Mountain River Secret Realm

B-rank skill card.

And it's a self-selected one.

No Beast Tamer could resist such a temptation.

According to Wu Xiaoqing, this Vermilion Bird Manure Soil was outside the safety zone, which was why Wu Xiaoqing disagreed with Zhou Lu's plan.

The safety zone was an official benefit. No matter what level of secret realm it was, as long as it was a safety zone, it would have been cleared of all fierce Spirit Beasts by the Pioneer Army before being opened.

Coupled with the protection of the safety officers, it was already a relatively safe exploration environment for students.

But by the same logic, areas cleared by the Pioneer Army were naturally unlikely to contain rare and valuable materials.

The most valuable would be Spirit Beasts like the Ghost Face Nightmare Butterfly.

If you wanted to find truly rare materials, or more powerful Spirit Pets, you had to leave the protection of the safety zone.

Just like investing, safety and high returns could not coexist.

Wu Xiaoqing seemed to see through Zhou Lu's thoughts. Although she didn't know why Zhou Lu was so insistent on finding the Vermilion Bird Manure Soil himself, she still respected his wishes:

"If you're really planning to go, then I'll go with you. At least I can protect your safety."

Her teacher, Zhou Minghai, had shown her great kindness.

If it weren't for Zhou Minghai's support and training, she would probably be a Beast Tamer training teacher in a remote small town by now.

"Thank you," Zhou Lu said gratefully.

With that, Zhou Lu prepared to take his leave.

Before coming here, he had already accepted a mission at the academy, a task to catch birds in the Mountain River Secret Realm.

"I have plans with the Class Monitor and the others, so I'll be going now," Zhou Lu said to Wu Xiaoqing, glancing at the time.

With that, Huohuo quickly scurried out of the laboratory, arching its body.

Although it was very interested in the red soil in the bottle, it felt guilty after taking so many mushrooms.

After Zhou Lu and Huohuo left, Wu Xiaoqing looked at the mushroom patch that Huohuo had once again messed up and gave a wry smile, "This guy, really..."

Saying that, she turned her gaze back to the unnamed red soil.

Evolution material for Huohuo...

Zhou Lu was traveling to the Mountain River Secret Realm this time with Xu Wuhu and Li Yi.

If it weren't for Li Yi, Zhou Lu might not have been able to snatch the mission to capture the little mountain sparrow.

Xu Wuhu and Li Yi were not going to the Mountain River Secret Realm for training; they were going to the secret realm as newcomers for the School Team.

"When did you guys join the School Team?" Zhou Lu asked, surprised to hear their purpose.

"The Class Monitor was specially recruited, and I got in through connections," Li Yi said directly.

Well, as expected of the son of a major tech company, he could really find connections everywhere.

Zhou Lu wasn't surprised by Xu Wuhu's special recruitment. As the only two who scored perfect marks in the initial combat assessment, they were naturally favored by the School Team.

"So, it's you two who are going to the appointment?"

"There are three other classmates, all newcomers from the same batch," Xu Wuhu introduced. "After all, the other side is also sending newcomers."

In fact, the New An School Team accepting the challenge also had some considerations.

Both sides wanted to use this challenge to observe the level of the other party's next batch of newcomers.

"Alright," Zhou Lu said, holding Huohuo and taking a sip of tea.

Li Yi asked curiously, "Aren't you joining the School Team, Zhou Lu?"

Zhou Lu shook his head. "Not interested for now. I prefer the feeling of adventuring and exploring alone in the secret realms."

"What a shame," Xu Wuhu said. "I wasn't planning to join the School Team either, but my older brother still advised me to. Even if I plan to join the Pioneer Army in the future, I still have to participate in academy competitions and perform as well as possible."

"Why?" Li Yi asked curiously.

"That way, I'll be more noticeable when I enlist after graduation," Xu Wuhu said, though he was somewhat reluctant. He was a practical person, but he had to listen to his brother. "In this era, without traffic and popularity, you won't be able to grab resources. My brother and the others aren't planning to provide me with any extra help."

Zhou Lu didn't continue to engage in the conversation.

