End of Training

Chapter 35: End of Training

The Seal's location was even more troublesome than Meow Meow had imagined.

It wasn't at the center of the Poison Array, nor beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, but in an unremarkable mountain gully on the outskirts of the Poison Mist.

There was no water in the gully.

Yet the ground was perpetually damp.

A layer of black mud seeped out from the cracks in the rock, faintly carrying the smell of blood.

Meow Meow stood on a stone, looking down at that patch of mud, his gaze slightly cold.

"This is the Seal."

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

"No."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"It's just a crack."

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

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

Numb Tail took a step back.

He was usually greedy, but he wasn't stupid—this thing clearly wasn't edible.

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

Around the mountain gully, there were seven Bug Luring Nails in total.

Each nail was buried deep, wrapped in the array patterns of the Black Eagle Family.

These patterns were slowly pulling at the Seal, drawing the Black Water pollution toward the Poison Array.

If Meow Meow hadn't come early, in a few more days, a breach would have opened on the outskirts of the Poison Mist.

Then the Black Water would follow Dugu Bo's Poison Array and burrow inward, 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 kittens immediately stood straight.

"Your final trial."

"I'll suppress the Seal. You go pull out three Bug Luring Nails."

Numb Tail's eyes widened slightly.

"Three?"

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"It's not like I'm asking you to pull all three by yourself."

Numb Tail breathed a sigh of relief.

White Dew nodded seriously.

Gray Ear had already begun observing the route.

Meow Meow added, "Remember, once the nails break, the insect swarm underground will definitely stir."

"Don't try to be heroes."

"If you can't hold on, call out."

Numb Tail muttered, "Will Little Master come if we call?"

"I will."

Meow Meow finished, then added another sentence.

"But think before you call."

Numb Tail nodded immediately.

White Dew and Gray Ear also murmured their agreement.

Meow Meow raised a paw.

The Calming Bell chimed softly, and the Purifying Holy Fire fell into the Seal.

The black mud instantly churned.

As if something had been scalded awake, a dense, rustling crawling sound filled the mountain gully.

The three kittens didn't wait any longer.

White Dew ran toward the east.

Gray Ear took the west.

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

It started off smoothly enough.

White Dew shielded herself with Holy Fire, dodging the small black bugs crawling out of the ground, pressing her claws against the Bug Luring Nail and gritting her teeth as she pulled.

Gray Ear was the fastest, using tree trunks to pivot several times, evading the flying insects and heading straight for the weak point in the formation.

Numb Tail, meanwhile, crouched beside the Bug Luring Nail, first digging at the dirt with his claws.

After digging, he found he couldn't pull it out.

He lowered his head and bit down.

Crack.

His tooth nearly chipped.

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

Meow Meow was staring at the Seal, ignoring him.

Numb Tail could only keep digging, feeling wronged.

After a while, he suddenly noticed a thin strand of soul power beside the Bug Luring Nail.

Numb Tail's eyes lit up.

He stopped pulling the nail and lunged straight for the strand, biting it apart.

The formation patterns on the Bug Luring Nail instantly dimmed.

Numb Tail hugged the nail and rolled, somehow managing to drag it out.

"Meow!"

Numb Tail let out an excited cry.

Hearing this, Meow Meow's mouth twitched slightly.

Not bad.

He knew not to keep bashing his head against the wall.

But the moment the three Bug Luring Nails broke, the Black Water inside the Seal erupted violently.

The ground split open in succession.

One black beetle after another crawled out from the cracks.

These beetles were larger than the ones from the Lowland earlier, their carapaces marked with dark red patterns.

They weren't ordinary Pollution soul beasts—they were the swarm guarding the Seal.

White Dew was surrounded first.

She held up a ring of Holy Fire, her small face tense.

Gray Ear rushed to help, but halfway there, a long black worm burst from underground.

It looked like a snake and a centipede combined, its body covered in tiny bone spikes.

