What Kind of Beast Tamer Do You Call This?
"The rules have already been set, so of course they won't be changed," Liu Wanliang said.
"That's good then." Zhao Xing nodded.
Zhao Xing didn't ask any more questions, and Liu Wanliang didn't say anything either. The group waited quietly in front of the Azure Sea Grotto Heaven Gate.
Teams occasionally walked across the wasteland, and soon the procession surrounding the entrance became quite a sight.
Although there are only over 50,000 Beast Tamers, there is no limit to the number of battle pets a Beast Tamer can have; the number you can contract is entirely up to your skill.
However, there is a limit to the number of Soul Contract that a mid- Third Grade beast tamer can form.
Forging Soul Contract also carries burdens, even more so than cultivating the Straw Man Art.
The Straw Man Art involves splitting one's own Fate Soul. Normally, one can choose to "go offline" and enter a low-activity dormant state, or the Fate Soul power can be recovered back to the original body.
But the beast tamer is a burden on the battle pets 'Fate Soul. Imagine hundreds or thousands of Mountain Cat or Azure Lion Dog dogs barking in your mind all day long... The beast tamer would go crazy in less than a year.
It's not fair to terminate the contract just because you're no longer fighting, as such frequent actions would damage both the battle pet and yourself.
"When a normal beast tamer goes into battle, he usually only brings fewer than ten war beasts. It's about quality, not quantity, and you can't have too many."
"Even high-level beast tamers who reach the Yuan Soul Realm and can handle more beasts wouldn't do this."
Relying on sheer numbers is less effective than focusing on cultivating a few powerful war beasts, unless they reach a certain scale.
"When the spiritual energy Revival Version arrives, the intelligence of battle pets will be greatly improved. Beastmasters and battle pets will know how to cultivate Fate Soul, and the upper limit of the number of contracts will become even higher."
"However, beast tamers who can mass produce troops are still a minority." Zhao Xing glanced at the beast taming teams around him.
Even with the Spiritual Energy Revival, the issue of financial resources cannot be avoided, as the cultivation of battle beasts requires a great deal of resources.
Building a few main battle beasts is already a challenge, let alone dozens? Only the super-rich could afford that.
For beast tamers, the cost of battle pets is ten times, or even dozens of times, more than the cost of their own pets.
Take Zhao Xing himself as an example. Excluding the special case of the Mountain Cat, the Spirit Illusion Goat and the Azure Lion Dog grew to the Fifth Grade and consumed nearly 20 million of his resources.
This is still the cost price, because Zhao Xing himself is a resource producer and also the Agricultural Official who controls the Startling Thunder Transformation.
If someone else had done it, the profit could have been several times higher.
The profession of Beast Tamer is extremely expensive, second only to Mechanism Master. After graduation, Beast Tamers must either be affiliated with royalty or be of noble birth themselves. Solo Beast Tamers are very rare.
Among the many professions, the cheapest upgrade path is that of a martial artist, which is relative to other cultivation professions.
"There's nothing to see. They're all holding back their strength and obediently walking on the ground. You can't figure out what they're up to." Zhao Xing quickly withdrew his gaze.
Because the only way to get to White Cloud Island is on foot, flying is prohibited, so even birds have to obediently walk using their claws.
The beast tamers used spells to suppress the beasts' strength and conceal their auras.
They had all been well-trained, and the commotion on the wasteland was minimal.
With four hours to go, Zhao Xing simply put down the Wen Bamboo Box, leaned against it, and closed his eyes to rest.
The Azure Lion Dog, the Mountain Cat, and the Spirit Illusion Goat formed a triangular formation, protecting Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing's mind sank down, and he looked inward into the Pure Yuan Space.
At this time, the Pure Origin Soil had expanded from 34,100 square meters to 68,000 square meters.
However, this still falls into the category of third-grade soil.
The convergence properties of the Pure Yuan Space are as follows:
First, living beings: only plant life forms can be brought in, and they must be at least level five and matched with Fifth-Rank Pure Yuan Realm cultivator.
Second, for non-living entities, only two types can enter.
The first type is wood-based material, and it has a weight limit.
The second type is energy-type treasures, such as pure energy crystals called "Yuan Crystal". These have no weight limit and are only determined by the size of the space.
At this time, the Pure Origin Soil was already a prosperous place.
Except for large trees, which have not yet reached maturity, all other plant groups are fully mature.
Zhao Xing divided the Pure Origin Soil into three regions.
First, there are Plant Soldier. All the troops planted are Plant Soldier, such as Lightning Bamboo, Tough Long Vine, Poisonous Mushrooms, and Thousand-Sound Bamboo.
