Free Web NovelChapter 408: Chapter 395: Reward
In his dream, Gu Ming’s consciousness slowly sank into the familiar environment of the underground cavern.
The auroras on the second sublevel were dreamlike and illusory, materializing with perfect clarity in his dream. They seemed as if sketched by an invisible hand—radiant and colorful, yet concealing a deadly threat.
Thanks to his real-world exploration experience, Gu Ming cautiously controlled the flow of his Spiritual Power in the dream, avoiding any significant drain.
He cleverly utilized the dream’s unique "refresh" mechanism to rapidly scout ahead.
For instance, the moment the Patterned Ring Worm sensed an incoming Spiritual Attack from the Illusion Realm, Gu Ming would instantly send a mental command to restart the system’s environmental simulation, resetting his position to the last checkpoint.
This allowed him to escape the forbidden zone of the Yichuan Ruins’ Illusion Realm, essentially exploiting a bug to explore.
This technique, however, could only be used in a dream and required Gu Ming’s Divine Sense to be in perfect sync with the Patterned Ring Worm.
More importantly, the cycle of Relay Cultivation allowed the Beastmaster himself to become part of the process.
Otherwise, Gu Ming’s reaction speed would never be fast enough.
The timing for exploiting this bug in the dream was incredibly strict, forcing him to devote himself completely to the Relay Cultivation cycle.
After all, the Spiritual Attacks here were simply terrifying. For a Low-star Beastmaster like him, his only option was to improve the synchronized reaction time between himself and his Pet Beast.
After Gu Ming explained his plan to Lu You, both she and Mianmian nodded in understanding.
Gu Ming then spent nearly a week in his dreams, training together with his Pet Beasts.
Once they had perfected the Relay Cultivation cycle, they began their rapid exploration.
For an entire month, Gu Ming constantly relied on the Patterned Ring Worm’s keen Perception. The instant danger descended, he would immediately reset to the checkpoint. Repeating this cycle, he felt his way forward through the darkness.
When he awoke in the real world, he checked the time and saw that only a few seconds had passed.
Everyone was still resting, each minding their own business. Gu Ming closed his eyes again, circulated the Cyan Pine Skill, and silently recovered his Spiritual Power.
He didn’t stir again until nearly half a day later.
By then, everyone’s Spiritual Power had returned to its Peak state, and they could continue scouting.
It was then that Mianmian displayed an astonishing map-reading ability.
As soon as the group fed it the information they’d gathered, it would rapidly map out a safe route with minimal danger. Following its path, they never once encountered another attack from the Illusion Realm.
In less than an hour, the team successfully reached the deeper section and found the director of the Ruan Clan Association, trapped and unable to escape from a Dream Bubble.
Gu Ming saw the director trapped in a Water Dream Bubble. His body was unharmed, but his Pet Beast lay beside him, also lost in the dream and deeply unconscious.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief as they pulled him out.
They administered aid on the spot. After a short while, the director slowly came to, looking utterly exhausted.
His voice was raspy as he spoke. "Is this heaven? I can’t feel the Spiritual Attacks anymore."
The environmental pressure was still present, but compared to the endless, looping Illusion Realm he had just endured, this felt like paradise.
The absence of constant Spiritual Attacks was the best form of rest.
Everyone shook their heads and handed the director over to the care of the instructors.
They continued to advance using the same method, gradually expanding their search area on the second sublevel. Along the way, they found and rescued the stranded Eight-star Beastmasters.
Rescuing the instructors was much easier than rescuing the students.
As High-star Beastmasters, the team didn’t need to get close. They simply used ropes to startle them awake from a distance, and the instructors could then break out of the Illusion Realm on their own.
"Alright, everyone, we’ve finally rescued all the instructors and students. Now let’s head back the way we came."
Chief Arno, the team leader, said with relief in his voice, "And of course, we owe a huge thanks to Lu You’s Pet Beast. It was the true hero of this operation."
Everyone present cheered, eager to leave this godforsaken cavern immediately.
However, when everyone finally left the underground caverns of the Yichuan Ruins and stepped outside to see the light of day again, the heavy spiritual pressure that had weighed on them instantly vanished.
They suddenly felt as if their bones had turned to jelly, and the sensation was incredibly uncomfortable.
It was as if their bodies were so used to the intense pressure that its absence was physically unbearable.
This was clearly a temporary side effect of their bodies readjusting after enduring the high-pressure environment inside.
For those like Director Ruan, who had been stuck inside for over two weeks, the discomfort was even more intense.
The moment he stepped out of the cave, he violently coughed up a mouthful of blood as his Sea of Consciousness churned chaotically. The scene instantly devolved into another frantic rush.
Meanwhile, Gu Ming was led by Chief Arno into a tent at the base camp to receive his reward.
Chief Arno gave the two of them a solemn salute before presenting them with a number of precious rewards:
These included the Five Blood Divine Medicine for Cyan Treasure, the Water Element Fog Dao Pearl that Ah Kun needed, and the Yin Yang Fish Stone for Ah Ji.
Lu You also received supplies suited for her needs. The quality of her rewards was no less than Gu Ming’s—in fact, they were slightly better, enough to allow her Insect Baby to undergo a lightning-fast Evolution.
The prizes included Spirit Medicines as well as special foods. Gu Ming thanked him profusely and accepted the rewards.
After they received their rewards, Chief Arno cleared his throat and made a serious offer.
"Lu You, given your Pet Beast’s outstanding performance in the Yichuan Ruins, we would like to formally invite you to become a full member of our archaeological team and join the Royal Archaeology Department."
"Would you be willing to consider it?"
Lu You froze, stunned by the unexpected offer.
She didn’t agree right away, however, instead saying timidly, "Let me go home and think about it."
Chief Arno didn’t press her for an immediate answer, simply nodding.
"That’s understandable. You’ve been under immense pressure lately. Go home and get some proper rest."
"I will return in one week with my colleagues to express our gratitude again."
"If you’ve made a decision by then, we’ll respect it, whether you accept or decline."
"The doors of the Archaeology Department will always be open to you."
When a rescue mission that had stumped even Eight-star experts was solved with ease by a first-year student and her One-star Pet Beast, any person with eyes could see Lu You’s value.
No sane person would let a talent like Lu You remain unaffiliated.
Even if she had already signed with another organization, the Archaeology Department would willingly pay any contract termination fees to recruit her.
Such was the value of true talent.
Of course, only a truly exceptional talent was worthy of such treatment.
As for those who couldn’t scout high-risk areas like Lu You... well, they could just dream on.
Gu Ming returned to his quarters and laid out the rewards from Chief Arno one by one on the wooden table inside his tent.
A rich, potent aura of energy immediately filled the tent.
The Five Blood Divine Medicine was contained in a translucent Jade Bottle. Inside, a five-colored, blood-red light swirled, pulsing faintly as if it were alive.
It was a body-tempering Spirit Medicine prepared specifically for Cyan Treasure, his Grass Element Pet Beast. It could significantly amplify the plant-based Perception and life-restoring power within its bloodline.
