followed her gaze and panicked even more.

“I already forfeited! Hurry up and announce it!”

For the first time in the national championship, a contestant had voluntarily conceded.

The mechanical beast referee looked confused and turned to the head referee.

The head referee nodded.

“Qu!”

The mechanical beast referee finally blew the whistle to signal the match’s end.

Qiao Sang called out, “Come out.”

As soon as she spoke, the magnified view on the virtual screen zoomed in on Suan Tao’s eyes, where a single drop of water trickled down, landing on the ground and transforming into a three-meter-tall Ice Xilu.

At that moment, the entire audience froze.

Faces filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief.

A few seconds later, the stadium erupted into chaos.

Especially the audience from Liaoxi District, they couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Holy crap, that’s even possible?!”

“So Ice Xilu used Water Stream Jet to infiltrate Suan Tao’s body?!”

“No wonder Cui Pingkun forfeited, it all makes sense now!”

“This is insane! I never thought Melting Water could be used like that!”

“I feel like my worldview just got shattered…”

“That was such a sick move from Qiao Sang!”

“Ice Xilu was inside Suan Tao. Who the hell would dare continue the fight after that?”

“Damn… If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean Melting Water-type beasts are the natural enemies of mechanical beasts?!”

“Not necessarily. It still depends on their power levels. Plus, some mechanical beasts have internal defense systems that automatically eliminate foreign objects.”

“Well, after this match, Cui Pingkun is probably going to spend all night designing one.”

“It’s not that easy. Once a mechanical beast awakens and gains self-awareness, modifying its internals is a huge risk. Unless you’re over 95% certain of success, no mechanic would dare tamper with it.”

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“Lu.”

Lubao, covered in injuries, appeared on the battlefield.

She glanced at Suan Tao, flicked her tail, and strode coolly toward Qiao Sang.

“Suan… Suan…”

Suan Tao walked up to its beastmaster, its face full of dejection.

“You did great. This was my fault.” Cui Pingkun comforted it.

He genuinely hadn’t expected Qiao Sang to be so utterly ruthless. Who in their right mind would think of liquefying their beast to invade a mechanical beast’s internals?!

“Suan… Suan…” Suan Tao still looked dispirited.

Cui Pingkun sighed and waved his hand, recalling Suan Tao back into his Beast Codex.

On the other side, Lubao stood before Qiao Sang, glowing with blue light.

Moments later, as the glow faded, all of her wounds had disappeared.

No matter how many times they saw it, that Healing Light ability was just too broken…

In the contestants’ area, every competitor who had advanced to the next round suddenly had the same thought.

The championship continued.

At the referee’s whistle, Cui Pingkun formed a hand seal, summoning a tiny, fist-sized, jet-black beast with an incredibly smooth surface, like a miniature bomb.

Boom Ball, a low-level mechanical beast with a built-in target-lock system that guaranteed a 100% hit on its opponent…

Qiao Sang’s mind instantly recalled relevant information as she eyed the new beast.

Cui Pingkun’s strength was undeniable, Suan Tao alone could crush over 90% of the contestants.

But outside of Liaoxi District, few believed he had any chance of winning the championship.

The reason?

His other mechanical beast… was just a low-tier one.

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