Celestial Beast Taming

The contestants whose minds had been altered by Lan Po’s Weaving Dreams were becoming more and more convinced of the scenes that appeared in their dreams.

They neurotically and constantly told others that a great treasure was buried in a certain area of the Secret Realm.

This treasure was said to be worth at least 3,000 Divine Origin Value, and a faint, pure aura of a Rule could be felt in the area.

The location they were pointing to was precisely the area affected by the scene created by the Endless Wood Demon.

If these words had come from just one person, their credibility would have been greatly diminished.

But when these words came from the mouths of multiple people...

And with Lan Po continuously using its long-range Skill of Weaving Dreams to alter the memories of those affected by the Nightmare...

The rumor spread like wildfire within a single day.

Zhong Yi did this to change the situation where contestants were all converging on the central area.

He wanted to lure them into the scene created by the Endless Wood Demon and continue to reap the rewards from their conflict.

Zhong Yi wasn’t afraid of one-on-one duels with other contestants.

However, Zhong Yi had discovered that because many factions on the Virtual Source Network were cooperating with each other, the members representing these factions in the Secret Realm exploration would spontaneously form alliances.

Although such alliances were unlikely to last until the very end, they still ensured that these collaborating contestants could achieve better rankings than those who fought alone.

In many cases, this cooperation wasn’t just small teams of two or three people.

Instead, they would form groups of a dozen, or even dozens, of people!

Facing such a group, even Zhong Yi, a Guardian Beast Master with multiple Contracted Guardian Beasts, would find it difficult to win.

After all, two fists are no match for four hands, and even a mighty tiger can’t withstand a pack of wolves.

Being able to represent a faction and enter a Secret Realm opened by the Wanyu Gambling Company was in itself a sign of considerable potential.

If Zhong Yi wanted to secure a good ranking, he couldn’t afford to clash head-on with these teams right now.

The Wanyu Gambling Company would open multiple Secret Realms simultaneously, each corresponding to a different Level.

But it was still hard to eliminate the trend of contestants cooperating with each other within the Secret Realms.

While it was more competitive than the Divine Origin Slaughter Secret Realm, it was far less fair.

At this moment, in the central area of the Divine Wood Secret Realm, two groups were facing off.

Both groups had more than twenty people.

Their two leaders happened to be the ones ranked first and third on the points leaderboard.

"Gong Lei, the last time we met in a Secret Realm, I gave you a lot of face."

"Not only did I let you have the resources you wanted, I even helped you fend off some of your enemies."

"So why is it that now we’ve met again, you won’t give me even a shred of face?"

As she spoke, the woman—clad in a long, cyan-blue dress, her beautiful hair woven into a braid that fell over her shoulder—angrily bit her lip.

Her hands were clenched into tight fists.

Her eyes overflowed with killing intent directed at the tall man not far away.

However, Qiao Shuyu didn’t attack immediately.

There were still over 400 contestants left in this Second Level Divine Wood Secret Realm.

Her rank was third. There was no need to fight it out with Gong Lei, who was ranked first in points, right now.

But to have actually encountered a rare Storage Walnut Tree sapling in this Secret Realm...

When a Storage Walnut Tree is cultivated, the Storage Walnuts it produces can be used as Space Equipment.

This type of Space Equipment, the Storage Walnut, was different from ordinary Space Equipment.

Compared to normal Space Equipment, the space inside a Storage Walnut for carrying supplies was very small.

Furthermore, each Storage Walnut could only be loaded with supplies once.

After being loaded, it could no longer be used as Space Equipment again.

The reason Storage Walnuts were so precious was because they could withstand the spatial fluctuations of inter-world travel.

Whether it was exploring a new world with a Realm Passage Token or waging war against another world, Storage Walnuts were an extremely valuable strategic resource.

Without Storage Walnuts, it was difficult to bring supplies from one’s own world to another at a minimal cost.

