Chapter 131 Chapter 131

District 7, Shuize District.

The uncle rolled up his trouser legs and stomped in the mud, his cheeks splashed with mud. His mysterious beast, the seven-tailed cat, lay on the bank nearby, its seven tails wagging back and forth boredly, and from time to time it let out a disgusted "meow~"

The uncle panted heavily, wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his barely clean wrist, and turned back to the shore, saying angrily, "Hurry, hurry, hurry, what the hell are you doing?"

"You don't know how hard it is to fish for this 'rootless swimming grass'. My back is almost broken... Wait, that's not right, why am I the only one fishing for it?"

"Come down and help me! How can you let the beastmaster work alone?"

The cat with seven tails turned its head and said lazily, "Meow."

No, the quagmire is too dirty.

It would rather complete other tasks than take the points earned in this way.

Uncle: “…”

The uncle straightened up abruptly, clutching his lower back in pain because he had risen so quickly. "You... you still have the nerve to say that! If you were stronger, you could kill wild beasts quickly without taking any damage. Why would I have to do this kind of arduous task?"

"Look at Lord Fengluo, he's already become a divine beast at such a young age. They're both profound beasts, so why is there such a huge gap? Look at his points—my goodness, they're already 6,000 or 7,000. What a bunch of beasts..."

The uncle grumbled and complained, while the seven-tailed cat turned its head away again, raised its chin in a haughty manner, and resolutely ignored the beastmaster's incompetent rage.

Humph, actually comparing it with Lord Feng Luo, then it still thinks that its own beastmaster is far inferior to Xia Muqing.

That young, beautiful girl was instantly attractive to the beast, a sight far superior to that slovenly old man. To be able to cultivate so many powerful profound beasts, their beast control and training methods must be formidable...

Alas, someone else’s beastmaster.

The man and the beast were looking at each other with disgust, when suddenly, a loud rumbling sound was heard all around them.

“Boom—!”

It was like a low, muffled thunder, and it seemed to be right next to your ear. It did not come from a certain direction, but came from all directions like a tide.

The uncle subconsciously covered his ears and looked up at the sky: "What the hell, where did the noise come from? - What the hell, what's going on?"

The earth shook violently, and the entire swamp area boiled instantly!

The swamp, which was originally like a pool of stagnant water, suddenly surged with large amounts of mud bubbles. Countless mysterious beasts that had been hiding deep in the quagmire poked their heads out one after another. Fish, shrimps and loaches swam around in panic, swimming back and forth around the uncle's trouser legs, which scared the uncle.

The swamp surged, and many materials were also turned out from the depths, such as the "rootless swimming grass" that the uncle was searching for - he had been searching for more than an hour and didn't see even a blade of grass, but now it looked like ordinary water grass, covering a large area of ​​the swamp!

The uncle's eyes widened as he reached out in ecstasy, grabbing a handful of materials in both hands. He wanted to grab the ones he couldn't get with his mouth: "Wow, wow! What is this? God must have opened his eyes. Points, my points, woo woo woo -"

He dug in the mire several times, and just as he had gathered all the materials around him, he was about to move forward to sweep the rootless weeds on the other side - suddenly, his clothes were hooked by a sharp claw.

The uncle turned around in confusion and found that his seven-tailed cat, which loved cleanliness and refused to go into the mud, had jumped to his side at some point. Its claws stretched into sharp arcs, hooked onto the back of his collar and pulled him to the shore with force, its expression frighteningly serious.

"Meow!"

Stupid master, danger, run!

Uncle: “Ah…ah?”

The uncle was immersed in the joy of getting points and didn't react for a while.

But the next second, a huge wave more than ten meters high suddenly arose not far away, as if a bomb exploded in the depths of the lake, or as if a tornado suddenly came, sweeping the mud, water, and the mysterious beast that had no time to dodge into the air!

The uncle's face turned pale, staring blankly at the scene in front of him: "Water, where does all this water come from?"

"That's east—isn't the east a rocky mountain area? Why can't I see any mountains?"

The ground shook, and in the distance, a roar like the world tearing apart could be heard. Finally realizing something was amiss, the uncle pulled out his GPS and hesitated for several seconds before pressing the "Exit" button—until he saw the mountain-like waves crashing toward him.

Uncle: “!!!”

Is this also part of the assessment?

No way, this test is too difficult, there is no way he can handle it!

The uncle pressed the button hurriedly.

But amidst the howling wind, the locator on his hand flickered a few times, and a chilling message popped up:

[Alarm, alarm! The signal is disconnected!]

…

District 7, Colorful Stone Beach.

The little koi fish was coiling its tail, regulating its breathing, preparing for its sunrise charge through the Nine Layers Gate. A golden dragon shadow silently guarded it. Suddenly, a cold wind blew through the air, and the golden dragon suddenly raised its head, gazing solemnly at the distant sky.

