To the east of Dragon Sleep City, a massive stone gate towered high, with blue ritual patterns condensed in the void.
The man-made Secret Realm, Jingcangtian.
At the Secret Realm checkpoint, a long line of people had formed.
Dragon Sleep City placed great emphasis on nurturing new Beast Tamers.
This Secret Realm was only eligible for application by those who had made contributions or were students.
However, getting approved was extremely difficult, no less challenging than a thousand troops trying to cross a single-log bridge.
Nuobai tugged at Bai Luxin’s sleeve, gesturing for her to take the exclusive passageway to the side.
Under the envious gazes of the crowd, Bai Luxin took out her Secret Realm Token, and a dedicated staff member immediately came to receive her.
“Name?”
“Bai Luxin.”
“Beast Pet?”
“Snow Joy Cat.”
At the inspection counter, the inspector glanced at Nuobai upon hearing this.
“Alright, you may enter. Have a pleasant journey.”
The words “Jingcangtian” lit up on the Secret Realm Token. A token could only be used once for a single Secret Realm. Nuobai had thought they could enter infinitely.
Although Jingcangtian was classified as a Tier 1 Secret Realm, as something Dragon Sleep City had meticulously created, very few were qualified to enter.
The resources accumulated inside were more than sufficient to meet the needs of Beast Pets below the third tier.
With the natural growth of the tamed beasts within, there were now third-tier, fully mature beasts inside as well.
Passing through the stone gate, a blinding white light flashed. When they opened their eyes again, drifting snowflakes landed on their faces.
Nuobai stood up straight and rubbed her face against Bai Luxin’s.
‘So comfortable. Feels like coming home.’
“Nuobai, are you happy~”
Bai Luxin opened the Secret Realm map, searching for their location.
They were currently at one of the eight teleportation points within the Secret Realm: Zangchun Snowfield.
Next…
Before she could think further, [Optimal Posture] activated. Nuobai transformed into a giant cat, wrapping her tail around Bai Luxin’s waist and placing her on her back.
‘Human, what are you thinking about? Let’s have some fun!’
She began running wildly across the snowfield. This was the first time Nuobai had gone all out since advancing to the second tier.
Bai Luxin lay flat on her back, gripping Nuobai’s fur tightly. She wanted to tell Nuobai to slow down, but the moment she opened her mouth, snowflakes and cold wind rushed in.
She was going to lose her grip!
“Ah!”
Nuobai was running too fast. Bai Luxin was thrown straight off. The sky was white, the ground was white, everything was a vast expanse of white.
The instant she flew out, Nuobai caught her with her tail.
‘Run, run, keep running~’
On the Zangchun Snowfield, a snow fox looked ahead in confusion at a straight line that parted the accumulated snow on the plain.
Faint sounds seemed to be coming from it. ‘How bold. Shouting on the snowfield will attract predators.’
The snow fox blinked its black eyes, turned around, and quickly left this troublesome place.
“Nuobai!”
The super-sized Nuobai obediently lowered her head, lying before a person whose hair, eyebrows, and clothes were all white from snow.
Bai Luxin wiped the snow from her face, scolding her.
“Why are you so mischievous? I hadn’t even said where to go, and you just ran off.”
“What if we get lost? What if you get lost?”
Listening to her ramble on, Bai Luxin never once mentioned how Nuobai had tied her to her tail and swung her around.
Nuobai felt a bit guilty and slightly averted her gaze.
“I’m talking to you!”
Bai Luxin fixed her wind-blown hair, then pinched Nuobai’s face, forcing her to look into her eyes.
A huge cat and a tiny human, under the falling snow, gazed deeply into each other’s eyes.
“Beast Master, put on your goggles. I’ll take you for a ride.”
This time, it was a real ride. She had been ‘riding’ Bai Luxin for so long, now it was her turn to give Bai Luxin a ride.
Bai Luxin shook her head helplessly, putting on her windproof goggles, scarf, and face mask.
She couldn’t refuse Nuobai’s invitation.
This time, Nuobai didn’t deliberately seek revenge.
She walked normally across the snowfield, even considerately using her [Constant Temperature Physique] to regulate her body temperature, making Bai Luxin feel like she was sitting on a warm bed.
The Snow Joy Cat truly lived up to being an elf species, a favored one of ice and snow.
The biting snowy wind felt like a lover’s caress against her. Nuobai completely blended into the snowy scenery.
Bai Luxin lay on her back, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her. She just fell asleep like that.
Nuobai’s steps became even lighter, maintaining the stability of her body.
