Free Web NovelChapter 157: Chapter 139: Yu Bao’s Evolutionary Secret
At 10:45 AM, Selena led Su Zhi to the meeting point for the Flying Shadow Alliance summer camp.
Compared to the other Alliance districts he had seen on the way, the architecture in the Flying Shadow Alliance’s territory was remarkably simple.
There weren’t many complex decorations or embellishments; the buildings’ forms aimed for sleek simplicity. The primary color palette was black, white, and blue, creating a crisp, professional feel.
The summer camp’s meeting point was a small plaza.
Nearly two hundred campers were already waiting in the plaza, and they’d been there for a while. Many were buzzing with curiosity: the Flying Shadow Alliance, famous for its efficiency and punctuality, was starting its summer camp late? What could have happened?
Someone mentioned seeing the guide right before they were supposed to leave. She had apparently grabbed a rather handsome young man, stuffed him into her vehicle, and driven off mysteriously. Nobody knew what they went off to do...
Hearing a fast-approaching roar, everyone turned their heads in unison.
Selena’s vehicle executed a drift, coming to a silky-smooth stop in front of the group.
Then, as everyone watched, the Cold and Refined Beauty with long, ice-blue hair stepped out on her long legs, then proceeded to haul the young man out of the passenger seat as well.
"Go join the group."
She said softly, a clear trace of satisfied pleasure on her usually cool and detached face.
And so, under the crowd’s surprised and bewildered gazes, Su Zhi, face slightly flushed, ducked his head and returned to the group, clutching Yu Bao.
The crowd’s logic was simple and straightforward. No one knew what had actually happened, but they were all certain of two things:
1. The beautiful guide took Su Zhi away by himself.
2. The beautiful guide looked completely satisfied, while Su Zhi was blushing and seemed a little shy...
What had transpired was self-evident!
"Damn, dude, you’ve got guts! I didn’t know you were into that!"
"Other guys latch onto a rich older woman at best. You’ve latched onto someone on a whole other level."
"Draw your sword! Only I am worthy of being trampled to death by Captain Sai’s high heels."
"Fake fan! Captain Sai has never worn high heels!"
"Oho? Are you blushing? Lemme see, lemme see..."
Su Zhi put on the same ’life-is-meaningless’ expression as Xiaoyue as he was surrounded and discussed by the group of jokers.
Yu Bao had no idea what was going on, but Su Zhi seemed very popular. So, he wagged his tail and put on a smile that was both graceful and cultured...
"All right, everyone. Girls in the front, boys in the back. Form up, eight to a row, close formation."
Selena’s expression hardened, her voice regaining its dignified and cool tone.
The campers, who had been chattering away just a moment ago, instantly fell silent and obediently fell into formation as Selena commanded.
Everyone standing here was a top student from their school, or even their city; none of them were fools.
They may have been joking a moment ago, but everyone was well aware that the Cold and Refined Beauty before them could twist their heads off without breaking a sweat.
’Best to be obedient. It was the key to a long life.’
"Align yourselves. Eyes front."
"At ease. Attention."
Once discipline was restored, Selena’s brow relaxed slightly. She got straight to the point:
"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the Flying Shadow Alliance summer camp. My name is Selena, Alliance Member ID 00091341, and I will be your guide."
"You’ve already been briefed on the camp itinerary, so I won’t waste time repeating the details. We’ll now proceed with the first activity: a tour of the Alliance History Hall..."
After wrapping up the pleasantries in under two minutes, Selena didn’t break stride, leading the campers into the towering museum behind them.
On the way, some campers whispered amongst themselves, "The Flying Shadow Alliance really lives up to its reputation for lightning speed! Even their summer camp is this efficient!"
Selena, walking at the very front, imperceptibly pressed her lips together.
Though she’d looked incredibly cool telling Su Zhi, "I call the shots," the truth was, she was over ten minutes late because of their spar.
She didn’t have a time-element Pet Beast, so it wasn’t like she could just conjure up those lost ten-plus minutes out of thin air...
To complete the camp activities within the scheduled time, her only option was to find ways to speed things up.
The proud, untamable, cool older sister figure was, in essence, just another overworked employee.
Fortunately, the first activity was a tour of the Alliance History Hall, a chance for the campers to be spiritually edified by the great pioneers of Beast Taming civilization.
This particular activity was quite flexible; ten minutes more or ten minutes less wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Even if the tour was ten minutes short, everyone would just rationalize it as the Flying Shadow Alliance being decisive and efficient... Yes.
At this thought, Selena couldn’t help but snap her fingers with a hint of smug satisfaction.
’As expected of me.’
Not far away, Su Zhi, who had witnessed Selena’s entire moment of secret delight, looked away, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
’This senior gave off a very cold and mature vibe, but occasionally, a completely different side of her would emerge.’
Su Zhi quickly reined in his thoughts and continued to wander through the Alliance History Hall with Yu Bao.
He saw many things.
He saw the original draft of the Flying Shadow Alliance’s founding oath. The yellowed manuscript rested peacefully under glass, its script still perfectly clear after a thousand years.
He also saw a photograph of the Flying Shadow Alliance rushing to a disaster zone. In it, several Alliance Members rode on Thunderbolt War Falcons, their figures blurred by speed. Thick clouds, laced with torrential rain and lightning, streaked past them.
A small caption below read: Average travel speed of the Flying Shadow Alliance: 4000 km/h.
Yu Bao clicked his tongue, stunned.
’So fast! That’s more than a kilometer a second! If I ran into a Pet Beast that fast in the ring, I probably wouldn’t even see its shadow!’
