The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 42

Yi Xian saw that Lord Yin Bao did not mind at all and felt even more resolved to treat this little mouse, whose delicate heart was no less sensitive than a human’s, with more care from now on. As for the contract, since she could not figure it out, she decided to leave it aside.

The initial screening had ended, and the Qingshan Sect’s first official round began as scheduled. A large crowd still gathered in the plaza. Even though four-fifths had been eliminated, the remaining fifth still far outnumbered the three hundred spots available for entering the secret realm.

“We belong to Yundan Peak. We should support each other and try to secure at least twenty spots for our peak.”

“Twenty? You must be joking. It would be impressive if we could get that many.”

The man held up five fingers. “The fight for spots is between Mingwang Peak and the other peaks. What we need to do is let those beast tamers who are fighting tooth and nail come to us for help. Even Senior Sister Xie Ying has to lower her head and come to Yundan Peak for alchemy when she hits a bottleneck.”

“Nonsense. I heard Xie Ying advanced entirely on her own.”

“Exactly.”

Yi Xian remained silent in the background, quietly listening to them gossip about the internal politics of the Qingshan Sect. She watched them bark at each other over their respective peaks’ honor. As the saying went, wherever there were people, there was a struggle.

“Everyone, I am Zhu Mingyi, Peak Master of Mingwang Peak. Congratulations on passing the preliminary screening. You are now entering the official round of this selection. I will now explain the rules.”

“It’s Peak Master Mingyi.”

“Shh.”

The rules were simple. To help participants adapt to the survival conditions of the secret realm, Qingshan Sect had provided a secret realm for the trial. Within this space, participants had to locate pre-marked items hidden by the sect. Each item held a different point value. Anyone who successfully brought items out of the realm could exchange them for points. Those who surpassed a certain threshold would advance to the next round.

Yi Xian pressed down on Lord Yin Bao, who had started to poke its head out. “Hide.”

Lord Yin Bao muttered, “Finding things is my specialty.”

Yi Xian remained thoughtful, keeping Lord Yin Bao hidden even after entering the realm with the crowd. Members of Yundan Peak noticed her distracted state and kindly offered, “Hey, do you want to come with us? The task is pretty easy. Once we find the items, we can leave.”

Yi Xian repeated, “Easy?”

One senior brother replied, “Yeah. Isn’t it better than fighting Mingwang Peak’s beast tamers? Want to join us?”

Yi Xian found the rules flawed. “Then why set a five-day time limit?”

A senior sister explained, “Maybe the items are well-hidden and hard to find. Want to come with us? It’ll be safer if we stick together.”

Yi Xian shook her head and declined their offer. Then she summoned Little Pony and sat beneath a tree. Rich light energy surged from all directions, and she used the time to cultivate in peace. This indirectly confirmed something for her that the secret realm was not virtual. It was real.

And if it was real, then it would certainly hold danger.

Nian Yunyin’s voice came from the side. “Everyone else is frantically searching for the marked items, and you’re just sitting here cultivating?”

Yi Xian opened her eyes and saw it was Nian Yunyin. She shared her concerns honestly. Regardless of how hard the items were to find, there definitely were not enough for everyone. What would happen to those who came up empty-handed?

“Don’t you think this round is too…” She paused, unable to find the right word. It felt like a death trap for those who naively believed in the rules.

Nian Yunyin lay lazily on the grass, arms behind her head. “Why worry? Imagine this wasn’t a sect trial but the real thing with beastmen. What do you think would happen then?”

Pillaging for supplies.

Murder for loot.

Settling old scores.

Yi Xian was startled by her nonchalant attitude. “Why aren’t you looking for items?”

“Didn’t sleep all night. I’m tired.”

Since Nian Yunyin really did fall asleep, Yi Xian didn’t disturb her. She continued cultivating with Little Pony. People passed by occasionally and gave them odd looks, wondering why one was meditating and the other was napping instead of searching.

Suddenly, two shadows blocked Yi Xian’s light. She sensed a flash and opened her eyes.

“Hey, we mean no harm. Can your phantom beast stop that?”

“Who are you?”

They looked familiar. A quick search through her memory reminded her. “What, you failed to eliminate us yesterday and came back for revenge today?”