In its field of vision, a huge ball of gray energy was rapidly spreading in all directions with the snow forest as its center, sweeping away everything in its path like a whirlwind.

"Not good!" The golden dragon soared into the sky, letting out a sharp roar. "Little guy, stop regulating your breathing, and start the test immediately!"

Koi fish: “……?”

The koi fish looked at the dimly lit sky, his mind full of questions: "Gulu?"

Shouldn't we wait until sunrise to take advantage of the power of heaven and earth?

It was still dark, the sun hadn't risen, and neither the master nor Lord Fengluo had returned yet. Honestly, without Xia Muqing around, it felt uneasy.

Jin Long anxiously urged, "Hurry up, don't wait, it's too late!"

"The challenge must be completed immediately. Otherwise, once the storm fully unfolds, the spatial barrier of Area 7 will also rise. By then, the power of heaven and earth will be completely blocked! And without the ability to leverage this power, no profound beast can surpass the Nine-Layer Dragon Gate solely on its own. Absolutely impossible!"

Koi fish: “……!”

…

The koi fish rushed towards the trial pool as if its tail was burned by fire.

At the same time, the space storm was spreading rapidly throughout the entire seventh district at lightning speed.

The space was completely disordered. The sandstorms in the desert area were swept into the snow-capped peaks that were frozen all year round. A large amount of silt appeared out of thin air in the grassland area. All kinds of strange scenes took place alternately, accompanied by violent space fluctuations.

A large number of cracks appeared at the junction of the areas. Some beastmasters who were immersed in the assessment were unable to dodge and fell directly into the cracks, leaving behind only screams of fear.

Not to mention the dangers of the spatial rift itself, even if they could successfully land in a safe space, they could still end up anywhere in the alien space. If it was the safe zone in the front, it would be fine, but if it was the chaotic zone in the back, or even the forbidden zone...

The situation is not optimistic.

The organizer's gathering point was also in chaos at this moment. The staff were running around in a hurry. Everyone was sweating and looked anxious, but the situation remained serious.

A massive screen on their wall displayed a topographical map of District Seven. Hundreds of dots of light were moving across the map in real time, representing all the Beast Tamers taking the test. But at that moment, these dots of light were extinguished one by one, like candles being snuffed out!

Some young staff members, having never seen such a large-scale scene before, were so nervous that they were almost crying: "The locator has gone off 153... 162... and it's still going up! What should I do? What the hell is going on?"

"They, they can't be——"

Everyone knew what the locator going off meant, but at that moment they instinctively didn't want to utter that word.

"Don't panic!"

The person in charge rushed over and saw a room full of flustered staff. He shouted, "Stop the chaos! Go back to your seats!"

"The spatial fluctuations in Area 7 are abnormal, but that's normal. These candidates just experienced a signal interruption, so they should be safe for now! Furthermore, they are powerful beastmasters, determined adventurers who will journey into alternate dimensions many times in the future. They are capable of protecting themselves!"

These words brought back the confidence of the group, which was on the verge of collapse, and quickly stabilized the situation. Under the direction of the person in charge, who was also an experienced adventurer, the staff were divided into several groups and assigned to various positions, quickly carrying out information gathering and other tasks.

The person in charge stood in front of the off screen, seemingly with his back straight and calm, but in fact, his palms were already covered in cold sweat.

He knew best in his mind that spatial fluctuations in the Seventh District were normal, but such drastic and widespread spatial disorder was the first time it had occurred since humans took control of the Seventh District!

What exactly happened in the examination room? What is the current status of the candidates?

Is this a natural fluctuation in the alien dimension, or a man-made disturbance? Is there an invasion by an external enemy?

The person in charge had a stern face, his heart was burning with anxiety, all kinds of thoughts were rushing around in his mind, and his throat was burning with anxiety.

Fortunately, a few minutes later, someone came running in with a surprised look on their face, reporting, "The security guards are here! Leading the way is Cheng Cheng, the beast master!"

Crash!

The chair made a harsh noise as it was dragged across the floor, but no one paid any attention. Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense expression of the person in charge finally relaxed, his eyes and brows etched with uncontrollable joy.

An event as important as the Adventurer's Qualification Exam is held in a dangerous alien space, so the Beastmaster Association will naturally assign a Divine Beast Master to serve as a safety officer to sit in the examination room and respond to various crises that may occur, and also facilitate various rescue operations.

The staff knew about this system, but they just didn't know who the assigned beastmaster would be. When they heard it was Cheng Cheng, everyone was immediately delighted. Of the hundreds of beastmasters registered in Daxia, Cheng Cheng's strength was enough to rank among the top, and he was known for his calmness and reliability. It could be said that in everyone's minds, this name was synonymous with "reliability."

