The Training Came to an End

Chapter 35: The Training Came to an End

The place where the seal was located was even more troublesome than Meow Meow had imagined.

It wasn't in the middle of the Poison Array, nor beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It was in an inconspicuous ravine on the outskirts of the Poison Mist.

There was no water in the ravine.

Yet the ground stayed damp all year round.

A layer of black mud seeped out from between the rocks, carrying a faint, bloody smell.

Meow Meow stood on a rock, looking down at the mud with a chilly gaze.

"This is the seal."

White Dew asked softly, "Little Master, is the Black Water Swamp beneath this?"

"No."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"It's just a crack."

"The real Black Water Swamp is still far away."

Gray Ear stared at the mud, his ears drooping slightly.

Numb Tail took a step back.

He was greedy, but he wasn't stupid. It was obvious at a glance that this stuff wasn't edible.

Meow Meow raised a paw, and the Ten Thousand Array Diagram unfolded before him.

There were seven Bug Luring Nails around the ravine.

Each Bug Luring Nail had been buried deep, with the Black Eagle Family's array markings wrapped around it.

The markings were slowly tugging at the seal, drawing the Black Water pollution toward the Poison Array.

If Meow Meow hadn't come in advance, the outer edge of the Poison Mist would have been breached in a few more days.

By then, the Black Water would seep inward through Dugu Bo's Poison Array, and even the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well might not be safe.

"You three."

Meow Meow looked at White Dew, Gray Ear, and Numb Tail.

The three little cats immediately stood at attention.

"This is your final training exercise."

"I'll hold down the seal. You go pull out three Bug Luring Nails."

Numb Tail's eyes widened slightly.

"Three?"

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"I'm not asking you to pull out all three by yourself."

Numb Tail breathed a sigh of relief.

White Dew nodded earnestly.

Gray Ear had already begun studying the route.

Meow Meow added, "Remember, as soon as a Bug Luring Nail breaks, the underground insect swarm will definitely stir."

"You don't need to push yourselves."

"Call out if you can't hold on."

Numb Tail asked softly, "If we call, will you come, Little Master?"

"Yes."

After answering, Meow Meow added, "But think first before you call."

Numb Tail nodded at once.

White Dew and Gray Ear also answered quietly.

Meow Meow raised a paw.

The Calming Bell rang softly, and the Purifying Holy Fire descended into the seal.

The black mud immediately began to churn.

As if something had been scalded awake, a faint, dense rustling came from the ravine.

The three little cats didn't wait any longer.

White Dew ran east.

Gray Ear headed west.

Numb Tail was responsible for the middle Bug Luring Nail, the shallowest one.

At first, things went smoothly.

White Dew protected herself with Holy Fire, dodged the black bugs emerging from the ground, then braced her paws against the Bug Luring Nail and gritted her teeth as she pulled.

Gray Ear was the fastest. He turned around tree trunks several times to dodge the flying insects and went straight for a weak spot in the array markings.

Numb Tail crouched beside the Bug Luring Nail and first dug at the dirt with his paws.

After digging for a while, he realized he couldn't pull it out.

So he lowered his head and bit it.

Crack.

He nearly broke a tooth.

Numb Tail's eyes reddened, and he turned to look at Meow Meow.

Meow Meow was watching the seal and paid him no attention.

Numb Tail could only keep digging, looking aggrieved.

After a while, he suddenly spotted a thin strand of Soul Power beside the Bug Luring Nail.

Numb Tail's eyes lit up.

He stopped trying to pull out the nail and lunged straight at the strand, biting through it.

The array markings on the Bug Luring Nail instantly dimmed.

Numb Tail grabbed the nail and rolled over. To his surprise, he managed to drag it out.

"Meow!"

Numb Tail cried out excitedly.

Meow Meow heard him, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Not bad.

He'd figured out not to force it.

But as soon as all three Bug Luring Nails broke, the Black Water inside the seal erupted.

The ground split open again and again.

Black beetles crawled out of the cracks, one after another.

These beetles were larger than the ones in the low-lying area, and their shells bore dark red markings.

They weren't merely Soul Beasts tainted by pollution. They were the swarm guarding the seal.

White Dew was surrounded first.

She raised a ring of Holy Fire, her little face tense.

Gray Ear rushed to help her, but before he could get halfway there, another black worm burst out of the ground.

The long worm looked like a cross between a snake and a centipede, its body covered in tiny bone spines.

