Chapter 52

If the battle between the Little Cloud Dog and the Forget-Me-Not Grass was a tough fight, then the battle between the Bone Soldier and the Thunder Lion was an overwhelming victory.

Whether it was the Thunderstorm Field or the boost from the Beast Tamer’s talent, all of Fang Xuyang’s self-assured tactics were easily countered, and the Thunder Lion never even touched a single bone of the Bone Soldier until the very end.

The barrage in the live stream was about to explode, with the focus of the discussion turning entirely to Mu Huiyue. Before the competition started, she hadn’t received much attention, but now, as a dark horse, she had defeated the number one contestant on the leaderboard for two consecutive days.

Many people @Lin Fei from afar, eager to see what would happen when the pre-competition favorite, the “God” Lin Fei, faced off against the rising star, Mu Huiyue.

Fang Xuyang sat dejectedly on the spot, staring blankly at his hands, seemingly unable to accept the fact that he had lost.

The injured Thunder Lion slowly walked over to his side, letting out a low whine.

Fang Xuyang’s anger flared, and he grabbed the Thunder Lion’s mane.

“It’s all your fault for not seeing the situation clearly! If the Thunderstrike had been a little stronger, we could’ve caught the Bone Soldier…”

The Thunder Lion lowered its head, allowing its Beast Tamer to scold it, its eyes filled with disappointment.

“The one who couldn’t see the situation clearly is you, Fang Xuyang,” Mu Huiyue said as she turned around. She had been preparing to leave but couldn’t help but glance at the boy with the spiky hair, her brow furrowing slightly.

“You gave the order to use Thunderstrike on yourself without hesitation. It should have been praised by the Beast Tamer.”

“As for losing this battle, it’s more your fault. If you can’t even understand this, you’ll keep losing to more people in the future.”

Hearing this, Fang Xuyang’s anger intensified, causing the Thunder Lion to shrink its neck, losing all its previous majestic lion-like demeanor.

“Don’t think that just because you beat me once, you can teach me a lesson, Mu Huiyue!”

Mu Huiyue shrugged indifferently, turning around again, ready to check on Wen Li’s situation.

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when she saw Wen Li, with her Flamestrike Meow, rushing over toward her.

When Wen Li saw Mu Huiyue, she paused slightly, then her face showed a look of disappointment. “You already finished, Huiyue?”

Wen Li had tried her best to finish her own battle quickly to see Mu Huiyue’s other pet in action, only to find that Mu Huiyue had finished just as fast. All she saw was the Thunder Lion lying on the ground and Fang Xuyang looking completely dejected.

She had sensed the deterrence skill during the battle, and Mu Huiyue’s other pet must be at least of the monarch race, which made her really curious.

Thinking about this, Wen Li couldn’t help but feel disdain for the ace of Saint Water Pond Academy.

Tsk, isn’t this guy the number one on the leaderboard? Why couldn’t he last a bit longer so she could watch Huiyue’s battle?

“How about you? How did it go on your side?” Mu Huiyue also walked toward her, and the two of them left the battlefield together.

“Easy win! I earned quite a few points.” Wen Li smiled, making a fist. Her Flamestrike Meow proudly raised its head beside her.

“Huiyue, how about you?” Wen Li asked curiously. “That was over so quickly. I’ve battled Fang Xuyang’s Thunder Lion before; it’s not an easy opponent to beat, right?”

“I actually think it was easier than battling Forget-me-not Grass,” Mu Huiyue replied.

The shadow beneath her feet stretched forward, and the tall and upright skeleton emerged from the shadow, giving Wen Li an elegant greeting, as if it were their first meeting.

Wen Li froze for a moment. This… is it the Fang-tooth Soldier?

Mu Huiyue’s other pet, her hidden ace in the shadows, is a Fang-tooth Soldier?

A monarch race Fang-tooth Soldier…?

“Meow—!” Flamestrike Meow puffed up its fur the moment the Fang-tooth Soldier appeared, arching its back to protect its Beast Master.

Although the Fang-tooth Soldier didn’t show any malice, anyone would be startled if a powerful creature suddenly appeared before them.