"Quick, please invite the beast master Cheng in!"

The voices of the people in charge became much more excited.

A moment later, Cheng Cheng strode in through the door.

His face was 70% similar to Cheng Zizhuo's. He was wearing a black windbreaker, and his cold features were stained with traces of wind and frost. After scanning the scene with a serious expression, his gaze finally fell on the big screen in front of him.

"Sorry, I'm a few minutes late," Cheng Cheng said seriously. "I was at the border of District 7 when the anomaly occurred, and happened to encounter a space storm... Don't worry, I'm fine, but according to the results of my detection, the current situation in District 7 is not good."

"Its space is inherently highly unstable. Abnormal energy is erupting within the area, triggering a chain reaction. The energy storm has spread throughout the entire seventh district—like a giant vortex on the sea, once formed, it's difficult to stop. Signal disconnection is normal."

"The current problem is that the alien space has the power of self-repair. In order to calm this storm, it will naturally establish a blockade barrier around the seventh district."

Cheng Cheng picked up the electronic pen and drew a big circle on the map on the screen.

"This barrier is almost complete. Unless we break it, we won't know what's happening inside Area 7. Until space stabilizes, no one can enter or leave Area 7."

"This is the biggest obstacle for us to carry out rescue operations."

Cheng Cheng is worthy of being a veteran beast master. He found out the key to the problem as soon as he arrived.

If the person in charge helped people calm down and allowed everyone to continue working calmly and orderly, then Cheng Cheng sorted out the situation for them as quickly as possible, allowing everyone to suddenly understand what they should do at the moment.

The person in charge reacted very quickly and immediately asked, "Cheng Shen Beast Master, can you break this barrier?"

Cheng Cheng was silent for a moment, and under everyone's expectant gaze, he slowly shook his head.

He gave a wry smile, "Everyone, I am only one person after all. To resist the blockade of an entire space, relying solely on my own profound beast is far from enough."

There was another problem. Although Cheng Cheng's profound beasts were powerful, none of them were space-based. He could see the situation clearly, but he couldn't solve the problem quickly and efficiently and complete the rescue operation.

Cheng Cheng was also extremely anxious.

It was a good assessment, who knew something like this would happen?

His strength is already very strong, enough to deal with most emergencies. Even if there are a few dark beast kings wreaking havoc in the seventh area at this moment, Cheng Cheng is confident that he can rush up and fight them - but the space storm, it is a space storm!

His blind spot!

"I have sent a message to the association, requesting the Divine Beast Master of the contracted space-type profound beast to come to my aid."

Cheng Cheng said helplessly, "However, space-based mystical beasts have always been rare, and divine beasts are even rarer. Those people are probably on a mission right now. Even if they get out right away, it will probably take some time."

"Before they arrive, I'll try to breach the blockade before the barrier is fully formed... Even if I can create a gap, I can enter Area 7 and explore the situation."

"Oh, by the way, who are the beastmasters taking the test? Are there any reliable ones who can be of use? I need someone to assist me and prevent the wild beasts from rampaging."

"I heard that there are also divine beast masters among this batch of candidates?"

The person in charge: “…Yes, yes!”

Upon hearing that Cheng Cheng wanted the Divine Beast Masters in the examination room to assist him, the person in charge said without hesitation, "There are three Divine Beast Masters among the candidates taking the aptitude test this time. Although they are all new Divine Beast Masters, they are all quite capable."

"Guan Yun, Xue Yao——"

Cheng Cheng frowned when he heard the two names and waved his hand to interrupt the person in charge: "Okay, I understand."

In recent years, these two have competed in various large and small competitions across the country and have become quite famous. Cheng Cheng has heard of these two newcomers with great potential, but he also knows that these two are busy playing games and have hardly ever left the alien space, and the mysterious beast they contracted is not a space-type.

"They are just two kids who have just grown up."

Cheng Cheng sighed in annoyance and shook his head slightly. "Dealing with spatial storms and mysterious beast unrest is no easier than winning a challenge match. I'm used to the fair and even-handed nature of the arena, so I'm afraid it'll be hard for me to adapt to the life-and-death struggles..."

The person in charge: "...and Xia Muqing."

Cheng Cheng: "Forget it, forget it. I'll do it myself. They just need to do their best to save as many people as possible while protecting themselves. Wait, who were you talking about?"

Hearing the familiar name, Cheng Cheng shuddered and his face changed slightly.

He was just a safety officer and an emergency plan for the qualification assessment, but he himself did not participate too much in the assessment affairs, so he did not know that Xia Muqing was among the candidates taking the assessment.

"This is bad..."

Cheng Cheng's expression turned even uglier. Seeing his stern expression, the person in charge's heart immediately jumped into his throat. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with that beast master?"

