Chapter 162 - 143: Dominating All Ages - Heavenly Emperor Yu
Morning arrived as sunlight gently slipped into the bedroom.
"Woof woof! Woof woof!"
"Alright, I know..."
Su Zhi climbed out from under his covers with a wry smile and glanced at his phone: 5:58 AM.
He had deliberately set a six o’clock alarm to avoid oversleeping, but Yu Bao, on the other hand, was up even earlier than the alarm.
Under the little guy’s eager supervision, Su Zhi rubbed his face to wake himself up, got dressed, made his bed, and tidied up both himself and his room.
The first day of the summer camp had been relatively relaxed.
From the second day on, however, the pace became noticeably more intense.
Under Selena’s guidance, Su Zhi and the other one hundred and ninety-nine campers had learned and practiced how to handle various wilderness emergencies, working them from morning until night without a break.
And all of it was in preparation for today’s agenda—
Today was the third day of summer camp, the day they would enter a Secret Realm to explore!
They were about to enter a C Level Death Secret Realm—one completely devoid of Pet Beasts. However, even Death Secret Realms often contained abundant resources that were extremely helpful for a Pet Beast’s evolution.
Furthermore, Secret Realms often housed special environments that could promote a Pet Beast’s growth or evolution.
If they were lucky this time, ’maybe Yu Bao could even evolve on the spot!’
No wonder Yu Bao was so anxious he couldn’t even sleep properly.
"Let’s go. Look how impatient you are."
"Woof?"
On the way to the assembly point, Yu Bao finally looked up at Su Zhi, a dawning realization on his face.
’The place we’re going is a Death Secret Realm? Does that mean there are no other Pet Beasts at all?’
"Of course," Su Zhi nodded.
He thought a Death Secret Realm was great. No dangerous Exotic Beasts, so he could safely hunker down and gather resources.
"Woof..." Yu Bao’s head drooped in disappointment.
’What a shame. He was hoping for some kind of fateful encounter in the Secret Realm. Ideally, a cute, chirping Pet Beast would pop up for Su Zhi to form a contract with. That way, he’d have a little sister.’
"Backstabbing Wu Bao again!" Su Zhi said, exasperated, giving the little guy a flick on the forehead.
"That’s a weird request. If you’ve got a thing for that, I can take you to play with Lilith when we get back."
"Woof woof." Yu Bao waved his paws, his gaze profound.
’You don’t get it. Raising a little sister is way more fun than playing with the big sister next door.’
Su Zhi was speechless. "..."
’Seriously, what goes on in Yu Bao’s head all day...?’
·
At 7:10 AM, all the members of the Flying Shadow Alliance summer camp took a bus to an open area in the mountains behind the Alliance Headquarters.
A beige flag snapped in the wind, emblazoned with a black emblem of lightning and wings—the Alliance Flag of the Flying Shadow Alliance.
Beneath the flag stood a pale silver ring, roughly ten meters in diameter. A blurry blue light glimmered within the ring, making it impossible to see what was on the other side.
Ten Alliance Members stood around the ring, each wearing a beige windbreaker over a light gray Alliance Member uniform.
Yu Bao stared curiously at the ring, then looked at Su Zhi.
He’d seen this thing in a PowerPoint presentation yesterday. It was a device used to enter a Secret Realm. You do this, then that, and finally, you pass through the blue light to enter the Secret Realm.
After receiving an affirmative look from Su Zhi, Yu Bao wagged his tail smugly.
’I, Yu Bao, am full of wisdom!’
"Campers, the Secret Realm you are about to enter is designated 0043. Its rating is C Level, which belongs to the safe category."
Selena kept her words brief and to the point. The most detailed instructions had already been given yesterday.
"You will have eight hours of exploration time. All resources obtained within the Secret Realm belong to you personally. Furthermore, your performance and gains in the Secret Realm will determine whether you can obtain a certificate of excellence for the camp."
"After entering the Secret Realm, all your communication devices will be unable to contact anyone outside. Before you enter, you have ten minutes to handle any messages."