It opened its mouth and spat a glob of Black Water. Gray Ear dodged quickly but was forced back beside White Dew.

Seeing this, Numb Tail hugged the Bug Luring Nail and ran back.

After a few steps, the mud beneath him suddenly churned, and a large beetle emerged from the ground, blocking his path.

Numb Tail froze.

He looked left and right.

White Dew and Gray Ear were surrounded.

Meow Meow was still suppressing the Seal.

In front of him was a beetle.

Behind him were beetles too.

Numb Tail's little head swiveled around, and he finally reached a conclusion.

He was done for.

"Meow..."

He let out a small cry.

No cat paid him any attention.

The beetle charged at him.

Numb Tail gritted his teeth and swung the Bug Luring Nail like a club.

Thud.

The beetle was fine.

The Bug Luring Nail bent.

Numb Tail was sent rolling again by the recoil.

This time, though, it no longer felt afraid.

It had already taken the beating anyway.

Clutching the bent Bug Luring Nail, it swung at the Beetle's eye.

The blow landed by chance, and the Beetle let out a piercing shriek.

Numb Tail immediately darted away to the side.

But the next moment, more swarms of bugs surfaced from the mud.

White Dew's Holy Fire began to weaken.

Gray Ear had picked up a few more scrapes on his body.

Numb Tail was forced back against the stone wall, its tail bristling.

From deep within the Seal, a low roar suddenly rang out.

A Black Water Bone Centipede of thirty-thousand-year grade emerged halfway from the crack.

Its skull was like a blade, and its eyes blazed with black light.

The fur on all three of White Dew's kittens stood on end at once.

This was not something they could handle.

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

Gray Ear tried to block it, but a swarm of Beetles held him back.

Numb Tail charged forward two steps, only to be driven back by the black water.

White Dew watched the Bone Centipede drawing closer and finally couldn't hold back her shout.

"Little Master!"

Gray Ear also cried out urgently: "Help!"

Numb Tail joined in: "Little Master, Numb Tail doesn't want to turn into bug food!"

As those words fell.

The Calming Bell rang.

Ding.

The entire ravine suddenly fell silent.

The surging black water froze midair.

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

The Beetles buzzing around Gray Ear's side halted.

The poisonous drip falling above Numb Tail's head congealed into a round black bead.

Meow Meow slowly turned around.

"Good thing you called out not too late."

The three kittens stood perfectly still.

Not because they didn't want to move.

But because they were pinned down by Time Stop.

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

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

Then he walked over to Gray Ear and brushed aside a Beetle that was about to bite Gray Ear's ear.

"Good reflexes, but too hasty."

Finally, he came to Numb Tail.

Looking at Numb Tail with its mouth open, on the verge of crying but not quite, Meow Meow couldn't help but laugh.

"You were the clearest caller of all."

With that, Meow Meow withdrew his paw.

Holy Fire spread out from beneath his feet.

The platinum-white flames did not burn the ravine, but precisely drilled into every mutated bug's body.

The black qi was pulled out bit by bit.

The ordinary Beetles, after being purified, fell unconscious one after another.

The Bone Centipede struggled the hardest, but under the dual suppression of Time Stop and Holy Fire Judgment, it could only have its black markings burned away and crash heavily to the ground.

Only after all the Black Water Pollution was forced back into the Seal did Meow Meow release the Time Stop.

All three kittens collapsed at once.

White Dew's tears came streaming down.

Gray Ear also hung his head, the tips of his ears trembling.

Numb Tail directly hugged Meow Meow's hind paw and burst into loud sobs.

"Numb Tail almost didn't make it!"

Meow Meow: "..."

That was true enough.

"Alright, alright."

Meow Meow lifted a paw and pressed it on Numb Tail's head.

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

Numb Tail sniffled.

"Numb Tail did call out."

"Mm, very loudly."

Numb Tail wailed even louder.

White Dew also walked over with red-rimmed eyes, speaking softly: "Little Master, I failed to hold the line just now."

