Chapter 38

After handling all matters in Changning City, Mu Huiyue boarded the plane to the capital.

Most of the students who had been directly accepted into Changning First Beast Master High School had already gone to the capital, and Mu Huiyue was nearly the last one to depart.

Upon arrival, she would go directly to the pre-competition gathering for the assessment and head to the secret realm where the exam would take place.

After her departure, a familiar black car drove into the villa located in East Bay Garden, which belonged to Mu Tong’s family. The driver, who had previously driven Mu Huiyue several times, got out of the car and walked directly into the study.

The young-looking legendary Beast Master stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze directed outside, unfocused, as if it were resting somewhere far away.

A majestic and imposing Flame Wolf lay in the corner of the study, its eyes closed as it rested. Its thick, fluffy fur seemed to shine under the sunlight, emitting a soft and bright glow even in the shadowed corner, with tiny embers fluttering at the tips.

The solar-flame wolf’s ears twitched, sensing the familiar presence. It didn’t even open its eyelids.

Mu Tong turned around and looked at the driver who had knocked and entered, asking, “Has she already left?”

The driver gave a slight bow.

Mu Tong didn’t explicitly say anything, but it was understood that Mu Yixia, whom he had personally sent to the airport three days ago, was the subject of the question.

“After visiting the dojo yesterday, Mu Huiyue stayed in the dormitory and took the earliest flight to the capital today.”

“……”

Mu Tong was silent for a moment, his face expressionless. “She really likes Pali.”

Upon hearing the name, the Solar-Flame Wolf slightly opened its eyes, revealing a flash of blazing white light.

It looked at its Beast Master, then slowly closed its eyes again.

After that unpleasant family banquet, Mu Tong had only seen Mu Huiyue once at the Little Cloud Dog breeding facility, and since then, father and daughter had not been in contact.

However, Mu Huiyue’s training at the dojo, her application for resources and food for cultivating the Little Cloud Dog at the breeding facility, and her ranking in the top five of the school selection competition to represent Xingzhou in the national ranking competition—Mu Tong knew about all of these things.

He had tacitly allowed everything to happen, probably because he knew deep down that he couldn’t change Mu Huiyue’s mind or stop her from following her own path.

Just like he couldn’t stop the former Aisha.

No matter how intense love and warm family were, in Aisha’s eyes, they were nothing compared to the unknown Super S-level secret realms.

A surge of uncontrollable anger suddenly rose within him. The veins on Mu Tong’s forehead bulged, and his back teeth ground together with a sharp sound, only subsiding after a long while.

He looked at the bookshelf piled high with various competition awards and honors.

On top of it was an upside-down photo frame. Even though it was hidden away, and the picture was completely unseen, Mu Tong could still see the happy family photo that once belonged to the three of them when he closed his eyes.

“…Your daughter is just like you.”

…

Meanwhile, in the capital, the Beastmaster Association’s national ranking competition for professional assessments was being prepared in an orderly manner.

The vice president of the National Beastmaster Association in charge of professional assessments, who also served as the local president of the Capital City Beastmaster Association in Jingjiang, Legendary Beastmaster Kang Yao, walked into the office.

This office had been specially prepared for overseeing the national ranking competition. It was equipped with the high-level Monarch-grade V-type video system, which could clearly project everything happening in the exam’s secret realm into the office and provide live broadcasts and telecommunication signals.

The candidates from all over the country had not yet officially gathered, and preparations in the office were still underway. Beastmasters contracted with the V-type video system were busy with tense adjustments.

From the name, it was clear that this type of extraordinary creature was an artificial life form, not a natural product born from the secret realms.

Since the discovery of the 14th type of “Intelligence” attribute extraordinary life in the neighboring Nova region, human research in related fields had made significant progress.

The high-level Monarch-grade beast, named [Video System V-type], is one of the shining achievements.

The Video System V-type is a new evolutionary form based on the “01” Intelligence attribute extraordinary life, possessing both Thunder and Intelligence attributes.

Its core skill, [Heaven’s Veil Eye], is equipped with dozens to hundreds of subsystems with video transmission functions. In any extreme environment, it can establish a connection with the host over long distances, providing real-time observation and transmission of the surroundings of the subsystem terminals.

More than 200 subsystems of the [Video System V-type] have already been deployed throughout the fusion-phase secret realm, which serves as the exam site.

These terminals will record the actions of every participant in the exam, serving as the direct basis for scoring and ranking. They are also the primary source of information for the Beastmaster Association’s officials and the spectators watching the competition.

Kang Yao looked at the massive host machine and the huge projection screen hanging in front of the office, feeling a sense of emotion.

Although the [Video System V-type] has almost no combat capability and can only be used as a support-type beast, the creation of a Monarch-grade beast artificially…

Not to mention in the distant past, even when he was young, it would have been an unimaginable miracle.