Although what they had found was only a Storage Walnut Tree sapling, for it to grow from a sapling to a fruit-bearing adult required a supply of many high-end resources.

A dedicated Creator was needed to provide specialized cultivation for the Storage Walnut Tree.

Anyone who could be called a Creator, whether to any world or to the factions on the Virtual Source Network, was an extremely precious asset!

As it happened, Qiao Shuyu’s family had a Creator.

Even if she didn’t ask a Creator to cultivate this Storage Walnut Tree and simply sold the sapling, it would sell for at least 1,500 Divine Origin Value.

Even for a prodigy like Qiao Shuyu, who came from a powerful clan, 1,500 Divine Origin Value was still an enormous fortune.

The reason Qiao Shuyu was so furious right now wasn’t just because Gong Lei was trying to snatch this Storage Walnut Tree sapling from her.

It was because Gong Lei had clearly said that if they met again in a Secret Realm, he would repay her kindness.

’Is this how he repays my kindness?’

’Men are such pigs!’

Seeing the determined, "I-must-have-it" look on Gong Lei’s face, Qiao Shuyu decided she would stop drinking those nauseatingly bitter herbal medicines in the future.

’If I like girls, then I’ll just like girls!’

’What’s so great about men anyway!’

"Shuyu, there’s really no need to be so angry with me."

"I, Gong Lei, have never been one to disregard a kindness. It’s just that this Storage Walnut Tree is equally useful to me."

"I plan to find a Creator to cultivate this Storage Walnut Tree."

"When the time comes, for the brothers who have helped me in this Secret Realm, if they want to buy Storage Walnuts from me, I’ll sell them at a ten percent discount off the market price."

"I’ve already promised this to my brothers, so I really can’t give up this Storage Walnut Tree."

"However, I can give you an extra spot. I guarantee that among the final ten people, at least three of your people can remain!"

The people on Qiao Shuyu’s side had initially been looking at Gong Lei with faces full of anger.

After all, Gong Lei was here to steal their prize!

But upon hearing Gong Lei’s subsequent words, their expressions changed immediately.

The Rule of the Divine Origin Slaughter Secret Realm was to determine the first-place winner through intense combat.

But for the Secret Realms opened by the Wanyu Gambling Company, the exploration would automatically end when only ten people remained.

The rankings would then be decided based on the Secret Realm Points each of the final ten possessed.

This guaranteed that the top ten contestants could keep all of their earnings, unlike in other competitions where they might lose a majority of their gains as if dropping loot upon defeat.

Once multiple factions of comparable strength appeared within a Secret Realm, they would ultimately decide the top ten spots by dividing up the slots.

The reason the people on Qiao Shuyu’s side changed their attitude after just a few words from Gong Lei was because his words offered them tangible benefits.

Qiao Shuyu had never made any promises to the contestants who had allied with her.

If Qiao Shuyu obtained this Storage Walnut Tree, it would become her private property, having nothing to do with anyone else.

Gong Lei’s words seemed gentle, but to Qiao Shuyu’s ears, they were laced with daggers.

Qiao Shuyu was not stupid. She knew very well that if she insisted on taking this Storage Walnut Tree now, she would have a complete falling out with Gong Lei.

Setting aside whether she could even get the Storage Walnut Tree sapling from Gong Lei, the people she had gathered would inevitably be alienated.

The temporary alliances forged within the Secret Realm were very fragile; the slightest change could cause them to collapse.

’I was the one who discovered this Storage Walnut Tree sapling first. Gong Lei hadn’t even arrived yet. How could he have possibly made promises to his men? Storage Walnuts are the kind of resource you have to pay a premium for on the market, and he actually promised those following him a ten percent discount? His words might sound like they can stir people’s hearts, but they’re just lies meant to deceive fools. If this Storage Walnut Tree sapling falls into Gong Lei’s hands, who knows when it will be cultivated. Whether it bears fruit or not would just be up to whatever he says.’