"You held it."

Meow Meow looked at her.

"You at least protected Gray Ear and yourself."

Gray Ear pressed his lips together.

"I didn't find a way to break the situation."

"You did."

"What?"

"You knew to call me."

Gray Ear: "..."

Numb Tail's crying paused for a moment.

White Dew was also stunned.

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

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

"What you need to learn isn't to never ask for help."

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

The three little cats slowly quieted down.

Meow Meow continued:

"As for today's battle, consider it passed."

"The Bug Luring Nail is pulled out."

"The Seal has been found."

"And you held against the swarm."

"As for not being able to beat the Bone Centipede, that's not your problem."

Numb Tail whispered: "Is it the Bone Centipede's problem?"

Meow Meow glanced at him.

"It's this Meow's arrangement problem."

Numb Tail: "..."

He didn't dare to respond.

But Meow Meow didn't scold further.

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

A faint wisp of the Holy Fire Mark sank into their bodies.

"This is the Purifying Soul Fire Seal."

"In the future, if you encounter Black Water Pollution, it can protect you for a while."

"If you can't hold on, I can also find you faster."

The three little cats' eyes lit up.

Numb Tail touched his forehead.

"Does that mean Numb Tail is stronger now?"

"No."

Meow Meow was very calm.

"It's just that they're less likely to be polluted."

Numb Tail looked a little disappointed.

But White Dew bowed seriously.

Gray Ear also lowered his head.

Seeing this, Meow Meow's heart softened slightly.

Bringing little cats along was indeed troublesome.

But these little ones were growing fast.

He finally understood that he couldn't do everything alone as a cat.

For the cat clan to stand on its own, these little ones had to know the dangers—and how to face them.

He just couldn't be too harsh.

Too harsh, and they'd get scared stupid.

Meow Meow looked at the Seal.

After pulling out the three Bug Luring Nails just now, the Seal was already exposed.

Black water was still seeping out.

It had to be sealed immediately.

He swept his claw and brought out the Ten Thousand Array Diagram.

The diagram turned into a patch of gray-white array patterns, covering the mountain gully.

The Calming Bell hung in midair, emitting a faint chime.

The Purifying Holy Fire probed down along the crack.

Soon, a dull thud came from deep within the Seal.

Like something had been burned and hurt.

Meow Meow's gaze sharpened.

"So something really is watching this place."

White Dew and the other two tensed up immediately.

"Don't move."

Meow Meow didn't let them participate further.

What he had to deal with now wasn't a trial—it was a real Seal.

One after another, streams of holy fire descended.

The Ten Thousand Array Diagram channeled the terrain, pressing the rock walls on both sides of the gully toward the crack.

The Cat Net nodes emitted a faint glow, sending the purified aura back toward Heaven Dou bit by bit, forming a stable resonance.

The black water inside the Seal churned unwillingly, but was suppressed by the Calming Bell.

Finally, Meow Meow took out a drop of Life Creation Liquid. After a moment's hesitation, he still dripped it into the array's center.

The black water didn't deserve this thing.

But the Seal needed stability.

After the Creation Liquid fell, fine grass roots began to sprout along the edges of the crack.

The roots burrowed into the stone crevices, like a net, firmly stitching together the crack that had been cleansed by the holy fire.

The black water aura gradually faded.

The once gloomy mountain gully slowly returned to the ordinary poisonous plant atmosphere of the Sunset Forest.

Meow Meow let out a breath.

"It's sealed."

The three little cats also sighed in relief.

Numb Tail asked quietly, "Will it crack open again here in the future?"

"It will."

Meow Meow didn't lie to them.

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

"But at least for a hundred years, there won't be any major problems."

A hundred years.

A long time for an ordinary Soul Master.

For Meow Meow, it wasn't exactly short.

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

Also enough for him to arrange the threads in Heavenly Dou and Martial Soul Hall.

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

This time, more obvious than before.