The two men laughed sheepishly. “You misunderstood. Yesterday, your light beast nearly blinded us. That formation was impressive. Today, we’re looking for items. There are two of us and two of you. Want to team up?”

Yi Xian glanced at Nian Yunyin, who was still unresponsive. “Team up? You picked the wrong people. We only made it through yesterday by luck. And today’s round isn’t about formation tactics. With our combat strength, we’ll be taken down in seconds. You’re better off searching for items on your own before someone else grabs them all.”

The two men exchanged glances and left.

After they were gone, Nian Yunyin sat up with a stretch. “I thought you might keep them around. Looks like you do have a brain.”

Yi Xian found her smug tone annoying. She resumed forming a light sphere and tried enveloping fallen leaves in it, watching them float upward. If only it lasted longer and could be larger…

Nian Yunyin looked up. “Your control’s improved. You’ve been working hard.”

Yi Xian wished there were twelve more hours in a day. She tried forming another sphere, but Nian Yunyin interrupted. “It’s not about quantity. Try having your phantom beast enhance it.”

“Enhance?”

Nian Yunyin held up two fingers and crossed them. “One plus one. Get it?”

Yi Xian summoned Little Pony and asked it to enhance the sphere with light energy. But it immediately shattered the sphere.

“Your beast hits harder than you. Want to switch roles?”

Yi Xian carefully coordinated with Little Pony. Slowly, the sphere began to grow as more light energy was added.

“It works!”

Nian Yunyin stroked her chin. “We should ask Xiao Ya to find you a support weapon. It would double your efficiency.”

“A weapon?”

“Don’t underestimate light support. It’s incredibly useful. Though, you seem to want to focus on offense. Come on, let’s look around and talk as we go.”

On the way, Nian Yunyin explained many aspects of light-type support skills, including offensive applications and their strengths and weaknesses. She even suggested Yi Xian train in both support and attack for versatility.

“How could you do this?”

“Didn’t we agree to work together?”

“Yes, but we already have enough points. So, our alliance ends here.”

Hearing shouting ahead, Yi Xian and Nian Yunyin hid behind a tree. They saw the same two men from earlier, now tying up two stunned girls and shamelessly declaring the end of their alliance.

One of the girls shouted, “We found those items. You didn’t help at all.”

Now they understood the so-called alliance. Good thing they had never trusted such offers, or they would be the ones tied up now.

After the men left, Yi Xian and Nian Yunyin exchanged a glance.

“It has begun.”

“If we search first, others will ambush us. If we don’t, all the items will be taken, and we’ll have to fight for them later. So, what now?”

Nian Yunyin decided, “We search.”

“Finding things is easy. Lord Yin Bao can handle that. The real challenge is getting them out safely while everyone’s watching.”

Nian Yunyin suddenly had an idea. “Let’s do what we did yesterday. You find the items. I’ll extract them. We split the loot.”

Yi Xian had no objections. That night, once they confirmed no one was nearby, she finally released Lord Yin Bao and dressed it again in the special clothes sewn back in Elfa Forest.

“Use the dream-entry method. Be careful. This realm has many dangerous people. Stay safe.”

Lord Yin Bao tucked its ears under its green cap and darted into a hole.

Nian Yunyin noticed Yi Xian’s unease. “It’s cleverer than you think. A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Your little pet probably has ten. Instead of worrying, grow stronger. If you’re strong, so is it.”

Yi Xian was curious. “Have you figured out how to get the items out?”

Nian Yunyin smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see.”

Lord Yin Bao did not return until the sun had risen high in the sky. Its cap had fallen off, its ears and paws were covered in scratches, one of its whiskers was broken, and its nose was swollen badly. It looked just like a thief caught red-handed and thoroughly beaten up. It stood on Yi Xian’s shoulder, squeaking.

Nian Yunyin asked, “What is it saying?”

Yi Xian hesitated. “Lord Yin Bao says that about fifty li south of us, there is a treasure radiating energy. It tried to approach it and got attacked.”

Nian Yunyin stood up at once. “Are you sure the attack was unprovoked?”

Yi Xian nodded. While healing Lord Yin Bao with light energy, she noticed that all the wounds were long lash marks, as if struck with a whip. “How did you find the treasure?”

