Aint Translations

IMT Chapter 95: What a Fine Immortal Realm Evil Dragon!

"Master, are there really flood dragons in the North Sea?"

Above the North Sea, a young man asked his master beside him.

The man's master was an elderly man with white hair and beard, looking like an immortal with an otherworldly bearing. He appeared just as the world would expect a hermit master to look.

The elder was named Li Fengshan, an ancestor of the Ten Thousand Manifestations Sect and a cultivator at the peak of the Immortal realm.

In the elder's hand, he held an array jade disc.

The pointer on the jade disc kept spinning, as if locating something.

"Of course there are. How could there not be? This North Sea has a Dragon Lord, a flood dragon at the early stage of the Immortal realm."

The Ten Thousand Manifestations Sect master stroked his beard and smiled.

"Under her command, there are eight Dragon Kings. One green dragon is her sister who handles North Sea affairs for her, while the other seven Dragon Kings are positioned in seven directions of the North Sea, guarding the Dragon Palace.

This North Sea is located at the border between the Demon Realm and the Ten Thousand Laws World.

Plus, the North Sea Dragon Palace doesn't usually stir up trouble, so the human race mostly turns a blind eye to it."

Hearing his master's words, the young man named Su Ren's eyes flashed with worry, "Master, the North Sea is so powerful. Disciple thinks we should forget about it. Disciple can cultivate well on my own. If we really harm the North Sea Dragon Lord, the entire North Sea might turn to the Demon Realm, which would be disadvantageous to our human race's battle line."

"Silly child."

Li Fengshan smiled, his old face full of wrinkles.

He reached out and patted his disciple's head, "Su Ren, you are too kind, but you must understand one thing. Humans are humans, demons are demons. Those not of our race must have different hearts!

Do you really believe this North Sea Dragon Palace is just neutral?

Heh heh heh.

The North Sea Dragon Palace is just waiting for the Demon Realm to offer a higher price!

As for the goodwill emanating from the North Sea Dragon Palace, it's just the Dragon Palace trying to paralyze the human race.

When the time is right, the North Sea Dragon Palace will not hesitate to bare its fangs at the human race!"

"Is it really like this?" Su Ren showed innocent eyes.

"Su Ren, you are still young, so naturally you don't understand the evil hearts of these demons." Li Fengshan sighed.

"Ten thousand years ago, after the first great war between the human and demon races, the conflicts between humans and demons became irreconcilable. Over these years, both sides have had constant friction, and the accumulated resentment is too deep.

Do you know what the greatest tribulation is for serpents seeking to transform into dragons?

It's not the so-called heavenly tribulation, but us humans.

Dragons are treasures from head to tail. Most flood dragons that transform while crossing rivers will be hunted and killed, with only a small portion able to escape into the deep sea.

Do you think, under such circumstances, the dragon race wouldn't hate us humans?

They wish they could skin us alive and extract our tendons, wish they could use our souls as lamp oil!"

"..." Hearing his master's words, Su Ren lowered his head and fell silent.

"All demons are like this."

Li Fengshan patted his final disciple's shoulder again, a burning light flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"Disciple, you need not think too much about it. Although you are only fifteen years old with cultivation at the Cave Mansion realm, you have exceptional talent. You possess the Returning Ruins Sacred Body, rare to see in a thousand years, capable of devouring all things, returning to origin, and converting nutrients for your own use.

Cultivation bottlenecks are almost non-existent for you.

This master doesn't have many years left to live, but fortunately still has this cultivation level.

That North Sea Dragon Lord is merely at the early stage of the Immortal realm, while this master is two small realms higher than her.

Although this master cannot easily achieve victory, I have prepared for so long that even if we perish together, I must kill her.

This is not only to eliminate a great threat for our human race, but also for you!

As long as you absorb this flood dragon's essence blood and combine it with our Ten Thousand Manifestations Sect's Ten Thousand Manifestations Formula, you need only cultivate well afterward, and your future will be limitless!"

"But master... what about you..." Su Ren was reluctant to part with his master.

Su Ren had originally been an orphan but five years ago, Su Ren was found by Li Fengshan and thus embarked on the path of cultivation.

For Su Ren, his master was like a father to him.

"Heh heh heh, it doesn't matter. You just need to do your part well. This is for the greater good of the world, for the eternal existence of the Ten Thousand Manifestations Sect. Do you understand?" Li Fengshan's tone carried reproach.

"Disciple understands." Su Ren lowered his head.

"Let's go quickly." Li Fengshan smiled at his disciple, "Master has already located her position. Today we will severely damage the North Sea!"

"Yes, Master!"

On a deserted small island in the North Sea.

A young man sat on the beach, with a spirit-gathering formation drawn around him.

The material used to draw this formation was Nine Nether Liquid from the Dragon Abyss.

Usually, even a few drops of Nine Nether Liquid would cause countless rogue cultivators to fight desperately over it but now, this large bottle of Nine Nether Liquid was being used as if it cost nothing, beneath Xiao Mo's feet, merely to draw a spirit-gathering formation.

Any cultivator who saw this would lament "what a waste of heavenly treasures."

The white-dressed woman stood with her hands behind her back, her long legs beneath her dress taking small steps around the young man as she walked and spoke,

"Today, sister will explain knowledge about cultivation to you.

First, let's talk about realms.

What are realms?

Qi Refinement, Foundation Building, Cave Mansion, Dragon Gate, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Jade Simplicity, Immortal, Ascension.

So-called realms are actually human-made divisions.

For the human race, realms are a cultivator's comprehension of the Heavenly Dao and the results of accumulated cultivation.

In other words, if you don't thoroughly comprehend the Heavenly Dao and lack the solid foundation from diligent cultivation, it's difficult to enter a new level.

For the demon race, realms are more about bloodline purification.

However, this doesn't mean demons don't need to comprehend the Heavenly Dao.

Bloodline and comprehension of the Heavenly Dao are equally important for demons.

What is the Dao?

Confucian scholars continue the lost teachings of past sages and establish peace for all generations, thus they can prove the Dao.

Daoist cultivators comprehend heaven and earth, understand nature, and thoroughly grasp their original heart, thus they can prove the Dao.

Buddhist disciples teach and transform sentient beings, perform good deeds and accumulate virtue, thus they can prove the Dao.

Mohist wanderers prove the Dao for the fairness in their hearts.

Even the Joyous Union Sect uses...

Eh...

Let's not talk about that. Little Mo doesn't need to know.

In any case, there are countless Heavenly Daos in the world but in the end, they are all about walking the path in one's heart.

As long as you believe the path you walk is correct and walk it with unwavering faith, you can prove the Dao.

If you eventually feel your path is wrong, the higher your realm, the more likely your dao heart will become unstable or even shatter.

Unless you can rebuild after destruction, your realm might plummet.

Do you understand what I'm saying, Little Mo?"

Xiao Mo, who was gathering spiritual energy in the formation, opened his eyes and slowly nodded, "I should understand somewhat. Then Sister Bai, will one truly become desireless and without wants after proving the Dao?"

"Heh heh heh, how is that possible?"

Bai Ruxue covered her mouth and laughed lightly.

"This depends on what path the cultivator walks. Unless one cultivates the Path of Forgetting Emotions, otherwise, most cultivators cannot possibly become desireless and without wants as they progress.

On the contrary, most cultivators, the more they cultivate, the more they reveal their personalities and preferences.

For example, those who are lustful may pursue beauty even more.

Those who are greedy may become even greedier but the higher their realm, the more they will pursue different kinds of beauty and different kinds of treasures."

"Oh, I see." Xiao Mo nodded.

"Good that you understand. Next, let's talk about spiritual power.

What is spiritual power?

So-called spiritual power is divided into two types: one is absorbing the spiritual power of heaven and earth.

The other is the spiritual power produced by the cultivator themselves.

Realm and spiritual power can be seen as a cause-and-effect relationship.

When a cultivator's realm is higher, the more spiritual power they produce internally, and the more they absorb from the external world each moment but why do people at the same realm still have different levels of strength?

Ultimately, it's because the quality of spiritual power is different.

Different quantities of spiritual power mean different sizes of spells that can be cast.

Different qualities of spiritual power mean different powers of spells cast.

Moreover, Little Mo, you must remember.

A cultivator's combat strength cannot be determined solely by realm.

Each cultivator practices different main techniques, has different practical experience, different levels of combat sensitivity, so their fighting abilities naturally differ.

So you must never think someone is easy to bully just because their realm is low.

No matter who you face, you cannot underestimate them. Do you understand, Little Mo?"

"Mm-hmm." Xiao Mo nodded, "I understand, Sister Bai."

"Good that you understand." Bai Ruxue stopped walking, "You are now a Foundation Building realm cultivator, already surpassing most cultivators by far. Starting today, sister will help you open the three great cave mansions in your body. After opening them, Little Mo, you can..."

When Bai Ruxue was halfway through speaking, her willow eyebrows furrowed.

The next moment, beams of white light crashed down toward Bai Ruxue and Xiao Mo's direction!

Bai Ruxue stepped forward and protected Xiao Mo in her arms.

"Boom boom boom!"

The white light beams struck around Bai Ruxue and Xiao Mo, raising sand and dust several meters high.

The opponent's attacks gradually stopped. When the dust settled, a sea-blue barrier covered the two.

"Sister Bai," Xiao Mo looked up at Bai Ruxue.

"Don't be afraid, Little Mo. Just some uninvited guests. Sister will handle it quickly."

Bai Ruxue smiled and rubbed Xiao Mo's head, then threw out a scroll.

The formation manifested by the scroll enveloped Xiao Mo.

"The North Sea's master actually protects a human youth. How interesting."

Li Fengshan's voice came from the sky above.

Bai Ruxue looked up to see one old and one young floating in the air.

Bai Ruxue sensed their spiritual power fluctuations.

The young one's realm was at Cave Mansion, while the old one's realm was probably no lower than her own.

"My North Sea has never provoked your human race. What do you mean by this?" Bai Ruxue's eyes turned into majestic golden vertical pupils, her voice carrying natural authority.

"Nothing special, just want to use your life."

Li Fengshan didn't waste words and pressed down with his aged palm.

A massive golden palm fell from the sky!

"Little Mo, don't leave this formation. Sister will be right back."

Bai Ruxue stepped lightly with her lotus feet and rushed toward the golden palm.

In an instant, ice pillars emerged from around Bai Ruxue, following their master to shatter the golden palm print.

"Disciple, retreat!"

Li Fengshan shouted and formed hand seals for the Ten Thousand Manifestations Formula.

Instantly, heavy clouds rolled in the sky, condensing into the dharma forms of ancient divine beasts like true dragons, qilins, phoenixes, and fierce creatures!

"Roar!"

The divine beasts formed from cloud qi, carrying the momentum of wind and thunder, charged directly at Bai Ruxue!

Bai Ruxue struck with one palm, dispersing the leading phoenix dharma form into scattered clouds but the remaining divine beasts' attacks didn't diminish and reached Bai Ruxue's eyes in an instant.

At the same time, Li Fengshan pointed his fingers like a sword and hooked toward the blazing sun in the sky.

Several molten gold-like scorching fire ropes, like the claws of the Golden Crow, broke through the air and descended, wrapping around Bai Ruxue like chains.

Bai Ruxue frowned and quietly glanced at Xiao Mo on the ground.

She didn't want to reveal her true form in front of Xiao Mo. After all, she was a demon, and relations between humans and demons were currently extremely tense.

In this environment where humans and demons were about to go to war, even Huan Fishing Village, such a remote small fishing village that originally had some good feelings toward demons, had been affected.

The current villagers of Huan Fishing Village spoke of demons with wariness.

Even though Xiao Mo was still young and didn't understand much, through constant exposure, he probably didn't have much favorable impression of demons either.

But this old fellow in front of her was very strong and had come prepared. If she didn't use her true form to fight, even Xiao Mo might be in danger!

"Roar!"

Bai Ruxue still decided to transform into her white flood dragon true form and charged upward.

She was not one to hesitate.

Although normally Bai Ruxue still looked like that little girl from three thousand years ago, in reality, that innocent appearance of hers would only be shown to one particular person.

Over the past three thousand years, she had experienced countless great battles and had long become the North Sea Dragon Lord ruling tens of thousands of li of sea territory, a genuine Demon Emperor.

"What a fine Immortal realm evil dragon!"

Seeing this white flood dragon that was two hundred and thirty zhang long, Li Fengshan was shocked.

He had killed many flood dragons, but a white flood dragon like the one before him that was close to the legendary true dragons, he had truly never seen before.

If not for the opponent still retaining some flood dragon characteristics, Li Fengshan would have thought she was a genuine true dragon!

On the other side, Su Ren looked at this white flood dragon that covered the sky and earth, his body trembling continuously.

The mountain-like dragon's might pressed down on Su Ren.

If Su Ren hadn't had protective magical treasures, he felt he would almost suffocate.

Xiao Mo sitting on the beach was also very shocked. After so many years, this was the first time he had seen Ruxue's true form, like a deity.

"Such domineering bloodline should be mine to use!" Li Fengshan waved his hand.

The heavy clouds transformed into pillars again, trying to bind Bai Ruxue.

Bai Ruxue charged forward, shattering the cloud pillars, then breathed out dragon's breath, hitting Li Fengshan's body directly.

After the dragon's breath, Li Fengshan's body condensed again. He threw out a golden fish basket.

The fish basket rapidly expanded and covered Bai Ruxue.

When Bai Ruxue was crossing rivers to transform, she had encountered imitation dragon-catching baskets but this was not an imitation, but a genuine immortal weapon!

[NEXT CHAPTER]

IMT Chapter 94: Why Does This Turtle Look So Familiar?

Time flew by like a white horse passing through a gap.

Without realizing it, three years had already passed.

During these three years, Xiao Mo would follow Bai Ruxue every day to study Confucian classics, as well as some new Confucian works from the past three thousand years.

Although Bai Ruxue wasn't that serious when teaching Xiao Mo, and would occasionally play around with him, Xiao Mo had to admit that Ruxue's scholarship was indeed quite high.

Ruxue didn't mechanically explain the scriptures to him according to the text, but had her own understanding.

Xiao Mo even felt that Ruxue's annotations of the scriptures had some of his own habits from his previous life.

This made Xiao Mo quite gratified.

That silly girl from back then who didn't understand anything and had to ask "why" about everything had unexpectedly become so learned and talented.

Besides reading, Bai Ruxue also taught Xiao Mo some mental cultivation methods to assist his practice, as well as some sword techniques for self-defense.

Every so often, Bai Ruxue would help Xiao Mo temper his body with medicinal baths.

Regarding the medicinal materials used for his body tempering, Xiao Mo recognized several of them, each worth a fortune.

Even most cultivators would be reluctant to throw them away after one use and would reuse them several times but every time Xiao Mo finished bathing, all those medicinal materials would be thrown into the sea by Bai Ruxue to feed the fish.

For Bai Ruxue, everything Xiao Mo used had to be the best.

Use medicinal materials a second time?

Then what would be the point of this girl being the master of the North Sea?

Xiao Mo didn't know what resources the direct disciples of other sects had but Xiao Mo felt that they probably couldn't compare to his.

Under the accumulation of various resources, Xiao Mo quickly reached the perfect stage of the ninth level of Qi Refinement and was about to face the Foundation Building lightning tribulation.

Before Xiao Mo crossed the tribulation, Bai Ruxue made many preparations.

Bai Ruxue first found a feng shui treasure land, then set up formations.

On the day of crossing the tribulation, Bai Ruxue took Xiao Mo to worship heaven and earth to show respect for the Heavenly Dao, then stuffed Xiao Mo with all kinds of magical treasures and pills.

Those who didn't know would think Xiao Mo was crossing the lightning tribulation of the Upper Three Realms.

Because when cultivators cross tribulations, others cannot help and can only watch.

So every time a lightning tribulation struck down, Bai Ruxue would be very nervous.

When Xiao Mo successfully crossed the tribulation and Bai Ruxue loosened her small hands, several deep nail marks were left in her palms.

Besides daily cultivation, Bai Ruxue would often catch some small fierce beasts to be Xiao Mo's sparring partners to increase his practical combat experience.

These fierce beasts included but were not limited to Deep Armor Devil Horseshoe Crabs, Lava Armor Crab Kings, Wailing Bewildering Heart Shells, and so on.

"Sister Bai, why are all their names so strange?" Looking at the Tidal Azure Blue Sea Fish in front of him, Xiao Mo asked.

"Because their names were all given by sister, just like those fierce beasts from before." Bai Ruxue's eyes crinkled into crescents, "What's wrong? Does Little Mo think they don't sound good?"

"No, they sound quite nice," Xiao Mo was momentarily speechless.

"Sister also thinks they sound quite nice." Bai Ruxue said proudly, "Quick, defeat this Tidal Azure Blue Sea Fish in front of you."

"Yes, sister!"

Xiao Mo held his wooden sword and slashed toward the Tidal Azure Blue Sea Fish.

This sea fish's fins trembled.

It was confident it could spray this human brat to death with one mouthful of salty seawater but it looked at the woman with golden vertical pupils not far away.

It knew that if it dared to open its mouth, it would definitely die first.

After one incense stick's time, Xiao Mo won a great victory. Bai Ruxue kicked the Tidal Azure Blue Sea Fish away with one foot and happily clapped for Xiao Mo, "Little Mo is so great! Little Mo is indeed a genius~"

"Thank you, Sister Bai."

Xiao Mo wiped the hot sweat from his forehead.

Although he had already won fifty consecutive victories against these fierce beasts, Xiao Mo really didn't feel any sense of pride because these fierce beasts weren't just going easy on him, they were practically throwing the ocean at him.

Every time Ruxue brought back fierce beasts, they would be trembling with fear.

They only dared to carefully make moves against him, then get beaten up by him like punching bags.

After the beating, Ruxue would release these bruised and battered fierce beasts.

They didn't dare look back.

Xiao Mo felt quite embarrassed about it, but he couldn't bear to waste Ruxue's good intentions.

And speaking of which, although these fierce beasts went easy on him, Xiao Mo could judge his current strength based on the degree to which these fierce beasts went easy on him.

However, one day, Bai Ruxue brought back a Sword Dragon Turtle.

This Sword Dragon Turtle was different.

This was an eighth-grade fierce beast with strength comparable to the middle stage of Foundation Building realm.

Xiao Mo and this Sword Dragon Turtle initially fought well, evenly matched but suddenly Xiao Mo had a feeling and struck down with his sword.

This Sword Dragon Turtle sensed life-threatening danger and instinctively spat out a water column.

Xiao Mo couldn't dodge in time and was hit in the arm.

"Little Mo!" Bai Ruxue was startled and quickly ran over to check Xiao Mo's wound, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Sister Bai. It's just a small injury. How can one cultivate without getting hurt?" Xiao Mo didn't mind, "I'll continue fighting with it."

Bai Ruxue shook her head, "Let's not fight today. Little Mo, you've already done very well. Go rest in your room first. Sister will call you for dinner later."

Bai Ruxue reached out to touch Xiao Mo's wound. Fortunately, it was indeed a light injury and was healed immediately.

"Alright, then sister, I'll go rest for a while."

Xiao Mo actually still wanted to fight with that Sword Dragon Turtle. He had just gotten interested but seeing Ruxue like this, she definitely wouldn't agree.

"Mm-hmm, go quickly."

Bai Ruxue smiled and rubbed Xiao Mo's head.

After Xiao Mo entered the room, Bai Ruxue's originally smiling face immediately darkened.

Bai Ruxue turned around and looked at this Sword Dragon Turtle.

Feeling that enormous dragon's might, the Sword Dragon Turtle kept trembling.

That evening, when Xiao Mo walked out of the courtyard, he found that the Sword Dragon Turtle was gone.

"Sister Bai, did you send that Sword Dragon Turtle away?" Xiao Mo asked.

Every time Xiao Mo sparred with fierce beasts, Bai Ruxue would release those beasts.

"Ah? That turtle? Mm, it did leave." Bai Ruxue called out from the kitchen, "Little Mo, wait a moment. Sister will have the food ready soon."