Meow Meow turned his head, looking toward the Poison Mist.

An old man in a green robe stood within the mist, his figure gaunt, his gaze cold and sinister.

Dugu Bo.

White Dew and the other two little ones tensed instantly.

But Meow Meow wasn't panicked.

Right now, he was disguised as an ordinary thousand-year soul beast, with the Calming Bell masking him further.

Dugu Bo might not be able to see through him.

Still, Dugu Bo had definitely noticed some things.

Like the Holy Fire.

Like the formation.

Like the mountain gully that had just been sealed.

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

"This old man never expected to find a cat in the Sunset Forest that knows how to set up formations."

Meow Meow blinked.

He didn't speak right away.

Dugu Bo then looked at the insect carcasses on the ground, his expression darkening.

"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's focus a bit off?

White Dew and Gray Ear also snuck a glance at Meow Meow.

Numb Tail, meanwhile, really wanted to say that the Little Master could not only talk, but also train cats.

Meow Meow didn't explain much. He just lifted a paw and pointed at the Seal.

"Someone wants to corrupt your Poison Array."

Dugu Bo's expression shifted.

"My Poison Array?"

He looked toward the mountain gully, his gaze turning more dangerous.

The Poison Douluo didn't care about many things.

But anyone who dared to touch his Medicine Garden—he cared about that a lot.

Meow Meow felt this was something he could exploit.

"Black Eagle Family."

"Prince Xue Xing."

"Black Water."

Three sentences finished, and Dugu Bo's face turned completely ugly.

"Xue Xing?"

Meow Meow nodded.

Dugu Bo was silent for a moment.

He didn't fully trust this cat.

But the Black Water aura around the just-sealed gully was indeed not his poison.

And these mutated insects weren't normal Sunset Forest soul beasts either.

"What do you want?"

Dugu Bo asked.

Meow Meow's ear twitched.

This Old Poison was very direct.

Good.

"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 dares."

Dugu Bo: "?"

Meow Meow paused.

Damn.

Spoke too fast.

Tang San hadn't arrived yet.

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

He could only cough once.

"I mean, someone will dare eventually."

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes.

"What do you know?"

Meow Meow knew a lot, of course.

But couldn't say it all at once.

"You have poison on you."

Dugu Bo snorted coldly.

"This old man is the Poison Douluo, of course I have poison."

"Not that kind."

Meow Meow looked at him.

"You've been poisoned."

Dugu Bo's expression changed instantly.

This time, it wasn't a sneer.

It was real killing intent.

White Dew and the three kittens were almost driven back by that killing intent.

Meow Meow raised a paw, Holy Fire shielding them.

Dugu Bo stared at Meow Meow.

"Say that again."

Meow Meow didn't retreat.

"You've been poisoned."

"Your granddaughter is also poisoned."

As these words fell, the killing intent in Dugu Bo's eyes grew heavier.

But beneath the killing intent, there was also a trace of shock.

Few people knew the truth about his poison.

Even fewer about Yan Yan.

How did this cat know?

Meow Meow knew he couldn't keep provoking him.

"I can help you."

Dugu Bo was silent.

Meow Meow added another sentence.

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

Dugu Bo sneered.

"So that's it."

"You went through all this trouble just for 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 the same as the Black Eagle Family's thievery.

He was here to save the day.

And take a little something on the side.

At most, a little something.

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

Dugu Bo's eye twitched.

Those were arrogant words.

Yet he didn't immediately refute them.

Because in that instant of Time Stop just now, he had vaguely sensed something.

He couldn't tell exactly what method it was, but it was definitely no ordinary soul beast.

This cat was very off.

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

Dugu Bo asked.

Meow Meow neither admitted nor denied it.

"I'm a cat."

Dugu Bo: "..."

That answer was the same as no answer.

Dugu Bo glanced at White Dew and the other two kittens, then looked at the sealed-off mountain gully.

He was silent for a long time.

Finally, he said, "Follow me."

