Free Web NovelChapter 409: Chapter 396: The Return
The Water Element Fog Dao Pearl was sealed within an Ice Crystal Stone. Ripples danced across the pearl’s surface, and the faint sound of tides seemed to echo from within.
If Ah Kun ingested this pearl, it would not only purify its Water Element Affinity but could also awaken a Fog Concealment-type Talent, greatly enhancing its detection abilities in complex environments.
As for the pair of Yin Yang Fish Stones, their black and white colors intertwined. Their surfaces were as smooth as mirrors, and they faintly emitted a rhythmic fluctuation of the Light and Dark Dual Element.
To Ah Ji, these were an incredible tonic.
This wasn’t an ancient artifact from a bygone era like the Yin Yang Eye, but rather a special, edible "stone." The only catch was that it required a Pet Beast with an extremely powerful Digestion Technique.
Ah Ji hadn’t learned such a technique, so it could only scrape off some of the stone’s powder each day—no more than ten grams—and consume a little at a time to slowly digest it. This would increase the activity of its Light and Dark Dual Attribute Spiritual Roots and boost its combat power.
In addition, there were several vials of Elixirs labeled "Spirit Nourishing Pill." They were clearly Top-Grade Spiritual Medicine designed to help a Beastmaster consolidate their Realm and restore their Spiritual Power.
Gu Ming let out a soft sigh of relief. The haul from this adventure consisted of specialized resources an ordinary person couldn’t hope to obtain even after several years of work.
...
The afterglow of the setting sun plated the Flying Giant Beast’s back in a layer of warm gold.
Gu Ming was leaning against its spine, staring blankly at the clouds.
Just then, the sound of somewhat unsteady footsteps approached.
He turned to see the club leader, Ruan Qitian, slowly approaching. Ruan Qitian stopped beside him, watching him in silence, his gaze a mixture of exhaustion and profound emotion.
Gu Ming was taken aback for a moment. "Leader, are you feeling any better?" he asked with concern.
Ruan Qitian didn’t answer right away, only letting out a deep sigh.
Then, with a solemn expression, he bent at the waist and gave Gu Ming a deep bow.
Gu Ming quickly stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Leader, what are you doing?"
Ruan Qitian straightened up and shook his head, his voice hoarse but firm.
"This time, our entire team was nearly wiped out back there... Thankfully, we had you and Lu You. It was a stroke of incredible luck for our exploration club."
He paused, then continued, "I’ve decided. From now on, the club’s Library Pavilion will be permanently open to both of you.
"Of course, this proposal will still need to be discussed at a meeting when we get back. We’ll have to go through the voting process.
"However, I’ve already run it by a few of the core members, and they all agree. So it’s really just a formality."
At this, a wry smile appeared on the leader’s face, and he unconsciously fiddled with his sleeve.
"I’m sorry. As the club leader, the rewards I can offer right now are quite limited.
"But please believe me, once I’ve recovered, I will be sure to reward you more substantially."
Gu Ming waved his hands dismissively. "Leader, you’re being too kind," he said sincerely.
"Being able to freely access the Library Pavilion is already the greatest reward for me. You really don’t need to go to any extra trouble."
But the leader waved his hand insistently, his tone growing serious.
"Absolutely not. How could a reward this small possibly be enough to repay you for saving our entire club?
"This is an order from your leader. Don’t try to refuse again!"
Seeing his insistence, Gu Ming could only give a helpless smile and accept the generous offer.
After that, several of the club’s core members also came over to express their thanks to Gu Ming.
Of course, they didn’t forget to thank Lu You as well.
Lu You, however, was extremely shy and socially anxious.
The entire time, she just kept her head down, her cheeks beet red.
She could only nod, responding to everyone’s enthusiasm with nearly inaudible murmurs of "Mm-hm."
When the Flying Giant Beast slowly descended back into Zhou Capital, Gu Ming and the others switched to their Flying Pets to head back to the university, only to be stunned by the sight that greeted them.