"Alright, Sister Bai." Xiao Mo nodded and continued reading his book in the courtyard.

After half an incense stick's time, Bai Ruxue brought out a stew pot from the kitchen.

Smelling the fragrance emanating from the pot, Xiao Mo was really getting hungry, "Sister Bai, what are we eating tonight? It smells so good."

"Nothing special. Sister just made something casually. Since it smells good, then Little Mo should eat more tonight."

"Mm."

Bai Ruxue placed the stew pot on the table.

Xiao Mo leaned over to look into the pot.

Hm?

Why does this turtle look so familiar?

[NEXT CHAPTER]

IMT Chapter 93: In This Life, Will He Still Wear the Blue Scholar's Robe?

The day after taking the Ascension Pill and Dragon Thunder Liquid.

Xiao Mo woke up, sat on the bed, and felt his body was incredibly light and much more energetic than before.

Xiao Mo closed his eyes and examined his body internally.

He could feel spiritual power continuously flowing within his body.

"This medicinal effect is truly exaggerated."

Xiao Mo deeply exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Dragon Thunder Liquid could indeed change a person's constitution and create acquired spiritual meridians, allowing an ordinary person to cultivate but in reality, the acquired spiritual meridians created by Dragon Thunder Liquid should have been very fragile.

Unexpectedly, with the cooperation of this Ascension Pill, the two complemented each other and truly created spiritual meridians and spiritual roots comparable to innate ones, and their quality was really not low!

Even under this medicinal effect, he had broken through to the first level of Qi Refinement in one go.

At this moment, Xiao Mo suddenly had a thought.

Perhaps he didn't need to enter court as an official anymore.

Previously, the reason he wanted to enter court as an official wasn't because he hadn't considered that Ruxue would feed him Dragon Thunder Liquid.

Xiao Mo just felt that even if he drank Dragon Thunder Liquid, it would be useless because the greatest use of Dragon Thunder Liquid was for cultivators to improve their spiritual meridians.

If an ordinary person drank it, it would still be difficult to establish a foundation.

So in comparison, Xiao Mo felt that entering court as an official seemed to be more useful but now it was different. Perhaps he could truly wholeheartedly focus on cultivation.

"Little Mo, are you awake? Get up and eat breakfast. The sun is already shining on your bottom," came Bai Ruxue's cheerful voice from outside the door.

Xiao Mo opened his eyes and only then realized he had slept until noon.

"Sister Bai, I'm awake," Xiao Mo called out toward the door after calming the spiritual power in his body, then quickly got out of bed and walked out.

"Come wash up quickly. It looks like we can't eat breakfast anymore. We'll just eat lunch directly later." Bai Ruxue came out of the kitchen carrying a basin of water, "Sister will help you wash your face."

"Sister Bai, I can do it myself... mmm."

Before Xiao Mo could refuse, Bai Ruxue was already wiping Xiao Mo's head with a face towel.

Xiao Mo's head turned and turned.

Xiao Mo discovered something: Ruxue seemed to really like helping him wash his face.

After brushing his teeth with locust twigs dipped in some salt and shell powder, Bai Ruxue brought out the food.

While eating, Bai Ruxue asked how Xiao Mo was feeling.

Xiao Mo answered honestly.

When Bai Ruxue heard Xiao Mo say he felt his body was very light and energetic, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed Xiao Mo had a high acceptance rate for the Dragon Thunder Liquid and Ascension Pill.

"Little Mo, starting today, Sister Bai will begin teaching you cultivation." After finishing lunch, Bai Ruxue looked at Xiao Mo expectantly.

It seemed that for Bai Ruxue, whether teaching Xiao Mo to read or guiding Xiao Mo in cultivation, both were very interesting things.

"Alright, Sister Bai." Xiao Mo nodded seriously, "I will definitely work hard!"

"Well... you don't need to work that hard. Just do what you can." Worried that Xiao Mo was under too much pressure, Bai Ruxue quickly waved her hands.

"I understand, Sister Bai." Xiao Mo nodded, "Then Sister Bai, what should we cultivate first?"

"Well..." Bai Ruxue thought for a moment, "There are countless paths of the Heavenly Dao, and the dao suitable for each person is different. Choosing what suits you will give twice the result with half the effort. If you don't choose well, it's twice the effort for half the result. But Little Mo, you don't need to worry. Sister has already prepared for you."

Bai Ruxue took out a pill from her sleeve dimension, "Eat this pill, then close your eyes and sit cross-legged on the ground. Whatever appears in your mind will be the dao most suitable for Little Mo's cultivation."

"Oh, alright, Sister Bai."

Xiao Mo took the pill and swallowed it, then sat cross-legged on the ground and emptied his mind.

Gradually, Xiao Mo saw a book in his mind.

This book had no name, it was just in the form of a book.

After a moment, Xiao Mo opened his eyes.

Bai Ruxue looked at Xiao Mo expectantly and asked curiously, "How was it, Little Mo? What did you see?"

"Sister Bai, I seemed to see a book." Xiao Mo said.

"A book?" Bai Ruxue blinked and thought carefully, "Then it looks like Little Mo will very likely take the path of the Confucian dao."

"The Confucian dao?"

Xiao Mo was also within expectations about this.

He had been a scholar in his previous life, so taking the Confucian dao in this life was reasonable.

Seeing Xiao Mo's silent appearance, Bai Ruxue continued to explain, "The Confucian dao is one of the three great daos. The so-called three great daos are 'Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.' Regarding the Confucian dao, although Sister Bai doesn't understand much about it, there's no big problem. Sister is still very confident in guiding your cultivation."

"Mm-hmm, I believe in sister!" Xiao Mo nodded seriously.

Although he said this, Xiao Mo felt a bit uncertain in his heart.

He didn't know if Ruxue was reliable or not.

However, regarding the Confucian dao, Xiao Mo wasn't completely ignorant. After all, in his previous life, he had been the Prime Minister of one of the ten great dynasties of the human race, had contact with many cultivators, and had even more contact with many scholars who had embarked on the path of cultivation.

Simply put, Confucian dao cultivation was about reading more books.

The more books one read, the higher one's knowledge, and the more thorough one's understanding of Confucian learning, naturally, the higher one's realm would be.

In this world, there were quite a few places for Confucian cultivators to study, among which the most famous were "One Academy and Four Schools."

The Four Schools were respectively "White Deer Academy," "Cliff Academy," "Vast Sea Academy," and "Penglai Academy."

Above the Four Great Academies was the holy land of learning that all scholars in the world dreamed of: the "Confucian Academy."

"For now, Ruxue teaching me cultivation should be enough, but after the Cave Mansion realm, I might need to find a way to study at the academies."

Xiao Mo lowered his head and thought to himself.

"What's wrong? What is Little Mo thinking about?" Bai Ruxue put her hands behind her back, bent down, and lightly touched Xiao Mo's brow.

"It's nothing." Xiao Mo shook his head.

"Alright." Bai Ruxue didn't take it to heart either.

"Starting today, our cultivation will be divided into two parts~

First, we need to study well. To take the path of the Confucian dao, one must read many books. The higher the knowledge, the higher the realm.

Second, Xiao Mo can also learn some mental cultivation methods, sword techniques, and the like as supplementary cultivation.

Sister Bai will teach you all of these."

"Thank you, Sister Bai." Xiao Mo thanked her purely.

"No need to thank me." Bai Ruxue's eyes crinkled into crescents, "Little Mo, go get that copy of the Analects. We're going to start class."

"Mm-hmm!"

Xiao Mo ran toward the room.

"In this life, will he still wear the blue scholar's robe?"

Watching Xiao Mo's back, Bai Ruxue's eyes became increasingly gentle.

"Indeed, the blue robe suits him best."

[NEXT CHAPTER]

IMT Chapter 92: He Used His Life to Guard Me, I'll Use My Life to Protect Him

Li Sisi's words slowly spread across the sea surface.

Bai Ruxue stood before Li Sisi, her expression incredibly calm.

"Miss Bai, I've finished speaking," Li Sisi looked at this master of the North Sea, "After today, Master will go to the Crimson Fire Ruins in the barren lands to attempt breaking through to the Ascension realm, and I will follow. From now on when we meet again, who knows how many years later it will be. Please take care, Miss Bai."

"Take care, Miss Sisi. Please convey my gratitude to Elder Fuchen, and also give him my wishes for a smooth tribulation crossing, but..."

Bai Ruxue's tone shifted, her firm voice like Mount Buzhou supporting the heavens.

"To ask me to let go of Xiao Mo, my answer is still the same as three thousand years ago. I cannot do it!"

"To ask me to watch Xiao Mo pass away with my own eyes, I also cannot do it!"

"So what if it's a chaotic world? So what about karma? So what about the Heavenly Dao? I will bear everything for him!"

"In the previous life, he used his entire life to protect me."

"In this lifetime, I will also use my entire life to protect him."

"Miss Sisi, this is my answer."

"Miss Bai..."

Li Sisi didn't know what to say.

She knew she couldn't persuade her.

Finally, Li Sisi could only sigh and bow to Bai Ruxue, "Take care, Miss Bai. Sisi sincerely blesses Miss Bai and Mr. Xiao."

"Thank you, Miss Sisi. Take care of yourself." Bai Ruxue returned the courtesy with a bow.

After Li Sisi bid farewell to Bai Ruxue, she turned and flew toward the distance.

Bai Ruxue continued walking forward.

Without realizing it, Bai Ruxue had already walked back to Huan Fishing Village and arrived outside the courtyard.

"Sister Bai!" Seeing Sister Bai return, the little boy in the courtyard happily called out.

Seeing the little boy in the courtyard, Bai Ruxue quickly walked into the yard and smiled, "It's already the hai hour, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

"Sister said she'd be back before the zi hour, and I happened to have trouble sleeping, so I thought I'd wait for sister to return and just read some books in the meantime." Xiao Mo blinked as he looked at Bai Ruxue.

"Sorry, sorry." Bai Ruxue said apologetically, "Today sister went out because the gift for Little Mo is ready."

Xiao Mo's eyes sparkled as he said, "What gift?"

"Hehe~" Bai Ruxue said proudly, "Let's go to the seaside. We'll take a walk while sister tells Little Mo about it."

"Mm-hmm." Xiao Mo nodded vigorously, "Then Sister Bai, let's go quickly."

Xiao Mo pulled Bai Ruxue and ran out of the courtyard.

The courtyard where Xiao Mo lived wasn't far from the seaside.

After half an incense stick's time, the two arrived at the beach.

On this summer night, Xiao Mo walked barefoot in the seawater.

Bai Ruxue also took off her shoes and socks, slightly lifted up her skirt hem, and stepped on the beach with her pale white small feet.

Waves of sea breeze blew past, ruffling both their hair.

The tide soaked Bai Ruxue's small feet, washing over the woman's ankles, then slowly receding.

Crystal water drops slowly slid down from the woman's fair ankles and dripped back into the sea.

The woman's moist ankles reflected the night, gleaming with moonlike radiance.

One large and one small walked on the beach, enjoying the sea breeze and listening to the waves, their footprints behind them gently washed away by the waves.

Moonlight shone on the two, as if edging them with a faint golden border.

It seemed as if time had suddenly slowed down.

"Sister, what's the surprise?" Xiao Mo asked curiously.

"Well..." Bai Ruxue said as she walked, "First, Little Mo, sister must tell you something, but you can't tell the people in the village about this. This is a little secret between just the two of us."

"Sister, don't worry, I definitely won't tell!" Xiao Mo promised seriously.

"That's good. Let sister think about how to say this." Bai Ruxue thought for a moment, "Actually, Little Mo, sister is a cultivator."

"Cultivator?" Xiao Mo asked puzzledly, "Sister, what's a cultivator?"

"A cultivator... cultivators are what the aunties and elderly women in the village call immortals. They can use magic arts, live for many years, and can fly. For example, this. Look..."

Bai Ruxue turned around and hooked her finger toward the sea surface.

In an instant, seawater flowed backward, forming the shape of a flood dragon circling in the air.

Xiao Mo pretended to be startled and quickly grabbed Bai Ruxue's sleeve.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. This is just a small magic art of sister's."

Bai Ruxue moved her fingertip and that sea dragon rotated as her jade finger moved.

"And this."

Bai Ruxue drew with her jade finger, and suddenly a hundred-meter-long sea wall rose in the distance.

Finally, Bai Ruxue pointed her finger downward, and both the waves and sea dragon fell back into the sea surface as if nothing had happened, except the waves washing against their ankles became slightly larger.

"How about it? Is sister amazing?" Bai Ruxue put her hands on her hips proudly.

"Mm-hmm-hmm." Xiao Mo nodded seriously, "Sister, you're so amazing!"

"Amazing, right?" Bai Ruxue's eyes crinkled into crescents, "Then Little Mo, do you want to become a cultivator?"

"Eh? I can become a cultivator too?" Xiao Mo asked puzzledly.

"Of course you can." Bai Ruxue took out the Ascension Pill and Dragon Thunder Liquid, "This is the gift sister prepared for Xiao Mo. As long as Little Mo eats these two things, you can cultivate."

"Really?" Xiao Mo pretended to be half-believing.

"Little Mo will know once you try." Bai Ruxue handed the Dragon Thunder Liquid and Ascension Pill to Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo, as if taking medicine, used the Dragon Thunder Liquid to swallow the Ascension Pill.

The moment the pill and Dragon Thunder Liquid entered his stomach, Xiao Mo felt a warm current flowing through his body.

Actually, after eating these two things, Xiao Mo had prepared himself to accept the pain of having his meridians shattered because he had drunk Dragon Thunder Liquid once before.

The severe pain when he drank the Dragon Thunder Liquid was still fresh in his memory. It hurt so much he almost fainted but just when the pain was about to come, Xiao Mo felt his small hand being held.

In an instant, the pain disappeared without a trace.

Or rather, the pain was transferred.

Xiao Mo saw Ruxue crouching in front of him, tightly holding his small hand.

Even though she was in pain enough to furrow her brows and cold sweat appeared on her forehead, she still looked at him with a smile.

After one incense stick's time, Xiao Mo felt the spiritual meridians in his body were completely unobstructed, and the pill was consolidating his spiritual meridians and even opening up the constitution within his body.

"Mm, all done."

Bai Ruxue stroked Xiao Mo's head.

"From now on, Little Mo is a little cultivator. Sister will teach Xiao Mo cultivation in the future.

Don't worry, Little Mo. No matter what difficulties you encounter later, sister will help you solve them.

No matter what happens to you, sister will protect you.

As long as sister is here, no one will dare harm you."

"No." Xiao Mo shook his head.

"Eh? Little Mo doesn't want this?" Bai Ruxue's eyes showed some panic, "Does Little Mo dislike sister?"

"That's not it." Xiao Mo shook his head vigorously.

"Because I will also work hard to cultivate. I don't want Sister Bai to always protect me."

"When I grow up, it should be my turn to protect Sister Bai!"

[NEXT CHAPTER]

IMT Chapter 91: Don't Be Stubborn Anymore

North Sea, Dragon Abyss.

The white-dressed woman stood before a massive pill furnace that was ten zhang tall.

Around this pill furnace, a total of seven flood dragons breathed out dragon fire.

They carefully and meticulously controlled the heat, fearing the slightest negligence.

After half an hour, the medicinal fragrance from within the pill furnace slowly wafted out.

Bai Ruxue's golden vertical pupils condensed, her small hands clenched tightly as she nervously watched the pill furnace ahead.

"Increase the fire by thirty percent!" Bai Ruxue commanded.

"Roar!"

The seven flood dragons showed no hesitation and immediately increased the intensity of their breath.

After one incense stick's time, Bai Ruxue opened her small mouth and spat a drop of heart blood into the pill furnace.

The essence blood merged with the pill.

The medicinal fragrance became even more intense, and Bai Ruxue waved her hand, opening the pill furnace.

In an instant, the pill furnace blazed like the sun, emitting dazzling light as if it would illuminate the entire Dragon Abyss.

"Rumble!"

Above the pill furnace, a thick layer of dark clouds appeared, lightning flashed within the dark clouds.

This was pill tribulation.

Whenever a first-grade or higher pill was born, the laws of the Heavenly Dao would send down pill tribulation, attempting to prevent such pills that seized the fortune of heaven and earth from being born.

"Scram!"

Bai Ruxue looked at this pill tribulation and simply said one word, “Scram."

In an instant, the dark clouds scattered, and the pill tribulation couldn't even descend.

The fragrance of the pill permeated the entire Dragon Abyss. Many demonic beasts and magical beasts that smelled this pill all drooled with desire and instinctively wanted to approach where the pill was located but that intense dragon's might made them feel fear from the depths of their hearts.

Bai Ruxue then extended her hand, the golden pill seemed to be drawn by some force and slowly floated to Bai Ruxue's tender palm.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! You have successfully refined the precious pill!"

The seven flood dragons quickly transformed into human form and knelt on one knee before Bai Ruxue.

"You have all worked hard."

Bai Ruxue nodded and said to Little Green beside her, "Take them to the treasury to each select a half-immortal grade spirit medicine, and let them rest well."

"Yes, sister." Little Green responded.

The seven flood dragons all showed excited expressions, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Bai Ruxue stored the precious pill in her bosom, turned around, and flew away from the Dragon Abyss.

After Bai Ruxue left, they slowly stood up and wiped the hot sweat from their foreheads.

A month ago, the North Sea Dragon Lord issued a decree for the Seven Dragon Kings of the North Sea to go to the Dragon Abyss.

They didn't know what it was about, but Her Majesty's orders could only be obeyed.

After arriving, they discovered it was actually pill refining.

For this past month, they, the Seven Dragon Kings of the North Sea, had refined pills again and again without leaving the Dragon Abyss for a moment.

Finally, today it was completed.

Otherwise, if this continued, they felt their throats would really start smoking.

The black flood dragon named Xiawu stepped forward and curiously asked Little Green, "Sister Little Green, who is this pill that Her Majesty created for?"

"Right, Sister Little Green, this pill seems to be for improving constitution and unblocking spiritual meridians, and Her Majesty even used a drop of essence blood." The flood dragon named He Xiao was also very curious.

They couldn't understand at all who could have such great face that the entire North Sea would refine pills for them, even using a drop of Her Majesty's essence blood.

Hearing their inquiries, Little Green glared at them, and the dragons quickly retreated several steps.

Little Green said coldly, "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. No one is allowed to speak of what happened this month, do you hear?"

"Yes."

All the dragons closed their mouths and didn't dare say more.

Bai Ruxue took the pill and used the technique of shrinking earth into inches. In less than half a cup of tea's time, she reached the ten-li sea area of Huan Fishing Village.

But in front of Bai Ruxue, a woman appeared.

"Miss Bai," Li Sisi from Tianxuan Sect saw Bai Ruxue and happily waved her hand.

Bai Ruxue stepped on the sea surface with her cloud-patterned embroidered shoes and smiled, "So it's Miss Sisi. It's been a long time."

"It has been a long time." Li Sisi nodded and stepped forward, saying, "It should be a thousand years."

"How has Elder Fuchen been recently?" Bai Ruxue asked.

Because the great war between the human race and demon race was on the verge of breaking out, the relationship between both sides was becoming increasingly tense. As an Immortal realm great demon in the Ten Thousand Laws World, even with Tianxuan Sect backing him, Fuchen had been under considerable pressure recently.

Li Sisi smiled, "My master is doing well, thank you for Miss Bai's concern."

"Then I'm relieved." Bai Ruxue looked at Li Sisi, "Is there something you need in coming to find me, Miss Sisi?"

"Well..." The originally happy smile on Li Sisi's face gradually disappeared, becoming somewhat conflicted and nervous.

"It should be that Elder Fuchen asked Miss Sisi to deliver a message? Just speak directly, miss." Bai Ruxue said calmly.

"Then... then I'll say it..." Sisi lifted her head, her tone carrying a hint of uneasiness.

"Master... Master recently divined that you found Xiao Mo, and also divined that you want to change Xiao Mo's constitution, trying to let Xiao Mo cultivate, so Master asked me... asked me to come persuade you, miss."