Lord Yin Bao scratched its forehead. “The lucky charm got hot. The closer I got, the hotter it burned. Just like when I found you.”

Yi Xian fell silent.

I’ll take that as a compliment. So I’m a treasure too, am I?!

Seeing Nian Yunyin pacing back and forth in agitation, Yi Xian asked curiously, “If it attacked on its own, does that mean the treasure has gained intelligence?”

Nian Yunyin nodded. “That’s a reasonable assumption.”

Seeing how unsettled she was, Yi Xian realized Nian Yunyin had taken a serious interest in the treasure. “Do you know what kind of treasure Lord Yin Bao is talking about? If you want to obtain it, how confident are you?”

Nian Yunyin calmed down quickly under Yi Xian’s composed questions. “Have your little pet take the bl00d worm back there so I can find out exactly what kind of intelligent spirit treasure it is. If it’s not one of the few I’m thinking of, we’ll drop it.”

Yi Xian wondered which few she meant.

She healed Lord Yin Bao thoroughly. When she finished, she found it had curled up on her palm like a little bed, belly up, fast asleep.

“If it’s not urgent, we’ll talk tonight.”

Yi Xian spent the entire day racing against time to cultivate and store an even larger light sphere.

Nian Yunyin reminded her, “If you want to store a bigger light sphere, you need to advance as soon as possible. Once you reach Heaven Level Five or even Earth Level, you’ll find it easier to achieve what you want.”

To advance, Yi Xian needed to fill the small light dot at her dantian. The last time she advanced, it had nearly cost her life because she did not know how to handle it.

Nian Yunyin circled around Little Pony a few times. “Third tier already.”

Yi Xian did not catch it. “What?”

A spark of interest flashed in Nian Yunyin’s eyes. “You really are the strangest person I’ve ever met. You awakened your spiritual root so late, yet you signed a rather good phantom beast. Have you noticed the spiral horn on its forehead? They say the longer the spiral, the higher the rank. Look at it. Its cultivation level is already higher than yours.”

Yi Xian was speechless.

Seeing her strange expression, Nian Yunyin added, “Don’t take it personally.”

Yi Xian had already learned how sharp Nian Yunyin could be. She was not only sharp-tongued but far more clever than most. Overall, Nian Yunyin was one of the most intelligent people she had ever met. “Are you trying to say Little Pony is more diligent than I am?”

Nian Yunyin shook her head. “I’m trying to tell you about a shortcut in cultivation. Of course, it’s all to prepare for the upcoming semi-finals and finals.”

Yi Xian remained half-convinced.

Nian Yunyin’s so-called shortcut was leveraging power. A phantom beast’s growth typically followed the pace of its tamer. Of course, there were beast tamers who took shortcuts, dreaming of signing with a beast above their level to use its strength to enhance their own.

“So this method of borrowing power from one’s beast is actually feasible.”

“Want to try?”

Yi Xian gave her a sidelong glance and quickly cleared her thoughts. “That’s no shortcut. That’s a harmful trick that benefits no one. Nian Yunyin, I thought we were friends.”

Nian Yunyin tutted in amusement, shaking her head as she sighed. “Very few people can resist that kind of temptation, especially at such a critical moment. Yi Xian, I really didn’t misjudge you.” She turned and added, “It’s only because I see you as a friend that I’m telling you. Occasionally relying on your phantom beast isn’t shameful, especially when facing death.”

Yi Xian closed her eyes and chose to ignore her.

Nian Yunyin continued, “Like earlier when I asked you to switch roles with your beast. Remember? It takes the offense while you provide support. Of course, when your level surpasses its, you’ll lead the attack, and it will support you.”

Yi Xian listened quietly. A thought began to form.

That night, when Lord Yin Bao woke up, it patted its crossbody storage pouch. “This lord found quite a few items. Want to take a look?”

Nian Yunyin had walked a perimeter outside. “Done. I set up a formation to prevent eavesdropping.”

Lord Yin Bao rummaged through his things and pulled out several spirit herbs and various colored spirit stones, which were the main materials used for creating energy shields or setting up arrays. He even took out two weapons.

Yi Xian noticed that each item bore the Qingshan Sect’s seal. Clearly, Lord Yin Bao had chosen the right targets. “Lord Yin Bao, you are amazing. This is all thanks to you.”