‘Once the Beast Master wakes up, we’ll start sweeping through the Secret Realm. Hopefully, after clearing these few Tier 1 Secret Realms, it’ll be enough for her to step into the third tier.’
She had no bottleneck for advancement. The required conditions were Betrayal Power and energy. And regarding energy, she was a huge consumer.
‘Legal ways to earn money are so slow and yield so little. Maybe I should try to convince the Beast Master to fight in underground matches. I feel invincible right now. Absolutely no one at the same tier is my match.’
‘So want to get rich quick!’
Nuobai sighed one last time, noticing a pack of White-striped Snow Wolves surrounding them.
They crouched in the snow, cautiously approaching. In Nuobai’s eyes, it was somewhat laughable.
Under [Energy Perception], each one was like a big light bulb in the dark, yet they still thought they were hiding.
‘How did they discover me?’ Nuobai found it strange. Under the [Snow Joy] state, she should have been in a constant state of concealment.
Only when they got closer did she realize they hadn’t discovered her at all. They were all staring at Bai Luxin on her back.
Nuobai no longer hid her aura. The White-striped Snow Wolves were startled by the suddenly appearing presence, retreating two steps before realizing this big thing was a cat.
They shifted their target and surrounded her again, eager to try their luck.
Nuobai let out a low growl, not wanting them to disturb Bai Luxin’s sleep. The wolf pack, however, thought Nuobai was bluffing.
‘Brainless beasts. Looks like a fight is necessary.’ Nuobai extended her claws.
Wild tamed beasts couldn’t speak human language. Only those hatched by humans or those who had formed contracts with humans could communicate with each other.
Otherwise, they could only learn it slowly later.
This pack of White-striped Snow Wolves was clearly not yet enlightened and couldn’t communicate.
Encountering a Snow Joy Cat for the first time, they intended to test Nuobai’s mettle.
This wolf pack had second and third-tier wolves as its main force, with a few first-tier ones on the outermost perimeter.
At the front, a third-tier wolf with the strongest aura made the first move.
Nuobai recognized it at a glance: the most classic close-combat skill, [Sharp Claw].
Its Skill Proficiency was only at the ‘Perfect’ level, completely unmatched for a third-tier realm.
Wild tamed beasts often exhibited two extremes. One was like this wolf pack, generally much weaker than those raised by Beast Tamers.
The other kind was ridiculously strong, natural-born kings.
Nuobai easily blocked the attack, then swung her tail to smash away a White-striped Snow Wolf trying to sneak attack from behind.
“Growl…”
The blocked alpha wolf let out a low growl. The white-striped on the surrounding wolves lit up, enhancing each other, boosting their collective aura by a notch.
They attacked Nuobai simultaneously from all directions.
Nuobai swatted one away with a paw. Blood fell on the snow, triggering [Bloodthirsty Berserker].
Except for protecting Bai Luxin, she would simply tank all other attacks.
For a moment, it was like a deity had descended, suppressing the entire wolf pack.
Amidst the jostling, Bai Luxin groggily got up, hearing the real “wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves” all around.
Injured snow wolves lay on the ground one after another. The Nuobai beneath her had pinned one down and was about to finish it off.
White-striped Snow Wolves had no Contract Protection. If Nuobai’s claw landed, it would undoubtedly die.
“Nuobai, stop!”
The claw landed beside the alpha wolf’s face, its sharp tip pointed directly at the wolf’s eye.
The alpha wolf didn’t dare move a muscle, letting out a whimper symbolizing submission.
“Make it pay a ransom.”
Slightly puzzled, Nuobai conveyed the Beast Master’s demand to the alpha wolf. The alpha wolf nodded hurriedly without the slightest hesitation.
“Alright, let it go.”
Only then did Bai Luxin explain to Nuobai that within Secret Realms, one should avoid killing wild tamed beasts unless absolutely necessary.
Letting them go, they would use collected treasures as ransom.
Nuobai finally understood. ‘No wonder these wolves were so bold, daring to test me. So it’s you guys who spoiled them.’
Soon, a small wolf brought two stalks of Living Grass. This was the main ingredient for making healing medicine.
Eaten raw, it also had good effects and could assist in training some self-healing type skills.
These wolves clearly hadn’t eaten little of it usually. In this short time, each one could already stand up.
The alpha wolf gestured to Bai Luxin, then led the pack away.
“Turn human. I’ll apply medicine for you.”
“No need, Beast Master. I can heal by eating some snow.”
Bai Luxin’s face was cold, her tone icy.
“Change.”
…