It opened its mouth and spat out a ball of Black Water. Gray Ear hurriedly dodged, but was forced back beside White Dew.

Seeing this, Numb Tail ran back with the Bug Luring Nail in his arms.

After a few steps, the mud beneath him suddenly surged, and a huge beetle burrowed out of the ground, blocking his way.

Numb Tail froze.

He looked around.

White Dew and Gray Ear were surrounded.

Meow Meow was still holding down the seal.

There was a beetle in front of him.

And more beetles behind him.

Numb Tail's little head turned this way and that, and he finally came to a conclusion.

This was it.

"Meow..."

He gave a small cry.

No one answered.

The beetle charged at him.

Numb Tail gritted his teeth and swung the Bug Luring Nail at it.

Thud.

The beetle was unharmed.

The Bug Luring Nail bent.

The recoil sent Numb Tail rolling across the ground.

That blow stopped him from being afraid.

He'd already been hit anyway.

Clutching the bent Bug Luring Nail, he swung it at the beetle's eyes.

By pure luck, the blow landed. The beetle let out a piercing shriek.

Numb Tail immediately darted to the side.

But the next moment, more insects rose from the mud.

White Dew's Holy Fire began to weaken.

Gray Ear had also picked up several scrapes.

Numb Tail was driven against the rock wall, his tail sticking straight up.

A low growl suddenly came from deep within the seal.

Half the body of a thirty-thousand-year Black Water Bone Centipede emerged from the crack.

Its skull was as sharp as a blade, and its eyes glowed with black light.

The fur of all three little cats stood on end.

This was beyond their ability to handle.

The Bone Centipede raised its head and lunged at White Dew.

Gray Ear tried to block it, but a swarm of beetles stopped him.

Numb Tail ran forward for a couple of steps, then was forced back by the Black Water.

Watching the Bone Centipede draw closer, White Dew finally couldn't hold back and cried out.

"Little Master!"

Gray Ear also shouted urgently, "Help!"

Numb Tail joined in. "Little Master, Numb Tail doesn't want to become bug food!"

At that moment—

The Calming Bell rang.

Ding.

The entire ravine suddenly fell silent.

The churning Black Water stopped in midair.

The Bone Centipede froze three inches from White Dew's forehead.

The beetles flapping beside Gray Ear stopped in midair.

Even the drop of poison water falling toward Numb Tail froze into a round black bead.

Meow Meow slowly turned around.

"Good thing you called before it was too late."

The three little cats couldn't move.

Not because they didn't want to.

They were being held in place by Time Stop.

Meow Meow walked up to White Dew and raised a paw to tap the Bone Centipede in front of her forehead.

"This one's too big. You can't beat it yet."

Then he went over to Gray Ear and flicked aside a beetle that was about to bite his ear.

"Good reaction, but you were too hasty."

Finally, he went to Numb Tail.

Looking at Numb Tail with his mouth open, looking on the verge of tears but not quite crying, Meow Meow couldn't help laughing.

"You were the loudest one, at least."

With that, Meow Meow drew back his paw.

Holy Fire spread out from beneath his feet.

The platinum flames didn't burn the ravine, but precisely entered the bodies of every mutated insect.

The black aura was drawn out bit by bit.

The ordinary beetles were purified and promptly fell unconscious.

The Bone Centipede struggled the hardest, but under the combined suppression of Time Stop and Holy Fire Judgment, even it could only have the black markings burned off its body before collapsing heavily to the ground.

Only after all the Black Water pollution had been forced back into the seal did Meow Meow release Time Stop.

The three little cats collapsed at the same time.

White Dew's eyes filled with tears.

Gray Ear lowered his head, his ear tips trembling.

Numb Tail wrapped both paws around Meow Meow's hind paw and burst into tears.

"Numb Tail almost didn't make it!"

Meow Meow: "..."

That was true, too.

"Enough, enough."

Meow Meow pressed a paw on Numb Tail's head.

"Didn't I tell you to call out if you couldn't hold on?"

Numb Tail sniffled.

"Numb Tail did call out."

"Mm. You called out loud and clear."

Numb Tail cried even harder.

White Dew approached with red-rimmed eyes and said softly, "Little Master, I failed to hold my ground just now."

"You held your ground."

Meow Meow looked at her.

"At least you protected Gray Ear and yourself."

Gray Ear pursed his lips.

"I couldn't find a way to turn things around."

"You did."

