Beast Taming: I'm Really Just a Forest Ranger

November 15, Saturday.

Sunny.

Chen Yuan boarded the train heading to Phoenix City, just in time to watch the first Beastmaster competition in Qin Province on the train.

This competition was called the Da Feng Cup, a name with some implied meaning that Chen Yuan had heard of, but the spectacular opening ceremony left him exclaiming in amazement.

The leaders from various sectors in Qin Province first took the stage for speeches, which were quite dull. Fortunately, the subsequent variety of song and dance performances were splendid, prompting thunderous applause and cheers.

Some performances involved interaction with Pet Beasts, using their skills to collaborate with humans, creating extraordinarily brilliant visual effects that fascinated everyone present and those watching on TV.

This competition garnered widespread attention from various departments, units, sectors, and the general public in Qin Province. Numerous ordinary citizens were glued to their TVs early in the morning waiting for the live broadcast, even the little ones on the farm were no exception.

The Electric Flying Cat lay on the sofa with a bag of snacks in front, its eyes widening with each spectacular performance, flicking its tail forward to toss the snacks into its mouth.

As winter approached, the Electric Flying Cat had plenty of excuses to slack off from daily training, such as the weather being too cold, feeling down, or having bad sleep, resulting in a rapid weight gain just like the friends reading this line, with its belly visibly enlarged.

The Electric Flying Cat was well aware that once the farm owner returned and saw its current state, he would undoubtedly get angry and drag it by the ear to lose weight.

Since that was the case, why not indulge in gluttony and laziness during this period and enjoy a time of carefree comfort?

Weight loss? Let’s worry about that when the farm owner returns.

Moreover, without sufficient fat, how could it survive the harsh winter?

The Electric Flying Cat’s reasoning was quite righteous.

"Quack Quack."

Run Run Duck felt disappointed with the Electric Flying Cat’s indulgent behavior. It brought over a small stool, sat obediently, and stared straight ahead, waiting for Cola to appear.

But after waiting for a long, long time, one song and dance performance after another went by, yet Cola was nowhere to be seen.

Run Run Duck, with a puzzled look, glanced around, its gaze sweeping over the Wood Spirit Rat family doing cleaning in the kitchen, leaping over the Fallen Meteor Horned Beast racing for the riding competition in the yard, and finally resting on Chen Weiyi, holding the Cold-Biting Ox in his arms: "Quack?"

Chen Weiyi, understanding the confusion in Run Run Duck’s eyes, laughed and said, "I don’t know when he’s going to perform either. You should call and ask yourself."

With those words, Chen Weiyi handed the phone to Run Run Duck.

Run Run Duck took it, skillfully unlocked it and found Chen Yuan’s avatar, while the Electric Flying Cat immediately huddled over.

"Quack Quack."

The call connected, and soon the farm owner’s voice came from the other end: "Hello?"

"Quack Quack Quack?"

Chen Yuan was momentarily stunned by the sound, then quickly reacted: "Oh, it’s Duck, is there something you need?"

Having left the farm for about a week, despite calling Chen Weiyi every day, Chen Yuan was still concerned about any issues at the farm.

Fortunately, the farm’s security had been comprehensively upgraded, with the Puppy Team and Violent Cloud Sparrow Flock patrolling inside and out, the little ones guarding day and night inside, and a family of Gray Feathered Hunting Eagles newly added to the village.

With such tight protection, Chen Yuan found it hard to imagine any Pet Beast posing a threat to the farm.

Unable to accurately understand Run Run Duck’s meaning without Spark and Cola by his side due to the restriction on medium and large Pet Beasts on the train, Chen Yuan said, "Duck, I’m on my way to Phoenix City. Cola has exams tomorrow and the day after, and two days after the exams is the official competition."

According to the schedule, this morning was the opening ceremony, and the preliminary selection matches would start this afternoon.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of this competition, the number of registered Beastmasters had exceeded ten thousand, though over ninety percent were ordinary Initial-tier Beastmasters.

To screen out the skilled contestants, all registered Beastmasters would undergo a "1V1" preliminary match, which would take place simultaneously in multiple venues in Phoenix City.

After three days of preliminary matches, a two-day elimination round would follow, ultimately selecting thirty-two participants from the ordinary entry channel.

On the second day, competitors from the ordinary and special channels would compete simultaneously in two venues in the main competition, eventually deciding the top eight for further contests.

As for Chen Yuan, who signed up through the special channel, he didn’t need to worry about the ordinary channel contestants for now, with his participation still a few days away.

He just wondered who from the various Associations and the eighth division in Qin Province would be participating?

It’s worth noting that the Da Feng Cup differed from the Taibai Cup in that it didn’t have the exhibition matches that Chen Yuan was so fond of.

After hanging up the call from Run Run Duck, Chen Yuan continued watching the opening ceremony as the train arrived unknowingly in Phoenix City.

Upon leaving the station, Chen Yuan immediately sensed an unprecedented competitive atmosphere, with every corner of this city filled with various promotions for the Da Feng Cup, and pedestrians discussing the upcoming competition.

Seated in a taxi, with the radio playing the opening ceremony sounds, the giant screens broadcasting the ceremony were visible through the car window, alongside promotional posters everywhere.

Unlike the Taibai Cup, Chen Yuan was not the main character this time, just a regular participant.

The taxi driver noticed Chen Yuan gazing out the window and glanced back through the rearview mirror, his face instantly filled with astonishment: "Advisor Chen, it’s you?"

His tone was full of disbelief.

Chen Yuan looked ahead and chuckled heartily, "Uncle, what a coincidence that we meet here in Phoenix City."