“This is Ellen, my initial contracted pet,” Mu Huiyue introduced. “He was also the one helping with guarding and scouting in the shadows earlier.”

“After using the Fire Meteor, it was you who handed me the fruit to restore energy, right?” Wen Li’s eyes brightened as she spoke. “Thank you!”

Clack.

The Fang-tooth Soldier gave a slight nod and then retreated back into the Beast Master’s shadow.

“I see now! This is Shadow Concealment… no, it should be Shadow Stealth skill?” Wen Li said with a look of realization. Although she lacked some outdoor knowledge, she was quite familiar with the skills of pets.

Shadow Concealment, and its advanced skill Shadow Stealth, are dark-type status skills that can often have unexpected effects in battle.

However, Wen Li had never seen a pet like Ellen, who almost used Shadow Stealth as a passive ability 24/7.

Mu Huiyue’s pets are really interesting!

“If I get the chance, I’d really like to have a proper match with you, Huiyue!”

Wen Li’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Her excitement wasn’t about winning or losing; she just wanted to thoroughly enjoy the battle between the two.

“Just make it to the elimination round first,” Mu Huiyue smiled lightly, “Before facing me, don’t lose to anyone else.”

“Of course! Even against you, I’m going in with the confidence to win!” Wen Li responded, clapping her fists together.

The two of them continued on their way toward Mu Huiyue’s planned destination.

Compared to regular battles, Mu Huiyue was more interested in the Lord of the Secret Realm. She hadn’t encountered the Lord of the Secret Realm when exploring the Undead Castle before, and she was curious about what the strongest existence in a secret realm would be like.

After walking for a while, they were getting very close to the area that Ellen had previously explored.

Mu Huiyue stopped, looking down at the compass in her hand.

This was a compass made using the skill to extract extraordinary creatures. In addition to sensing magnetic poles, it could also detect the flow of hidden energy, and it worked precisely even in the fusion stage of the secret realm.

However, at this moment, the precise needle seemed to be drunk, spinning wildly around the dial.

The disordered needle didn’t gradually change, but rather suddenly happened. After crossing a certain boundary, it abruptly lost its direction.

Mu Huiyue even deliberately retraced her steps for a while, trying to figure out when the needle started to behave erratically, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t find the original path she had come from.

Without the tool to guide her, Mu Huiyue looked around the forest, where towering trees all appeared identical, making it difficult to determine her position.

After trying for a long time, Mu Huiyue gave up on the compass and decided to have Ellen scout the area.

“Ellen.”

Her shadow rippled slightly, and the Card Tooth Soldier emerged from the surrounding shadows, swiftly moving toward the distance.

“Is this the central area you mentioned, Huiyue?”

Wen Li circled her finger around her head, as if trying to sense the invisible energy field around them with this strange gesture. “I don’t really feel anything special here…”

“Meow, meow!”

Flame Strike Meow pressed one paw to the ground, and where it touched, a faint spark flickered.

The large black cat looked at its Beast Master and tried to describe its observations, “Meow!”

“Mm?” Wen Li showed a surprised expression.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Huiyue walked over as well.

“Ah Meow says that there is dense fire attribute hidden energy around here.”

“The dead flames and the new flames overlap… When I first heard it, I thought it was describing the altar at home, since the flames of the Vermilion Flame Bird are also like this. Ahem…”

Wen Li paused her voice before continuing, “Generally, when such flames appear, they are linked to active volcanoes.”

“Volcano?” This time, it was Mu Huiyue who was surprised.

According to Ellen’s earlier exploration, most of the island’s terrain was tropical rainforest, with some swamps and giant trees mixed in. It seemed impossible that an active volcano could be hidden here.

“Ah Meow is very sensitive to fire-type energy, and usually doesn’t make mistakes.”

Wen Li thought for a moment and then said with certainty, “Even if it’s not a real volcano, it’s something very similar.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Huiyue fell into deep thought. Based on the terrain structure and the wood-type resources that had been appearing, she had previously believed that the dominant attribute of this secret realm was wood.