Bai Ruxue's brows furrowed, "What does Elder Fuchen want to persuade me about?"

Li Sisi nervously clasped her small hands and looked directly into Bai Ruxue's golden vertical pupils, "Master asked me to urge you to think thrice."

"..."

Above the sea surface, both sides fell into silence.

Li Sisi took a deep breath, calmed her nervous emotions, and said seriously, "Miss Bai also knows that no matter what, everything has two sides.

Although common mortals have lifespans of only a few decades, their karma is minimal.

Because among common mortals, even someone like Mr. Xiao who reached the extreme still cannot affect the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao won't spare common mortals a glance but cultivators are different.

Cultivation itself is seizing the fortune of heaven and earth.

When a person steps onto the path of cultivation, they will be noticed by the Heavenly Dao. The higher their realm, the more the Heavenly Dao cares, so it will send down more tribulations. Therefore, the more cultivators practice, the more they feel it's difficult to ascend to heaven.

Because the essence of cultivators continuously ascending realms is wanting to transcend worldly karma and trying to replace the Heavenly Dao.

Miss Bai is now using Dragon Thunder Liquid and Ascension Pills, trying to force Xiao Mo to cultivate.

In peaceful and prosperous times, this would naturally be fine but now, the second great war between the human race and demon race is about to begin.

The entire world will be drawn into it.

When that time comes, the life threads of countless cultivators will be in chaos, karma will be intricately intertwined, anyone could die unnaturally, or even have their soul scattered.

If Xiao Mo stays in a remote small fishing village, perhaps he could avoid this calamity but if Xiao Mo steps onto the path of cultivation, then everything becomes uncertain..."

"Did Elder Fuchen divine something?" Bai Ruxue asked with focused attention.

"Master didn't tell me." Li Sisi sighed and shook her head.

"Master only asked me to tell Miss Bai:

If Miss Bai gives up letting Mr. Xiao cultivate, then take him to the barren lands and spend a good hundred years together.

If Miss Bai still wants Mr. Xiao to cultivate, then Miss Bai must consider whether she can bear the countless threads of karma from this chaotic world for Mr. Xiao.

Finally, Master asked me to tell you, miss:

This lifetime is ending, so let it end.

Don't be stubborn anymore."

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 140: The Warm Stone Fireplace!

Lin Yu'an spoke softly to comfort her, “I know this sounds truly crazy. But this time is different from last time. I'm no longer surviving and struggling for money, but rather..."

He paused, trying to find the most accurate words to describe his inner feelings.

"Rather, it's a desire to compete on the same stage with true masters. Aliya, you know I love this feeling of confronting nature's extremes."

Aliya fell quiet, looking at Lin Yu'an's face on the screen.

His gaze was calm, but deep in his eyes burned a flame she knew very well, the desire that belongs to the strong when facing challenges.

She knew this was the real him. A man who could navigate cruel wilderness with ease, yet also paint a future for her in the warmth of home.

She had fallen in love with exactly this kind of contradictory yet utterly genuine man.

After a long while, Aliya let out a gentle sigh, the worry in her eyes gradually replaced by understanding and tenderness.

"I understand."

She didn't mention danger again, nor did she try to dissuade him. Instead, she changed her approach and said softly, “Darling, actually... we no longer need to take risks for money."

She turned her camera toward her computer screen, which displayed a stock trading software interface.

A green, upward-trending K-line chart occupied the entire screen, with a prominent stock symbol beside it, NVDA.

Aliya's voice carried a hint of laughter, “Following your advice to buy that stock, now it's gone crazy!"

"The value of these stocks we hold is already enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives, and even establish a generous trust fund for the children."

"We're not short of money anymore, darling." She turned the camera back to herself, looking at him with utmost seriousness.

"So I support you going, not for that five hundred thousand dollars, but because I know this is what you want, this is the way that makes you feel truly 'alive.'"

A surge of tremendous warmth rose in Lin Yu'an's heart.

This was his Aliya, always able to see through to the deepest thoughts in his heart and give him the most unwavering support.

"But," Aliya's tone also became extremely solemn.

"You must promise me one thing."

"Tell me."

"If you feel there's even the slightest real danger, or if you feel you don't want to persist anymore, you must press that distress button and immediately quit that damned show!"

Her voice carried an undeniable command.

"Nothing is more important than your safety. Home is here, and the children and I will always be waiting for you to come back. Do you hear me?"

"I promise you."

Lin Yu'an nodded firmly, this promise was more resolute than ever before.

Having received his assurance, Aliya completely relaxed.

She showed her gentle smile again and winked playfully, “Alright, my champion sir. Since you're going to conquer new wilderness again, I'd better hurry up too."

"I need to contact the designer immediately to order the renovation materials we need, plus furniture and decorations."

"Then I'll be waiting, Your Majesty." Lin Yu'an also smiled.

A conversation that could have sparked conflict transformed into mutual support and shared anticipation for the future through their deep understanding and trust.

After hanging up the video call, Lin Yu'an walked to the window, looking out at the forest already shrouded in twilight.

He knew that no matter how far he traveled or how harsh the places where he challenged his limits, there would always be a light burning for him and a beloved waiting for his return.

This connection was not a chain that bound him, but the most solid anchor that allowed him to fly higher and farther!

After ending the video call with Aliya and looking at those beautiful interior design drawings that Aliya had helped perfect, Lin Yu'an's heart filled with infinite motivation.

His gaze turned to the first item on his planning list, and the soul of the entire living room, that massive stone fireplace that would extend from floor to the second-floor ceiling.

In his vision, it must possess unique texture and the mark of this land.

He wanted to use stones that truly carried traces of glaciers and time to personally build a warm yet solid heart for his home.

A month ago, he had ordered a "zero-clearance" high-performance fireplace system from a top Canadian fireplace manufacturer.

This system included a cast-iron fireplace core weighing three hundred kilograms, plus sectional A-grade double-wall stainless steel insulated chimney pipes. He'd received an email a few days ago saying it would arrive within seven days.

This was perfect timing to carry out his stone quarrying plan.

An ideal location immediately came to mind, a debris slope formed by a landslide that he and Stan had discovered before.

The mountainside there was mainly gneiss that had undergone years of weathering and spalling, forming a natural stone yard at the mountain's base.

He clearly remembered the gneiss there, with black and white banded textures as beautiful as ink paintings, extremely hard and perfect for fireplace facing.

But to transport heavy loads to such a place, a professional heavy-duty pickup and trailer were essential. Without hesitation, he drove directly to Old George's house.

When Old George heard Lin Yu'an's idea of quarrying gneiss slabs himself, his face showed a knowing smile.

"I knew you'd go get the stones yourself, kid."

"You're exactly like I was when I was young, always feeling that things you pick yourself have soul."

Without asking another question, he took a key from a bunch hanging on the wall and tossed it to Lin Yu'an.

"Take my big rig. There's a flatbed trailer hitched to the back that can haul three tons. Use it freely, just remember to fill up the tank when you bring it back."

Old George said, “But I should remind you, kid, we're doing stone veneer, not building solid walls."

"So you don't need those hundred-kilogram boulders. You need stone slabs between 5 and 15 centimeters thick, understand? That tests your eye and skill more."

"I understand, George. Thank you!" Lin Yu'an thanked him sincerely.

"Thank what!" Old George waved his hand.

"That's what neighbors do, isn't it? Go on, while the weather's good."

Early the next morning, while it was still barely light, Lin Yu'an set out driving Old George's Ford F-450 with the flatbed trailer hitched behind.

At his command, two furry little ones excitedly rushed out of the cabin.

Wagging their tails, they competed to jump onto this massive pickup that seemed like a mobile castle to them.

But their little short legs obviously couldn't reach, so Lin Yu'an laughingly picked them up one in each hand and placed them in the spacious back seat.

The vehicle traveled along the Dalton Highway for a stretch, then turned onto an unmarked dirt road leading to the eastern valley.

The F-450's diesel engine produced steady, powerful rumbling as its high chassis easily crushed over potholes and rocks.

When he reached that debris slope from memory, the sun had just crested the distant ridge.

Lin Yu'an parked on relatively level ground at the slope's base, then opened the rear door.

Whiskey and Honey immediately shot out like two cannonballs into this new playground filled with natural scents.

This place was different from flat gravel beds, more like a huge gentle slope composed of countless stones.

The air was filled with the mixed scent of rock and damp earth.

Whiskey and Honey, seeing such a three-dimensional landscape for the first time, excitedly began their adventure.

Bold Whiskey tried climbing a rock taller than himself, only to comically tumble down.

Sister Honey was more interested in the small flowers growing in rock crevices, constantly sniffing with her little nose.

Lin Yu'an, like an experienced stonemason, began his treasure hunt.

He didn't rush to start work but spent nearly half an hour hiking across the entire debris slope, constructing his desired fireplace image in his mind.

He needed gneiss slabs 5 to 15 centimeters thick with hard texture. He particularly favored those with alternating black and white patterns flowing like ink paintings.

Finally, in the middle of the debris slope, he found an ideal stone deposit.

He put on thick gloves and picked up a pry bar and heavy stone hammer.

He selected his first target, a slab partially separated from bedrock with uniform thickness and roughly one square meter area.

He first used the stone hammer to clear surrounding debris, then drove the thick pry bar deep into the gap between slab and bedrock, giving it a mighty pry!

"Clang!" The slab completely separated from the bedrock.

Next came the more skill-testing step. He took up the big hammer and several different-sized steel wedges.

He carefully observed the slab's natural black and white texture patterns, then gently drove steel wedges along a clear white feldspar band into the slab's edge.

"Ding... ding... ding..."

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the slab split cleanly with a straight, neat break, forming a more wall-suitable regular shape with natural fracture surfaces.

Every stone he selected seemed like a unique puzzle piece in his eyes, he could even imagine their future positions on his home fireplace.

Lin Yu'an repeated this process all day long.

By sunset, the sturdy flatbed trailer was neatly stacked with over a ton of carefully selected and preliminarily shaped gneiss slabs.

Over the following week, Lin Yu'an worked like a busy bee, traveling daily between camp and quarry.

He quarried and transported stones during the day, then returned to camp in the evening to categorize the harvested stone materials by color, texture, and size.

On the seventh afternoon, just as he was bringing back his final load of stones, a six-wheel drive express truck with extremely high clearance and "Alaska Express Freight" markings pulled steadily up to his campsite.

The driver jumped down and, seeing Lin Yu'an and the mountain of stone materials, whistled, “Hey! You must be Mr. Hermann? Your shipment's here. Got to say, the road to this place you picked is quite something!"

After confirming order information, the driver used the truck's built-in mini crane to carefully unload the huge wooden crate containing the fireplace core and several long boxes full of stainless steel chimney pipes at Lin Yu'an's designated spot.

"Good luck, buddy!" The driver waved and hurriedly departed.

With this, all materials for building the fireplace were ready, the high-performance fireplace core, professional chimney system, and ten tons of natural gneiss from this very land.

The next day, fireplace construction officially began.

David and Mike had returned several days earlier, shouldering cameras to document the entire process.

The first thing Lin Yu'an did was install the three-hundred-kilogram cast-iron fireplace core in the center of the foundation platform reserved in the completed cabin's interior.

Using a homemade four-wheel flatbed cart, he smoothly dragged it to the most precise position.

After installing the fireplace core, the next step was building the entire fireplace and chimney "skeleton."

He brought out extensive light steel framing and a professional cutting machine, explaining to David, “We're using a 'zero-clearance' fireplace that theoretically can directly contact combustible materials."

"But for one hundred percent safety, I'm choosing this completely fire-resistant light steel framing to build the framework. Plus, its dimensions are very standard, ensuring our final fireplace will be absolutely level and plumb."

Then he cut, assembled, and secured light steel studs with self-tapping screws.

A huge hollow framework perfectly enclosed the fireplace core, extending from floor to the second-floor ceiling opening.

After completing the framework, it was time to install the chimney.

He opened the long boxes and took out sections of A-grade double-wall stainless steel insulated chimney pipe.

"This is double-wall construction with high-density ceramic fiber insulation between inner and outer walls."

"Even when internal flue temperatures are extremely high, the outer wall temperature will only be slightly above room temperature, allowing safe passage through our wood floors and roof."

Like assembling a model, he connected these chimney sections one by one upward, each section having professional locks that clicked securely into place.

When the final chimney section passed through the roof and received its rain cap, the entire fireplace's internal core system was declared complete.

Now to dress this steel skeleton in stone "clothing."

Lin Yu'an first secured a layer of thick cement board to the outside of the light steel framework as a base for adhering stone materials.

Then he came before that stone mountain and began work that tested aesthetics and patience.

From that pile of various-shaped gneiss pieces, he selected stones with the most suitable color, texture, thickness, and shape.

He would first do "dry fitting" on the ground, arranging the stones about to go on the wall to achieve his desired effect.

Then he started up a small wet-cutting saw to trim stone edges so they could fit tightly together.

After determining the arrangement order, the adhesion work officially began.

He mixed high-strength stone adhesive and applied a thick layer to the stone backs.

Then, starting from the very bottom of the fireplace, he firmly pressed the first stone against the cement board and tapped gently with a rubber mallet until mortar squeezed out the edges.

He used a level to constantly check each stone's horizontal and vertical alignment.

One stone, two stones, one row, two rows...

Lin Yu'an spent five full days on this work.

When he installed the final carefully polished gneiss piece at the fireplace top, a magnificent stone fireplace extending from floor to ceiling was finally complete!

During the days waiting for mortar and grout to fully dry, he also completed waterproofing and fireproofing treatment where the chimney passed through the roof.

Finally, it was time to witness this home's "heart" being lit.

Lin Yu'an placed several pieces of dry birch wood in the brand-new fireplace.

Sparks ignited the tinder, which caught the fine wood chips, and finally, a cluster of orange flames danced cheerfully up in the huge cast-iron firebox!

The flames crackled, and warm orange light shone through the large glass door, illuminating the interior of this home that had begun to take shape for the first time.

Lin Yu'an, David, and Mike gathered around the fireplace, feeling that comforting warmth washing over them.

David's camera slowly pulled back from the warm interior, through the window, finally settling on the entire cabin's exterior view.

A wisp of white smoke was rising gracefully from the tall stone chimney, merging into Alaska's azure sky.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 139: The Invitation to "Alone: Frozen Throne"

After completing the dog training journey, Lin Yu'an's attention once again returned to the massive wooden cabin that now stood tall among the trees.

Having worked hard all day, Lin Yu'an carefully washed his face and changed into a clean T-shirt before sitting down at the temporarily assembled wooden table.

Just as he was resting for a moment, preparing to tidy up the cabin, his satellite phone rarely rang.

"Hello, is this Mr. Lin Yu'an?" came an energetic voice with a standard American accent from the other end.

"Yes, it is." Lin Yu'an wiped his hands, somewhat puzzled.

"Excellent! Lin, this is Mark. How are you doing, buddy?"

Hearing this name, a slight smile curved Lin Yu'an's lips. He certainly remembered Mark Johnson, the producer of the "Alone" program.

"Mark, I'm doing well. How about you? Still in that steel jungle of New York?" Lin Yu'an leaned against the window, his tone relaxed and teasing.

"Haha, no choice there. Someone has to sit in the office so the world can see the stories of wilderness warriors like you guys."

Mark laughed heartily, his voice carrying the familiarity of an old friend.

"I've seen the first batch of footage from 'Life Below Zero,' and it's absolutely fantastic! Your life in Alaska is even more exciting than I imagined!"

"Seriously, the story of you and those neighbors has the potential to become the next legend!"

"Thank you, we're just living our lives."

"By the way, how are you feeling now? I mean, you've been filming 'Life Below Zero' for almost half a year now. Are you still adjusting well?" Mark asked with concern.

"Everything's great, thank you for introducing me to Richard back then."

Lin Yu'an looked out at the land through the window and said, "This is exactly the life I wanted. David and Mike from the production crew are also very professional, and we work together very well."

The two chatted about recent developments for a while before Mark changed the subject to the main point.

His tone became serious, “Lin, actually, besides checking in on you, I called today about something more important."

"I'm calling on behalf of the History Channel to invite you to participate in a brand new challenge!"

Mark paused, seemingly building atmosphere, then said word by word, “We're about to launch a special spin-off series of 'Alone'!"

"'Alone: Frozen Throne'"

Mark emphasized, “It's not a regular series, but a battle of champions! We don't accept open applications, invitation only."

"The most special rule of this show is deployment in winter! We expect to officially start competition in early November!"

"Anyone who can survive 50 days on the Labrador coastline will share a total prize pool of $500,000!"

Five hundred thousand dollars, that was a huge temptation for anyone.

But Lin Yu'an's mind was calm at this moment. This money held far less appeal than the satisfaction he gained from building his homestead with his own hands on this land in Wiseman.

Mark continued, “We've drafted an invitation list of six contestants total, all the most beloved figures from past seasons of 'Alone'!"

He seemed able to guess what Lin Yu'an was thinking, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Of course, our initial goal was to invite all champion contestants like you."

"But honestly, we hit walls. Roland from Season 7 said he'd already proven everything and didn't want to starve again."

"Jordan from Season 6 said he'd rather spend time with his family. We respect their choices, perhaps they don't want to experience that hell-like ordeal again."

"Or maybe champion contestants want to forever maintain the legends they've created, afraid of being broken in a new challenge."

"Lin, you're the last champion contestant we're contacting! We truly hope you can become the cornerstone of this 'Frozen Throne.'"

After hearing Mark's explanation, Lin Yu'an fell into contemplation, rapidly evaluating in his mind.

Go, or not go?

His first reaction was to refuse, he no longer needed to fight desperately for money or fame.

But the extreme cold challenge of the Frozen Throne was like a spark that ignited the fire that had never been extinguished deep in his heart.

He craved the feeling of competing on the same stage with those masters, craved testing his limits again in even harsher environments!

But practical problems lay before him. He carefully evaluated the timing.

Mark said deployment would be in early November, with a competition period of at least fifty days, meaning he would miss all of November and December.

And during that time, Alaska would already be locked in by heavy snow, the most critical filming period for "Life Below Zero."

As one of the main characters, he couldn't possibly leave at this time.

Lin Yu'an finally spoke, his voice calm and clear, “Mark, your proposal is very attractive. I like this feeling of confronting nature and competing with masters."

"But timing is a big problem for me. November through December is the most important filming period for me in 'Life Below Zero.' I can't be in two places at once."

Mark seemed to have anticipated this question, this was also why they had saved him for last, as there were many aspects that needed coordination.

He immediately provided a solution, “Lin, just having you interested is fantastic! You don't need to worry about the timing issue at all. As long as you nod yes, leave the rest to me!"

His tone was full of confidence, “I'll personally communicate with Richard. He's been a good friend of mine for years, and I was the one who strongly recommended you to him initially."

"I believe he'll understand. We can completely adjust your filming schedule to leave you this fifty-day window."

"As long as we can make this 'battle of champions' happen, he'll be willing to give us the green light!"

With the biggest concern resolved, Lin Yu'an's mind became completely active. He then presented his core requirement.

"Mark, since this is a battle of champions, I don't want to play house with a bunch of rookies."

Lin Yu'an's tone became formal, “I don't want one of these six people to be someone who only lasted 8 days and quit crying because they missed home."

"If they're all at that level, then for me it's not a challenge, it's an insult! I hope you understand."

"I understand! I completely understand!" Mark immediately said.

"That's exactly why I need you to join! I guarantee we'll match you with the strongest opponents!"

Lin Yu'an mentioned a name, “Clay from Season 8. I hope you can invite him. I really admire his abilities."

"He's a top-tier archer who just had bad luck, but he absolutely has championship-level skills."

"I hope I can have another fair competition with him in the wilderness!"

"For the others, your production team can arrange as you see fit, but I hope you can guarantee their average skill level."

Mark excitedly agreed, “No problem! Lin, your suggestion is fantastic! We'll contact Clay immediately!"

