Encounter (33)

Why?

Even though Huohuo was his own Spirit Pet, when it pulled out more than a dozen Thunder Pattern Saffron Fruits, he still could not help but wonder.

Others might search a secret realm for one or two years without finding a single Thunder Pattern Saffron Fruit, which had kept their market price stubbornly high.

At one point, they had even been driven up to five hundred thousand apiece.

In modern beast taming, the most frightening thing was not high prices, but being unable to find something even if one was willing to pay a high price.

Thunder Pattern Saffron Fruits were a classic example.

Their rarity had directly caused the decline of several Electric-Type Spirit Beasts that used them as Evolution Materials.

Huohuo had obtained so many fruits so easily that Zhou Lu even suspected it had been swindled.

Or that someone was trying to swindle him.

"How did you get these?" Zhou Lu crouched down, stroked Huohuo's flowerpot, and asked.

Huohuo confusedly straightened its flowerpot, then pulled out a mushroom from inside it: I traded this for them!

Purple Lightning Spray Mushroom.

Wu Xiaoqing's introduction immediately flashed through Zhou Lu's mind.

Inedible. It could be used as a stun gun when necessary, but it would electrocute its user as well.

"Xiao Xi said this seems to be the primary material for some Electric-Type Spirit Beasts to evolve to the third tier. The original species is extinct. I never expected to create one through Special Evolution," Wu Xiaoqing had said at the time.

Special Evolution could change a Spirit Beast's race.

Sometimes, it created an entirely new race. Other times, it created an existing one.

If it was an existing race, that meant an original species existed.

Huohuo's Special Evolution was the same. Its Special Evolution target, the Nine Lives Immortal Grass, had an original species, though it had gone extinct.

It was precisely because the Nine Lives Immortal Grass had gone extinct that the immortals of old had painstakingly sought alternatives, leading to the Special Evolution route of the Dream Rain Flower.

But... the materials Huohuo needed for its Special Evolution were obviously extremely precious. That was likely why the route had ultimately failed to become widespread.

It seemed the Purple Lightning Spray Mushroom Huohuo had given away was probably the primary material for the Thunder Pattern Soursop Tree's evolution, which was why it had given Huohuo so many fruits in return.

Sister Xiaoqing, you truly were worthy of being my future guide.

Zhou Lu sighed inwardly.

The Thunder Pattern Saffron Fruits were merely an unexpected gain. After having Huohuo put them away, Zhou Lu continued onward.

Jade Snails generally moved around near flowing water.

Within the safe zone, the only flowing water was the stream descending from Xinbai Mountain.

Though the paths constantly changed under the activity of Plant Spirit Beasts, once he had confirmed the direction, he quickly found the stream.

Bang!

Bang!

As Zhou Lu approached the stream, he immediately heard impacts mixed into the sound of rushing water, along with the faint sounds of Beast Tamers giving commands.

Someone had arrived first.

Zhou Lu immediately became wary.

Although those operating in the safe zone were all students, they were not necessarily from the same academy.

As an area under the Pioneer Army's jurisdiction, students from any Beast Taming Academy could enter with their student IDs.

Besides, even students from the same academy were competitors once they entered the safe zone. Otherwise, there would not be so many quarrels on the forums.

Through the gaps between the trees, Zhou Lu saw two Beast Tamers operating by the stream.

Judging from the school badges on their chests, they were not students from Xin'an Beast Taming Academy.

The two directed their respective Spirit Pets as they slaughtered Jade Snails by the stream.

Behind them lay a large pile of snail shells and Red Jade Orbs.

Zhou Lu frowned but said nothing. Though he had no intention of going on a killing spree, he was not much nobler than these people when he had come for White Jade Snail Shells and Red Jade Orbs himself.

I didn't want to stir up trouble...

Zhou Lu took a deep breath and stepped out from the woods.

Upon seeing a stranger appear, the two who had been acting almost immediately stopped what they were doing.

"Senior brothers," Zhou Lu said as politely as possible. "I'd like a Jade Snail shell. Could you make an exception?"

There was more than one Jade Snail population in the safe zone, but Zhou Lu did not want to waste too much time on this.

He was still thinking of gathering other materials to earn back the Academic Credits from this trip.

Uh, it seemed the Thunder Pattern Saffron Fruits had already paid for it...

"Xin'an Beast Taming Academy?" The other party glanced at Zhou Lu's school badge, their expressions immediately turning unfriendly.

Only then did Zhou Lu get a clear look at their school badges.

Linzhou Beast Taming Academy.

Damn! He had run into their mortal enemies!

The two sides were famously bitter rivals in the Beast Taming Academy League.

If Zhou Lu remembered correctly, Linzhou Beast Taming Academy's decade without a championship seemed to have been caused by Xin'an Beast Taming Academy.

"School Team?" One of them glanced at Huohuo beside Zhou Lu, and his expression immediately turned arrogant.

"I have no plans to join the School Team." Zhou Lu silently gave Huohuo the command to prepare for battle.

"Junior brother, it's not that we seniors don't want to help you." One of them raised the corner of his mouth. "It's just that secret realms have always followed the rule that the strong devour everything."

Zhou Lu frowned slightly. The Beast Tamer Code required Beast Tamers in secret realms to help one another.

Of course, he had never expected everyone to follow the code.

"I've never heard of such a rule."

"You have now!"

As the man's words fell, he swept his right hand upward. The Water Leap Frog at his side fired a Water Cannon straight at Zhou Lu's face.

The School Team seniors had been defeated by Xin'an Beast Taming Academy's School Team in an earlier competition, and every day during School Team training, they took their anger out on newcomers like them.

The two had been nursing a bellyful of rage these past few days with nowhere to vent it, and they had just happened to run into a Xin'an student.

A Plant Spirit Pet, and only first-tier at that. Though they had no idea how he had passed the Exploration Permit exam.

But no matter what trump cards he had, this was two against one. The advantage was theirs!

How could they possibly not make a move? If they injured a Xin'an student, perhaps they could even claim credit from their seniors!

Attacking the Beast Tamer first—he was clearly trying to seriously injure Zhou Lu.

I didn't want to fight in the first place.

Zhou Lu felt frustrated. If they did not want to give him one, then fine.

But this man clearly wanted to toy with him, and Zhou Lu could not back down.

A vine burst from the ground before Zhou Lu, then countless vines rapidly intertwined, actually weaving a shield in front of him.

This was a variant application of Huohuo's Entangling Vines.

Though at first, it had used it to make flyswatters for smacking bugs.

The vine-woven shield blocked the other party's Water Cannon. At the same time, Huohuo pulled several white mushrooms from its flowerpot and hurled them toward the opposite bank.

Watching five or six mushrooms drift lightly toward them, the other party revealed mocking smiles. "Heh, is that all you've got?"

Throwing things as an attack?

Even children didn't fight like that anymore!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The instant the white mushrooms hit the ground, smoke billowed up with the explosions.

When the smoke completely dispersed, six tall, brawny Muscle Mushrooms stood before the two men.

Mutated Enlarged Delicious Mushrooms.

They took effect the moment they hit the ground—the Pioneer Army custom edition.

The Delicious Mushrooms' bulging muscles gleamed beneath the sunlight filtering through the rainforest canopy.

"Senior brothers." Zhou Lu's voice came from the opposite side. "I originally only wanted one snail shell, but I've changed my mind."

"You were right. In a secret realm, the strong devour everything."

As he spoke, Zhou Lu gave the two a smile.

"Now... I want all your things!"

Hmm... They seemed to have forgotten that I changed its name... Oh well, let fate decide. I can't think of a better name anyway.

Third update complete. More tomorrow!

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