This is the largest area, with a number exceeding ten thousand.
Secondly, there are restorative plants, mainly medicinal herbs for restoring vitality and detoxification.
Thirdly, there are consumable plants, mainly the materials needed to create the Ten Thousand Laws Clone.
In addition, fifty clones stood in the center of Zhao Xing's Pure Origin Soil.
This includes the nine most powerful Ten Thousand Laws Clone.
"In this ranking competition, neither beast tamers nor their battle pets are allowed to bring any Divine Soldier weapons or special artifacts."
"But inside, there are equipment supply points. This simulates the situation in the Dragon Court Ancient Land. You can find broken equipment everywhere in the ancient Dragon Court ruins. Even if it's broken, some of it can still be very powerful."
"These clones of mine shouldn't be considered Divine Soldier weapons," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
Zhao Xing wasn't worried about the Plant Soldier.
Because in the unpopular categories of the official Beast Taming Division, there used to be a category called Plant Tamer.
However, it was later crossed out because the official position of the Agricultural Official didn't want to do it.
This is a branch of the Agricultural Official; how could it be assigned to your Beast Taming Division Department?
However, it is not unprecedented for the Agricultural Official of the True Self Faction to compete for the quota of the Dragon Court Ancient Land.
It's just that it's very rare.
The egoist school of thought regarding agriculture is already quite rare.
There are even fewer combat-oriented, ego-driven stannons.
In reality, many egoist scientists primarily cultivate economically viable plants.
In mainstream thought, the Time Faction is stronger than the Earthly Advantage Faction, which is stronger than the True Self Faction.
If you want to fight, why not take Favorable Timing and Location?
However, it cannot be denied that the Primal Faction's Si Nong, who controls plant soldiers, is also a tamer in a sense, only a niche and unpopular one, and is not recognized by the mainstream beast taming community.
Releasing Plant Soldier is not against the rules, but Zhao Xing is a little unsure about the Ten Thousand Laws Clone.
Historically, there has never been a Minister of Agriculture from the Primordial Self Sect who cultivated the Myriad Dharma Avatars to participate in the Beast Competition.
"It is forbidden to carry Divine Soldier weapons and magical artifacts, but the Ten Thousand Laws Clone is a school of magic, so how can it be considered Divine Soldier artifact?"
Zhao Xing carefully reviewed the rules again and confirmed that there were no provisions prohibiting this, so he felt relieved.
Four hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Before long, a Golden Dragon Warship appeared above the huge entrance to the Azure Sea Grotto Heaven.
Swish swish swish~
Countless eyes immediately turned to the sky.
On the deck of the warship stood dozens of officials.
Four of them flew out of the warship.
"Wang Tianzhi, Lesser Agriculture Decree; Ji Shuchang, Grand Coachman Master of the Imperial Stud; Hong Yuanba, General of the East Sea; Bai Yunwu, Envoy of the Aquatic Tribes." Zhao Xing looked at the sky.
These are the four people in charge of hosting. On such an occasion, even Princess Youruo has to step aside.
Because she was of noble status, had her own Vassal, and wielded great power, but officially she did not hold Second Rank Official Rank.
"Wang Tianzhi is a candidate for the next Grand Minister of Agriculture."
"He should only be a little over 250 years old now, which is still very young for Second Rank. However, although he is 'young,' his seniority is very high."
"He is the junior brother of Li Boqian, the current Grand Minister of Agriculture, and also serves as the vice dean of the Mystic Heaven Academy," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
There isn't just one Lesser Agriculture Decree; there are at least nineteen Lesser Agriculture Decree across the Nineteen Provinces of the Great Zhou. Why at least? Because sometimes, Lesser Agriculture Decree are appointed in the Cave Heaven Blessed Land within each state.
During the reign of Wu Emperor, in order to distinguish between the positions in the Cave Heaven Blessed Land and the nineteen prefectures, the position was called Lesser Agriculture Decree Vice Agriculture Minister), while the position in the Nineteen Provinces was called Shao Nong Qing (少农卿). In essence, there was no difference in their powers and responsibilities; only the names were different. Both were subordinate officials of the Grand Minister of Agriculture.
However, as both the Lesser Agriculture Decree and the Vice Dean of the Mystic Heaven Academy, Wang Tianzhi's position was rather special.
Later, he lost the competition to Liu Tianning, but still became the leader of the Time Faction and was highly valued by Old Liu.