With that, Selena started a countdown timer.
Su Zhi pulled out his phone and found the Huajing Cat profile picture.
[Su Zhi]: I’m about to enter a Secret Realm. Number 0043, C Level.
The instant he sent the message, the words "The other party is typing..." appeared on the screen.
[Shao Ya]: Us too~
[Shao Ya]: I’m 0042! We’re neighbors!
’Just because the numbers are next to each other? How does that make us neighbors...’ Su Zhi’s lips curled into a smile as he read her message.
[Su Zhi]: Yeah, good luck.
[Shao Ya]: Good luck~!
After the final farewell, Su Zhi put away his thoughts and turned his gaze toward the Secret Realm Gate ahead.
"You may enter when you are ready. Enter in an orderly fashion, no crowding."
Selena crossed her arms, her eyes sweeping over every face present before giving a faint smile.
"I wish you all good luck."
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The moment he stepped into the blue light, Su Zhi felt his vision blur intensely.
The other campers also emerged from the other side of the gate one by one, showing no signs of discomfort or abnormality.
Su Zhi inwardly marveled at the convenience brought by technological progress.
In ancient times, entering a Secret Realm was exceedingly difficult, often requiring complex Arrays to be prepared, and sometimes even blood or lives as a price for activation. With the rapid advancement of technology in the modern era, entering a Secret Realm was no longer a near-impossible feat.
Of course, a corresponding consequence was that some Secret Realms had been lost to the river of history, their activating Arrays forgotten and thus becoming forever inaccessible.
"Whoa! It’s so beautiful..."
"Did I... Did I just arrive in heaven?!"
A burst of gasps erupted from the group. Su Zhi also looked up to survey his surroundings:
The ground beneath his feet was a mixture of soil and unidentifiable yellow metal particles, giving the entire landscape a sparkling, golden-yellow hue.
Not far away, a forest stretched out, its leaves also the same shimmering gold as the soil, creating a singularly beautiful sight.
Even further in the distance, a massive mountain range lay sprawled across half the horizon, the dark black of the mountain perfectly blending with the metallic gleam of gold, creating a majestic and spectacular vista.
—Secret Realm 0043: Land of Flash Gold. Primary Attributes: Earth Element, Gold Element. Officially announced exploration rate: 80%.
This was considered a Secret Realm with a high exploration completion rate. Many Secret Realms under the jurisdiction of the Common Defense Alliance had only been explored by less than 10%, with knowledge limited to the area around the entrance.
Seeing a few people bend down to collect the glittering metal fragments, Su Zhi covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.
Due to the naturally high concentration of active Gold Element Energy in the Secret Realm, all metallic substances here would become shiny and emit a Golden Light, appearing incredibly beautiful.
But once taken from this place, they would reveal their true forms, reverting to dull, ordinary metals.
’These guys clearly didn’t pay attention in class, not even knowing this basic fact.’
"Woof! Woof!"
Yu Bao spun around excitedly in place. The air here made him feel extremely comfortable. He liked this place!
’The Land of Flash Gold’s specialty is its highly active Gold Element Energy. You’re an Earth Element Pet Beast, so what are you getting so excited for...’ Su Zhi tilted his head, a little puzzled.
However, after Gold Element Energy, the second most concentrated energy here was Earth Element Energy, so it was understandable that Yu Bao felt comfortable.
Just then, the Secret Realm Gate flickered again.
The blue light flashed for a moment, and the Cold and Refined Beauty in the beige windbreaker appeared behind the crowd.
"The eight-hour countdown has begun. You may all start exploring now. I will be here at the entrance to receive you."
As soon as Selena finished speaking, the campers quickly dispersed. Some went alone, while others formed teams of three or four, beginning their intensive exploration.
Before long, the first cheer erupted from a nearby quarry. Some unlucky soul had tripped, but his misfortune turned to luck when he saw that what tripped him was a Tier Three Gold Element resource...
"Woof!"
"Don’t rush, let’s go at our own pace," Su Zhi said calmly, not feeling impatient.