"What?"

"You knew to call for me."

Gray Ear: "..."

Numb Tail's crying paused.

White Dew froze, too.

Meow Meow sat on a rock, his expression more serious than usual.

"Training isn't about sending you off to die."

"What you need to learn isn't to avoid asking for help."

"It's knowing when to hold on, when to retreat, and when to call out."

The three little cats gradually quieted down.

Meow Meow continued:

"You've passed today's trial."

"The Bug Luring Nails are out."

"We found the breach."

"And you held off the swarm."

"As for not being able to beat the Bone Centipede, that wasn't your fault."

Numb Tail asked quietly, "So it was the Bone Centipede's fault?"

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"It was this cat's fault for arranging things that way."

Numb Tail: "..."

He didn't dare say anything else.

But Meow Meow didn't scold them further.

He tapped each of the three little cats on the forehead with a paw.

A faint Holy Fire Mark entered their bodies.

"This is the Purifying Soul Fire Seal."

"It'll protect you from Black Water Pollution for a while."

"If you can't hold on, I'll be able to find you faster, too."

The three little cats' eyes lit up.

Numb Tail touched his forehead.

"Does that mean Numb Tail is stronger now?"

"No."

Meow Meow's answer was calm.

"It just means you'll be harder to pollute."

Numb Tail looked a little disappointed.

White Dew, however, bowed solemnly.

Gray Ear lowered his head as well.

Seeing them like that, Meow Meow felt a little warmth in his heart.

Looking after little cats really was a hassle.

But these little ones were growing fast.

At last, he understood that he couldn't do everything alone.

If the Cat Clan was going to stand on its own, these little ones had to learn about danger and how to face it.

He just couldn't be too harsh.

Too much pressure could scare them witless.

Meow Meow looked toward the breach.

After the three Bug Luring Nails had been pulled out, the breach had been exposed.

Black Water was still seeping out.

It had to be sealed immediately.

He waved a paw and took out the Ten Thousand Array Diagram.

The Ten Thousand Array Diagram transformed into a field of gray-white patterns that covered the ravine.

The Calming Bell hung in midair, chiming softly.

The Purifying Holy Fire crept down along the fissure.

Soon, a muffled thud came from deep within the breach.

It sounded like something had been burned and was in pain.

Meow Meow's eyes narrowed.

"So something really is watching this place."

The three little cats tensed at once.

"Don't move."

Meow Meow didn't let them take part any further.

He wasn't dealing with a trial now, but with the real breach.

Holy Fire fell in strands.

The Ten Thousand Array Diagram stirred the terrain, pressing the rock walls on either side of the ravine toward the fissure.

The Cat Net Nodes gave off a faint glow, sending the purified energy back toward Heaven Dou, one little by little, and forming a stable connection.

The Black Water in the breach churned unwillingly, but the Calming Bell held it down.

At last, Meow Meow took out a drop of Life Creation Liquid. He hesitated, then let it fall into the heart of the array.

Black Water didn't deserve this stuff.

But the breach needed to be stabilized.

After the Life Creation Liquid fell, fine grass roots began to grow along the edges of the fissure.

They burrowed into the cracks in the stone like a net, firmly stitching shut the fissure cleansed by the Holy Fire.

The Black Water's aura gradually faded.

The ravine, once cold and gloomy, slowly regained the poisonous-plant scent typical of Sunset Forest.

Meow Meow let out a breath of relief.

"It's sealed."

The three little cats relaxed, too.

Numb Tail asked softly, "Will it crack open again someday?"

"Yes."

Meow Meow didn't lie to them.

"If the source of Black Water Swamp isn't dealt with, this place is only safe for now."

"But at least nothing serious will happen here for a hundred years."

A hundred years.

That was a long time for an ordinary Soul Master.

For Meow Meow, it wasn't short, either.

At least it was long enough for him to deal with Dugu Bo and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

And long enough to make arrangements involving Heaven Dou and Spirit Hall.

Just then, that gaze came again from deep in the Poison Mist.

This time, it was much more distinct.

An old man in green robes stood in the mist, his build lean and his gaze cold.

Dugu Bo.

The three little cats—White Dew, Gray Ear, and Numb Tail—tensed instantly.

Meow Meow, however, didn't panic.

His aura was disguised as that of an ordinary thousand-year Soul Beast, and the Calming Bell was concealing him.

Dugu Bo might not see through it.

But he had certainly seen some things.

