Temple Training Ground

Whether it was to win people over or to trust those he employed, Shea was truly a decent boss, save for one thing: she loved to test people by occasionally playing with a bit of "killing intent."

The compensation of sixty Vine Stones was indeed very generous, and Chen Rui naturally wouldn't be polite: "Many thanks, Your Highness. There is one more thing; I previously promised those two Wyverns that I would help them escape their cages. I wonder if Your Highness could grant that request?"

"You have already managed to communicate with them to this extent?" Shea's eyes flickered. "Even for the entire Fallen Angel Empire, Wyverns are extremely precious resources. I'm afraid I cannot let them leave. However... if you can guarantee their safety, letting them out of the iron cages for free movement is acceptable."

Chen Rui thought for a moment and replied: "Safety shouldn't be a problem. Furthermore, I need to communicate with them further, but my power is insufficient. I am currently in urgent need of substances that can provide special energy, such as Vine Stones, to better utilize my Beast Taming Technique. If the Grand Princess has any, I would like to shamelessly request some more."

"There should be about ten more Vine Stones in the treasury, though they are of medium quality. I will have Kagulon deliver them all to the laboratory for you later. There is plenty of open space near the laboratory, so you can house the two Wyverns there. The excuse for outsiders will be that they are for Aldas to use in his toxin research. However, until you can guarantee their safety, you must keep them under control to avoid any accidents."

"I understand," Chen Rui said, secretly overjoyed at having earned another ten Vine Stones. "Your Highness, I will go arrange the matters regarding the Wyverns now. I shall take my leave."

After receiving Shea's orders, the guards hauled the Wyverns to the laboratory under the guise of being for "the master's research." When Aldas saw the two Wyverns, he revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

Once the outsiders had left, Chen Rui explained the "Grandmaster Inheritance," and Aldas finally understood that the third competition had actually been a personal performance by Chen Rui. While marveling at the power of the Grandmaster Inheritance, the Dark Elf master also felt a sense of regret that he hadn't obtained any inheritance knowledge related to potions.

Chen Rui walked to the iron cage holding the Wyverns and activated his Analytical Eye.

"Kegu, Mengda, I have fulfilled my promise and saved you from the hands of those bad people."

The two Wyverns moved their bodies within the cage, trying hard to stretch their heads out.

"Thank you. Can you let us go?"

Through his previous interactions, Chen Rui knew that although the Wyverns' intelligence exceeded that of a Horned Wing Beast, it was not very high. Their likes and dislikes were relatively easy to control, and they could not be compared to the high-intelligence dragons like Pagliu. Especially since these two were still in their juvenile stage, they should be easier to swindle.

"I'm afraid not. Those bad people are very cunning and are ready to capture you again at any time. Only this place is safe."

The Wyverns let out a series of hisses, scaring the Lesser Devil, who had wanted to get closer to look, so badly that he sat down on the ground. To Chen Rui, however, these hisses sounded like expressions of sadness: "Mengda wants to go back to the Gloomy Night Wetland! Kegu wants to go back too!"

The Gloomy Night Wetland! The name sounded familiar to Chen Rui, and he suddenly remembered that Pagliu had once asked him to return to a secret lair to retrieve a treasure, and that secret lair was precisely in the Gloomy Night Wetland!

Several thoughts raced through Chen Rui's mind, but he ultimately made a decision. According to Pagliu, the Gloomy Night Wetland was extremely dangerous, and even high-ranking demons could lose their lives there at any moment. It was better to wait until his power increased before considering that route.

"Kegu, Mengda, don't be anxious. We are friends, and I will definitely find a way to help you return to the Gloomy Night Wetland, but not right now." Chen Rui reached his hand into the iron cage to soothe the two Wyverns. This action nearly caused the Lesser Devil to faint on the spot, but fortunately, the Wyverns only affectionately leaned their heads against his hand. They looked nothing like the most terrifying aerial Magic Beasts; they were clearly just two docile Magic Dogs!

"Friends, I can let you out of this annoying iron cage and provide you with food. However, you must promise me that you will not leave this place and will not hurt anyone. Do you understand?"

"Understand, Chen Rui, good friend." The two Wyverns were indeed happy.

Chen Rui opened the iron cage, and he saw Mengda and Kegu bolt out immediately. Even Aldas was startled, his hand already gathering lightning in preparation.

The two Wyverns flapped their wings and flew into the sky, circling above the palace. Not only the palace guards but even the passing Devil Race noticed the situation and began pointing and whispering.

Just as Chen Rui was worried that the Wyverns would escape, Kegu and Mengda slowly descended and landed beside him, looking affectionate, leaving Aldas and the Lesser Devil dumbfounded.

"From now on, you will stay here. Remember, you must never leave the grounds of this palace." Chen Rui pointed at Aldas and Sli. "Those two are my friends; you must never attack them. Understand?"

"Understand! Kegu wants to eat."

"Sli, go get some fresh meat." Chen Rui said to Sli. The Lesser Devil finally snapped out of his stupor and hurried off.