Ji Shuchang, the Grand Coachman the Imperial Stud, was an official under the Imperial Stud Office of the Imperial Stud. The Imperial Stud Office the Imperial Stud was in charge of the control of all the beasts in the land, and some of its powers and duties overlapped with those of the Lesser Agriculture Decree.
Although different professions have different paths of cultivation, government agencies are like overlapping beams, complementing each other.
For example, the position of Director of the Dragon Horse Bureau in Chongming Prefecture could be held by either the Agricultural Official or a Beast Tamer.
The head of the God Selection Department could also be Priest, but the title would be different. If it was the God Selection Department under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Stud Office, it would be called the Imperial Stud Office Priest.
Dong Yuanqiu, the Chenghua Bureau under Zhao Xing, could also perform warhorse dances and courtship dances. Mi Fu held even more Official Rank than Dong Yuanqiu.
During his Military Sima Nong training at Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, Zhao Xing also learned about mechanical formations, Tower Ship navigation, and Invoking the Gods.
The Agricultural Official also had a method for Invoking the Gods, but Zhao Xing never practiced this method.
Although the official explanation is that if used properly, it will not shorten one's lifespan, and using incense will bear the cost, in reality, using the possession of Yin Spirit too many times will still have an impact.
Just like with the Magic Array mechanisms and formations, Zhao Xing simply didn't practice it from the beginning, so as not to be unable to resist using it.
In short, in positions where government functions overlap, multi-talented officials will emerge.
Ji Shuchang spoke first, offering a string of polite words, mainly recounting the origins of the Dragon Court Ancient Land and the Beast Competition.
The story begins by praising Grand Ancestor, saying that he opened up Pinghai Province, which is why the Great Zhou was able to access the secret realm of the Dragon Court Ancient Land.
Fortunately, thanks to Wen Emperor's benevolence, the Shui chieftains were won over and thus granted a place to enter the Dragon Court Ancient Land.
Finally, by praising Emperor Jing, the number of slots was increased to five thousand.
Of these, 3,500 had already been allocated by the imperial court to the top Third Grade of charioteers, who did not need to participate in the competition. This was the main force for exploring the Dragon Court Ancient Land.
Of the 1,500 candidates for the Third Grade, 500 will be selected this time.
In fact, the reason why the Great Zhou Dynasty obtained the quota to enter the Dragon Court Ancient Land was due to Wen Emperor. This did not happen during the reign of Emperor Grand Ancestor. It was always divided up among the various tribes of the Water Tribe, the Sect Realm, and the forces of the Eastern Wasteland.
During the reign of Grand Ancestor, the only thing he did was drive away the Shui people and develop Pinghai Province.
In the early years of Wen Emperor's reign, the system of chieftainships for the Shui ethnic groups was implemented, which led to the submission of many powerful Shui ethnic groups.
When the Shui tribes submitted, their quotas were also offered to the Great Zhou. Wen Emperor obtained one thousand quotas without firing a single shot, and by the end of his Wen Emperor, the number had gradually increased to four thousand.
What contributions did Emperor Jing make? He did two things.
One way is to sleep with Princess Youruo's mother, which will create an extra 500 spots.
Secondly, he gave birth to Princess Youruo Princess Youruo doted on her, which resulted in an additional 500 spots.
The reason for this effect is entirely because Princess Youruo's mother was a member of the Water Tribe, and her grandmother, Azure Cloud Matriarch, was known as a descendant of the God of the Vast Sea. In other words, Princess Youruo was actually of mixed race.
When He Wu and Fang Ze chatted privately, they always referred to her as the "Princess of the East Sea," a nickname that came from their ancestors.
"May our Emperor live forever!"
Suddenly, a deafening shout came from his ear. Zhao Xing looked up and saw that the Grand Coachman Ji Shuchang, and the Lesser Agriculture Decree, Wang Tianzhi, had already finished speaking.
Next, it was Bai Yunwu and Hong Yuanba's turn to announce the specific rules.
"The competition begins the moment you all enter the Azure Sea Grotto Heaven."
"This competition consists of five stages!"
Zhao Xing listened intently.
Although the rules had already been officially communicated to various regions, the specific checkpoints within them were only announced now, much like how exam questions are only revealed once you're in the exam hall.
"The five trials within the Azure Sea Grotto Heaven were selected from five different tests found in the Dragon Court Ancient Land, namely:"
"The Great Arena".
"Dragon's Guardian".
"The Heaven's Chosen Island"
"True Dragon Royal City".
"Dragon Language Decree"
After Bai Yunwu announced the specific names of the levels, a heated discussion broke out below.
"Oh no, this test is so difficult!"
"Oh no, I haven't received any training related to the True Dragon Royal City."