That evening, Mark called again, bringing both good news and bad news.

"Lin, I regret to inform you that Clay declined our invitation." Mark's tone was full of regret.

"We talked with him for a long time, but he said the Season 8 experience left him physically and mentally exhausted. He doesn't want to go through that feeling again, it was too extreme."

"And when he heard you were participating and had specifically invited him along, he refused even more firmly. He said you're someone with both skill and luck combined, and he'd prefer to be a teammate rather than an opponent."

Lin Yu'an was somewhat surprised by this, but he could understand Clay's choice.

"However," Mark changed his tone.

"We found you another equally strong opponent, a true female warrior. The Season 6 runner-up, Woniya Thibeault, has accepted the invitation!"

Woniya! This name made Lin Yu'an's eyes immediately light up with interest.

He certainly remembered her, that woman who lived alone for 73 days on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Her resilience and creativity had won everyone's respect.

Lin Yu'an said concisely, “Very good. With Woniya there, this duel will have sufficient substance."

"Fantastic!" Mark's voice sounded like he'd just closed a huge deal.

"So, Lin, for the final details, our deployment time is set for November 3rd. This means the moment you land, you'll face Labrador's early winter."

"Temperatures will drop rapidly, heavy snow could arrive at any time," and you'll have no adaptation period, you'll go directly into 'Frozen Throne' survival mode!"

"I have no problem with that."

"Oh, and Lin, this show is still in the confidential stage. We hope you can help us keep it secret."

"This series may have a very long production cycle, not as quick as the regular 'Alone' series."

"So you should have a psychological expectation about the broadcast time, if all goes well, it will likely air as early as next May."

Lin Yu'an was silent for a moment before saying, “I understand, Mark, but I still want to emphasize, no scripts. This condition needs to be clearly written into the contract."

"Of course, Lin, this spin-off series will be absolutely zero script! Don't worry!"

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while longer, finalizing some cooperation details, before ending the call.

Lin Yu'an had accepted Mark's invitation. He still needed to tell Aliya about his decision.

He opened his laptop and skillfully connected to the Starlink network provided by the white flat antenna on the roof.

He clicked on the video calling software and dialed Aliya's number.

The call was answered almost instantly.

Aliya's face immediately appeared on screen, wearing a gentle smile.

Thanks to Starlink's high-speed stable network, the image had no delay or lag, as if she were sitting right across from him.

"Hi, darling."

Aliya's voice came through the computer, clear and warm, without any static. Her background was the bright afternoon sunlight of Montana.

"Hi." Lin Yu'an's face also showed a gentle smile.

He picked up the laptop, adjusted the angle, and fully presented the wooden cabin bathed in the evening glow behind him.

"Look at our home, it's growing bigger every day."

"Wow! It looks amazing! Those wood colors are so beautiful in the sunset."

Aliya on screen exclaimed with genuine admiration. She leaned closer to the screen, the high-definition quality allowing her to clearly see the beautiful grain patterns on the logs.

"It's still waiting for its mistress to arrive." Lin Yu'an's romantic words flowed naturally yet with complete sincerity.

Aliya's cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes sparkling with the light of happiness.

"Speaking of which, you'll never guess what I was doing this afternoon! Look!"

She skillfully operated her phone, sharing her screen to Lin Yu'an's computer. An extremely professional and beautiful 3D interior design rendering immediately appeared.

"Ta-da! I communicated with the designer for a long time and finally finalized the blueprint for our home!"

Lin Yu'an was immediately captivated, unconsciously leaning forward.

It was a style he really loved, modern Scandinavian minimalism that perfectly merged the ruggedness of raw wood with the simplicity of contemporary design.

"Quick, start with the first floor and give me a tour of our new home." Lin Yu'an urged like a child eager to unwrap a gift.

Aliya laughed on the video, her finger sliding across her phone screen.

"Alright, sir Welcome to your kingdom First is the first floor, which I designed as a completely open, transparent space."

The living area occupied the largest space. The centerpiece of the rendering was a massive fireplace built with deep gray natural slate.

Rising from floor to the second-floor vaulted ceiling, it radiated primitive yet solid strength.

In front of the fireplace were modern beige fabric sofas and a heavy coffee table made from a single piece of wood.

"I specifically asked the designer to make this fireplace big enough, imposing enough."

"I know you love fireplaces, they're the heart of a home! I imagine winter nights when our whole family gathers here, firelight illuminating everyone's faces. How warm that would be."

"I love this design. I plan to personally collect the stones." Lin Yu'an looked at the screen design, already thinking about implementation plans.

"I knew you'd like it." Aliya on screen smiled, continuing to move the view.

The kitchen and dining room seamlessly connected with the living room. The kitchen was open-concept with a huge island, topped with durable black matte stone.

The cabinets had a simple handleless design in stable deep gray, forming perfect warm-cool contrast with the warm wood walls.

A long solid wood dining table that could seat more than ten people sat quietly by the window, with endless forest visible outside.

"This table is big enough so when the whole family comes over, we can all sit together." Aliya's voice was full of anticipation for a lively future life.

The master bedroom suite was located in the quietest east side of the first floor. Aliya had specially designed an independent walk-in closet and spacious bathroom with separate bathtub and shower.

Aliya explained seriously in the video, “We also need a space that belongs to us, that's private. After a busy day, I want you to be able to completely relax here!"

"Look, this bathtub, I chose an extra deep and long model, big enough for both of us."

After saying this, her playful voice came through the speakers. Seeing her winking at the camera, Lin Yu'an's Adam's apple unconsciously bobbed as he could already imagine that scene.

Aliya switched the view to upstairs, “The second floor, in the future this will be the children's domain."

Two independent bedrooms were neatly arranged, each room having large south-facing windows ensuring abundant sunlight.

The second floor's common area was a comfortable family activity room with an L-shaped corner sofa and a huge bookshelf covering an entire wall.

Finally, Aliya pulled the view to the top floor.

This was a small world that would temporarily belong entirely to Lin Yu'an. Half was his workshop, the rendering showed professional computer equipment and a huge worktable where he could edit videos and study blueprints.

The other half was an incredibly dreamy stargazing platform, with huge angled skylights facing directly toward the pure northern sky.

Aliya's voice became incredibly gentle, “When the aurora erupts, you can hold me in the warmest room, say nothing, and just quietly watch that sky full of aurora until dawn."

Looking at this design filled with ingenuity and love, Lin Yu'an's heart was completely filled with unprecedented satisfaction and anticipation for the future.

This was no longer a cold design drawing, but a preview of every happy moment of his future life!

"Aliya... thank you. It's even more perfect than I imagined."

"Silly, this is our home. I just drew it out."

"I miss you so much, and the children too." Lin Yu'an looked at his beloved's clear face on screen, not hiding the longing in his heart.

"Every day I imagine what it will be like when you come here, imagining the children chasing Whiskey on the grass, imagining you preparing dinner for us in the kitchen."

"We feel the same way, counting down the days until we go to Alaska every day." Aliya's voice carried a hint of emotion.

"So hurry up and finish building our home, my hero. We're waiting for you."

"I promise." Lin Yu'an nodded firmly.

This promise was the most steadfast belief in his heart at this moment!

The two gazed quietly at each other through the video for a moment, the warm silence full of unspoken love.

Lin Yu'an knew it was time to discuss that serious matter.

"Aliya."

He cleared his throat, his tone becoming somewhat solemn, “There's something else I need to tell you."

Aliya on screen asked with concern, “What is it, darling? Did you run into some trouble?"

"No, it's not trouble."

"This afternoon, I got a call from Mark, the producer from 'Alone.'"

"Mark?" Aliya obviously remembered the name too.

"What did he want with you?"

"He invited me to participate in a new show called 'Alone: Frozen Throne', a 'battle of champions' inviting legendary contestants from past seasons."

Lin Yu'an quickly and concisely recounted to Aliya the show's rules, location, and timing.

As he spoke, Aliya's brow gradually furrowed.

When she heard the competition location was the Labrador coastline and deployment time was early November in harsh winter, the worry in her eyes almost spilled from the screen.

"Labrador? November?" Aliya's voice unconsciously rose.

"The winters there are even colder than Chilko Lake! You want to go alone to that kind of place for fifty days? No, this is too dangerous!"

Her first reaction was undisguised worry, not about anything else, but purely concern for his safety.

She had experienced the torment of Lin Yu'an's competition participation, spending every day in prayer. She didn't want to go through that again!

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 138: Ryan's Shocking Discovery of Talent

Inside the training field, A-frame obstacles, balance beams, jumping hurdles, and tunnels and platforms simulating various complex environments were arranged in an orderly fashion.

A agile figure was commanding a black and brown dog that moved like lightning through these obstacles.

It was a Belgian Malinois, commonly called a Mal, with distinct muscle definition and explosive power. Every movement was precise and full of strength.

The man commanding it was Ryan Anderson.

Lin Yu'an parked his car outside the training field and got out, holding the still-curious Whiskey and Honey.

He didn't immediately approach but stood quietly in the distance, watching what could be called an artistic training performance.

Ryan didn't shout loudly. His commands were short and powerful. More often, he used only a hand gesture or even just a slight shift in his body weight.

The Mal would understand immediately and respond with perfect precision. This was no longer simple command and obedience, but a deep-rooted understanding.

When the final command was completed and the Mal sat steadily beside Ryan's feet, looking up at him with eyes full of focus and devotion, Ryan finally seemed to notice the distant visitor.

He didn't walk over immediately but calmly looked at Lin Yu'an, as if wanting to see through him completely.

Meanwhile, the Mal beside his feet slowly stood up, emitting a low, engine-like rumbling warning from its throat.

Its body leaned slightly forward, muscles tense, entering a state of alertness ready to attack at any moment.

The air seemed to freeze instantly.

Lin Yu'an knew this was his first test.

A normal person facing such a professionally trained working dog radiating danger would instinctively retreat, panic, or even turn and run.

But Lin Yu'an didn't. His enhanced sixth sense allowed him to clearly perceive the emotions coming from the other party.

He could feel that although the Mal was full of vigilance, its emotions were stable, without genuine attack intent.

It was just faithfully performing its guard duty, waiting for its master's next command.

Lin Yu'an simply stood still, body relaxed, arms holding Whiskey and Honey. His gaze didn't make direct eye contact with the Mal but looked toward Ryan beside it.

This was a posture in animal behavioral science indicating "I have no hostility, I respect your territory."

Whiskey and Honey in his arms seemed to sense that pressure too. The two little ones whimpered uneasily, trying to burrow deeper into his embrace.

A few seconds of confrontation felt as long as a century.

Finally, Ryan seemed to approve of Lin Yu'an's performance.

He gently patted the Mal's neck and said quietly, “Alright, Kane, relax."

The warning rumble from the Mal named Kane instantly disappeared, its tense body relaxed, but its eyes remained vigilantly locked on Lin Yu'an.

Only then did Ryan stride over with his long legs. He was about thirty-five or thirty-six, tall and well-proportioned.

He wore faded Carhartt work pants and a dark gray tactical fleece.

His short hair was meticulously trimmed, his features sharp, and though his face showed no expression, his eyes were unusually bright, as if they could see into one's heart.

"You're Lin?" His voice was deep and steady, carrying the distinctive quality of a police officer.

"Yes, Ryan, hello." Lin Yu'an extended his hand.

Ryan shook hands with him. His palm was dry and powerful, covered in thick calluses.

"George praised you to the skies on the phone."

He glanced at the two fluffy little ones in Lin Yu'an's arms, “These are the two little troublemakers you need help with?"

"Yes, this is Whiskey, and this is Honey." Lin Yu'an put the two puppies on the ground.

The two little ones immediately began curiously sniffing this strange territory but never dared stray too far from Lin Yu'an's feet.

Ryan crouched down, carefully observing Whiskey and Honey.

His gaze was very professional, checking their bones, gait, and reactions to the new environment.

Kane also approached, curiously sniffing the two little ones with its nose, then emitting a disdainful snort, as if saying "two wet-behind-the-ears little brats."

"Bernese Mountain Dogs, good choice."

Ryan stood up, brushing dirt off his hands, “Good bloodlines, excellent bone structure. But what do you want them to become?"

This question was direct and profound.

"I want them to be my companions and family members."

Lin Yu'an answered seriously, “At the same time, I hope they can protect my family and property when I'm away. I need them to be brave, but never have unprovoked aggression."

Ryan nodded, seeming fairly satisfied with this answer. "Companions, family, guardians, very good."

"But to achieve this goal, you first need to understand: do you want a dog, a tool, or a soldier?"

"Is there a difference?"

"Of course there is."

Ryan's gaze became sharp, “If you treat it as a dog, you'll spoil it and end up with a pampered, disobedient troublemaker."

"If you treat it as a tool, you'll use harsh methods to control it and end up with an obedient but soulless machine."

"Only when you treat it as a soldier that needs your guidance, trust, and partnership in battle will you get a truly trustworthy companion."

This speech deeply moved Lin Yu'an, and he nodded solemnly, “I understand. I need companions."

"Very good."

Ryan's face showed its first hint of a smile, though faint, it was enough to melt the coldness on his face.

"Then welcome to the first and most important lesson in dog training: establishing rules and trust."

He led Lin Yu'an into his cabin. The interior was extremely simple, with only necessary living supplies and mostly books about canine behavioral science, nutrition, and tactical training.

Several photos hung on the wall, one of him in Los Angeles Police K-9 uniform with a majestic German Shepherd, another of Kane sleeping peacefully at his feet.

Ryan retrieved a small plastic device like a lighter and a waist pack full of meat treats from a cabinet.

"Before starting any training, you need to understand two things: the dog's language and how to make a contract with it."

He handed the plastic device to Lin Yu'an, “This is called a clicker. Its function is a 'marker.' When you press it and make a 'click' sound."

"You're telling your dog: that's the action! You did it right! Reward is coming!"

"Dogs can't understand complex language, but they can understand the most direct cause-and-effect relationship, the 'click' sound."

"This represents the first contract between you and it: 'click' equals good things happening. This is called positive reinforcement, the foundation of all modern scientific dog training."

He looked at Lin Yu'an and asked, “What do you think should be the first command to teach these two little ones?"

Lin Yu'an thought for a moment and said, “Sit?"

Ryan shook his head, “Wrong. For puppies, the most basic commands are always 'attention' and 'come.'"

"Attention means that in any situation, when it hears its name, its attention must immediately return to you. This is the foundation for all subsequent training."

"Come means that no matter what it's doing, as soon as you call, it must return to your side. This can save its life in dangerous moments."

For the next hour, Ryan began demonstrating to Lin Yu'an how to conduct the most basic "attention" training.

He had Lin Yu'an work with Whiskey while he handled Honey himself.

He first patiently waited for Honey's attention to wander slightly, then clearly and cheerfully called, “Honey!"

The little one instinctively looked back, and the instant it turned its head, Ryan immediately pressed the clicker, “Click!"

Then quickly retrieved a small piece of meat from his waist pack and offered it to Honey's mouth.

"Very good! Good girl!" he praised in an exaggerated tone.

The entire process flowed like water, fast as lightning.

Ryan said to Lin Yu'an, “See that? Timing is everything. You must mark it within 0.5 seconds of its correct response, then immediately give the reward."

"Repeat this process. Don't worry about wasting treats. You need to carve the neural pathway of 'hearing name - looking at me - getting reward' into its brain as solid as rock."

Lin Yu'an began imitating Ryan's actions, training Whiskey.

Initially, he was somewhat flustered. Whiskey, being energetic, was curious about everything around him and had difficulty focusing.

When Lin Yu'an called his name, the puppy might still be sniffing a grass root.

But soon, Lin Yu'an's golden finger began to take effect.

His extraordinary sixth sense allowed him to capture with unusual sensitivity every tiny change in Whiskey's attention.

He could even sense half a second in advance when the little one was about to lift his head or when his ears were about to turn his direction.

This incredible predictive ability made his "marking" timing impeccably precise.

"Whiskey!"

The little one's ears twitched slightly.

"Click!"

Lin Yu'an pressed the clicker almost simultaneously, with a meat treat already at its mouth.

After just a few repetitions, Whiskey understood the mystery.

He discovered that as long as he heard that sound and looked at this two-legged creature, delicious things would appear in his mouth. This was the best deal in the world!

His attention became highly focused on Lin Yu'an.

As soon as Lin Yu'an spoke, he would immediately lift his head, looking at him with bright, expectant black eyes, tail wagging like a rattle drum.

In just twenty minutes, Whiskey had perfectly mastered the "attention" training.

He could even manage to immediately refocus his attention on Lin Yu'an when called, even when Honey ran over trying to play with him.

Ryan, watching from the side, was stunned.

The calm expression on his face had long disappeared, replaced by a complex mix of shock, confusion, and disbelief.

He had trained hundreds of dogs himself, including many elite police dogs with excellent bloodlines and superior intelligence.

But he had never seen, nor heard of, any puppy that could establish such solid command connections in such a short time.

This was no longer simply learning quickly, it was as if Lin Yu'an could directly write commands into the dog's brain.

"Have you... have you studied dog training before?" Ryan's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"No, this is my first time," Lin Yu'an answered honestly.

Ryan stared intently at Lin Yu'an, then looked at Whiskey at his feet, who was eagerly waiting for the next "click" sound. He fell silent.

He knew that Old George hadn't exaggerated. This young man before him truly possessed a talent that ordinary people couldn't understand.

This talent might not only manifest in hunting but also in communicating with animals.

He had thought himself a dog training expert, but today, he felt his professional knowledge seemed pale compared to Lin Yu'an's almost magical talent display.

"Well..." Ryan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart.

"It seems I have nothing basic to teach you. Let's move directly to the next stage."

"Within one week, I want to see Whiskey able to hear your call from fifty meters away and immediately return to your side, ignoring any distractions. Can you do it?"

This was a task that would be almost impossible for an ordinary person to complete within a week.

But Lin Yu'an just looked at the trusting Whiskey at his feet and smiled confidently.

"No problem, I'm willing to try."

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 137: Bernese Mountain Guard Dogs

Much later, the grand performance by the lake slowly came to an end.

Lin Yu'an started the car and smoothly drove Emily back to her cabin.

He wrapped his heavy coat around Emily, who lay in the back seat like a tired ragdoll cat, sleeping deeply.

For the first time in a while, he lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and let the acrid smoke curl up and drift out through the car window.

He looked at this bold and intelligent woman in the back seat, his heart unusually calm.

The earlier madness, for him, was less about indulgence and more about a necessary taming of the negative emotions that had been accumulating in his heart.

He had released it, seen it clearly, and locked it back in its cage.

When he helped the still slightly weak-legged Emily into the living room, tender "whimpering" sounds and two wobbling figures immediately caught his attention.

In the corner by the fireplace, on soft blankets, two fluffy little creatures were curiously watching them.

They had beautiful fur in black, white, and brown colors, with adorable square faces that made them look like two moving little bears.

"Bernese Mountain Dogs?" Lin Yu'an's expression immediately softened as he crouched down and extended his hand toward the two puppies.

"Yes, that's right."

Emily's voice carried the huskiness of post-exhaustion as she walked to the bar counter, poured two glasses of warm water, and handed one to Lin Yu'an.

"I was late to the party tonight because I went to pick them up from a friend's place in Fairbanks. Her female had six puppies, and I chose the two strongest ones."

She sat on the sofa, gently petting one of the puppies that had come to her feet.

"After what happened last time, I decided to get two dogs. They're excellent guard dogs, smart, loyal, and large enough to deter most trouble."

Lin Yu'an looked at the two puppies. They weren't afraid of strangers at all, wagging their tails happily and bouncing left and right.

The bolder one had already begun gently nibbling his fingers with its still-developing milk teeth, carrying the scent of a young puppy.

The last traces of negative emotions in his heart completely melted away at this moment.

Emily watched Lin Yu'an's genuine affection and smiled tenderly. She hadn't expected this man to have such a gentle side.

"You seem to really like them. I thought you wouldn't be the type to like small animals."

"I like them very much," Lin Yu'an said honestly.