Cheng Cheng swallowed his saliva: "...No, nothing."

But I kept complaining in my heart.

How can there be no problem? It’s a huge problem!

Xia Muqing, isn’t that the girl his brother likes?

Cheng Cheng gritted his teeth, turned around and walked away quickly, heading straight for the barrier of the seventh area.

He walked in a hurry, his steps were very fast.

…

District 7, Snow Forest.

As the latest site of the space storm's outbreak, the snow forest had changed drastically. The wind and snow were like waterfalls, the pine trees were falling, and the howling wind in the sky was like a huge wave, smashing branches, soil, and messy stones down on people's heads.

The sword-tailed tiger and the mysterious black shadow had vanished, along with the little rose that had been accidentally caught in the center of the storm. Where they had left behind, only a deep ravine remained, and black smoke like the flames of hell spread, obscuring the bottomless and rapidly expanding crack below.

Lord Feng Luo protected Xia Muqing and brought her to the front of the rift. She looked down and frowned tightly.

"This crack looks very similar to the one we saw in the hilly area before?"

A deep roar escaped from the throat of Lord Feng Luo: "Woo——!"

At this time, the space was in chaos and the storm was spreading. The candidates and the mysterious beasts were all troubled, but Lord Feng Luo felt a different kind of mystery from it.

Its spatial power, which had been stuck in a bottleneck for a long time, was growing rapidly in this chaotic environment. Every tiny piece of spatial debris could enrich its understanding of space. Gradually, Lord Feng Luo had another epiphany about the scene before him.

“Ouch!”

Master, this is no ordinary rift.

This is a passage. They opened up a road to the outside world in the core of the energy storm in the seventh area and left from here!

Hearing this, Xia Muqing's eyes flickered: "Can a safe passage be opened up in the center of the spatial storm?"

Lord Feng Luo: "Ouch!"

Master, I'm afraid it's not that simple. Once the space storm is fully formed, the blockade barrier will rise, and no one will be able to enter or exit.

The reason this passage is still accessible is because someone opened it up in advance—Master, remember the Steel Mosquitoes we encountered and the deep chasm beneath them?

Xia Muqing: “……!”

I see, it was indeed premeditated!

This should be the preparation made by the sword-tailed tiger before stripping off its characteristics. Hiss, its spatial ability is really strong!

"What about now?" she asked hurriedly, "Is the passage still usable? Can others also..."

Lord Feng Luo: "...Awoo!"

No, no, who knows where this passage leads to?

Judging from the sword-tailed tiger and the mysterious black shadow's undisguised malice towards human beastmasters, they are most likely dark beast kings, so the area across the passage is likely to be a restricted area!

Moreover, in a few minutes, when the barrier outside the seventh area is completely blocked, this passage will definitely be blocked as well, and there will be no time for a large group of people to pass through!

After hearing what Lord Fengluo said, Xia Muqing frowned.

Beside her, the wind and waterfall became stronger and stronger. The biting wind and snow scraped across the exposed skin like a knife, as if to eat people alive. Rocks and broken wood flew around with a loud bang, and the momentum was gradually catching up with the effect of Lord Feng Luo's skills.

In the face of such a crisis between heaven and earth, even Lord Fengluo felt a sense of powerlessness - even the most powerful mysterious beast would appear insignificant in the face of the wrath of nature.

“Ouch!”

Master, let’s retreat quickly, we can’t stay here anymore!

While the power of the outer part of the wind waterfall is still weak, let’s hurry to the Colorful Stone Beach to pick up Xiao Jin and the others!

Xia Muqing took a deep breath: "...Okay, let's go."

She was already worried about the little koi's leap over the dragon gate, and now she was even more worried and confused, all of which flooded her mind.

I don't know if this storm will have any impact on the Dragon Gate Trial...

Xia Muqing had just turned around when suddenly another thought popped into her mind.

Since this was a well-prepared space tunnel, it should lead to the same place. So why didn't the Steel Mosquitoes emerge from the other side this time?

“Chirp!”

The moment the thought flashed through his mind, the blue parrot bird, which had been curled up on Lord Feng Luo's back and had become a swollen ball with anger, suddenly started chirping. Lord Feng Luo also turned around instantly, looking into the depths of the crack with a deep and alert look, and his muscles were tense.

Powerful pressure spread silently, and an indescribable aura of terror quickly spread. The black fog deep in the passage began to shake violently, trembling with each wave, as if it had life.

Xia Muqing suddenly turned around and looked at the darkness not far away that seemed to be able to swallow everything, her heart pounding.

An indescribable fear quickly enveloped the whole body.

I suddenly figured out the answer to that question just now.

Why aren't there any Steel Mosquitoes emerging?

——Because there is a stronger and more terrifying existence, which is about to come to the seventh area that is about to be blocked from the other end of the passage!