But now, it seemed that the area where the realm’s master resided held another secret.

This energy source, similar to that of an active volcano, was nearby, yet the surrounding giant trees still blocked the sky, and there was no sense of heat whatsoever.

While she was contemplating, Mu Huiyue felt her shadow stir again.

Ellen had returned much earlier than expected.

“Ellen?”

A cluster of eerie blue flames flickered at the right eye of her shadow, and the sound of the Teeth Soldier’s footsteps was unusually impatient.

“Click, click.” (The Beast Tamer with the colored kite has arrived.)

Mu Huiyue froze for a moment. Colored kite… Lin Fei?

Before she could speak, a young figure appeared on the branch of the giant tree.

She didn’t know when he had been standing there, but it was only now that everyone noticed him.

“You were the first to arrive here, Mu Huiyue,” Lin Fei said.

Lin Fei wasn’t wearing the standard field attire for outdoor activities. He was still dressed in the loose, casual sports uniform of Changning No. 1 High School, with a smiling expression on his face, giving off an entirely harmless vibe.

But those who knew him wouldn’t be fooled by this gentle exterior.

Lin Fei was undoubtedly the most dangerous participant among all of them.

Wen Li immediately entered combat mode, with Flame Strike Cat leaping forward, letting out a sharp, threatening growl from its throat.

Lin Fei remained unmoved. A faint blue glow enveloped him, and he floated off the tree branch, gently landing on the ground.

At the same time, a similar blue light appeared around Flame Strike Cat, and it hovered an inch above the ground, unable to move forward no matter how much it struggled.

That was telekinesis, represented by the mental energy attribute.

“Sorry, even for me, my energy is limited. I can’t fight you before dealing with a strong opponent, Wen Li,” Lin Fei said with a smile. However, his actions were far from polite. Under the influence of his telekinesis, Flame Strike Cat was sent flying backward, crashing into Wen Li’s arms and then into the giant tree behind her.

“Wen Li!” Mu Huiyue’s gaze snapped backward. Once she saw that Wen Li and Flame Strike Cat were unharmed, she turned to face Lin Fei.

Lin Fei looked far from friendly, and Mu Huiyue couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Though she wasn’t afraid of any challenge, were these two coordinating to make trouble for her?

Rather than these seemingly endless outdoor battles, she was far more interested in seeing the Realm Lord worth 10,000 points.

“If possible, I’d like to face you in the rankings elimination rounds. But…”

Lin Fei seemed to read Mu Huiyue’s thoughts, his smile unwavering. “If we don’t fight now, we might not get that chance later.”

“I don’t want to miss the rare opportunity to have a serious battle with you, Mu Huiyue,” Lin Fei said.

Mu Huiyue’s dark eyes locked onto Lin Fei, showing no sign of backing down.

Ellen and White Fang had already recovered to their best state through the [Rest Cabin] and were ready for battle at any moment.

During the school selection trials, Lin Fei was the strongest opponent within reach. While the earlier version of Ellen, in his little skeleton form, might have had trouble dealing with Lin Fei’s mental energy-based beast, the situation was entirely different now with the powerful and intimidating White Fang.

The undead attribute could counter mental energy-based beasts.

“…Aren’t you curious why I want to fight you?” Lin Fei tilted his head and asked.

“It doesn’t matter to me. Sooner or later, we’ll face each other in a match,” Mu Huiyue replied, rolling her wrist and summoning White Fang from the beast space.

Ellen also emerged from the shadows, standing in front of her, exuding a powerful aura of intimidation.

Lin Fei didn’t seem surprised to see the monarch-class White Fang. After hearing Mu Huiyue’s answer, he actually smiled.

The smile was starkly different from his usual gentle and harmless demeanor. It was as if the hunter had dropped his disguise, finally revealing his greedy, bloodthirsty true self.

“I know you have some secrets, Mu Huiyue,” Lin Fei said.

A triple-summoning array appeared under his feet, indicating that he was already a level 3 Beastmaster.

“Coincidentally, I have some as well.”

“Let’s see who can devour the other’s secrets.”