Seeing how easily Chen Rui had subdued the Wyverns, which were known for their ferocity and violence, Aldas showed a look of envy and pointed out some habits related to Wyverns to Chen Rui. Wyverns lived in swamps or wetlands; their legs were strong and powerful, they were highly aggressive, and they liked corrosive, toxic environments. To make these two Wyverns live here, he would have to arrange a suitable habitat for them. Fortunately, the laboratory was not lacking in poisons and related flora, so this shouldn't be difficult to manage. He could even plant some rare plants that lived in symbiosis with Wyverns for his potion experiments.

Sli soon brought back fresh meat. Fearing the Wyverns' poison, he didn't dare to approach, though Aldas was very interested in the toxicity of these two Magic Beasts. While Chen Rui was busy setting up a temporary nest for the Wyverns, the palace guard captain, Kagulon, arrived and handed a leather bag to Chen Rui, which contained eleven Vine Stones.

Chen Rui was overjoyed and quickly thanked him. Kagulon glanced in surprise at the two Wyverns in the distance, which were completely unrestrained, but he didn't say anything, gave a slight nod, and left the laboratory.

Under Aldas's guidance and Sli's busy work, the Wyverns' nest was finally completed. After soothing Kegu and Mengda, Chen Rui hurried back to his room and began his impatient Aura Conversion.

When the last Vine Stone turned into powder, Chen Rui's status was:

Title: Star-Wielder

Evolution Level: One-Star

Experience Value: 1%

Spirit Energy Value: 2224

Overall Strength Rating: E

A medium-quality Vine Stone could provide about 100–150 points of spirit energy, and high-quality ones might double that. According to this calculation, if those sixty highest-quality Vine Stones arrived, his total Spirit Energy Value could very likely approach twenty thousand!

Chen Rui immediately entered the Super System and arrived at the Star God Temple. His gaze fell on the "Buildings" light screen, and three activatable temple building models immediately appeared. His current spirit energy was relatively abundant, so he began to rack his brain regarding this.

The Exchange Center was equivalent to a shop, and activation required 1000 Spirit Energy Value. If he were to exchange, he estimated that the remaining 1000-plus spirit energy wouldn't be enough to buy anything good, and he always needed to keep some spirit energy in reserve. For now, he wouldn't consider it and would wait until those sixty Vine Stones arrived.

Chen Rui was somewhat conflicted about the remaining two buildings. He had always coveted the kind of storage equipment Alice had. This Storage Warehouse was equivalent to a high-level portable spatial item, and it could automatically upgrade and expand its capacity. It also required the least spirit energy to activate, only 500. Although the Training Ground was twice as expensive, it was equally indispensable as it could assist in cultivation and training.

However, these two buildings added up to only 1500 points. Looking at his 2000-plus points of spirit energy, Chen Rui suddenly had the urge to activate both. After thinking about it, he decided to activate the Training Ground first to see how things went, and if conditions permitted, he would then activate the Storage Warehouse.

Chen Rui chose to confirm the activation of the Training Ground. The model immediately turned into stardust and scattered. At the same time, an identical building appeared on the open ground outside the main hall, faintly exuding an aura of killing intent. With a thought, Chen Rui traveled from his throne to the entrance of the building. The doors opened automatically, and after walking inside, he found an endless flat plain, as if he had arrived in another space.

A blue light screen appeared, detailing the functions and prices of the Training Ground. There were several types of rules to choose from for the Training Ground, each requiring the consumption of corresponding spirit energy.

The first type of rule was the time multiplier, which was the difference between the time in the Training Ground and real time. 2:1 meant two days in the Training Ground were equivalent to one day in reality, 5:1 meant five days, and so on. There were three levels in total.

This function was very tempting, but the price made Chen Rui gasp. The price for 2:1 was 2000 spirit energy per day, 5:1 was 5000 spirit energy per day, 10:1 was 10,000 spirit energy per day, and 100:1 was 100,000 spirit energy per day.

The second type of rule was gravity: two times gravity was 2000 spirit energy per day, four times was 4000, eight times was 8000...

The third type of rule was the environment, including volcanoes, glaciers, the seabed, jungles, and more, with a price of 1000 spirit energy per day.

For the above rules, any period less than a day was charged as a full day.

These training conditions could be stacked; for example, one could simultaneously choose a volcano scene with ten times gravity and a time multiplier of 5:1.

The functions of the Training Ground could be said to be very, very powerful, making Chen Rui drool with envy. The problem was, it was too expensive! He only had 1224 points of spirit energy left, which wasn't enough to do anything. It seemed he would have to find a way to increase his consumption capital first. The most effective way was to earn Magic Crystal Coins to buy magic materials like Vine Stones.

Of course, he couldn't buy them at Joseph's black shop, which was expensive enough to kill, but would have to choose other channels. When it came to doing business and making money, Chen Rui was naturally much more adept than at cultivation, especially in this Demon Realm where commerce was relatively backward. There was no choice; he was being forced to become a merchant!

Chen Rui exited the Super System and finally made up his mind: from today on, he would be a money-grubber! Everything for the sake of spirit energy! PS: During the new book period, I need to climb the rankings. If you have the means, please cast your recommendation votes after 12:00 AM and leave a comment in the book review section. All posts will be featured as a token of my appreciation. Thank you!