’I wonder how many points I’d have to add to agility to be that fast...’
Su Zhi gazed at the photograph with reverence.
’It’s because they bear the burden in the unseen storm clouds that more people can live their lives in peace.’
"Woof..."
As they passed a stone displayed in a heavy glass case, Yu Bao became rooted to the spot, unable to move.
The egg-shaped stone looked unremarkable, yet it held an irresistible attraction for him.
"This is a Five Elements Vein Opening Stone, an extremely rare Tier Seven resource that contains the energy of all Five Elements: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth."
Su Zhi explained to Yu Bao with a smile, "The one you’re looking at was actually depleted a thousand years ago."
"Woof?!" Yu Bao raised his eyebrows in surprise.
’Even after it was used up and left for a thousand years, it still gives off such a potent energy wave?’
’As expected of a top-tier Tier Seven resource. This stone is terrifyingly powerful.’
"They say the first Alliance Leader of the Flying Shadow Alliance had a Yu Dian Dog as his Main Pet. He was the one who discovered that a Yu Dian Dog could evolve into a Yu Dian Farm Dog. Afterward, he used this very Five Elements Vein Opening Stone to help his Main Pet evolve a second time, creating a Five-star Pet Beast with five Attributes—the Yu Dian Emperor Dog!"
Su Zhi explained, drawing on his research. Since Yu Bao was a Yu Dian Dog, Su Zhi had looked up a great deal of information about them after forming their contract.
"HAH... HAH..."
After hearing Su Zhi’s explanation, Yu Bao’s eyes filled with adoration.
’A Yu Dian Emperor Dog... So my final form is that awesome!’
’No wonder I always felt I had the makings of a Great Emperor. It wasn’t just my imagination.’
"Unfortunately, technology wasn’t as advanced back then, so the evolutionary path for the Yu Dian Emperor Dog wasn’t properly preserved. And the Five Elements Vein Opening Stone, believed to be the key resource for its evolution, has never been seen again."
"Our current level of technology is much higher and our training systems are far more complete and mature. The average Yu Dian Dog and Yu Dian Farm Dog today are stronger than those from the Classical Era. But a second Yu Dian Emperor Dog has never appeared, which is a real shame."
"Woof." Yu Bao nodded, feeling the same disappointment, and the light in his eyes faded.
’My ancestors were great, but now we’ve fallen from grace.’
Seeing the little guy’s crestfallen expression, Su Zhi smiled gently. "But success depends on human effort. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next Yu Dian Emperor Dog?"
The light returned to Yu Bao’s eyes.
"Woof," he corrected. ’Success depends on *canine* effort.’
’So now you’re trying to drag me down to your level, huh...’ A hint of a smile appeared in Su Zhi’s eyes. He ruffled the little guy’s head, accepting his correction.
Moving on, Selena led the campers into a spacious, empty room.
The instant the last camper stepped inside, the door slid shut automatically, and all the lights went out in sync, plunging the room into pitch darkness.
The group remained relatively calm, though one or two of the more timid girls let out a small cry.
Yu Bao silently pulled his head out of Su Zhi’s embrace. ’I didn’t scream, and since it’s pitch black, no one saw me flinch. So, by all reasonable accounts, I’m a real man.’
After a moment of darkness, the surroundings were suddenly illuminated, revealing that they had been transported to an unfamiliar mountain village.
The campers were startled for a moment before quickly realizing what was happening. This was likely a scene re-creation, either generated by a Mental Element Pet Beast, a technologically produced hologram, or a combination of the two.
And yet, no one felt any sense of relief just because the scene was virtual...
Su Zhi surveyed his surroundings with a grim expression.
Houses were reduced to rubble, the river had run dry, its bed cracked and barren. The fields were decimated, and the bodies of the dead were piled haphazardly on the roadside.
The entire village was a vision of Purgatory; it would not be an exaggeration to call it a scene of utter devastation.
This was an unfortunate place, struck by a major earthquake and a severe drought in quick succession.
Three Beastmasters in beige, classical-style Beastmaster Robes rushed about the village: a Wood Element Pet Beast worked to save the crops, an Earth Element Pet Beast rebuilt houses, and Pet Beasts with healing abilities tended to the victims...
The next moment, the scene fast-forwarded.
Su Zhi watched as everything around him accelerated, as if a fast-forward button had been pressed. He felt a profound sense of shock, as if the river of history itself were flowing past him.
The three Beastmasters gathered, exchanging words with grave expressions.
The virtual scene had no sound or subtitles, but due to the influence of a Mental Element Pet Beast, the campers inside the illusion understood the content of their conversation:
Disasters had been frequent lately, but support from Alliance Headquarters was long overdue.
For this village so desperately in need of aid, their strength was far too little, too insignificant.
The most pressing issue was food. There was almost no one left in the village capable of working the fields...
The scene fast-forwarded again.
On a rare, peaceful, moonlit night, the three Beastmasters slept soundly amidst some relatively intact ruins. Their finely crafted, beige Beastmaster Robes were tattered and torn from days of toil.
All the observers fell silent, having long forgotten this was a virtual scene, afraid they might wake the sleeping figures.
Su Zhi hugged Yu Bao tightly, a painful lump forming in his throat.
The scene fast-forwarded again...
A battered Thunderbolt War Falcon lay on the ground. Its once-neat feathers were disheveled, and its once-bright eyes were now dim.
A Beastmaster in a tattered, beige robe walked slowly toward it, a gleaming longsword in hand.
The other two Beastmasters were nowhere to be found. Su Zhi noticed the scene had changed slightly; in the distance, two small burial mounds had appeared...
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