There were still two or three years until graduation. He didn't know how much he would grow by then, and he might even be exempt from the official compulsory service.

"When we catch the little mountain sparrow, lend me Sticky Baby," Zhou Lu said to Li Yi.

Huohuo immediately excitedly waved at Sticky Baby.

Sticky Baby, which was perched on Li Yi's head, shivered, and its entire body shrank by a circle.

"Sure, sure, I'll lend it to you," Li Yi said, laughing heartily.

Sticky Baby angrily extended its tentacles and covered Li Yi's eyes.

"Don't be so clingy, Sticky Baby," Li Yi said with a smile.

I don't think it's being clingy...

"Ah! My eyebrows! My eyelashes!" Li Yi screamed shortly after. "Quick! Help me pull off this Sticky Baby!"

"..."

A few minutes later, Li Yi, with all the hair on his face shaved off, dejectedly returned to his seat.

He poked the listless Sticky Baby in his arms. "Is Sticky Baby sick?"

Huohuo looked at Li Yi with great surprise.

Wow~! What a shiny head!

Zhou Lu, who had a faint suspicion of the truth, said guiltily, "Then I won't borrow it. Just give me some of the Sticky Baby's slime."

Huohuo raised its tender sprout and volunteered, "I can go get it myself!"

Zhou Lu glared at Huohuo impatiently. "If I let you go, you'll just squeeze all of Sticky Baby dry again!"

Huohuo shrunk back, feeling wronged.

Arriving at the Explorer Association, there were many more students going to the Mountain River Secret Realm this time, so the teachers required students to form teams. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough Safety Officers.

"Why are there so many people?" Zhou Lu muttered speechlessly.

"They're all here to watch the excitement," Li Yi said, standing in the crowd and pointing towards the Secret Realm's gate in the distance. "Many people saw the School Team's challenge."

"So many Academic Credits," Zhou Lu exclaimed, clutching his over one hundred Academic Credits.

However, he really needed to consider how to use his Academic Credits. Perhaps he could buy some materials.

"There aren't enough Safety Officers, so we need to form teams of three," Xu Wuhu walked over and asked Zhou Lu, "Do you want to join us?"

Zhou Lu inquired about the location of their challenge. It was at the summit of a cliff he had chosen. "Sure. I'll catch little mountain sparrows on the cliff face then."

After confirming their team, the remaining process was the same as before.

The teleportation light faded, and the Mountain River Secret Realm, filled with mountains and rivers, appeared before Zhou Lu.

Bare stone walls stood tall on the earth, like the barbs of a hedgehog, stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see.

"Those guys from Linzhou don't seem to have arrived yet," Xu Wuhu observed, looking around.

However, many students from Linzhou Beast Taming Academy were already present. It seemed they were also here to watch the competition.

As expected of their "ancient feud," the students from both sides became hostile the moment they met.

Zhou Lu, with plenty of leisure time, chatted with the Safety Teacher for this trip. "Do you really only intervene at the very last moment?"

"Yes. Getting injured is unavoidable," the Safety Teacher advised Zhou Lu. "So, you still need to consider your own safety when you act. Don't wait until you're permanently bedridden to regret it."

"You can really save us anytime?"

"Yes, we can!"

"In any situation?"

"Don't question my professional competence!"

Zhou Lu nodded very seriously. "I understand, Teacher."

With that, Zhou Lu, holding Huohuo, arrived at the edge of the cliff.

Looking down at the bottomless cliff, Zhou Lu took a deep breath and said to Huohuo in his arms, "It's all up to you from here on."

What is he doing?

The Safety Teacher looked at Zhou Lu's actions with some confusion.

Then...

Zhou Lu put Huohuo down and leaped off the cliff.

His movements were decisive and fluid, completely stunning the Safety Teacher.

What the hell did you understand?!

Tuesday is a fight to the death! Everyone must follow along! Please!

Without follow-up, there are no recommendations. I'm trying to compete with fast-paced books like High Martial Arts and Demon Slaying, and it's too difficult OTZ.

If I can successfully advance this time, I'll update ten thousand words a day as repayment!