"Heaven's Chosen Island? Isn't this supposed to be a pure luck-based level? Why are they including it?"
"Charge! Charge! Charge! Promotion and advancement—this is the moment!"
"Hehe, I've been stuck at the Fourth Grade for a long time. This reward is pretty good. If Big Treasure and I rank in the top 500, we'll both be promoted to the Fourth Grade! And our Nobility Title will be raised!"
"In the Great Arena, I am invincible!"
"True Dragon Royal City, hiss..."
"Senior Brother, what's with your hissing? You've never even heard of this level?"
"Everyone says it's difficult."
"..."
Zhao Xing's expression changed slightly upon hearing the names of these five checkpoints.
Because this time the difficulty is quite high, four of the five simulated levels selected are extremely challenging.
The three people standing next to him, Lin Ziyue, Wang Zhaozhao, and Zhang Mo, were all Fourth Grade Imperial Guardians, and their faces were also grim, clearly indicating that they were not confident either.
"I wonder if it's influenced by the Pacifying Barbarians War to Pacify the Barbarians," Zhao Xing pondered with his eyes closed.
The mid-level battle in the previous life ended in the thirty-fifth year of the Jingxin Calendar.
This world started three years earlier than expected. If the timeline had remained unchanged, it should have ended in the thirty-second year of the Jingxin Calendar. However, there is no sign of it ending at all; on the contrary, it is getting worse.
"Does the imperial court want to gain benefits from the Dragon Court Ancient Land to achieve a greater advantage?"
"The five levels that were just announced are areas that were rarely explored in previous runs."
"The checkpoints that should have been explored on a large scale during the reign of Wu Emperor are already showing signs of this now... Emperor Jing, stop now, there are rebels everywhere outside, leave some resources for your son."
Zhao Xing opened his eyes, leaving the palace of memories.
At that moment, Hong Yuanba shouted, "Silence!"
The sound was like rolling thunder, instantly silencing all the discussions.
Reaching the Second Rank rank means that even a single sentence contains the power of heaven and earth.
Everyone fell silent, and Bai Yunwu continued:
"Five checkpoints, each one dangerous!"
"However, if you encounter danger, you can activate the Azure Sea Token. Once activated, the Azure Sea Grotto Heaven will immediately expel you."
"Each level has its own scoring system. The top 500 in total points will directly qualify for a spot, and the remaining people will compete for the remaining 1,000 spots."
"Next, I will repeat the general rules of the competitive challenge."
"First, no divine weapons or Divine Soldier artifacts are allowed."
"Second, if all the battle beasts die, the team will be eliminated and will not be able to obtain a spot, even if they rank in the top 500 in total score."
"Third, once you exit, you cannot re-enter, but your points will be retained."
"Fourth, if a battle beast breaks through to the Third Grade in the Azure Sea Grotto Heaven, it will directly obtain a spot and will no longer participate in this competition."
Fifth, fighting is prohibited in public rest areas.
"Six..."
There were many rules, Zhao Xing Xingzai listened carefully to them, finding that they were the same as those in the previous official notification.
After Bai Yunwu finished reciting the rules, the sky was quiet for another fifteen minutes.
At noon, the blue vortex of the Azure Sea Gate broke its seal.
"Hold head high!"
A Dragon's Cry's roar resounded, and the first person rode a dragon towards the giant gate.
At this moment, the no-fly rule disappeared, and all people and beasts rushed towards the thousand-meter-tall giant gate.
"Heaven Defier, Illusory Heaven, Sky Howl, let's go!"
Zhao Xing immediately took to the clouds.
Beside him, a cat, a dog, and a sheep also took off quickly, charging forward alongside their owner.
"His speed? How can he be so fast?" Lin Ziyue was riding a Flying Divine Elephant and was about to accelerate when she saw Zhao Xing suddenly dart out and disappear in the blink of an eye.
"He flies so fast, he's fast, and his battle pet is fast too." Wang Zhaozhao next to him was equally surprised. In terms of speed alone, Zhao Xing was faster than all of them, the Fourth Grade warriors.
"Could he be pretending to be weak while actually being strong?" Zhang Mo glanced at him in surprise, a question lingering in his mind.
However, there was no time to think about it anymore. The Princess's Residence's guards all rushed towards the Azure Sea Gate.
"Buzz~"
Zhao Xing followed the many streams of light as he rushed into the giant gate. There were at least tens of thousands of streams of light around him, and their speed was no less than his.
Like all other Grotto-Heaven, upon entering, I felt a vague resistance.
Half an hour later, the world spun around before my eyes, and I was upside down, head down and feet up.