Nian Yunyin did a quick count. “According to the rulebook, these should be enough for both of us to pass. But just in case, we need your little pet to find more. Oh, and take this.”

She handed over a bl00d worm, the very same one Duanmu Ya had eyed greedily before. It was said to identify the kind of spirit treasure being tracked and even detect its scent.

Yi Xian stopped her. “When the Qingshan Sect placed these items, did they not expect someone to sense the treasure ahead of us? Could this be a trap?”

Nian Yunyin rolled her eyes. “You think everyone has a pet as sensitive as yours? Even I need this worm to detect anything, and only within ten li. Look, it’s not reacting at all.”

Yi Xian noticed the bl00d worm was lying still.

Lord Yin Bao waved its limbs excitedly and let out a series of squeaks.

Yi Xian patted its large ears affectionately. “That’s right. Lord Yin Bao is the best. Be careful when you go.”

With the bl00d-red worm on its head, Lord Yin Bao vanished and did not return until noon the next day, once again looking as though it had been badly beaten.

Nian Yunyin grabbed the bl00d worm. Its crimson color had faded into an earthy brown. Yi Xian almost did not recognize it and thought Lord Yin Bao had picked up a dirt-covered earthworm.

“It can change color?”

“Of course.”

Nian Yunyin was quite proud. “It’s an earth-type spirit treasure.”

Yi Xian understood. Nian Yunyin had judged the treasure’s attribute by the worm’s color. “If we find a light-type treasure one day, will it turn white?”

Nian Yunyin stared at her without blinking. Then she announced, “We won’t fight for this one.”

Yi Xian was relieved. With their current combat abilities, they would be courting death if they tried to fight head-on. But just as she began to relax, Lord Yin Bao squeaked and gestured wildly.

“Ahem. Nian Yunyin, it seems Lord Yin Bao really wants that treasure.”

“Right. I had forgotten about your little pet.”

Nian Yunyin explained, “You’re a light-type. Xiao Ya is fire and wood. But your pet likely has an earth attribute that could awaken. That might be why it sensed the treasure in the first place.”

Yi Xian had relied on Lord Yin Bao’s help more times than she could count. She had already resolved to fulfill some of its wishes, even the unreasonable or nearly impossible ones, once she had the power to do so.

Now, a chance lay before her. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Since Lord Yin Bao wants it, then I have to go check it out. As for you—”

Nian Yunyin stared sharply, making Yi Xian feel that one wrong word could end their friendship. She changed her words in time. “You always have the best ideas. Help us come up with a way to get the treasure without alerting anyone.”

Nian Yunyin finally looked satisfied and began to think.

Yi Xian was troubled too. Judging by Lord Yin Bao’s injuries, the treasure must be buried underground. Sneaking it out without anyone noticing would be incredibly hard.

Lord Yin Bao squeaked anxiously. Yi Xian had to calm it down several times. She could understand its eagerness to reclaim its former glory. After all, this clever little creature had once sat upon a throne, and it deserved the chance to rise again.

“Wait.”

“Hmm?”

Nian Yunyin said, “Wait for the last day.”

Yi Xian quickly understood her plan. The final day would be the peak of the scramble for items. Most would be focused on collecting points. If they struck then, they could grab the treasure and leave the realm without drawing attention.

So, on the third day, Yi Xian and Nian Yunyin began making their way toward the treasure’s hiding place. Their goal was to reach it by the last day. Along the way, they encountered several groups of fellow disciples who tried to rob them. All their goods were stored in Lord Yin Bao’s storage pouch, with only a few decoys on hand. They pretended they had already been robbed and handed over a few items. That managed to fool everyone.

Yi Xian asked, “Why do they keep robbing others when they already have enough?”

Nian Yunyin replied, “For points. The leaderboard is a place to show off. The higher your points, the stronger you seem. It also serves to eliminate others. Otherwise, what’s the point of this trial?”

Yi Xian did not approve of using brute force to prove oneself. Instead, she sang Lord Yin Bao’s praises repeatedly. After all, all the goods they had were thanks to this clever little creature. It went out early and returned late every day, always bringing back a huge haul.

Yi Xian feared it would end up emptying the entire realm, earning them more enemies than they could handle.