Chapter 688: Could It Be An Illusion?

The woman waved her hand, summoned the Shellmoney Turtle back, and, having lost interest in chatting, turned and left with an unpleasant expression.

Although this was just a recreational activity, the incident happening right after she introduced her pet beast made her feel a little embarrassed.

Qiao Sang remained unaffected and turned to look at Lubao.

“Whoosh.”

In the pool, an arrow made of condensed water shot through the air, aiming at the button on Lubao’s chest.

Lubao didn’t dodge. Instead, she wrapped her tail in water, flicked it forward, and easily shattered the blue water arrow.

Immediately after, a water ball attacked from the left.

Lubao jumped into the water, and the ball struck another water-type pet beast with a horn on its forehead.

The water ball wasn’t very powerful, the other water pet merely shook its head, entirely uninjured.

At the same time, Lubao leaped out of the water, appearing in front of the water pet that had shot the ball, and forcefully whipped her water-covered tail forward.

That water pet was sent flying like a cannonball. Not only did the button on its chest light up, but it also immediately fainted.

It seemed that most participants in this Sky Battle Over Water game were low- to mid-level pet beasts...

Qiao Sang observed the dozens of pets in the pool and found that apart from Lubao, none of the others wore a lightweight miniaturization bracelet.

Now, even though defeating low- and mid-level pets wouldn’t earn Lubao many points per match, if she defeated a lot of them in one round, it would still accumulate nicely…

About seven minutes later, the Sky Battle Over Water event ended.

As the only high-level pet among thirty water types, Lubao unsurprisingly remained the last one standing.

Qiao Sang hugged Lubao and lined up again.

Soon, Lubao went up once more.

Qiao Sang returned to her original seat.

Seven minutes later, she hugged Lubao and queued up again.

This cycle repeated eleven times, until some of the other players couldn't take it anymore.

“You’ve played so many times already, and you’re still going?” As the next Sky Battle Over Water just began, a blonde girl deliberately came over to ask.

“Exactly!” A young man next to her agreed.

“You’ve already gotten first place so many times. Shouldn’t you give us a chance?”

He sounded a little angry but also slightly timid.

He was annoyed because winning or losing didn’t really matter, but normally, a game would last about fifteen minutes. Because of the insane strength of this girl’s water pet, the matches were cut to half the time.

He came here to train his pet, and now he was getting half the playtime while paying the full price. After so many rounds, he had had enough.

He was timid because he noticed that not only Lubao but also the fire-type pet beside the girl were both wearing lightweight miniaturization bracelets…

Qiao Sang remained calm and replied, “Did you bring your pet here to play or to train?”

The surrounding people spoke up:

“Of course to train!”

“Definitely to train!”

“Who would bring a pet just to play?”

“Exactly.”

Qiao Sang said lightly, “If you want your pet to train well, they need to battle strong opponents. If the opponent is at the same level as them, the training effect would be minimal.”

That... actually made sense

. The surrounding people showed thoughtful expressions, including the previously angry but timid young man.

Qiao Sang thought to herself:

Finally bluffed my way through...

After this round ended, Qiao Sang hugged Lubao and quickly left.

She was worried that if she stayed for a few more rounds, once people fully realized what was happening, she would spark a public outcry. It wasn’t that she feared them, just that she would feel a little guilty.

After all, having Lubao crush a bunch of low- and mid-level water pets like this really did feel a bit like bullying...

---

The next day, Qiao Sang’s conscience, which had slightly stirred the previous night, had pretty much vanished. She brought Lubao to Jiujing Amusement Park to play Sky Battle Over Water again.

During the games, she bumped into a few familiar faces from last night. Everyone smiled and nodded politely as if nothing had happened.

But two hours later, no one could smile anymore.

Seeing the increasingly dark expressions of the people around her, though none dared say anything, Qiao Sang checked the time and decided to leave with Lubao.

On the third day, Qiao Sang brought Lubao as usual.

This time, the familiar visitors from the past two days didn’t even bother pretending. Their faces darkened, and they kept far away from her.

On the fourth day, even the staff responsible for helping pets gear up started giving Qiao Sang and Lubao complicated looks.

On the fifth day, just as Qiao Sang finished lining up and sat down in the spectator stands, a newspaper conveniently floated right in front of her.

In such a developed place like 1st District, they still used newspapers?

Out of curiosity, she grabbed it, looked down, and saw the headline occupying the main section:

“Unknown Water-Type Pet Bullying Incident at Jiujing Amusement Park!”

Below the title was a distant photo showing a pet’s silhouette from the back.

Qiao Sang immediately recognized it as Lubao.

We followed all the rules. How did this become bullying...

Qiao Sang frowned slightly.