"Then... I'll give you one," Emily made a decision that somewhat surprised Lin Yu'an.

"One will stay with me, one with you. That way they can still see each other often."

"And... I also hope to have something that might make you not want to kill me when you see it, during those times when you do want to kill me."

Lin Yu'an looked at her somewhat self-mocking smile and didn't refuse this gift with special meaning.

He knew this puppy would become the first legitimate emotional bond between them, aside from their dark secret.

"Alright." He nodded, holding the more active male puppy in his arms.

"We need to give them names," Emily suggested.

Lin Yu'an thought for a moment, looking at the energetic little guy in his arms, and smiled, “He's so mischievous, let's call him Whiskey, to commemorate George's excellent bottle last night."

"Whiskey?"

Emily laughed, finding the name very fitting, “Then my little lady will be called Honey, hoping her temperament will be as sweet as honey."

Whiskey and Honey, the two names were settled.

"However, bloodlines alone aren't enough for them to become qualified guard dogs."

Emily became serious, “They need professional training to become proper guard dogs."

"Wiseman has a very skilled dog trainer named Ryan Anderson, formerly an ace handler with the Los Angeles Police Department's K-9 unit."

"An ace? How did he end up here?" Lin Yu'an asked curiously.

"I heard he got tired of the city's restrictions and seeing his beloved police dogs die in the line of duty chasing criminals caused serious psychological problems. He voluntarily resigned and came back."

Emily explained, “He believes true companions should run in the mountains and forests, not chase criminals through concrete jungles. Companions shouldn't be tools."

"Anyway, he's very experienced with training large working dogs. You could go learn from him, and also... ask him how to train Honey for me."

Lin Yu'an memorized the name and his story.

That night, Lin Yu'an didn't leave.

Emily's bedroom was spacious and comfortable. He took a satisfying hot shower, washing away days of fatigue and the lingering scent of perfume.

When Lin Yu'an emerged from the bathroom, he found Emily removing her makeup in front of the mirror.

The two didn't engage in anything more but lay together like old friends who had known each other for years, talking about many things.

Emily told him about growing up on a farm in Ohio, how she came to love animals and eventually chose to come to Alaska to open a veterinary clinic.

During their conversation, they also made some plans for the future.

Lin Yu'an said, “I'll be traveling frequently in the future, whether to Fairbanks for supplies or into the mountains for hunting."

"When I'm away, could I trouble you to help look after my greenhouse? Things like opening and closing vents or checking the drip irrigation system?"

"Of course, no problem," Emily readily agreed.

"In return, I'll handle Whiskey and Honey's training from now on."

These two puppies brought their relationship a bit closer again.

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Emily had already changed into practical traveling attire. She needed to go to a supplier in Fairbanks to pick up a batch of ordered veterinary medicines.

Before leaving, she insisted on driving Lin Yu'an and the two puppies back to the forest cabin first.

The Subaru Outback traveled quietly along the forest path.

In the back seat, Whiskey and Honey, two little fur balls, were squeezed together sleeping soundly, making tiny snoring sounds, their bodies swaying gently with the car's movement, quite adorable.

When the car slowly stopped in front of Lin Yu'an's cabin, the silence of the turned-off engine seemed to wake them.

Whiskey was the first to open his drowsy eyes, shakily standing up and using his wet little nose to nudge the car window, curiously surveying this new territory.

Lin Yu'an opened the car door, and the two little ones immediately jumped out like cannonballs, diving head-first into the grass that reached their ankles.

Honey appeared more refined, carefully sniffing the wildflowers on the ground.

While Whiskey was like an unbridled little buffalo, rolling around in the grass, chasing his own tail, occasionally letting out tender but energetic "woof woof" sounds.

"They seem to really like it here," Lin Yu'an said, leaning against the car door with a smile.

"They just like anywhere they can run freely."

Emily also got out of the car, walking to his side and watching the puppies playing in the morning light, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Lin." She suddenly turned her head, calling to him softly.

Lin Yu'an turned back, meeting her clear blue eyes.

Emily stood on her tiptoes, leaned in, and planted a gentle kiss on his lips.

The kiss was brief, lacking last night's passion but carrying more emotional warmth.

"Take good care of them, especially Whiskey, he's too mischievous," she said, looking into his eyes seriously.

"I will," Lin Yu'an nodded.

After sending Emily off, Lin Yu'an looked at these two new family members beside him, his heart filled with unprecedented satisfaction.

This large cabin, with the arrival of these two little lives, instantly felt less empty.

David and Mike wouldn't return for several more days, which was perfect timing to visit that legendary dog trainer.

He didn't go directly to find Ryan, but decided to first use Old George, the local connection, as an intermediary.

He found two spare leather cords and put temporary collars on Whiskey and Honey.

The two little ones obviously found this restraint both novel and somewhat objectionable. Whiskey tried to bite the cord with his teeth.

While Honey simply sat down with a thump, looking at Lin Yu'an with innocent big eyes, as if staging a silent protest.

Lin Yu'an smiled as he picked them up one by one, placed them in the spacious back seat of the Ford Explorer, then drove to Old George's house.

When Old George opened the door and saw Lin Yu'an with two adorable Bernese Mountain puppies emerging from around his feet, he opened his mouth in surprise.

"Lin! What is this... did you and Emily rob a bear nursery last night?" Old George laughed heartily.

He crouched down, letting Whiskey and Honey lick his calloused hands.

"Emily gave them to me."

Lin Yu'an explained with a smile, also handing Honey to Old George, “This is the sister, called Honey, she belongs to Emily. The one in my arms is the brother, called Whiskey, he'll be with me from now on."

"Whiskey and Honey?"

Old George smiled meaningfully, “Good names! They sound like a perfect evening!"

Lin Yu'an briefly explained his purpose, “I heard there's a dog trainer in town named Ryan Anderson. I want to learn from him how to train these two little ones so they can become excellent guard dogs in the future."

"Ryan?"

"You've found the right person! That boy is a real expert."

"Several of the town's best hunting dogs, including Patton's bear-tracking hound that can track across half a mountain range, were all trained with his help."

"But Lin, you should know that in Alaska you can't use hunting dogs to track large animals. If they're just guard dogs accompanying you on hunts, that's no problem."

"Thank you for the reminder, George. I understand."

George nodded and went inside to get his old satellite phone.

"Hold on, I'll call him. He's a good guy, just a bit... reclusive. He doesn't like strangers showing up unannounced."

"Ever since he resigned from the LAPD and came back, he spends more time with his pack of dogs than with people."

"He mainly makes his living now by training dogs for people. He has quite a few clients in Fairbanks."

"But you don't need to worry about the cost, he doesn't charge community residents for his help."

"If you want to thank him, you could bring some trout. He'll make it into dog food for the puppies."

Old George dialed the number and chatted with the other party in the familiar tone of an elder to a younger person, briefly introducing Lin Yu'an's situation.

He specifically mentioned the incident of bravely fighting gunmen at the supermarket, knowing this would naturally appeal to Ryan, a former police officer.

"Yes, that Chinese kid with incredible skills... Hmm, he's right here with me now, brought two Bernese Mountain puppies, wants to learn from you... Haha, I knew you'd be interested!"

After hanging up, Old George gave Lin Yu'an an OK gesture, “All set. He wants you to come over now. He'll be waiting for you at his training ground."

With permission granted, Lin Yu'an thanked Old George again.

He rounded up the two puppies who had been playing wildly in the living room and put them back in the car.

Then, following the address Old George had given him, he drove his Ford Explorer toward the other end of Wiseman.

Ryan Anderson's home was situated on an extremely open grassland surrounded on three sides by tall spruce forests.

This place was far from the hustle and bustle, like an independent kingdom isolated from the world.

When Lin Yu'an's car entered the long gravel driveway, the first thing he saw was a professional training ground enclosed by high chain-link fencing, occupying a huge area.

On an extremely open grassland, he finally saw a well-maintained wooden house.

There, he met for the first time this former ace K-9 police dog handler from the Los Angeles Police Department, Ryan Anderson.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 136: Unique Night View

Just as the party atmosphere reached its peak, a Subaru Outback quietly stopped at the edge of the crowd. The car door opened, and Emily stepped out.

She had clearly dressed up carefully for this party, abandoning her usual practical work attire for form-fitting jeans and a close-fitting white cashmere sweater that accentuated her healthy, powerful, and sensual body curves.

She carried a bottle of fine whiskey in her hand, wearing a polite but distant smile as she congratulated Old George.

Lin Yu'an's gaze met hers briefly from across the distance.

Emily appeared calm as still water, as if they were merely nodding acquaintances.

But Lin Yu'an read a trace of complex emotion in the depths of those calm blue eyes, something only he could understand.

Emily naturally blended into the party. As the town's only veterinarian, she was familiar with everyone.

She chatted and laughed with the neighboring women while occasionally casting subtle glances toward Lin Yu'an, who was surrounded by the men.

She was observing how the status of this man, who had recently been intimately entangled with her in the most primal way, had changed within the community.

Halfway through the party, Lin Yu'an went to get more beer, temporarily leaving the noisy bonfire.

He walked into Old George's cabin to retrieve several packs of ice-cold beer from the refrigerator.

When he turned to leave, he found Emily had somehow appeared in the kitchen doorway, blocking his path.

The kitchen was dimly lit, with only the bonfire's glow filtering in from outside, outlining her alluring silhouette.

"Congratulations, hero who helped Old George fulfill his dream."

Emily's voice was soft, carrying a barely perceptible note of teasing, “It seems you've completely conquered this group of tough guys."

Lin Yu'an said nothing, just quietly watching her. He could smell her faint perfume mixed with the smoky scent of the bonfire.

"They've accepted you now, considering you part of the community."

Emily took a step forward, instantly closing the distance between them, making the atmosphere somewhat ambiguous and dangerous.

"But I know what you are."

"What am I?" Lin Yu'an's voice carried a hint of confusion.

"Deep in your bones lurks a more dangerous, more calculating beast."

"Though you appear calm and composed on the surface, with the face of a good boy, I know that when you encounter something troublesome, your first instinct is destruction."

This statement made him fall into contemplation as he looked at this woman who had regained her composure, no longer showing the panicked expression from that day.

Since his rebirth, from being cautious to gradually trying to use his golden finger, to discovering the enhancement of his constitution and sixth sense,

His inner emotions and desires, or rather his wild nature, were constantly being amplified! This was most directly manifested in killing and desire.

Lin Yu'an had become aware of this problem when he encountered those three poaching men. He had countless moments when he wanted to immediately shoot and kill those three troublemakers! But he forcibly restrained himself.

He had once read an article mainly discussing how even if you gain power and authority, your mental and physical state will naturally change.

This is controlled by genes, your genes feel that your current strength is sufficient to reap more rewards, so the saying "the youth who slays dragons eventually becomes the dragon" is absolutely not just words.

And Emily had brought up this matter, forcing him to treat it with caution.

When he couldn't imagine what he would ultimately become as his future power grew stronger and his wealth increased, no one could know.

All he could do was stick to his original heart, constantly adapt and adjust to his increasingly powerful abilities, and control his emotions and desires, not letting himself become a madman!

Most importantly, he must take on family responsibilities, this might be one of the few weapons capable of suppressing emotions and desires.

Emily's blue eyes looked directly at Lin Yu'an as she continued, “That look in your eyes that night, I'll never forget it. You really thought about killing me, didn't you?"

Lin Yu'an was silent for a moment, then finally nodded, “Yes, I did."

This honest answer actually made Emily breathe a sigh of relief.

A self-mocking smile curved her lips, “Thank you for your honesty. At least this proves you're not a complete hypocrite."

She stepped closer again, almost pressing against Lin Yu'an, whispering in a voice only they could hear, “Would you like to come to my cabin tonight to check on Bitcoin's trend together?"

"No need to look, it definitely hasn't reached sixty thousand dollars yet," Lin Yu'an said.

Just then, Stan's booming voice came from outside, “Hey! Lin! Did the snow monster steal the beer? We're dying of thirst here!"

Emily quickly stepped back, resuming her polite but distant expression. She winked at Lin Yu'an, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Lin Yu'an carried the beer back to the noisy bonfire.

He distributed the beer to everyone and was once again drawn into heated conversations.

He tried to temporarily put aside that conversation with Emily, raising his bottle and laughing loudly with the tough guys around him, drinking heartily.

But his peripheral vision would uncontrollably glance toward Emily's direction.

He saw her chatting with several neighboring housewives, graceful in manner, smiling appropriately, as if the woman with challenging eyes from earlier was just his hallucination.

The party continued until late at night.

When the bonfire flames gradually died down and the mellow whiskey and ice-cold beer were finished, everyone's enthusiasm slowly faded with the growing cold.

Guests began saying goodbye to Old George in twos and threes, carrying satisfied tipsy feelings and the lingering aroma of roasted meat as they disappeared down paths leading to their respective cabins.

"George, thanks for the hospitality! This was the best party I've ever attended!"

"Lin! Next time you have good stuff, remember to include us!"

Stan, Cody, and others also prepared to leave arm-in-arm, not forgetting to give Lin Yu'an a hearty slap on the shoulder before departing.

Soon, only Lin Yu'an, Old George, and Emily, who was preparing to stand, remained by the bonfire.

Emily stood up, but her figure swayed slightly.

She raised her hand to her forehead, a perfectly timed flush from alcohol appearing on her face.

She walked to Old George, her voice carrying a lazy huskiness, “George, thank you for the mutton and whiskey. I had a wonderful time tonight, but... I think I drank a bit too much. My head is spinning."

Old George looked at Emily, then at Lin Yu'an beside her who hadn't drunk much. His wrinkled face instantly revealed a meaningful smile.

He cleared his throat, speaking in an unquestionable tone, “Oh, that won't do! We absolutely cannot let Wiseman's only and most beautiful veterinarian risk drunk driving! That's too dangerous!"

He turned his head, looking directly at Lin Yu'an.

"Lin, you're not drunk, right?"

"No, George," Lin Yu'an answered reluctantly, already sensing what would happen next.

"Then it's settled! You'll drive Emily home! You must safely deliver her to her doorstep! That's an order!"

He winked at Lin Yu'an, “I can handle the cleanup here by myself. Go on, young man, don't keep our lady waiting too long."

Then he added in a low voice, “Boy, no matter what happens, you're not allowed to break any laws, understood?"

Emily's face maintained that "drunken" flush and helplessness, but deep in her lowered eyes flashed a smile of successful scheming.

She looked at Lin Yu'an, using a vulnerable tone that needed assistance, “Then... I'll trouble you, Lin."

Under Old George's all-knowing smile and Emily's "perfectly timed" request, Lin Yu'an had no reason to refuse.

"Alright, no problem." He nodded, accepting the car keys Emily handed him.

"Drive slowly!" Old George called out loudly behind them, his voice full of cheerful laughter.

Lin Yu'an sat in the driver's seat of Emily's Subaru Outback.

The car still held traces of her faint perfume, mixing with the leather scent to create a unique atmosphere full of feminine presence.

Emily sat in the passenger seat. As soon as she got in, she leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly in the dim light, as if she had truly fallen asleep from intoxication.

Lin Yu'an started the car and smoothly drove away from Old George's cabin.

The car traveled along the quiet forest path, with only the rustling sound of tires on gravel.

Neither spoke, creating a somewhat subtle atmosphere.

Just as the car reached Emily's cabin, the woman who had appeared completely unconscious from drink suddenly opened her eyes.

Her gaze was clear and bright, showing not a trace of intoxication.

She leaned closer to Lin Yu'an, a playful smile curving her lips as she whispered in his ear, “Hero HermanN, won't you really come up to check Bitcoin's trend?"

That warm breath brushed past his ear, carrying a hint of fragrance and the sweet scent of alcohol, like a soft feather tickling Lin Yu'an's heartstrings.

He didn't answer immediately, just turned his head to meet Emily's beautiful blue eyes in the night.

The dim light in the car outlined her three-dimensional features and slightly upturned lips. Those eyes held both cunning exploration and a deeper invitation.

"I thought you were drunk," Lin Yu'an's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

"In Alaska, if a woman wants to appear drunk, she must have her reasons for doing so."

Emily didn't retreat but moved even closer, their distance so close they could feel each other's breathing.

She extended her slender fingers, lightly tracing his strong jawline. That cool touch brought inner heat to Lin Yu'an.

Her voice dropped even lower, carrying a husky allure, “For instance, she wants to see whether the beast beneath that tough guy exterior has truly retracted its fangs."

Lin Yu'an's fingers gripping the steering wheel tightened slightly.

He certainly understood the implications in Emily's words and what her "Bitcoin trend" really meant.

Since that bloody incident, they had transcended ordinary neighborly relations.

They were accomplices, benefit allies, bound tightly together by a dark secret.

Lin Yu'an was silent for a moment, then unbuckled his seatbelt with a crisp "click."

This simple action sounded particularly loud in the quiet car cabin, like a silent response.

He didn't get out of the car or go upstairs, but turned around, using an imposing posture to trap Emily between the passenger seat and himself.

One hand braced against her seatback, the other gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Does checking Bitcoin's trend require payment?" His eyes were deep, like midnight spruce forests hiding unfathomable turbulence.

Emily's breathing caught slightly. She could clearly feel the intense masculine presence emanating from him.

She didn't dodge but met his gaze, the playful smile on her lips growing more pronounced.

"Of course."

She licked her somewhat dry lips, an unconscious yet highly seductive gesture.

"There's no free lunch in the world, especially in Alaska, is there?"

"No free lunch?" His fingertip gently caressed her smooth chin, feeling that delicate texture.

That softness formed a stark contrast to the cold rocks, rough firearms, and bloody pelts he'd been handling these days, stimulating his nerve endings.

The emotions he'd been suppressing were completely ignited by this small gesture.

That conquering desire from hunting instincts, the violence from battling wolves, and the suppressed irritation,

In this moment, they found a common outlet for release, quickly transforming into the most direct primal desire!

"Mmm~" Emily's body leaned forward slightly, eliminating the last bit of distance between them, her lips almost touching his.

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Yu'an suddenly released her and leaned back into the driver's seat.

A flash of bewilderment crossed Emily's eyes.

"Market conditions are always changing."

Lin Yu'an said calmly, restarting the car and turning around, driving along another path toward the lake.

"Rather than watching those cold numbers on a screen, I prefer going somewhere with an open view to see the real Alaskan night scenery."

Emily said nothing more, just leaned back against her seat.

She didn't want to think too deeply about whether tonight's fire was lit as a safer pledge of allegiance or due to her own desire after years of being single.

The car finally stopped at a secluded clearing by the lake.

Moonlight poured like mercury onto the calm lake surface, while distant mountains outlined majestic silhouettes in the night.

There were no other people here, only them and this vast, silent wilderness.

Lin Yu'an turned off the engine, and the car cabin fell into quiet again. This time, he didn't give Emily another chance to speak.

He leaned forward, one hand gripping the back of her neck, the other around her waist, pulling her toward him, then kissed her with an almost predatory dominance and possessive desire!

After a moment of initial shock, Emily seriously followed his rhythm.

The temperature inside the Subaru Outback rose rapidly, breathing became urgent.

Clothing became cumbersome, the seat space felt incredibly cramped.

Finally, Lin Yu'an stopped. He looked at Emily, who was now completely disheveled, her blue eyes rippling with misty desire.

He pressed his forehead against hers, his voice husky as he spoke in her ear.

"I've brought the entrance fee."

Emily's body trembled slightly, her lips curving into a smile both seductive and carrying a hint of surrender, responding in an almost inaudible voice.

"Then... hero, welcome to enter."

A smile flashed in Lin Yu'an's eyes, a smile of mutual understanding. He held back nothing more.

The cramped Subaru Outback was too restrictive for two people.

Fortunately, the car's hood was spacious and flat enough, though somewhat cold.

The night, lake light, and snow mountains became the backdrop for their most primal stage.

Emily felt the cold metal hood beneath her and Lin Yu'an's burning heat behind her.