The road in front of the university’s main gate was lined on both sides with Beastmasters.
They were fellow students from their university, but there were also people from other schools and members of the public. They were all concerned citizens who had been following the incident. Upon hearing that the university’s faculty and trapped students had been successfully rescued, they had spontaneously formed a welcoming party. Applause and cheers rose in waves.
Gu Ming felt a bit dazed. Listening to the roaring crowd and seeing the banner congratulating the faculty and students on their safe return, he was genuinely surprised.
"This reception... Has word already spread throughout the school?" he muttered.
The leader beside him chuckled.
"Spread? It’s done more than just spread."
"Every university in the Capital knows you and Lu You were the ones who rescued us.
"You have to understand, that was a deathtrap where even Eight-star Level instructors were powerless.
"And yet, two freshmen managed to get us out.
"If you ask me, you two have completely stolen the spotlight among this year’s freshmen."
At this, the leader seemed to remember something and gave him a serious reminder.
"The Inter-University Beast Taming Competition starts after New Year’s. Don’t forget to register.
"You two are our club’s most promising freshmen."
Before he’d started university, Gu Ming might have been excited about a competition like this.
But after experiencing the life-and-death trials of the Yichuan Ruins, his power had taken a quantum leap.
Coupled with the wealth of resources now in his possession, the university competition seemed rather amateurish in his eyes.
If the competition’s rewards weren’t even half as valuable as what he’d just acquired, Gu Ming would have a hard time taking it seriously.
This wasn’t some week-long tournament; it was a major, nationwide competition spanning three months and involving every university in the country. It was far too long and would be a huge drain on his time and energy.
However, he didn’t reveal his inner thoughts, merely nodding politely to let the topic pass.
After returning to his villa, Gu Ming was finally able to relax.
He carefully took stock of the various precious resources he had obtained from the Yichuan Ruins.
In addition to the generous gifts from Chief Arno, there were also the rare materials he had previously gathered with the club in the areas surrounding the Yichuan Ruins.
Among them were materials that others hadn’t recognized, but which he knew from the future would prove to be valuable.
Now, it was time to put these resources to good use.
Even the resources he couldn’t use right away should be properly processed and converted into something useful.
Items like Xin Grass, Dreamland, and the Dreamless Water Bud were materials he hadn’t used last time and were still being kept safe in his Beast Taming Space.
Xin Grass could significantly reduce interference from Illusion Techniques. Gu Ming knew he wouldn’t be returning to the Yichuan Ruins just once more; he planned to make several more trips to secure every last treasure that could be scavenged.
’From the system’s perspective, the Yichuan Ruins had already been developed multiple times. All the obvious remaining treasures had been taken, and even the so-called Memory Fragments and traces of Spiritual Will were almost completely gone.
’However, in the current timeline, none of that has happened yet.
’Especially now, the archaeological team’s Divine Sense is still stuck on the second sublevel—an area over a thousand meters underground—and has yet to penetrate to the third sublevel or any deeper.
’In those deeper levels, the priceless treasures and top-tier medicinal herbs have yet to be claimed.
’Therefore, my return isn’t an abandonment of the treasure hunt. Rather, I plan to use this time to focus on raising my Pet Beasts’ resistance to Illusion Techniques, ensuring our next expedition will be even more fruitful.’
Gu Ming told Lu You about his plans for their Pet Beasts. When she heard they would have to venture into that dangerous, forbidden place again, a look of lingering fear crossed her face.
"It’s okay. I’ll just go with Cyan Treasure and the others. It’s too dangerous, after all."
Gu Ming added immediately, seeing the look on her face.
Lu You had been scared, but when she heard that, the words that came out of her mouth, for some reason, were: "I-I’m not scared..."
Mouse Treasure’s eyes widened as it looked at its master. ’That’s not what you were thinking a moment ago,’ it thought.