"Stop!"
Zhao Xing called a halt, and the three battle pets immediately stopped as well.
"The Heaven's Eye Art!"
Zhao Xing activated his Heaven's Eye Art and immediately scanned his surroundings.
There were many people rushing together, but now, only a few streaks of light can be seen streaking across the sky.
"The Azure Sea Grotto Heaven is truly vast; I'm afraid people have scattered everywhere."
"Look at where I am now." Zhao Xing immediately took out the Earth Mirror from his pocket.
The official rules prohibit bringing equipment, but Earth Mirror are not included, nor are robes below the fourth tier.
"Buzz~" The Earth Mirror projected a three-dimensional image, showing five layers of floating continents, which was the map of the entire Azure Sea Grotto Heaven.
"The Nine Heavens of the Vast Sea actually refers to the nine continents floating in the void."
"However, only five levels of heaven have been opened this time, and the First Stage is the Great Arena."
The First Stage is called the Great Arena, and the rules are simple: eliminate other riders.
Eliminating Sixth Rank battle beast awards 100 base points. If the beast is a charioteer, the charioteer will receive an additional half of the points from the beast.
Eliminating a Fifth Grade battle beast awards 1000 base points. If the beast is a charioteer, the charioteer will receive an additional half of the opponent's points.
Eliminating Fourth Grade battle beast awards 10,000 base points. If the player is a charioteer, they will receive an additional half of the opponent's points.
Spend a full day in the Great Arena and you'll earn 10,000 Survival Points on the second day!
If you are eliminated, your points will be halved.
Two months later, the second level will open, allowing you to enter the second stage.
"This stage is the most competitive."
Zhao Xing carefully examined the map, which showed his location.
"I am near ' Azure Pearl Lake ' in the first level of heaven."
"There are only forty-six supply points nearby, and anyone who comes in will probably look for a supply point as soon as possible."
Because the first level of the Azure Sea Grotto Heaven has very thin primordial energy, relying on absorbing the primordial energy between heaven and earth is difficult enough to maintain daily activities, let alone fight.
During the process, other players must be eliminated to gain points, so supply points become of paramount importance.
That's why so many people rushed forward just now; they wanted to find a supply point as quickly as possible.
"Not only am I not absorbing any vital energy, but my own vital energy is also slowly draining away." Zhao Xing frowned.
He looked down and immediately saw the clue.
"The entire continent has probably been subjected to top-level magic, and beneath it lies a series of ' Yuan-Draining Underground Palace '."
"Although this rate of loss is very slight, after one day, even if Fifth Grade does nothing, half of their vital energy will be drained away, and within Heavenly Timing, their vital energy will be completely depleted."
Zhao Xing used the Gathering Yuan Technique to lock in his vital energy, but it was still leaking away.
"I am not a normal Fifth Grade. I have opened up Pure Yuan Space and have been strengthened by the Profound Yellow Origin-Analysis Technique and a billion resources. My Yuan energy is so abundant that it should be impossible to absorb it all."
"But it's still leaking away. Even if I try my best to hold it back, I can only extend the time to 6 days."
His own strength was completely beyond what could be measured by normal Fifth Grade perfection standards, and he could only last for 6 days.
"The strength of the Mountain Cat, the Azure Lion Dog, and the Spirit Illusion Goat are different, so their rate of energy loss should be different, but they all maintained it for four days."
"So, the stronger you are, the more you absorb?"
"In the four directions of the first heaven, there is still a layer of mist that is constantly shrinking. In two months, it will shrink to the size of only a county-level city."
Zhao Xing understood that whether they were Sixth Rank, Fifth Grade, or Fourth Grade, they all had to compete for supplies at the resupply points, otherwise they wouldn't last a month.
As long as you fight for resources, you'll encounter other people, and battles will be unavoidable, leading to rapid elimination.
"Let's go gather supplies!"
"Woof!" "Meow!" "Baa!"
Zhao Xing immediately Gale Law to fly quickly towards the nearest location.
We need to secure enough supplies to sustain one person and three beasts for at least a month.
The more the better, because the Yuan-Draining Underground Palace will absorb all of it in 6 days, but this only refers to the situation in non-combat state.
In the case of combat, this time would be even shorter.
Swish swish swish swish~
As he rode the Astral Wind, Zhao Xing felt his vital energy draining away at an accelerated rate.
"Flying high or low, it's all the same. Yuan-Draining Underground Palace truly lives up to its reputation."
The scope of the top-tier law is vast; Zhao Xing estimates that the entire Great Arena of the first heaven is covered by the top-tier Yuan-Draining Underground Palace.
