Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

"Woof."

"QAQ Awooo?!"

Seeing this, Jin Lin, not far away, began to struggle as if caught red-handed. However, Yu Bao’s Quicksand Shield and Yellow Earth Wall didn’t let up for a moment, and the Earth Force Field remained active, making it impossible for Jin Lin to move an inch.

Yu Bao’s Real-time Energy Value had now reached Two-star, and its Perception Attribute had hit a terrifying 3.49. For it, fighting a control-style battle was as easy as eating and drinking.

Overall, their strengths were actually evenly matched. It shouldn’t have been such a one-sided fight...

But after allocating its points, Yu Bao’s core competency wasn’t just its Skills, but also its rapidly processing mind.

During the battle with Jin Lin, Yu Bao had been repeatedly analyzing and studying its opponent’s Skills, habitual movements, and combat thought process. It had basically figured out Jin Lin’s main skills and fighting style.

At the same time, Yu Bao had also adjusted its own Skills, increasing the durability of its Quicksand Shield and Yellow Earth Wall against Electric Skills, and altering the vibration of its Burning Sand Blade to better penetrate Electric-type Defense Skills.

The once seemingly invincible Jin Lin had, in fact, been stripped of its powerful facade.

And now, Chen Xinghao’s final tactical pillar—his Beast Taming Talent—had also been seen through. With multiple factors stacked against it, Jin Lin was now completely under Yu Bao’s control.

BANG!

Yu Bao seized an opening. The Earth Force Field suddenly loosened, causing Jin Lin to lose its balance. Immediately after, a Yellow Earth Wall shot out from an unbelievable angle, slamming hard between Jin Lin’s sturdy legs.

Jin Lin’s expression twisted, its body stiffened, and it could only watch helplessly as a Quicksand Shield smashed into its face. Then, everything went black...

[Assignable Attribute Points (Yu Bao): 0.15... 0.35]

·

"Jin Lin is out of the ring! Su Zhi wins the final match! ’Su Zhi and His Friends Team’ has won the championship in this qualifying tournament!"

Near the Battle Hall, in a certain Pet Beast infirmary.

On the television screen, the host, microphone in hand, stood up and announced excitedly. The audience was also a sea of cheers, with glow sticks waving frantically, resembling a luminous ocean...

Chen Xinghao sat before the screen, hands tucked in his sleeves. A few students from the Shanda University Affiliated School sat behind him, all watching the afternoon’s replay with dark lines on their faces.

Jin Lin was lying on a nearby hospital bed, wrapped up like a mummy, with a small IV drip attached. The needle was inserted in a certain... unspeakable place, which was securely wrapped with layer upon layer of bandages.

Jin Lin still wore an expression of bewilderment mixed with regret.

"Woof!" Just then, the door to the room opened, and Yu Bao’s doggy head poked in.

Su Zhi’s head poked in right after, a bag of oranges in his hand. "Hey hey hey!"

"QAQ Awooo!"

Startled, Jin Lin shot up from the hospital bed, but the overly vigorous movement pulled on the wound in that certain unspeakable place, and it lay back down, the corner of its mouth twitching.

Chen Xinghao also flinched instinctively and glared at the door. "Are you here to gloat over the loser?"

After speaking, he looked as if he wanted to say more but held back, averting his gaze.

"You really won this time. I admit defeat. But don’t think this is the end of it. We’ll definitely get our revenge someday."

Su Zhi smiled and handed the oranges to Chen Xinghao. "Yu Bao said it wanted to visit Jin Lin, so I came with it."

’I did fleece him out of 0.20 points in one go, after all!’

’It would be rude not to make a small gesture...’

Chen Xinghao looked at the bag of oranges, which also had a layer of Yu Bao’s feed at the bottom, and once again looked as if he wanted to speak but held back.

’Why would you bring dog food to visit Jin Lin... though it seems a Thunder Qilin Beast actually can eat dog food.’

While the two were talking, Yu Bao had already trotted over to Jin Lin’s bedside, all Bling Bling, and extended a paw to poke at the mummified part of Jin Lin.

"Hiss-ha?" Yu Bao asked, its face full of concern.

’It should still be usable, right?’

Jin Lin didn’t dare make a sound and just nodded frantically, recalling the Yellow Earth Wall that had popped up so unexpectedly.

"Visiting a loser, of all things."

Since they had come to visit, Chen Xinghao couldn’t very well lash out again. Muttering, he set the bag of oranges aside, which counted as accepting Su Zhi’s visit.