Times are changing…

This is why he personally oversees the professional assessments. These outstanding young people, who can participate in the national professional ranking competition, are the valuable future of Dayan.

“Kang President.”

Upon his arrival, the staff in the office all stood and bowed. Kang Yao casually waved his hand, signaling them to continue their work without paying him any attention.

He had just found a spot to sit when he heard the door open again.

It was the person sent by the Jingjiang City Secret Realm Affairs Bureau, the responsible officer, A-level investigator Guan Yu.

This exam site involved a secret realm. Although it was a stable secret realm in the fusion phase, theoretically posing no risk, the Bureau still sent an officer to oversee it, just in case.

After all, the participants were the most outstanding Beastmaster candidates from across the country, the future pillars of Dayan, and the Beastmaster Association had to ensure the safety of the participants without question.

Guan Yu was in his early thirties, quite young for an A-level investigator. After several collaborations, he had gotten along well with President Kang Yao, with little sense of distance due to age or status.

“Old Kang,” Guan Yu greeted as he entered the office.

Kang Yao looked like a kind middle-aged man, but in reality, he was already seventy years old.

As a legendary Beastmaster at the top of the profession, Kang Yao’s lifespan far exceeded that of ordinary people. Guan Yu knew that he could make his appearance appear younger, but Kang Yao rarely did so. Most of the time, he maintained an older look.

“Hey, Xiao Guan, come sit,” President Kang waved at him.

The two of them exchanged a few simple words before quickly getting to the main topic, discussing this year’s national ranking competition.

As a professional entrance exam for high school students, the national ranking competition didn’t attract as much public attention as the concurrent national tournament. It was only because the national tournament was still in its preliminary stage that the ranking competition received a fair amount of exposure.

However, for high-ranking officials like Kang Yao and Guan Yu at the Beastmaster Association, the ranking competition was of greater importance.

After all, the top contenders in the national tournament were already familiar faces in major competitions, while the national ranking competition was the first place where fresh talent had the chance to shine.

“There seem to be quite a few promising candidates this year. Xiao Guan, have you looked into it?”

When talking about this year’s competitors, Kang Yao noticed a few familiar faces among the participants, who had already gained recognition through various high school Beastmaster competitions.

“Take a look at this.”

Guan Yu smiled as he took out a tablet and demonstrated the “information channel for the youth” to President Kang.

He opened the specialized page for the national ranking competition on a popular video app.

The livestream platform, in collaboration with the Beastmaster Association, had already been set up. Although the competition hadn’t started yet, the most prominent video at the top of the page was a pre-competition roundup by a popular content creator. It provided a well-reasoned overview of the most noteworthy competitors.

“Hello, everyone! I’m KumaXi, your favorite Beastmaster battle content creator! I believe many of you, like me, are eagerly awaiting this year’s ranking competition. So, let’s take a look at some of the participants worth watching.”

“By the way, the rankings here are not official data, they’re just my personal picks!”

A virtual host wearing an exaggerated teddy bear jacket appeared on screen.

This was a form of the high-ranking elite undead species, the Vengeful Spirit Doll.

With the rise of the virtual host named KumaXi, this bandaged, stitched-up teddy bear became a representative image of the Vengeful Spirit Doll species in the public’s mind.

“The first contestant I’d like to introduce is this one—Lin Lin, a genius researcher from the Yunzhou Timber Research Institute!”

Behind the teddy bear, a young girl in a white lab coat appeared.

She looked very young, about sixteen or seventeen years old, yet her expression carried a calmness far beyond her age.

“The Timber Research Institute is the top institution in the country for studying wood-type extraordinary creatures, with no equal!”

“And our contestant, Lin Lin, is the youngest official researcher at the Timber Research Institute!”

“In past university leagues, she has repeatedly demonstrated remarkable tactical and skill understanding!”

The scene shifted to show the girl in a Yunzhou Beastmaster High School uniform standing on the battlefield, next to a mushroom-shaped, large-capped, and densely mycelium-covered creature.

“The deadly counterattack with [Parasitic Spores], and the unforgettable [Flying Leaf Slash], Lin Lin has continuously redefined the public’s perception of wood-type beasts!”

n the video, countless wood-type skills and light effects intertwined, as the mushroom creature swung its short arms with grace and style, clashing with its opponents’ ultimate moves, securing victory after victory.

Every exciting moment in the battle was captured in slow motion from all angles, as if an epic war was unfolding before the eyes.

The scene eventually paused on Lin Lin and her beast’s final victory.

Mushroom spores fell in a flurry, like a colorful rain shower.

The girl stood proudly atop the fallen, defeated opponents, gazing down at the camera as if looking at the next person to fall.

“This time, what kind of thrilling battle will she bring? Let’s wait and see!”

It must be said that there was a reason for KumaXi’s video’s popularity. The teddy bear clearly put a lot of effort into the production, with the entire scene’s special effects resembling a cinematic experience, extremely flashy and cool.