Unless one comprehends a top-tier technique capable of countering the Yuan-Draining Underground Palace, the loss of vital energy cannot be reversed.
"The first supply point."
After flying for less than five minutes, Zhao Xing spotted the nearest supply point.
It was an ancient palace, situated on a hillside.
Five-Colored Yuan Rice Flag were planted above the palace.
"What great luck! The first palace is a Tier 5 supply point, and it's so close."
Zhao Xing activated his Heavenly Eye to scan the surroundings and found that there was no one there.
"Evolution Five's good fortune is not undeserved; he has no competitors and directly monopolizes the supplies of this palace."
Zhao Xing led the Mountain Cat, the Azure Lion Dog, and the Spirit Illusion Goat into the room.
Once inside, they found three large boxes.
"Mountain Cat, unlock it."
Master Cat waved his paw, and a bolt of lightning flashed, instantly smashing the locks on the three boxes.
Upon closer inspection, Zhao Xing discovered that each box contained 10 fifth-order Yuan Crystal.
"They are all mid-grade fifth-tier Yuan Crystal, enough to last us for two and a half days."
"Pure Yuan Projection!"
As soon as Zhao Xing had a thought, a shadow fell over the three boxes.
Then, the thirty fifth-order Yuan Crystal were collected.
Without the Pure Yuan Space, we would have to carry these supplies on our backs.
Fifth-order Yuan Crystal, each the size of a water tank, carrying thirty water tanks on the journey?
It's too flashy and too inconvenient.
Of course, if it is Sixth-Tier Yuan Crystal with a higher concentration, then the volume is much smaller.
"Let's go, let's go to the next location."
After searching the first supply point, Zhao Xing immediately activated fifty Ten Thousand Laws Clone.
"Getting supplies at the beginning is relatively easy because the initial entry location is random. If you're lucky, even a weak charioteer can get a lot of supplies. After that, you'll have to rely on robbing."
Supply lines are limited! It's destined that only a small number of people can survive until the Second Stage.
"My Ten Thousand Laws Clone have less energy reserves than my main body, but if I just replenish them, they can last for two or three days."
"If you get supplies like this every time you don't encounter combat, then it's a win."
"Buzz~"
With a thought, Zhao Xing's body, as if copied and pasted, instantly produced fifty Ten Thousand Laws Clone around him.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh~"
Fifty Ten Thousand Laws Clone flew or burrowed underground, quickly heading towards the supply points around Azure Pearl Lake.
Zhao Xing's true form wasn't idle either, sneaking off to another location.
Time waits for no one; seizing the initiative will allow you to earn more points in the First Stage.
As time passed, all the Ten Thousand Laws Clone arrived at the supply point.
Zhao Xing was lucky; within half an hour, thirty of his Ten Thousand Laws Clone had obtained supplies and were on their way back.
"Beep beep beep—"
Inside a floating warship above Azure Pearl Lake.
The guards of the Azure Pearl, ' Ming Dan ', suddenly received an anomaly report from the monitoring station:
[Guard Ming Dan, please check the anomaly report for Azure Pearl Lake.]
"Huh? This has only just begun, and there are already reports of abnormalities." Ming Dan, a middle-aged man wearing light armor and carrying a large sword, was taken aback.
As a monitoring and guard, his responsibility is to report any abnormalities to his superiors and request that someone handle them promptly.
However, he did not expect that the monitoring station would report an anomaly so soon after it began.
Filled with doubt, Ming Dan opened the Earth Mirror.
"Spirit Pearl, have you discovered anything unusual?"
Ming Dan was asking about the Mechanical Puppet, which were his assistants specifically tasked with monitoring the supply palaces in various locations.
"All thirty supply palaces at Azure Pearl Lake were taken away by the same person at roughly the same time," a Mechanical Puppet resembling a bald man reported.
"The same person appeared in all thirty supply palaces at the same time?" Ming Dan's eyes changed immediately.
This was clearly beyond his comprehension.
Because the supply points are not close to each other.
Within a very short period of time, the same person appeared on the surveillance footage of the Earth Mirror.
That proves that they acted simultaneously, not sequentially!
"Could someone have cheated and brought in Mechanical Puppet?"
"That's impossible."
Ming Dan's heart skipped a beat.
In the past, cheating might not have happened, but now it's uncertain; the East Sea is not Taiping Granary.
He wasn't sure either, so he immediately checked the image of the figure displayed on the Earth Mirror and saw Zhao Xing's appearance.
"Just as I suspected... Spirit Pearl, immediately retrieve this person's information!"