The Holy Fire.

The array.

The ravine that had just been sealed.

Dugu Bo stared at Meow Meow, then suddenly gave a cold laugh.

"I never expected there to be a cat in Sunset Forest that knew how to set up an array."

Meow Meow blinked.

He didn't answer right away.

Dugu Bo glanced at the insect corpses on the ground, his expression turning grave.

"Did you lure these things here?"

Meow Meow shook his head.

"No."

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow.

"You can talk?"

Meow Meow: "..."

Was this Old Poison getting distracted by the wrong thing?

White Dew and Gray Ear also stole glances at Meow Meow.

Numb Tail really wanted to say that Little Master could not only talk, but scold cats, too.

Meow Meow didn't explain. He simply raised a paw and pointed at the breach.

"Someone wants to pollute your Poison Array."

Dugu Bo's expression changed.

"My Poison Array?"

He looked toward the ravine, his gaze turning more dangerous.

Poison Douluo didn't care about many things.

But anyone who dared tamper with his Medicine Garden mattered a great deal to him.

Meow Meow thought he could use that.

"The Black Eagle Family."

"Prince Xue Xing."

"Black Water."

After those three words, Dugu Bo's expression turned thoroughly grim.

"Xue Xing?"

Meow Meow nodded.

Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment.

He didn't completely trust this cat.

But the Black Water aura around the breach just now had definitely not come from his poison.

And these mutated insects weren't normal Soul Beasts of Sunset Forest, either.

"What do you want?"

Dugu Bo asked.

Meow Meow's ears twitched.

Old Poison was very direct.

Not bad.

"Let's not talk about what I want yet."

"Your Medicine Garden is dangerous."

Dugu Bo sneered.

"No one dares enter my Medicine Garden."

Meow Meow looked at him.

"Tang San does."

Dugu Bo: "?"

Meow Meow paused.

Oops.

He'd let that slip.

Tang San hadn't arrived yet.

Dugu Bo naturally didn't know who Tang San was.

He could only cough.

"I mean, someone will always dare."

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes.

"What do you know?"

Meow Meow knew plenty.

But he couldn't tell him everything at once.

"You have poison in your body."

Dugu Bo snorted.

"I'm Poison Douluo. Of course I have poison in me."

"Not that kind."

Meow Meow looked at him.

"You've been poisoned."

Dugu Bo's expression changed instantly.

This time, he wasn't sneering.

He was truly murderous.

White Dew and the other two kittens nearly fled in terror at the killing intent.

Meow Meow raised a paw, shielding them with Holy Fire.

Dugu Bo stared at Meow Meow.

"Say that again."

Meow Meow didn't back down.

"You've been poisoned."

"Your granddaughter has been poisoned too."

At those words, the killing intent in Dugu Bo's eyes grew even stronger.

But beneath it, there was also a hint of shock.

Few people knew the truth about his poison.

Even fewer knew about Yan Yan.

How did this cat know?

Meow Meow knew he shouldn't provoke him any further.

"I can help you."

Dugu Bo fell silent.

Meow Meow added, "But first, you have to let me see your Medicine Garden."

Dugu Bo sneered.

"So that's what this is about."

"You went to all this trouble just to get at my Medicine Garden."

Meow Meow: "..."

That wasn't entirely unfair.

He did want to see the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

But it wasn't like the Black Eagle Family, sneaking in to steal.

He was going to save the day.

And maybe take a little something while he was at it.

Just a little.

Meow Meow said seriously, "If I wanted to take it by force, you couldn't stop me."

Dugu Bo's eyelid twitched.

That was a bold claim.

But surprisingly, he didn't refute it right away.

He'd vaguely sensed the Time Stop just moments ago.

He didn't know exactly what kind of ability it was, but this was no ordinary Soul Beast.

There was something very strange about this cat.

"Are you a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"

Dugu Bo asked.

Meow Meow neither confirmed nor denied it.

"I'm a cat."

Dugu Bo: "..."

That answer was as good as no answer at all.

Dugu Bo glanced at White Dew and the other two kittens, then at the ravine that had been sealed off.

He remained silent for a long while.

At last, he said, "Come with me."

White Dew and Gray Ear exchanged glances.

Numb Tail whispered, "Little Master, is he going to poison us to death?"

Dugu Bo stopped in his tracks.

Meow Meow kept a straight face.

"No."

Numb Tail let out a sigh of relief.