This intense contrast between cold and heat made her unable to suppress her sighs of pleasure.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 135: Old George's Dream-Fulfilling Party

The end of the hunting expedition marked the beginning of a grand celebration.

Old George decided to host a bonfire party to celebrate his successful dream fulfillment and to formally introduce Lin Yu'an as the new neighbor to everyone.

"A party can't be without alcohol and plenty of meat!"

George waved his hand grandly, assigning the procurement task to Pilot Hank, “Hank, when you fly to Fairbanks tomorrow, help me bring back ten cases of Coors Light and two bottles of good bourbon whiskey! Also buy some sausages and beef patties, just eating mutton won't be enough!"

"No problem, George!" Hank agreed readily.

Hearing this news, Lin Yu'an immediately said, "Hank, can I catch a ride with you tomorrow? I need to go to town to buy some things."

"Of course, my friend! My 'flying pickup' is at your service anytime!"

Early the next morning, Lin Yu'an boarded Hank's red and white Cessna 206.

As the plane soared lightly into the clouds, Wiseman and the winding Koyukuk River transformed into a magnificent miniature landscape below.

"How does it feel? From this angle, doesn't our home look incredibly beautiful?" Hank asked with a smile while skillfully operating the aircraft.

"Yes, breathtakingly beautiful," Lin Yu'an praised sincerely.

He fell silent for a moment, then finally asked the question that had been puzzling him, “Hank, I've always been curious. With your flying skills, you could find a much higher-paying job with a more comfortable life anywhere in the lower 48 states. Why did you choose to stay in this almost completely isolated place?"

The smile on Hank's face faded slightly. He gazed out at the endless snow-capped mountains, his eyes becoming distant.

He said softly, "For a promise, a promise to my grandfather."

"I was raised by my grandfather since I was little. He was an old-school trapper who lived in Wiseman his entire life."

"He taught me how to survive on this land, taught me to recognize every plant, taught me to respect every inch of this place. This plane is also the most precious inheritance he left me."

"When he was dying, I was right there beside him. He held my hand and said, 'Hank, my little sweetheart, I know you long for the outside world, but promise me, no matter how high or far you fly, whenever you have time, come back to see this old bag of bones. I don't want... I don't want to go too long after I die without seeing you.'"

Hank's voice became somewhat choked. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.

"He was buried on that slope behind town where you can see the sunset. I chose to stay here not just to keep my promise, but because this is where I was born."

"I even divorced my ex-wife over this. She couldn't stand this isolated life, took my children to Fairbanks, and remarried. Now they're doing well."

There was no resentment in his tone, only a faint helplessness that comes after making peace with life.

"The old folks here, George, Stan, they're all uncles who watched me grow up. When my grandfather passed, I had to take his place looking after them."

"Using this plane to help them transport supplies, take them to town for medical care, or like today, shopping for a party, for me, this isn't responsibility, it's the meaning of guardianship."

Lin Yu'an listened quietly, filled with respect.

He finally understood that what supported this community wasn't just survival skills, but this deep emotional bond like family.

The plane landed at Fairbanks' general aviation airport.

The two split up. Hank headed to Costco in the city center for bulk shopping.

There, Alaska's prices were fully on display, a 24-can case of Coors Light cost $28.99, making ten cases nearly $300.

A bottle of mid-range Buffalo Trace bourbon was $42, and fresh beef patties and pork sausages, requiring air transport and cold chain logistics, cost at least 30% more than in the continental United States.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu'an headed straight to a large electronics store.

Lin Yu'an entered Best Buy, where a mixture of new plastic and electronic component smells mixed with air conditioning hit him. He went directly to the networking equipment section and quickly found the distinctive display with white square antennas.

A young employee enthusiastically approached, “Good afternoon, sir, looking for anything?"

"Hello, I need a Starlink setup," Lin Yu'an said directly.

"You've come to the right place!" The employee became even more excited, as if he'd found a kindred spirit.

"Are you living in downtown Fairbanks or in the remote surrounding areas? This thing is practically custom-made for Alaska!"

"North of Wiseman," Lin Yu'an answered simply.

"Oh! Along the Dalton Highway!" The employee's eyes lit up.

"You're absolutely the perfect user for it! We just installed one for a research station up there last month, and they said now they can watch Pornhub on the edge of the Arctic Circle!"

He pointed to the products on display and began introducing them enthusiastically.

"The hardware costs $599, including this second-generation phased array antenna with automatic heating and snow-melting function, so you don't have to worry about it getting buried in winter. Plus the router base and cables, you can install it right out of the box."

"What about the monthly fee?"

"The most suitable for you would be the standard residential package, $120 per month, with completely adequate speed and data allowance."

Lin Yu'an smiled, “I'll take that standard package. I need one in stock."

"No problem!"

An hour and a half later, the two reunited at the airport.

Hank's cart was already piled like a small mountain with over ten cases of beer, two large packages of vacuum-packed beef patties and sausages and other party snacks, plus various other items neighbors had asked him to buy.

"Looks like tonight will be quite the party," Lin Yu'an said, looking at the mountain of beer with a smile.

"Haha, for George's parties, you better be prepared to drink!" Hank said while working with Lin Yu'an to load and secure everything in the Cessna 206's cabin.

The plane took off again, first flying to Wiseman to unload the party supplies.

"Lin, come early tonight! George's roasted mutton won't wait!" Stan shouted from below.

Back at the cabin, Lin Yu'an first took a refreshing bath in the river, washing away all the dust and fatigue.

Then he began installing the Starlink system.

The process was much simpler than he'd imagined. He mounted the "dish" antenna on the roof in a spot with a clear view facing north.

Then he threaded the cable through a pre-drilled hole into the interior and connected it to the router.

After plugging in the power and opening the Starlink app on his phone, the antenna's internal motor made a slight whirring sound as it began auto-calibrating, searching for Starlink satellites passing overhead.

In less than five minutes, the app showed "connected."

Lin Yu'an opened his laptop and ran a speed test, download speed was steady at 158 Mbps, upload speed reached 17 Mbps!

This number made Lin Yu'an breathe a long sigh of relief. The internet, the lifeline of modern society, had finally been connected to his isolated wilderness home.

He immediately packaged and sent all the video footage he'd shot over the past few days to the production team's post-production crew via the high-speed connection.

While waiting for them to review it, he also sent his more personal and lifestyle-focused footage to his domestic partner, Old Cat.

After finishing all this, he checked the time, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to attend the welcome party being held for him, also a party celebrating George's dream fulfillment.

That night, a long-missed bonfire blazed in front of Old George's cabin.

Every available resident of Wiseman had been invited, all bringing food or gifts they'd prepared.

The gathering of over thirty people instantly transformed this quiet woodland into a lively scene, with everyone immersed in a festive atmosphere.

The star of the party was naturally that hard-won Dall sheep.

Old George, usually a stern craftsman, had transformed into an enthusiastic head chef.

He personally wielded the knife, separating the tenderest tenderloin and hindquarter meat from the carcass, each cut avoiding sinew while preserving the meat's most intact fibers.

He processed most of the mutton in the way locals were most familiar with, simple seasoning with rosemary, fresh-ground black pepper, and coarse sea salt, then grilling it directly over the bonfire.

Fat dripped onto the glowing coals with sizzling sounds, the rich meat aroma mixing with the smoky wood fire scent, wafting through the cold air and stirring anyone's appetite.

During a busy moment, Old George suddenly found Lin Yu'an, who was helping distribute beer.

"Hey, Lin," George nudged him with his elbow.

"Remember when we were hunting, that hot water-boiled mutton you made for us with that Chinese dipping sauce, do you still have some of that?"

Lin Yu'an immediately remembered, it was the "Prairie Red Sun" barbecue seasoning he'd brought.

"Of course I do, George. I thought ahead, knowing you liked it, so I brought some especially for you. I was planning to give it to you after the party."

"Excellent!" George's face lit up with childlike excitement.

Hearing this, Lin Yu'an's face broke into a confident smile. He knew this was a perfect opportunity to showcase his cultural background to the community in another way.

Lin Yu'an volunteered, “George, if you trust me, why don't you let me handle the rest of the meat?"

"Oh? Of course!" George immediately became interested, he had tasted Lin Yu'an's cooking before.

"I was just hoping to let these folks try that magical Chinese dipping sauce! The kitchen is yours today!"

Lin Yu'an said nothing more. He first carefully washed his hands, then retrieved a slicing knife from his vehicle's tool kit.

He faced the hindquarter and some well-marbled belly meat.

With a flick of his wrist, the slicing knife seemed to come alive in his hands, sliding precisely along the gaps between bones and sinew. With swift movements, a large piece of intact marbled mutton was easily separated.

This impressive knife work immediately left the surrounding group of Alaskan tough guys, accustomed to roughly chopping meat with hunting knives, completely stunned.

"My God, Lin... were you a surgeon before?" Cody couldn't help but exclaim.

Lin Yu'an smiled without answering and continued his work.

He didn't cut the meat into extremely thin hot pot slices, but rather cut it along the grain into appropriately sized strips about half a centimeter thick, this thickness would cook quickly while retaining substantial chewiness.

Next, he set George's iron pot over the bonfire, poured in clear water, and only added a few slices of ginger.

While waiting for the water to boil, he had already poured several packets of "Prairie Red Sun" seasoning into small dishes distributed to everyone, its distinctive aroma immediately filling the air.

The water soon reached a rolling boil.

Lin Yu'an didn't let everyone serve themselves, but took on the role of head chef.

Using a large slotted spoon, he scooped up a full spoonful of cut mutton and plunged it directly into the boiling pot.

"Whoosh, "

The instant the meat hit the water, the pot bubbled even more vigorously.

After just a few dozen seconds, the meat strips changed color completely from bright red to grayish-white, and he immediately shouted, “Done!"

With a flip of his wrist, he used the slotted spoon to serve a large spoonful of steaming, dripping mutton into the bowls of Stan, George, and others closest to him.

"Dip it in this sauce, then eat it while it's hot!" Lin Yu'an directed.

Stan couldn't contain himself and was the first to try, he remembered this flavor. He speared a piece of mutton with his fork, dipped it, blew on it twice, then eagerly put it in his mouth.

The next second, an indescribably familiar deliciousness spread through his mouth!

"Oh! My God! That's the taste!" Stan shouted indistinctly.

Then he pushed his bowl forward again, “Lin! More!"

With Stan's demonstration, everyone went wild, all extending their bowls or plates.

"Lin! Over here! Give me some!"

"Me too! My God, this is so good!"

Lin Yu'an stood by the large pot, becoming the center of the entire party.

He continuously distributed spoonfuls of freshly cooked mutton to his enthusiastic neighbors, while exclamations of amazement and satisfied chewing sounds rose from around the bonfire.

"Amazing! Just boiled in water, how can it taste better than grilled?"

"Lin! Can you buy this sauce in Fairbanks? It's delicious!"

"I never want to eat any damn barbecue sauce again! This is how meat should taste!"

"Lin! Do you have more of this stuff? Sell me a few packets!"

They had never imagined mutton could be eaten this way. Lin Yu'an and his Chinese dipping sauce had completely conquered these Alaskans' taste buds.

That large plate of carefully cut mutton strips was consumed at an astonishing speed.

More than half an hour later, when Old George distributed the first batch of grilled mutton to everyone, Lin Yu'an had also been surrounded by the crowd around the bonfire, clearly becoming one of the central figures of the party.

Stan was enthusiastically recounting to all the newcomers the thrilling night when they faced off against the wolf pack in the cave, describing Lin Yu'an's calm and deadly shot as if it were legend.

Everyone looked at Lin Yu'an with a new gaze full of respect.

On this land that revered strength, nothing could win recognition better than proving one's courage and ability in the wilderness.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 134: Battle Spoils and Aerial Pickup

When the first streak of gray-white morning light shone into the cave entrance, the long and tense night finally passed.

The campfire had died out, leaving only a pile of still-warm ashes.

"Dawn's breaking."

Old George was the first to stand, walking to the cave entrance and carefully observing the surroundings to confirm there were no signs of the wolf pack returning.

"Alright, stop resting. Time to get to work, guys."

He turned to Stan and Lin Yu'an, who had also barely slept through the night, “We need to process them properly, then head back."

Stan yawned and stretched vigorously, his bones crackling with a series of pops.

"Honestly, I'd rather fight them again than do this job now. This stuff's meat isn't even edible, complete waste of effort."

Though he complained verbally, he still efficiently pulled tools from his backpack.

Old George said calmly, “The law allows us not to take wolf meat because they're predators, and their meat has risk of trichinella infection."

"But that doesn't mean we can discard them carelessly. Look, when we hunt this ram, we must take every edible piece of meat, that's respect for herbivores."

"When we kill these wolves, law requires us to properly remove their pelts and skulls for sealing, that's respect for predators and recognition of their value."

The three wolf carcasses were dragged to the cave entrance where light was sufficient.

The beasts that had seemed ferocious and terrifying in last night's darkness now showed a regrettable beauty in the morning light.

Old George took out his satellite phone from the waterproof bag, powered it on, and found a position with relatively stable signal.

He dialed Alaska State Troopers' assistance hotline and was quickly connected.

"Good morning, this is George Barnes, my hunting license number is XXXXX. I need to report a DLP incident."

"Coordinates located in the XXXX area of XXXX mountain range, approximate position is... We were attacked by a wolf pack at our campsite last night. In self-defense, we killed three wolves."

"All three of us are uninjured, repeat, all uninjured. Over."

The operator on the other end was obviously accustomed to such reports. After recording key information, they calmly replied, “Received, Mr. Barnes. Are you currently safe?"

"Safe for now, but we need to leave this area as soon as possible."

"Understood. According to regulations, you have the right to retain pelts and skulls, but must report to the nearest Fish and Game office for sealing within 30 days. Are you familiar with this process?"

"Very familiar."

"Good. Please retain scene photos and prepare a detailed written report explaining the incident. Safe travels home. Over."

The call was brief and efficient. Old George hung up and said to Lin Yu'an and Stan, “Alright, we're legal now. Let's get to work."

He assigned the largest alpha wolf to Lin Yu'an for processing, while he and Stan handled the other two.

"Kid, wolf pelt is the most valuable thing on its body, don't tear it." Old George instructed while working.

"Like the one you killed with 00 buckshot, the wolf fur has no value anymore, let Stan handle it roughly."

"For these two, we can use the 'tube skinning method', this technique preserves the beautiful belly fur, making it fetch high prices in the fur market."

"Start the cut at one hind leg's ankle, slice up along the leg's inner side, all the way to the anus."

"Right, like that. Then handle the other leg, cutting to the same point, forming a V-shape. Don't cut any further!"

Stan added from the side, “Watch out for its scent glands."

"At the tail base, there are two, don't rupture them, or that smell will make you vomit up yesterday's hot pot, and it'll stick to your hands forever."

Old George pointed to the wolf's body, “Right, careful with the scent glands. Now start pulling the skin down like taking off pants."

"Use your fists and fingers to separate skin from flesh. Only use the knife where fascia sticks tight. Take it slow, keep the pelt intact."

Lin Yu'an imitated Old George's movements to skin the wolf.

He discovered wolf pelts were much tougher than sheep or deer hides, with less subcutaneous fat, and skin adhered extremely tightly to muscle. Separating each inch required enormous patience.

When reaching the front legs, Old George reminded, “Don't cut at the chest! Push the legs out from inside, pull it down like removing sleeves!"

The skinning process was extremely time-consuming. They needed to carefully separate the entire pelt from muscle and fascia.

Especially when finally processing the head and paws, it required even more patience and precision.

Over two hours later, when three tube-shaped wolf pelts like fuzzy "hoodies" were turned inside-out and laid flat on rocks.

Stan looked at the three wolf skeletons stripped clean and smiled wryly, “Sometimes I really can't tell if we're hunters or butchers."

Old George wiped his hands with moss and calmly replied, “We're scavengers. We clear out any animals disrupting wilderness balance, and we salvage the valuable parts from their bodies."

"The rest goes back to this land, that's balance. Lin, always remember, we never take more than necessary."

When they finally organized everything, those three heavy, preliminarily processed wolf pelts joined the mutton in their already overburdened backpacks.

Shouldering their packs again and setting out on the return journey, everyone felt like their shoulders were about to break.

On the way back, Lin Yu'an reflected on everything that had happened these past few days. He had processed his first Dall sheep, learned detailed information about the Boone and Crockett Club.

He had also hunted and processed his first wolf in Alaska! Most importantly, he had gained two comrades with whom he'd shared life-and-death experiences!

This hunting trip could truly be called a complete success.

After another day of arduous trekking, they finally walked out of that designated wilderness area where no motorized vehicles were allowed.

They reached the gravel riverbank suitable for bush plane landing.

"Alright, this is far enough. If we go any further, these old legs of mine will give out."

Old George finally set down his backpack, plopped down on the ground, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Stan was equally exhausted. Looking at the still endless mountain path ahead, he smiled wryly, “If we really had to carry this stuff back to town on foot, I swear the three of us would lose half our lives on the road."

Lin Yu'an nodded. Though his stamina was abundant, he too felt the fatigue.

Old George took out his satellite phone from his backpack, found a position with relatively open signal, and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The call was quickly answered, and pilot Hank's hearty voice came through, “Hey, George! You guys finally decided to come out of the mountains? How was it, did you fulfill your dream?"

"Dream fulfilled, Hank." Old George's face also broke into a smile.

"And the harvest far exceeded expectations. We need air support now, are you available?"

"Of course! My 'air pickup' is at your service anytime!" Hank's voice was full of excitement.

"Send me your coordinates, I'll see if there are suitable riverbanks or ridges nearby for landing. In one hour, listen for sounds from the sky!"

After hanging up, Old George sent the GPS coordinates via text message.

The tense exhaustion on Old George's face finally eased, replaced by relieved relaxation.

"Sometimes I have to admit, modern technology really is a good thing." Stan said with a laugh.

They didn't go far, just found a sheltered spot nearby and began organizing their harvest.

The massive pair of horns were carefully wrapped in sleeping bags to prevent damage during transport. Mutton and wolf pelts were also repacked and arranged neatly for easy loading.

Less than an hour later, a familiar "buzzing" sound approached from far away, breaking the mountain valley's tranquility.

A red-and-white Cessna 206 aircraft, like a powerful eagle, appeared from behind the mountain ridge, wings tilting slightly in salute.

Hank was obviously the king of this airspace. He performed a beautiful low-altitude circle, carefully surveying a relatively straight and open gravel riverbank below.

Then with a textbook-perfect short-distance landing, he stopped steadily less than a hundred meters from them.

When the propeller stopped spinning and Hank jumped down from the cockpit, he immediately spotted those massive horns, partially wrapped but still showing their outline.

"My God!"

He whistled loudly and strode forward, giving Old George a bear hug.

"George! You really did it! These are absolutely the most beautiful horns I've ever seen!"

When his gaze fell on the three massive wolf pelts, his expression changed from excitement to shock, “Three wolves? Did you guys raid a wolf den?"

Stan proudly beat his chest and vividly retold that heart-stopping battle.

Hank listened in amazement, finally looking at Lin Yu'an with eyes full of indescribable admiration.

With Hank's help, they methodically loaded all the heavy equipment and trophies into the Cessna 206's spacious cabin and belly cargo hold.

The 460-plus kilograms of weight was completely manageable for this aircraft known as the "air pickup truck."

When the three men sat in the cabin and fastened their seatbelts, Hank restarted the engine.

The plane taxied a short distance on the rough riverbank before lightly lifting its nose and soaring into the blue sky.

From the air, looking down at those treacherous mountain ranges, rushing rivers, and endless tundra they had just traversed on foot, everything became a magnificent panorama beneath them.

Lin Yu'an looked at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, his heart filled with emotion.

This was the real Alaska, measuring its dangers with your own feet, then appreciating its magnificence with wings.

The plane landed directly on Wiseman's simple airstrip.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 133: Wolf Pack Attack!

When they entered the familiar rock cave again, a feeling of homecoming arose naturally.

The cave was dry and quiet, blocking out the evening mountain winds and filling them with a sense of security.