Su Zhi smiled and sat down beside him. "At your school, are losers not worth visiting?"

"Of course. What’s there to visit a loser for? It would make more sense for the loser to visit the victor."

Chen Xinghao huffed, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at Su Zhi. "It’s not like this is the first day you’ve known me. Someone must have told you that I don’t know how to hold back in matches, right? You must have felt it yourself."

"I’ve heard a thing or two," Su Zhi nodded. "But I thought it was fine. After all, you didn’t really have a chance to show off your lack of restraint this time..."

"..." The corner of Chen Xinghao’s mouth twitched.

Su Zhi grinned and stuffed an orange into his hand.

"But I wasn’t always like this. On the contrary, I used to be a very timid and cautious person.

"I contracted a powerful Pet Beast, but I was very reluctant to engage in Pet Beast Battles. Intense Pet Beast Battles inevitably lead to Pet Beasts getting injured. And because of the power disparity, it was usually my Pet Beast that injured others’, especially those of the transfer students from smaller cities.

"I often felt uneasy and guilty because of this. So, during Pet Beast Battles, I would rather let Jin Lin take hits passively or even surrender than see a classmate’s Pet Beast get hurt. Besides, other people’s Pet Beasts couldn’t really hurt Jin Lin anyway.

"I thought doing this would give me some peace of mind and earn the understanding of my classmates, but I was wrong."

Chen Xinghao peeled the orange but didn’t eat it segment by segment. Instead, he held the whole thing in his hand and took a bite as if it were an apple.

"They didn’t get closer to me just because I often held back in battle. Quite the opposite, I was isolated and ostracized by them.

"In their eyes, especially in the eyes of those transfer students from small cities, I was a weakling and a loser. I had contracted a powerful Pet Beast, yet I couldn’t even defeat common, ordinary Pet Beasts. They thought a trash Beast Tamer like me wasn’t worth befriending.

"I was very lost during that time, until my homeroom teacher had a private talk with me.

"He chewed me out. He told me not to worry about what other people felt or thought, and to just fight at my full potential.

"After that, I stopped holding back in battles. It became common for me to injure other people’s Pet Beasts, sometimes even leaving them with permanent injuries."

At this point, a meaningful smile appeared on Chen Xinghao’s face.

"And guess what? Those same people started scrambling to get close to me, to curry favor. I became the object of their admiration. Even when Jin Lin injured their Pet Beasts, they would blame their own Pet Beast’s lack of strength instead of me.

"Gentleness and kindness are just labeled as weakness, while arrogance and an overbearing nature are hailed as the ultimate crown. So, I became the person I am today... Hey, say something. Don’t just sit there in silence."

Su Zhi tucked his hands in his pockets. "I didn’t realize you were such a chuunibyou."

Chen Xinghao: "Damn."

"Actually, I don’t think you need to be so lost."

Su Zhi looked at him. "Let me ask you a question. Does defeating and injuring an opponent’s Pet Beast make you strong? And does holding back for a weaker opponent in battle make you not strong?"

"Of course not," Chen Xinghao said without thinking, then paused.

Su Zhi picked up an orange, peeled it, and ate it. "Since you don’t even agree with that point of view yourself, what’s the use of attracting people who do? Do you really think you can become true friends with people like that?"

Chen Xinghao was stunned.

Su Zhi picked up another orange. "The way I see it, relationships between people, and the bond between a person and their Pet, are essentially a resonance of souls. You’re together because you click.

"You don’t have to deliberately change yourself to cater to others. If you realize you’re wrong, correct it. If you believe you’re right, stick with it. I think it’s that simple. If the flower blooms, the butterflies will come on their own."

Chen Xinghao fell into deep thought.

Su Zhi ate the last segment of orange in his hand, grabbed another one, and waved. "Alright, we’re heading back. Bye-bye."

The door closed.

It opened again almost immediately, and Wang Haokun walked in carrying a meal. "Was Su Zhi just here?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah."

Chen Xinghao watched him place the food container in front of him and suddenly asked, "Let me ask you something. Are we friends?"

Wang Haokun scratched his head in confusion. "Why wouldn’t we be? Of course we are."

Chen Xinghao looked serious. "When did you decide that?"

"How would I remember...? I just felt that you’re straightforward and righteous, a real man’s man. You have your little flaws, but all in all, you’re someone worth getting to know well. We just got closer over time. Why the sudden question?"

"No reason."

Chen Xinghao stared at the bag of oranges for a moment, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"That bastard... brings ten oranges to visit me and eats three of them himself."

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