White Dew and Gray Ear exchanged a look.

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

Dugu Bo paused mid-step.

Meow Meow's expression didn't change.

"No."

Numb Tail let out a breath of relief.

Dugu Bo said coldly, "If it weren't for the fact that you just sealed that damned thing, I'd poison you mute right now."

Numb Tail immediately shut up.

Meow Meow found it a little amusing.

These three little ones needed a scare.

Otherwise, they wouldn't understand what a Title Douluo really meant.

But he didn't follow Dugu Bo right away. Instead, he turned to look at White Dew and the other two.

"Your training trip ends here."

White Dew froze.

Gray Ear looked up too.

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

"No more following."

Meow Meow said.

"I'm going into the Poison Douluo's Medicine Garden next. It's not suitable for you in there."

"Besides, you've had enough scares for today."

White Dew's eyes instantly turned red.

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

Numb Tail immediately hugged Meow Meow's tail.

"Numb Tail isn't leaving."

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

Here we go again.

"I'm not sending you back to the cat clan."

"I'm just telling you to go to Heavenly Dou City and wait for me."

Numb Tail asked, "Really?"

"Really."

"How many days?"

"A few days to a few months."

Numb Tail's expression shifted.

"A few months!"

Meow Meow gave a light cough.

"It won't be too long."

White Dew looked seriously at Meow Meow.

"Will Little Master come back?"

Meow Meow looked at her.

"Yes."

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

"Mm."

Meow Meow raised a paw and tapped each of the three kittens on the forehead.

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

"When you get back, Da Hei will arrange for you to continue learning the basics."

"Don't just be afraid of what you've been through. Take your time to understand it."

Numb Tail sniffled.

"Numb Tail understands."

"What do you understand?"

"Call Little Master first next time."

Meow Meow: "..."

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

Meow Meow pressed a paw to his forehead.

"It's assess first, then act, and only call if you can't handle it."

Numb Tail nodded.

"Mm, assess first."

Meow Meow wasn't sure he'd really remembered.

But it was still progress.

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

Meow Meow focused his thoughts.

The power of the Holy Fire and the Calming Bell intertwined, forming a small white cat phantom.

The phantom was only the size of a palm, round and plump, lying by White Dew's paw.

"This is Purring Shadow."

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

"When you're scared, it will purr for a while."

White Dew was stunned.

Numb Tail immediately leaned in.

"Can it talk?"

"No."

"Can it tell stories?"

"No."

"Will it give out food?"

"Even less."

Numb Tail looked disappointed.

Meow Meow added, "But it will supervise your training."

Numb Tail froze solid.

White Dew, however, gently picked up Purring Shadow.

"Thank you, Little Master."

Gray Ear also murmured his thanks.

Meow Meow waved a paw.

"No need for such formalities."

Just then, the people from the Crown Prince's Mansion had already drawn near.

Gray Ear turned first.

White Dew held Purring Shadow in her arms, following behind.

Numb Tail took two steps, then looked back once.

Only when the three little cats' figures had vanished into the forest did Meow Meow withdraw his gaze.

Dugu Bo stood at the edge of the Poison Mist, glancing at him.

"You're quite like a human."

Meow Meow turned his head.

"You're the one who's like a human."

Dugu Bo: "..."

This cat really knew how to choke a conversation.

But he didn't dwell on it.

"Let's go."

"This old man wants to see whether you, a cat who can set up formations and talk, can actually cure my poison."

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"And I'll take a look at your Medicine Garden while I'm at it."

Dugu Bo snorted coldly.

"This old man will warn you now—touch anything in the Medicine Garden without permission, and don't blame me for turning hostile."

Meow Meow nodded obediently.

"I won't touch anything."

Dugu Bo had just relaxed a little.

Then Meow Meow added, "I'll just identify them first."

Dugu Bo: "..."

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

The Poison Mist slowly parted.

Meow Meow followed Dugu Bo into its depths.

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