The previous campfire pile still retained traces of its last burning, indicating no other animals had visited.

The three men unloaded their ridiculously heavy backpacks and let out long sighs of relief, feeling like every bone in their bodies was groaning.

Old George and Stan began skillfully organizing sleeping bags and sleeping pads, preparing to set up a comfortable temporary camp.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu'an looked at the mutton piled on the sheep hide, bright red like rubies, and suddenly had a bold and enticing idea.

What would be the ultimate experience of having an authentic Chinese hot pot in the Alaskan wilderness?

He spoke up, “George, Stan, how about we try a different way of eating tonight? Taste some flavors from my hometown."

Stan turned curiously, “Oh? What trick do you have now, kid? Is it that food that doesn't need fire heating again?"

Lin Yu'an smiled mysteriously. He opened his large backpack, pretending to search inside while actually focusing his consciousness into the system space.

He held up the red-packaged Prairie Red Sun sauce and said with a smile, “Look, I almost forgot I was carrying this. This is our hometown's secret dipping sauce for eating mutton."

Old George and Stan curiously leaned over. The unremarkable-looking sauce package was something they'd never seen before.

"This can be good?" Stan expressed doubt. In his view, the best mutton only needed salt.

"Trust me, this will open the door to a new world." Lin Yu'an was full of confidence.

He set up the gas stove and cleaned their only small iron pot, pouring in pure water.

While waiting for the water to boil, he began processing the mutton.

He selected a piece from the hindquarter's most tender, fascia-free part called "lamb hindquarter socket meat."

Then, using his incredibly sharp hunting knife, he began demonstrating his exquisite knife skills.

His left hand steadied the meat while his right hand worked the knife, utilizing the blade's weight and wrist finesse. With each push and pull, he sliced pieces of uniform thickness, just a few millimeters thin.

This technique was the hand-cut fresh meat skill that old masters in Beijing's copper pot hot pot took the most pride in.

These meat slices weren't as flat as frozen meat slices, but carried the natural texture of hand-cut work.

Stan and Old George watched from the side, unable to suppress their amazement.

They could easily debone and section an entire sheep, but cutting fresh meat so uniformly and neatly was beyond their skill range.

Soon, the water in the pot began bubbling "glub-glub."

Lin Yu'an took it out.

"I don't need to mix this dipping sauce myself, this is one of China's most popular hot pot sauces, with everything already prepared inside."

He tore open the Prairie Red Sun packaging and squeezed the pre-made dark brown thick sauce into three small bowls.

A rich, complex aroma mixing sesame, chive flower sauce, fermented bean curd, and over a dozen spices instantly filled the cave.

This aroma, combined with the campfire's pine fragrance and the wild scent of mutton, gave Lin Yu'an a feeling like celebrating New Year at his teacher's house.

Lin Yu'an used two twigs as chopsticks, picked up a slice of fresh mutton, dipped it into the boiling water, and counted aloud, “One, two, three..."

In just three to five seconds, the bright red meat slice instantly changed color and curled slightly.

Because it was fresh-cut, it didn't shrink into a small ball like frozen meat slices, but maintained its extended form, looking meaty and substantial.

He quickly lifted out the meat slice, rolled it in the thick sesame sauce, then handed it to Old George's bowl.

"Try it, George."

Old George looked somewhat hesitantly at this piece of meat covered in strange sauce, but still used his spoon to put it in his mouth.

The moment the meat slice entered his mouth, his eyes widened dramatically.

The mutton's texture completely exceeded his expectations, with a firm yet extremely tender elastic quality.

That unique nutty flavor and the sweet fragrance from alpine herbs were perfectly brought out by the boiling water.

Even more wonderful was that layer of sauce, the rich sesame aroma and perfect saltiness not only didn't mask the mutton's pure meat fragrance.

Instead, like a perfect partner, it elevated the meat's deliciousness several levels and left a long, mellow aftertaste in the mouth.

"My God... this is incredible! This is what meat should taste like!"

Old George chewed vigorously several times, his face full of enjoyment.

Seeing this, Stan was already impatient, asking Lin Yu'an to quickly give him a piece too. After tasting the first bite, he immediately let out muffled praise sounds, then couldn't stop himself.

The three men said no more, surrounding that small iron pot, eating slice after slice of hot pot mutton.

Since the two couldn't use chopsticks, Lin Yu'an would put a large batch of mutton in the pot at once, then distribute it to both men.

The gas stove's blue flame danced steadily, the pot steamed hotly, while cold wind howled outside the cave.

This extreme contrast made this hot pot meal full of exotic hometown flavors an unforgettable experience and taste.

Fed and satisfied, the piping hot mutton and broth made Lin Yu'an feel comfortable all over.

They cleaned up the utensils and sat around the blazing campfire, contentedly burping.

Stan leaned against the rock wall, patting his belly, “Kid, this sauce is simply God's invention! I love it! I can't eat mutton without it anymore!"

Night gradually deepened.

The mountain valley was completely silent. Since there was no rain outside today, they needed to take turns keeping watch.

Just as Lin Yu'an was keeping the first half of the night watch, with the campfire flames burning bright, a series of howls that sounded very close carried over with the mountain wind.

"Awooo, ooo"

Lin Yu'an's heart jumped to his throat. He immediately woke Stan and Old George from their sleep.

"Wolves!" he said in a low voice.

Old George and Stan instantly became alert, all drowsiness gone.

They grabbed the guns beside them and listened carefully. A few seconds later, another howl rang out from a different direction.

"They're coming." Old George's expression became extremely grave.

"It seems our hot pot aroma traveled farther than simple bloody smells. These guys were attracted by our feast!"

The rich fragrance of the hot pot and warmth of the campfire lingered.

But the air in the cave became heavy with those approaching wolf howls.

"Awooo, ooo, "

The howling grew closer, rising and falling, as if there were invisible enemies on all sides.

Stan immediately got up and stoked the campfire higher. The firelight illuminated the cave brightly, making the darkness outside seem even more profound.

He checked his hand cannon's magazine and said grimly, “There are probably quite a few of them."

"Don't panic." Old George's voice was unusually calm.

"Let's establish some defensive positions first. Lin, turn on your headlamp and shine it toward the shadow area to the left of the cave entrance. Remember, don't shine directly, use peripheral light to sweep."

"Stan, use your Red Hawk for defense within ten meters. If any get close, shoot to kill immediately!"

Orders given, both men immediately sprang into action.

Lin Yu'an and Stan took positions on either side of the cave entrance, using rocks as cover, with Lin Yu'an directing his headlamp beam into the distance.

Old George stood in the middle-rear position where visibility was best, setting up his Remington 700 to search for targets.

By the weak light, they finally saw their attackers clearly.

On the gentle slope about fifty meters in front of the cave entrance, ghostly green dots flickered and moved in the darkness.

Those were wolves' eyes! Lin Yu'an roughly counted at least seven or eight light points! They formed a loose fan shape, silently, step by step approaching the cave entrance!

"Hold steady, wait for them to get closer."

Old George's voice was extremely low, like whispering in their ears, “They're very smart, testing us. Don't fire the first shot unless absolutely necessary."

Time seemed frozen. In the cave, only the campfire's "crackling" and the three men's steady breathing could be heard.

Outside, there was the subtle "rustling" of wolf paws on gravel and their excited panting sounds.

The atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

Finally, a slightly larger wolf couldn't contain itself and rushed forward several steps from the right side, trying to bypass the headlamp area and charge into Stan's defense zone.

"Now! Stan, shoot at its feet!" Old George roared.

Stan didn't hesitate for a moment. The Alaska hand cannon he'd already locked onto target instantly spat fire. "Bang!"

The bullet didn't hit the wolf but precisely struck the ground in front of it, kicking up dirt and stones.

The wolf was startled by this sudden loud noise and impact, yelped, and immediately retreated with its tail between its legs.

The gunshot had a deterrent effect, and the wolf pack's offensive stalled.

But they didn't retreat. Instead, they regrouped, lingering and observing from a distance, looking for new weaknesses.

"They're waiting!"

Old George analyzed, “Waiting for us to let our guard down, or for our fire to die out. This is a battle of patience."

He looked at Lin Yu'an and said, “Kid, your shotgun is our ace!"

"Remember, unless a wolf charges within twenty meters, don't fire easily. Every one of your bullets is the most solid line of defense!"

"Understood." Lin Yu'an nodded.

The next hour became a long standoff.

The wolf pack made several attempts at harassment and probing from different angles, but each time they were driven back by Stan's precise warning shots.

They were like experienced chess players, using minimal cost to resolve wave after wave of the opponent's attacks.

However, the wolf pack's patience and cunning exceeded their imagination.

After another failed probe, the wolf pack suddenly changed strategy.

The largest alpha wolf suddenly let out a short, high-pitched howl.

Immediately after, three wolves like soldiers receiving orders simultaneously launched charges from three completely different directions!

They no longer probed but pushed their speed to the extreme, becoming three gray streaks of lightning diving straight for the cave entrance!

"Here they come!" Stan roared, quickly locking his gun barrel onto the one charging from the right front.

Old George's gun barrel steadily aimed at the alpha wolf in the center.

"Lin! The one on the left is yours!"

"Bang!"

Stan fired first, the bullet precisely hitting the right wolf's front leg. The wolf stumbled and fell to the ground, letting out a painful howl.

"Bang!"

Old George's Remington 700 also roared! The wolf charging at the front rolled once, then died on the spot!

On the left side, that wolf had already charged within twenty meters! It opened its bloody maw and was about to pounce into the cave entrance!

Lin Yu'an showed amazing composure at this moment! Without any panic, he steadily held the shotgun and pulled the trigger!

"Boom!"

The shotgun produced a completely different sound from rifles, a deep, violent roar!

The death fan formed by 00 buckshot instantly enveloped the wolf at close range.

The wolf in mid-air was like hitting an invisible wall, blasted backward by the enormous impact to crash on the ground, never to move again.

Three shots, three wolves down!

This lightning-fast, perfectly coordinated deadly counterattack completely shattered the wolf pack's will.

After the alpha wolf let out a mournful cry, the remaining wolves immediately turned and fled into the darkness with their tails between their legs, never looking back.

Inside and outside the cave, silence returned.

"It's over."

Old George lowered his gun and took a long breath, but his tense body didn't completely relax.

Stan leaned against the rock wall, his face full of post-battle excitement, “Beautifully done! We worked together like one person!"

Lin Yu'an also felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest, his whole body's blood boiling!

Looking at his two companions, an unprecedented sense of brotherhood arose.

They were no longer just hunting partners, but comrades who could trust each other with their backs.

"Don't let your guard down." Old George interrupted their excitement.

"Who knows if they'll come back. Tonight, none of us will get a peaceful sleep."

He glanced at the three wolf carcasses in the distance and said, “First drag them inside and cover the blood traces with dirt. Leaving them here will only attract more trouble, God knows if this bloody smell will attract bears."

"Then we'll take turns keeping watch, two hours each, until dawn."

For the following time, one person stood guard with a gun while two worked together to drag the three wolf carcasses into the depths of the cave.

Battle fatigue and nightwatch drowsiness constantly assaulted them, but no one complained.

They sat around the campfire, drinking hot water, talking about those heart-stopping few seconds, reviewing each other's shooting.

George patted his shoulder, “Lin, today you hunted truly meaningful prey in Alaska and officially became a real Alaskan hunter!"

"You have powerful hunter instincts, calm, decisive, trustworthy. I'm proud to fight alongside you!"

That night, the campfire never died.

Three figures at the cave entrance took turns guarding this small warm position.

The bond between them was forged unbreakably through this shared battle and long vigil.

They knew that from now on, they could completely rely on and trust each other on this harsh land!

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 132: “Hunter's Reward"

After processing the organs, Old George returned to the most classic part.

With an almost reverent attitude, he carefully stripped away the two long pieces called "hunter's reward", the tenderloins, completely intact from both sides of the spine.

These two cuts of meat were deep red like rubies, with almost no fat, and were considered the most sacred part in a hunter's eyes.

He solemnly handed them to Stan, who had returned with dried willow branches.

Stan smiled at Lin Yu'an, “Kid, get ready to taste the best steaks of your life!"

As the butchering began, a wild and primitive scent filled the air.

It wasn't the heavy, gamey odor of domestic sheep, but rather a cleaner scent mixed with the rust-like smell of fresh blood and the fresh fragrance of alpine plants.

While Stan went to prepare lunch, Old George's teaching session officially began.

"Kid, remember, knife tip always up."

Old George used his own "Havalon skinning knife" while instructing Lin Yu'an, “Use the knife belly to cut, let your fingers walk ahead of the blade."

"Use your fingertips to feel that translucent fascia between skin and meat, your fingers will tell you where you can cut and where there's resistance."

Lin Yu'an drew his sharp "Benchmade" hunting knife and began his first Dall sheep dissection.

Through his first-person perspective camera, his sharp hunting knife precisely cut into the skin, then the tip lifted, following the route Old George had indicated, smoothly cutting a perfect straight line.

"Steady, don't rush." Old George watched from the side, occasionally offering guidance.

"When you get to the leg joints, don't force it. Use the knife tip to find the joint's gap, give it a gentle lift, see that white tendon?"

"Right, cut through it, then twist like this... see? It separates by itself. This saves more effort than hacking with an axe for half an hour, and the cut is clean."

Following his guidance, Lin Yu'an easily achieved a perfect joint separation. Though he knew this technique, this was his first time using it on a Dall sheep.

They didn't completely strip the hide, but instead let it lie fur-side down on the cold rock like a heavy coat, forming a natural, clean "meat pad."

"Alright, now we start 'boneless method' processing."

Old George said, switching to a smaller, more flexible boning knife.

"Leave all the bones for the mountain, that's a feast for wolverines and eagles. We only take the most essential parts."

He pointed to a thick, milky-white layer of fat on the sheep's belly, telling Lin Yu'an, “Look at its fat, see? Pure white color, even thickness."

"This shows it had a comfortable summer, plenty of food, very healthy body. Sheep like this have absolutely top-quality meat."

Just as they successfully stripped away a complete shoulder section following the bone structure, Stan skillfully built a simple fire pit with stones, and soon a bright flame rose up.

He didn't touch the two precious tenderloins first, but instead cut several slices from the warm liver, using a small piece of sheep fat to grease the lightweight iron pan.

"Sizzle, "

A pleasant sound rang out, and a unique aroma with a slight metallic smell instantly filled the air.

"Try this first, the mountain spirit's blessing." Stan distributed the lightly seared liver slices to both men.

"This stuff can most quickly replenish the iron and vitamins we've lost, it's wilderness superfood."

Old George gladly accepted, and Lin Yu'an also tried a piece. The tender texture was much more delicate than pork liver, though not as refined as foie gras.

After finishing the appetizing liver, Stan solemnly began processing the tenderloin.

He cut the meat into half-inch thick steaks, again greasing the pan with sheep fat.

"Do you smell that, kid?" Stan took a deep breath, his face full of rapture.

"This is the smell of premium Dall sheep. They spend their lives eating the purest lichens and alpine herbs, so there's absolutely none of that cloying gamey smell."

"Especially this mature ram king, it's not rutting season now, so its meat is the highest quality this mountain range can offer us."

Stan carefully placed the first steak into the hot oil.

"Hiss, !"

The steak's surface instantly contracted. He quickly seared both sides to golden brown, the entire process taking less than two minutes. After achieving the perfect seared-outside, tender-inside state, he immediately lifted it out and sprinkled coarse sea salt on top.

"George! Lin! Stop working, come try this first!" Stan shouted.

The two men stopped their work and walked over. Old George cut off a small piece with his knife, put it in his mouth, closed his eyes and chewed carefully, his face full of satisfaction and savoring.

"This is the taste... after all these years, still this taste." He murmured.

Lin Yu'an also tried a piece. This was his first time eating Dall sheep meat, and he was instantly conquered by the amazing texture!

The meat was extremely lean yet unusually tender and juicy. When chewed, first came the surface's seared aroma and the sea salt's briny freshness, followed by the rich meat juices bursting from the medium-rare interior.

It also carried an indescribable sweetness and nutty flavor, completely without traditional mutton's gamey taste.

This was the second type of non-gamey sheep he'd eaten, the other being Ningxia mudflat sheep, which also had no gamey taste after cooking.

Stan smiled proudly, “How's that? I wasn't wrong, was I? This stuff packs more punch than A5 grade beef!"

The three men said no more, just sat around the campfire, pan-frying the freshest tenderloin slice by slice.

The piping hot steaks in their stomachs dispelled physical fatigue and cold, providing powerful energy for their upcoming heavy work.

Fed and rested, strength restored, they threw themselves back into the butchering work.

Old George continued his teaching, “Look here, this hind leg has the most meat, but also the most fascia. Your knife needs to follow the bone."

"Imagine you're 'undressing' the bone rather than cutting meat, that's how you get the most complete pieces."

Under Old George's guidance, Lin Yu'an's movements became increasingly skilled.

Dall sheep hindquarter, front shoulder, neck meat, rib meat... each edible portion was carefully removed, classified by cut, and neatly arranged on the clean hide.

When the butchering reached the final hindquarter, Old George reminded, “Lin, there's another small detail to note here."

"Don't completely remove the ram's scrotum from this cut, but let it remain 'naturally connected' with the tissue on the hindquarter."

"We must preserve evidence that can prove the quarry's gender and species legality."

"Now we have the Dall sheep skull and horns to prove size, plus this positive gender proof, the entire evidence chain is perfect."

"Any rookie state trooper seeing this will know we shot a Dall ram, not a protected ewe."

In less than an hour and a half, they had completely processed the entire Dall ram.

Under the DJI Action 2's wide-angle lens, the snow-white hide was piled high with a mountain of Dall sheep meat, creating a striking visual contrast with the clean skeleton beside it.

The high altitude's low temperature and dry air were the best natural refrigerator. The meat's surface had already formed a thin protective film, the perfect time for packing.

"We really hit the jackpot this time. This ram was truly fat, we stripped at least eighty pounds of good meat." Stan estimated happily.

They carefully packed the cold mutton into breathable game bags, then reasonably distributed the load among their three backpacks.

Stan and Old George each got a hindquarter, adding over twenty pounds to each of their packs.

Lin Yu'an voluntarily packed both front shoulders, neck meat, and all scattered choice back cuts into his backpack, weighing close to thirty-plus pounds.

The final and most delicate work was processing the trophy head that carried such honor.

This wasn't simply cutting off the head, but creating a perfect "head and shoulder mount" for future professional taxidermy.

Lin Yu'an magnetically fixed the Action 2 to a nearby rock to record this veteran hunter's creative process.

Old George switched to an extremely small dissection knife with a blade thin as a cicada's wing. Starting from behind the Dall sheep's shoulder blade, he carefully cut a circular incision.

Then with extreme patience, he peeled the Dall sheep's neck and shoulder hide, like removing a pullover sweater, completely forward in one piece.

His movements were gentle and focused, as if he wasn't skinning a Dall sheep but unveiling a priceless treasure.

Finally, when he separated the massive Dall sheep skull with its complete cape from the neck, a perfect trophy was born!

Old George took a long breath. He used a clean cloth to carefully wipe the blood from the horns, then used paracord to firmly secure it to the top of his backpack.

This heavy trophy alone exceeded twenty pounds.

He walked in front of the camera and, like a victorious general, proudly displayed his trophy to that small lens! Only then did Lin Yu'an press the stop recording button.

With this, all processing work was declared complete.

They cleaned the site, dragging the remaining skeleton and organs to a cliff edge far from water sources.

"Go back, return to the mountains." Old George said softly.

This was part of the ecological cycle, and a gift back to the wilderness.

The three men returned to where they'd left their heavy packs, picked up their previous equipment, and set out on the return journey.

On Old George's backpack, those massive horns reflected golden light in the sunset's afterglow.

They were not merely trophies, but a man's promise to his wife that transcended life and death.

More importantly, they were this harsh land's most generous and sacred reward to those who persevered!

However, this sacred reward's physical weight was merciless.