"If it weren't for you sealing that damned thing just now, I'd have poisoned you mute on the spot," Dugu Bo said coldly.

Numb Tail immediately shut up.

Meow Meow almost laughed.

The three little ones needed a scare.

Otherwise, they'd never understand what a Titled Douluo was.

But instead of following Dugu Bo right away, he turned to look at the three kittens.

"Your training is over for now."

White Dew froze.

Gray Ear looked up too.

Numb Tail whispered, "Little Master, you don't want us to follow you anymore?"

"Not this time," Meow Meow said.

"I'm going into Poison Douluo's Medicine Garden, and it isn't suitable for you."

"Besides, you've had enough scares for one day."

White Dew's eyes immediately reddened.

Gray Ear didn't cry, but his ears drooped.

Numb Tail promptly wrapped both paws around Meow Meow's tail.

"Numb Tail isn't leaving."

Meow Meow looked at the three little ones and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Here they went again.

"I'm not sending you back to the Cat Clan."

"I'm just sending you to Heaven Dou City to wait for me."

Numb Tail asked, "Really?"

"Really."

"How many days?"

"Anywhere from a few days to a few months."

Numb Tail's expression changed.

"A few months!"

Meow Meow cleared his throat.

"It won't be that long."

White Dew looked at Meow Meow earnestly.

"Will Little Master come back?"

Meow Meow looked at her.

"Yes."

Gray Ear said softly, "We'll train hard."

"Good."

Meow Meow raised a paw and tapped each of the three kittens between the eyes.

"I've left you a Holy Fire Seal."

"Once you get back, Da Hei will arrange for you to keep learning the basics."

"Don't just be afraid of what you went through today. Take your time and think it over."

Numb Tail sniffled.

"Numb Tail understands."

"What do you understand?"

"From now on, I should call for Little Master first."

Meow Meow: "..."

Gray Ear and White Dew couldn't help looking at him.

Meow Meow pressed a paw to his forehead.

"You should assess the situation first, then act. Call for help if you can't handle it."

Numb Tail nodded.

"Right. Assess the situation first."

Meow Meow wasn't sure it had sunk in.

Still, it was some progress.

He was about to ask someone from the Crown Prince's Mansion to take the three kittens away when he suddenly remembered the template... No, he remembered how badly White Dew and Numb Tail had cried just now, and his heart softened a little.

Meow Meow's thoughts stirred.

The power of Holy Fire and the Calming Bell intertwined, forming a tiny white cat-shaped image.

The image was only the size of a palm, round and plump, and curled up beside White Dew's paw.

"This is Purring Shadow."

"When you get back, put it where you sleep."

"When you're scared, it'll ring for a little while."

White Dew froze.

Numb Tail immediately crowded closer.

"Can it talk?"

"No."

"Can it tell stories?"

"No."

"Can it give us food?"

"Even less."

Numb Tail looked disappointed.

Meow Meow added, "But it can make sure you keep training."

Numb Tail went completely rigid.

White Dew, however, gently picked up Purring Shadow.

"Thank you, Little Master."

Gray Ear also thanked him in a low voice.

Meow Meow waved a paw.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony."

Just then, the people from the Crown Prince's Mansion had arrived nearby.

Gray Ear turned around first.

White Dew carried Purring Shadow and followed behind.

Numb Tail took two steps, then looked back.

Only after the three little cats had vanished among the trees did Meow Meow turn away.

Dugu Bo stood at the edge of the poisonous mist and glanced at him.

"You almost seem like a person."

Meow Meow turned his head.

"You're the one who seems like a person."

Dugu Bo: "..."

This cat really knew how to get under his skin.

But he didn't press the matter.

"Let's go."

"I want to see whether a cat who can set up formations and talk can actually cure my poison."

Meow Meow swished his tail.

"And take a look at your Medicine Garden while we're at it."

Dugu Bo gave a cold snort.

"Let me make this clear first: if you dare touch anything in the Medicine Garden without permission, don't blame me for turning against you."

Meow Meow nodded obediently.

"I won't touch anything."

Dugu Bo had just breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Meow Meow added, "I'll take a look first."

Dugu Bo: "..."

He suddenly felt that bringing this cat inside might be more trouble than letting the Black Eagle Family get close.

The poisonous mist slowly parted.

Meow Meow followed Dugu Bo inside.

Deep in Sunset Forest, the aura of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well finally entered Meow Meow's perception.