This was a Secret Realm with an extremely high concentration of resources. Relative to the number of campers who entered, the quantity of resources was massive, enough for everyone to get their fill.
More important than just grabbing resources was finding resources that matched one’s own Pet Beast.
—Of course, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t a good match. Might as well grab it since they were here.
"Woof!"
"Oh, not bad! Sharp eyes!"
At Yu Bao’s reminder, Su Zhi casually picked up a piece of Tier One Gold Element Flash Gold Ore and put it in his backpack.
’I remember a few campers had contracts with Gold Element Pet Beasts. If they happen to have Earth Element resources, we can trade.’
"See, Yu Bao! We got off to a great start, too. Our luck is pretty good!" Su Zhi made a fist to encourage Yu Bao.
"Woof!" Yu Bao twitched his nose, his eyes lit up, and he turned toward the four o’clock direction.
’This way! This way!’
...
...
「One hour later.」
Su Zhi found a rock to sit on, placed the backpack full of Flash Gold Ore beside him, and stared at the sky, questioning his life choices.
The good news: under Yu Bao’s guidance, he had collected a total of 4 Tier One resources and 4 Tier Two resources.
The bad news: all 8 of them were Gold Element...
"What happened to this being a ’Secret Realm dominated by Gold and Earth Elements’?"
Su Zhi grumbled, clenching a piece of Flash Gold Ore with the urge to just toss the useless resource away.
If he returned without a single piece of Earth Element resource, that would be a real disaster.
Yu Bao sat obediently, staring with great interest at the Gold Element resources.
"Yu Bao, you’re obviously an Earth Element Pet Beast, so how are you so sensitive to Gold Element resources? Every time you point the way, we definitely find a Gold Element resource," Su Zhi asked, both curious and exasperated.
"Woof." Yu Bao used a hind paw to scratch his head, indicating that he didn’t know either.
’The Gold Element Energy here is so dense, isn’t it reasonable for me to be more sensitive to Gold Element resources?’
"Is that really reasonable?"
Su Zhi raised an eyebrow, thinking. "None of your Skills or your Evolutionary Type have anything to do with Gold Element resources. Even if the concentration of Gold Element Energy here is high, it shouldn’t be..."
Suddenly, the rustling of leaves sounded from not far away.
Yu Bao and Su Zhi followed the sound and saw a swarthy, powerfully built boy as sturdy as a water buffalo; five slightly thinner, but still very muscular, boys followed behind him.
As a pale white Beast Taming Light Array lit up, a horse nearly two meters tall with a fiery red mane appeared beside one of the boys—
[Pet Beast: Bao Yun (Blazing Colt)
Attribute: Fire Element, Fighting Element
Race: Low Level Elite Race
Real-time Energy Value: 1690]
"We’re from the Cui Feng Alliance." The swarthy boy pointed at himself, then at Su Zhi’s backpack, his gaze unfriendly.
"Hand over your resources, then get lost."
Su Zhi blinked. "And you are?"
"You’re asking for a beating!"
The swarthy brute and his cronies were clearly not the reasonable types. With a wave of his hand, the Blazing Colt instantly blurred into an afterimage and charged toward Yu Bao.
—Fire and Fighting Element Low Level Elite Skills, Flaming Charge!
"BOOM!"
Dust and sand shot out, momentarily engulfing the Flash Gold Jungle before slowly settling.
To everyone’s astonishment, Yu Bao stood atop the collapsed Blazing Colt, looking down on all of them.
’At the pinnacle of pets, proud in this world; with me, Yu Bao, there is heaven.’
’Even while protecting Su Zhi with one paw, I, Yu Bao, am still invincible in this world!’
’I have spoken.’
’Who agrees? Who objects!’
·
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10k-words-a-day streak: Day (20/20)!
Phew, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief... But I heard you get a badge for doing 10k words a day for thirty days, so I think I’ll try to keep going...
From now on, I’ll guarantee at least 6,000 words a day, and anything more will be based on my ability... Consider anything extra a bonus Chapter!