"Yes."
The bald man immediately went to the other rooms on the Tower Ship to search for Zhao Xing's competition information.
"No, Spirit Pearl, you keep investigating, I need to go down and take a look first."
As soon as Ming Dan stepped out, he immediately turned to his puppet assistant and said, "By the way, report this matter to Inspector Lin Zhengfeng immediately."
"I've already gone to observe the abnormality at Azure Pearl Lake and am awaiting further results."
"Yes."
Ming Dan then left the warship to track down Zhao Xing's true form.
It's easy to identify Zhao Xing himself.
Because at this time, the Mountain Cat, the Azure Lion Dog, and the Spirit Illusion Goat were all with him, resting in the forty-first supply palace.
Ming Dan was also quite cautious; he didn't make a big fuss but quietly came over to observe.
The world is a vast and wondrous place; who knows, maybe they didn't break any rules?
His sudden intervention in the game requires caution; reckless actions are considered sensitive.
At this moment, Zhao Xing, having finished looting the forty-first supply palace, was planning to rest and recover his strength.
Because many clones rushed back, bringing back a large amount of supplies.
There are three types of supplies.
First, regarding equipment supplies, Zhao Xing's clone found three sets of Tier 5 Dragon Spirit Set for his battle pets.
It's perfect for use on the Mountain Cat, the Azure Lion Dog, and the Spirit Illusion Goat.
Secondly, there is the replenishment of vital energy, which is mainly in the form of Yuan Crystal, with a small portion consisting of pills and fruits.
Thirdly, there is the supply of medicine, mainly for detoxification and wound healing.
Boxes of supplies were all carried back by Ten Thousand Laws Clone.
Outside the No. 41 supply palace, empty boxes were immediately piled up like mountains.
"Meow~" The Mountain Cat chewed on a pill, complaining that it didn't taste very good.
"Woof!" Azure Lion Dog suddenly barked towards the outside of the palace, its ears perked up, and then it turned to look at Zhao Xing.
"Sky Howl, you smelled a stranger?"
Azure Lion Dog nodded.
Zhao Xing immediately went outside.
Sure enough, three beams of light suddenly appeared on a hillside in the distance.
"Buzz~"
As the light faded, the three pillars of light disappeared, revealing three figures and twelve battle pets.
"Two Fifth Grade and one Fourth Grade beast tamer."
"There are twelve battle pets, half of which have reached the early stage of the Fourth Grade."
Zhao Xing narrowed his eyes slightly.
After searching for so long, he finally encountered a living person.
"Stop!"
Zhao Xing transmitted his voice through the wind. "I've already eaten the supplies here. Go somewhere else, don't force me to take action."
Zhao Xing didn't want to fight so soon.
Since it's only the first day, eliminating these three won't yield many points.
Pigs should be fattened up before slaughtering; wasting energy fighting now won't yield many points.
In any case, the area around the first level was shrouded in mist, like a shrinking circle, squeezing out the contestants' living space.
In the last few days, you won't have to worry about running into people.
"Hmm?" Upon hearing the voice, Li Tao, Fourth Grade beast tamer, stopped in his tracks and activated his Bright Eyes Art to observe Zhao Xing on the palace steps. "A Fifth Grade, so arrogant?!"
Li Tao considered himself Fourth Grade beast tamer, and with so many Fourth Grade battle pets, he was already at the top of the food chain.
I never expected a mere Fifth Grade to be so arrogant.
"Senior Brother, look!"
"So many empty boxes!"
Chen He, Fifth Grade beast tamer standing nearby, pointed to a lawn outside the palace.
He circled around and found the empty box from one angle.
"Why are there so many empty crates at this Tier 5 supply point?"
"Senior Brother, we made seven trips during the gaps in our supply lines. It seems this person has brought all the supplies from Azure Pearl Lake over here." Chen He licked his lips.
"He's taking up so many supplies all by himself; he's practically asking for it."
"Senior Brother, let's eliminate him."
Li Tao nodded.
Without supplies, they would never be able to leave Azure Pearl Lake.
Looking at the big map, the competition in other areas may not be any less intense; one must acquire enough supplies to survive the initial period.
"In that case," Li Tao said, "Chen He, Qian Zhong, you two go over there."
"If he knows what's good for him and obediently hands over the supplies, we can let him go. If he doesn't, he'll be eliminated immediately."
Li Tao didn't intend to take action himself, but instead had Chen He and Qian Zhong do it.
In his view, half of his twelve battle pets were of the Fourth Grade.
Zhao Xing's three battle pets are all of the Fifth Grade.