At that moment, she sensed something and turned her head.

She spotted a silver-white pet, shaped like a small cube, looking a bit like a mini printer.

"Baobao…”

The silver-white pet stiffened when it met her gaze, and immediately buried itself in its owner's arms.

Baobao Cass, a mid-level mechanical-type pet that could automatically generate paper documents based on human brainwave activity. It was beloved by many literature lovers...

Qiao Sang recalled the relevant information and then looked up at the owner cuddling the pet, it was the same young man who had been dissatisfied with her on the first day.

The man averted his gaze, not daring to meet her eyes.

Ah, so it was this guy who purposely made this newspaper for me to see...

Figuring it out, Qiao Sang casually tossed the paper aside.

For her, helping Lubao accumulate points quickly and improving her mental state was the most important thing.

By the sixth day, Lubao’s appetite had returned and was even better than before.

At the dining table, Liu Yao couldn’t help but sigh:

“You really have a talent for being a breeder. For a pet as...”

Noticing Lubao nearby, he swallowed his original words and rephrased:

“For such a unique pet, you were able to adjust her condition so quickly.”

Does personality even relate to condition?

Qiao Sang had a doubt flash through her mind, but outwardly she smiled:

“Of course. I’m her beastmaster.”

Liu Yao became serious: “Not every beast master truly understands their pet. Believe me, you really do have a gift for breeding.”

Qiao Sang joked, “Then should I minor in the Breeding Department?”

Liu Yao froze, looking unusually conflicted: “Better not rush into that. Your talent for beast mastery is the highest I’ve ever seen. Now that you’re in the Beast master Department, you should focus all your time and energy there.”

If Qiao Sang had said this six months ago, he would’ve agreed enthusiastically.

But her progress had been nothing short of miraculous. In just half a year, her brain development reached 39%, and she evolved Blazing Star Canine and Ghost Ring Phantom into General-level pets.

He simply couldn’t bear to see her split her efforts into another major, even if she had talent there.

I was just joking, don’t take it so seriously…

Qiao Sang looked at the vice-principal’s serious face, opened her mouth but finally chose to stay quiet and just kept eating silently.

---

After the meal, Qiao Sang returned to her room and sat cross-legged to meditate.

“Lu?”

Lubao waited for a long time. Seeing that her master showed no signs of leaving, she called out.

Are we not going today?

Qiao Sang opened her eyes and said: “Not today. School starts tomorrow, and there will be an assessment. We need to stay in top condition.”

“Lu.”

Lubao nodded in understanding, then turned and jumped into the water tank.

At that moment, Qiao Sang’s phone vibrated.

She grabbed it and glanced at the caller ID, then picked up.

“Hello, Mom? Why are you calling me?”

“I want to discuss something with you.” Her mother’s voice came from the speaker.

“What is it?” Qiao Sang asked.

Ye Xiangting organized her words carefully and said, “Well, you bought two villas at Qinglu Courtyard, right? Someone offered 8 million more than the original price to buy the one we’re living in, Villa 16. Do you want to sell it?”

Qiao Sang was stunned and blurted out, “Are they crazy? Offering 8 million more than the original price?”

Back then, she had bought the villas in a suburban area. Without a prime location, real estate usually didn’t appreciate in value, in fact, it was hard to even sell.

She didn’t expect someone to throw money away like this.

Ye Xiangting chuckled proudly: “You’re now a student at the Imperial Beast University. Forget the house, even the textbooks you used in school, people are offering high prices to buy!”

Qiao Sang: …

Honestly, she never thought entering the Imperial Beast University would turn her into a selling point for property value.

She suddenly thought of something and asked worriedly, “You didn’t sell anything else, right?”

Ye Xiangting laughed, “Don’t worry. I didn’t sell anything else, not even your old textbooks.”

“That’s good…” Qiao Sang was relieved.

“So, do you want to sell Villa 16?” Ye Xiangting asked.

“Up to you. If you want to sell, go ahead.” Qiao Sang replied casually.

She had originally bought Villa 17 too, considering future pet size issues. Now that she had Lightweight Miniaturization Bracelet, keeping Villa 17 alone was enough.

Ye Xiangting paused, then said her real plan: “I was thinking of selling it and pooling the money to buy you a house near the Imperial Beast University. You’ll have to stay there for five years, and it’ll be convenient. I heard a lot of beast master students prefer living off-campus.”

Qiao Sang was stunned for a second, then burst out laughing:

“Mom, we probably don't qualify to buy property there.”

Ye Xiangting smiled gently: “I checked, as long as you’re a student of the Imperial Beast University, you can buy. Even non-Blue Star residents can.”

Qiao Sang: !!!