With him backing him up, his two junior brothers would be enough to take down Zhao Xing.
"Stop! Take another step, or I'll take action," Zhao Xing shouted.
"Hmph, what kind of empty city tactic are you using? Do you think I can't tell that you're the only one in this palace?" Chen He laughed.
"Kid, you'd better get out of here!"
"We'll allow you to take one box of supplies with you, but you have to leave the rest behind."
"Otherwise, your journey to conquer this challenge will end here!"
Zhao Xing frowned.
He had a vague feeling that someone else was watching him.
But I don't know which direction it is in.
Before finding the person hiding in the shadows, Zhao Xing did not want to make any rash moves.
However, Li Tao and his group clearly wouldn't leave easily.
Zhao Xing could only see them off for the rest of the way.
"We must act swiftly."
"To intimidate the person in the shadows."
Li Tao and his two companions were also quite strong, so Zhao Xing went all out.
To catch the thief, you must first catch the king; to solve the problem, you must first deal with the beast tamer.
Once the Beastmasters are gone, these battle pets will naturally disappear as well.
"Swish swish swish swish swish swish swish swish!"
Thirty Ten Thousand Laws Clone appeared instantly at the foot of the hillside through Divine Swift Guard.
They surrounded Li Tao and the five war beasts beside him.
"The Netherwind of the Fiend!"
"Earth Thunder Fiend!"
"Thunder Breaking Illusion Finger!"
"Dripping Rain!"
"The Soaring Serpent Transformation!"
"..."
Thirty Ten Thousand Laws Clone suddenly appeared and suddenly unleashed seven high-level, perfect spells.
It caught Li Tao completely off guard in an instant.
The rainbow light of the spell directly engulfed Li Tao and his war beast.
"Varied--"
Before Li Tao could even retaliate, his entire body emitted a burst of blue light.
Blue light enveloped him and his five war beasts, like bubbles.
Pop—
The bubble burst, and in the next moment, both the person and the beast vanished.
All participants possess a Azure Sea Token.
Once a fatal attack occurs, it will activate immediately, expelling the person from the Azure Sea Grotto Heaven for treatment.
Poor Li Tao had no idea what was going on when he was ambushed by Zhao Xing, the sixth brother, and sent away.
"Senior Brother? Where is Senior Brother brother?"
"What did you do?"
Chen He and Qian Zhong were stunned.
Before the battle even started, the strongest Senior Brother and five Fourth Grade battle pets were gone.
"Snort!"
Zhao Xing didn't waste any words with them. Since they had already started, it made no difference whether he used one unit of energy or two.
Taking advantage of the two being stunned and distracted, they immediately seized the opportunity to attack.
"Buzz~"
They only lasted three breaths before the two men and their war beast were also sent away.
"After cultivating for so long, I can finally kill people instantly." Zhao Xing clapped his hands.
Agricultural Official couldn't have been so decisive and swift in killing someone, but Zhao Xing was a complete exception.
However, Zhao Xing's brows remained tightly furrowed.
Because he was fighting just now, his true form didn't participate; he was observing the surrounding movements the whole time.
Find that hidden guy.
Unexpectedly, the exact location still could not be determined.
"It seems there are quite a few experts this time. Even my Heaven's Eye Art can't pinpoint their location; I can only vaguely discern their general direction." Zhao Xing became more vigilant.
However, he did not know that the reason he could not find Ming Dan was entirely because Ming Dan was a late-stage Fourth Grade and wore special equipment that allowed him to conceal his aura.
Zhao Xing was able to sense Ming Dan's presence because his Fate Soul was too powerful.
At this moment, Ming Dan was deeply shocked.
Zhao Xing, Fifth Grade, actually killed Li Tao and his Fourth Grade battle beast in one fell swoop.
That's terrifyingly strong!
What shocked Ming Dan even more was that Zhao Xing didn't rely on his battle beasts at all, but on his own strength.
The appearance of those thirty Ten Thousand Laws Clone was especially beyond his comprehension.
"What's going on? Why are there so many identical people? A clone technique? An illusion? No, he can cast spells, how could it be an illusion..."
Just then, Ming Dan heard the voice of the puppet assistant.
"Master, according to our investigation, this person's name is Zhao Xing."
"There are three battle pets: the Mountain Cat, the Azure Lion Dog, and the Spirit Illusion Goat."
"Serving as the Director of the Twin Dragon Horse Bureau Office."
"Registered as Fifth Grade beast tamer."
Listening to the information reported by the puppet assistant, Ming Dan pointed downwards in disbelief and said, "You call this a beast tamer? How did he tame any beasts?"