When they shouldered their packs again and set out on the return journey, the joy of victory was quickly replaced by harsh reality.

In Lin Yu'an's backpack, besides twenty-five kilograms of equipment, he'd added thirty-plus pounds of the choicest mutton.

This was equivalent to carrying a thin adult on his back while walking rugged mountain paths.

And Stan and George, even though Lin Yu'an had already taken the majority, their respective packs had dramatically increased in weight from their share of remaining mutton, hide, and the massive head and horns.

The load made every step exceptionally difficult for the two old men.

The descent was far more dangerous than the climb up. The heavy load made their center of gravity unstable. Every step on the scree slope required using trekking poles for firm support to prevent falls.

They walked in silence, the valley filled only with three sets of heavy breathing, the "click-clack" of trekking poles against ground, and the dull thuds of meat chunks colliding in their packs.

After nearly another hour of determined walking, with darkness approaching, they'd covered less than two kilometers.

George pulled out the map, “The nearest place where a plane can safely land is that gravel riverbank about five kilometers downstream."

"It's open terrain with relatively solid ground. We just need to persevere a bit more and get there."

"Since bush planes can enter the hunting area, why not call Hank now and have him fly directly to us?" Lin Yu'an asked with confusion.

Old George knew it was time to give this novice hunter the most important lesson.

"Lin, that's a good question, and it's something every hunter coming to Alaska must engrave in their bones as the top priority."

"Remember, in Alaska, aircraft are transportation tools, but they can never become hunting tools. There's an iron law called 'same-day airborne hunting prohibition.'"

"It means that anyone who flies in an aircraft, until 3 AM the following day, is absolutely prohibited from engaging in any large game hunting activities."

"You cannot let planes help you scout, cannot let them help you locate, and certainly cannot let them help you drive game."

Lin Yu'an followed this logic, “So now that we've finished all hunting activities and only need transportation, calling a plane is legal?"

"Exactly! Our role has changed from hunters to cargo awaiting transport."

He pointed to the riverbank they were heading toward on the map, “And we're choosing that location because we must first walk out of this area designated as wilderness preserve boundaries."

"Within the core protection zone, any motorized transportation, including aircraft landing, is strictly prohibited."

"We must use our own feet to carry ourselves and our quarry out beyond that invisible line."

This detailed explanation gave Lin Yu'an a deeper understanding of Alaska's hunting culture.

"Alright, stop resting." Stan stood back up, dusting himself off.

"To catch Hank's damned 'air pickup' early, we need to be mules for a few more hours. Let's go, guys!"

The group trudged forward with difficulty, stopping frequently, toward the riverbank five kilometers away.

After a while, Old George checked the sky, estimated their current position, and made a decision.

"We can't make it today, the load's too heavy, we can't cross that ridge before dark."

"Not far ahead is that rock cave where we sheltered from rain two days ago. Let's spend the night there again."

"Good idea! I'm getting pretty tired." Stan immediately agreed.

"That place blocks the wind, much more comfortable than pitching tents outside, and we can have a proper victory feast!"

This proposal was unanimously approved. On the way back to the cave, they also collected some dry branches and a section of old dwarf pine root to prepare for the evening campfire.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

HUN Chapter 131: The Boone and Crockett Club

"Before we start working, let's take measurements first." Old George's voice carried a barely suppressed excitement.

Stan immediately understood, pulling out a measuring tape from his backpack. The two men worked in perfect coordination, one on each side, stretching the tape from the base all the way to the horn tips.

When Old George saw the numbers on the tape, his weathered hands trembled violently. He locked eyes with Stan, and both could see the shock and wild joy reflected in each other's gaze.

"Forty-two inches..." Stan announced the measurement in a voice trembling with excitement!

"George, the other side is almost exactly the same! We did it... this is a size that can go down in history!"

He turned to Lin Yu'an, who was still somewhat puzzled, and explained excitedly.

"Kid, do you know what this means? This means its measurements qualify for entry into the Boone and Crockett Club records!"

Lin Yu'an had heard the name before, but his knowledge was superficial, he only knew it seemed to be some kind of prestigious hunting honor.

Seeing his expression, Old George explained, "Lin, you need to understand that the Boone and Crockett Club isn't just a roster recording who shot bigger game."

"It's the soul of North American hunting! It's our moral code, and it's the responsibility we hunters have pledged to this land."

He paused, seeming to organize his thoughts to help the young man understand more deeply.

"This club was founded by America's 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt. Do you know why he established this club?" Old George looked at Lin Yu'an questioningly.

Lin Yu'an shook his head.

"It was for protection." Old George's voice rang with conviction.

"For protection! In that era, people slaughtered wildlife like madmen for fur and meat. Buffalo were killed almost to extinction, and elk and antelope were also in grave danger."

"President Roosevelt, himself a great hunter, united the most visionary hunters of his time to establish this club."

"The purpose wasn't to encourage hunting, but to save hunting, to save the wilderness we depend on."

Stan added from the side, "That's right. Many of the hunting regulations we follow today, the 'fair chase' principles we speak of, like not being able to use aircraft or vehicles to pursue animals."

"These core hunter ethics all began with the Boone and Crockett Club. They told the world that hunters aren't butchers, but guardians of the wilderness!"

Old George nodded and continued, “So, to have your trophy recorded in their record book, there are two ironclad conditions."

"First, your quarry's measurements must be truly stunning, it must be a true king of its species, a genetic victor."

"Second, and more importantly, you must have obtained it while completely following 'fair chase' principles, without any cheating whatsoever."

He pointed in the direction where those helicopter hunters had disappeared, his eyes showing a trace of disdain.

"Scum like those earlier, even if they shot the biggest sheep, they would never, ever qualify to touch the threshold of the Boone and Crockett Club."

"Their behavior is exactly what the club has sworn to oppose since its founding!"

"Lin, Stan, thank you both." He turned around, looking at the two men with utmost sincerity.

"Without your persistence and help, my name, George Barnes II, would never appear in the B&C official records in this lifetime!"

Stan laughed heartily, “Don't talk nonsense, George! This is what you deserve! Without your experience and that damned stubbornness, we couldn't have helped you much."

Lin Yu'an was also infected by this strong emotion. Looking at the excited old man, his heart filled with respect.

He asked curiously, “George, what should we do next to get it officially recorded?"

"Good question, Lin! This isn't as simple as taking a photo and mailing it over, B&C's rules are stricter than the tax office!"

"First is the drying period. We can't measure now. According to regulations, the horns with skull must air-dry naturally for at least sixty days."

"This is to let all moisture in the skull and horn material completely evaporate, preventing size shrinkage due to dehydration, ensuring the final measurement results are fair and accurate."

He paused and continued, “After sixty days, we need to contact a measurer in our region. They're all volunteers personally trained and certified by B&C, who know the measurement standards inside and out, each one is a highly respected figure in our hunting community."

"At that time, he'll measure more than a dozen different data points according to B&C's thick 'Official Measuring Manual.'"

"The length of both horns, circumference at the base, then circumference at four quarter-points, not one can be missed."

"Most importantly, the measurer will extremely carefully check symmetry. Any asymmetrical areas will result in point deductions, this is B&C's most stringent aspect. It pursues the most perfect balanced growth."

"After all data is entered into a complex official form, the measurer and you, me, and Stan, we three as witnesses, must all sign it."

"Then this form, along with our hunting story, will be sent to B&C headquarters in Montana."

Old George said this with a long, relieved breath, his face showing undisguisable immense satisfaction and longing.

He paused, turned around, and looked at Stan and Lin Yu'an with utterly sincere eyes, adding:

"Of course, the record will only show the name of this old guy who pulled the trigger, that's B&C rules."

"But in the witness signature section, there will be both your names!"

"Our names, George Barnes, Stan Williams, Lin Yu'an, and our hunting story will be permanently printed in the next edition of 'Records & Awards'!"

He broke into a brilliant, pure smile.

"Decades, even a hundred years from now, when someone becomes interested in this record and looks up the original archives."

"They'll know that in this mountain range of Alaska, we three together accomplished something so remarkable!"

After hearing all this, Lin Yu'an finally completely understood, the Boone and Crockett Club was the hall of fame for North American hunters!

But this hall of fame had transcended hunting itself. This was a preservation of tradition, a respect for rules, an ultimate certification of personal skill and character.

To be recorded by this club representing the soul of North American hunting was, for traditional hunters like Old George, a monument that could stand for a lifetime.

It was the most glorious mark he could leave on this land he so deeply loved!

Old George took a deep breath, transforming all his excitement and emotion into determined action.

He patted Lin Yu'an's shoulder, his eyes sharp as a blade, “Alright, kid, the sentiment is over. The real test comes now, let's begin."

"Kid, watch carefully from now on. Use both your eyes and your heart."

He solemnly added, “Processing a top-tier Dall sheep is the greatest test and the greatest honor for an Alaska hunter!"

"Every part of it has value, every step has its rules and reasons, experience passed down through generations."

"This is called making full use of everything, leaving no regrets. It's the most sublime respect we can express to the quarry that sacrificed its life for us!"

Old George first carefully extracted his somewhat wrinkled "Dall Sheep Harvest Ticket" from the waterproof pocket of his old windbreaker.

This ticket, to him, was far more than just a permit, it was like a letter sent to heaven.

Using his ever-present small knife with "Martha" engraved on the handle, he carefully and precisely carved today's date in the designated date and month columns on the ticket.

This small action legally declared his ownership of this quarry, and emotionally, it marked a sacred stroke in the promise he made with his wife.

"Come on, Lin, you're our lucky star, take some photos for us."

Stan had already enthusiastically struck a pose, supporting Old George as he sat beside the ram's head, positioning those massive horns at their most majestic angle.

"Hey, George, smile! May doesn't like seeing you with a long face!"

Lin Yu'an took out his phone and captured several group photos of the two old men with this magnificent ram king.

In the photos, Old George solemnly touched the horns with one hand while pointing to the sky with the other, as if telling his wife in heaven that he had done it!

His face was filled with longing, but his smile was brilliantly radiant.

After taking photos, Lin Yu'an said to them, “Wait a moment, let me use this to record, David and the others will definitely want to see the clearest footage."

"Besides, such a memorable moment deserves to be recorded in the best way possible."

He removed the compact DJI Action 2 from the magnetic mount on his chest and placed it on a flat rock, adjusting the angle.

He pressed record, and the camera captured them all, the three men, the magnificent Dall ram king, and the spectacular snowy mountain backdrop, in a perfect wide-angle frame.

After documenting with photos, they worked together to drag the ram to a large, flat rock surface that sloped slightly downward and had been polished relatively smooth by glacial action.

This natural butchering table, selected by Stan's experience, would ensure that blood and debris flowed away along the slope during processing, maximally maintaining the cleanliness of the meat.

Before beginning work, Old George performed an ancient ritual.

He took out the small metal flask from his pocket, poured some whiskey on his fingers, and gently touched it to the ram's forehead.

"Thank you, great spirit of the mountains."

"Thank you for granting us such perfect creation!"

"We take its flesh to sustain life, its hide for warmth, its head and horns for honor. We will treat everything of yours well, letting your life continue in another form."

He prayed in a low voice, his tone solemn. The ceremony ended, and the tense but orderly work officially began.

Lin Yu'an removed the DJI Action 2 from the rock and skillfully attached it to his headband mount, activating first-person recording mode.

The camera moved with his line of sight, providing the most impactful immersive documentation of this primitive yet professional dissection.

"Alright, let's divide the work." Stan clapped his hands, voluntarily taking on logistical duties.

"George, you take Lin and start working. I'll find some firewood. When you finish processing the organs, I'll use the freshest liver and tenderloin to make some hot roasted meat to replenish our strength."

"Good idea!" Old George agreed.

He first guided Lin Yu'an to carefully use the knife tip to cut open the sheep's abdomen, extending from the sternum all the way to the pelvis.

With a soft "pop," warm vapor rose from the abdominal cavity, and a strong scent mixing blood, grass fermentation, and organic matter hit them full force.

"Take a deep breath, kid. This is the scent of high mountain life."

Old George said gravely, “The organs are what we need to process first."

He reached into the warm abdominal cavity, precisely locating the mesentery and blood vessels connecting the organs, using his small knife to skillfully sever them one by one.

He first extracted the massive, smooth, deep purple-red liver and a dark red heart.

"Look at this liver's color, glistening with oil, sharp edges, no spots whatsoever." Old George displayed it like a work of art.

"This shows it was as healthy as an athlete. This heart is the same, full, muscular."

"These are the first gifts the mountain spirit gives us, highest in energy, and the highest reward for hunters."

He handed the liver and heart to Lin Yu'an, having him carefully pack them in a clean bag.

As for the stomach and intestines, they completely dragged these out. These heavy and difficult-to-process parts would, along with the skeleton, return to feed other predators on this land.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 140: Special Hidden Bloodline

Howard quickly turned around, wanting to use his wings to fly away, but upon turning, he froze. Behind him, to his left, to his right, Crystal Palm Fire Lotuses were being thrown at him from all directions.

Locke's Omen Mandrake Vines, using their invisibility ability, had somehow already spread in all four directions around him. Using the principle that magical pressure could be transmitted through magical plants, he had used the magical vines to cast Scorched Earth Bomb four times at medium to long range.

They surrounded him from five directions.

Of course, all this was built upon Locke's current possession of over four hundred points of formidable magical power, otherwise it would have been impossible to rapidly cast Scorched Earth Bomb five times simultaneously.

Howard despaired in his heart. "This is bad, his attack speed is too fast. I have no chance to use any curse magic at all. Is this really a newly promoted first-class wizard apprentice? Senior Hussein, this is nothing like the intelligence you gave me!"

The next moment, five Scorched Earth Bombs exploded around him.

They even created a certain [Lava Conduit] phenomenon, with fire elements highly concentrated and drops of lava falling from the sky.

Howard flew out of the explosion range with his broken body. "Damn it, he only just became a first-class wizard apprentice less than half a year ago, right? Isn't he supposed to be like me, a newly promoted first-class wizard apprentice? The gap in magical power and spell arsenal is actually this enormous."

"I must escape!"

But the next moment, his left wing was severed by a leaf blade controlled by Locke's Green Grasp.

Howard turned around in terror in mid-air to see Locke right behind him. Locke was now lifted into mid-air like a spider through the reaction force of his magical vines.

At this moment, this terrifying-looking vampire actually showed a trace of fear on his face.

The leaf blade in mid-air moved lightly under Green Grasp's control, then cut off the vampire's other wing.

Howard couldn't even react in time. He had just begun chanting the Paralysis Curse incantation when his face was violently grabbed by Locke, forcibly interrupting his spell-casting.

The mark of the Orcni Ancient Bear bloodline on Locke's left hand began to flicker. His form rapidly expanded, transforming into a small giant in mid-air. He fiercely gripped the vampire's head, then like how these vampires had grabbed Pierre's head, he grabbed his head and squeezed with force.

Howard let out cries of pain and terror.

Was this still fighting a white wizard?

This was just like fighting his academy seniors!

Seeing that he still wanted to chant spells, Locke simply used his other hand to crush his throat, completely depriving him of spell-casting ability.

Then Locke looked down at him with cold eyes. "You do have combat experience, but you lack combat talent."

"Still not dead after all this? Interesting, I'm taking you back."

"If you want to kill me, you're not qualified."

Locke had now transformed into a small giant over two meters tall in mid-air.

Under the influence of the Orcni Ancient Bear bloodline, his body seemed to resonate with some bloodline originally hidden within his body.

This resulted in what was originally just body expansion and enhanced defense now seeming to greatly increase Locke's physical strength, transforming him into a muscular giant warrior.

Locke's pupils were now a pair of golden vertical pupils, their gaze full of ominous and ruthless intent.

Around him, some golden special force fields appeared faintly.

Looking at Howard, Locke determined that fire magic and wood elemental magic couldn't completely kill this so-called vampire baron.

Locke applied some Minor Viridian Potion to him, immediately causing Howard immense pain as the curse power on his body showed signs of retreating.

'So that's how it is,' Locke thought. 'Although elemental magic can't kill you, it can harm and weaken you. At the same time, ultimately what supports your undead body is a type of blood curse, so using Minor Viridian Potion targeted at curse magic can kill you.'

"There are still many ways to kill you. You probably have other weaknesses too, perfect for capturing you and studying carefully."

Locke landed back on the ground and used Wiregrass Bull Sinew and Wild Grass Entanglement to completely seal Howard, who had been severely wounded by him and had drunk some Minor Viridian Potion, making him very weak.

This vampire struggled constantly on the ground with terrified eyes, but was ultimately completely wrapped by the Wiregrass Bull Sinew, forming a cocoon-shaped object the size of a person.

Locke looked toward Gabby, who had been circling in mid-air at the battle's edge, observing the situation for him. "Alright, Gabby, I need to thank you this time."

This was also Gabby's first time seeing Locke fight at full strength, and she was somewhat stunned.

The battle situation had been too intense, the offensive and defensive exchanges between both sides were dazzling, leaving her unable to react.

Locke's terrifying display when fighting at full strength also impacted her understanding.

Gabby thought, 'Is this the magical power of a first-class wizard apprentice senior?'

Gabby landed and returned to human form. "Senior Locke, following you this time really opened my eyes."

"I should be thanking you. Next time you need anything, please feel free to find me."

She happily received the 70 magic stones from Locke, immediately beaming with joy. "Thank you, senior."

Locke deactivated his bloodline ability and returned to normal form.

At the same time, he looked at the Orcni Ancient Bear bloodline mark on his left hand. 'This ancient bloodline actually had a chain reaction with the unknown bloodline in my body.'

'What kind of bloodline does that witch mother of mine possess, and where is she from...'

'This must be studied properly.' A flash of determination crossed Locke's eyes. It seemed learning archaeology had become urgent.

The hidden bloodline in his body had formed a special chain reaction with ancient creature bloodlines. In the southeastern quadrant, those who researched ancient creature bloodlines most deeply were archaeologists.

So he really needed to study archaeology to figure out what had just happened to his body.

There was also his instinctive desire for combat, which seemed to be something lurking in the deepest part of his genes.

Perhaps this was also related to this special bloodline.

Locke said to Gabby, "Come on, let's go back to find my two friends."

"I need to quickly bring this captured Blood Curse Court first-class wizard apprentice back and inform my wizard mentor."

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 139: Battle

A vampire with far more severe bodily mutations emerged from the dirt.

If second-class wizard apprentices transformed into vampires showed at most fangs, blood claws, blood pupils, and bat wing changes while still looking mostly human, then first-class wizard apprentices who used vampire curses to transform into vampires through blood curse conversion were much closer to beasts.

His face had elongated, eye sockets deeply sunken, his body covered in gray fur like a terrifying beast. The wings on his back had grown black spikes, and his body surface was covered in viscous slime.

If second-class wizard apprentice vampires were 30% beast and 70% human, then he was now 70% beast and 30% human.

His pupils were blood-colored whites with black inverted cross pupils in the blood-colored whites.

The vampire Howard who had emerged from the dirt said somewhat gloomily, "Did you anticipate my ambush in advance?"

Howard glanced at the owl flying in mid-air, his eyes flashing with savagery. "Damn, a shapeshifter."

"Never mind, it doesn't matter." Howard flashed with confidence. "As long as you leave Lilith's Cottage, I can kill you."

"You white wizards aren't good at combat, but I'm different. I'm a black wizard, fighting is what I do every day. I don't know how many times I've fought, how many times I've seized magical resources to reach this point today."

Howard grinned maliciously, but the next moment his chest was pierced by an Omen Mandrake Vine.

Locke had made this magical vine invisible and attacked him while he was talking.

Locke frowned slightly because despite his magical vine piercing the opponent's heart, he hadn't died.

In an instant, Locke quickly thought, 'The wood element clearly pierced his heart, could it be that first-class wizard apprentice level vampire undead bodies have already overcome this weakness?'

Howard grinned maliciously. "You've never fought a vampire baron before, have you? A vampire baron's strength, speed, and undead abilities aren't comparable to ordinary vampires."

The next moment, he sprinted at extreme speed directly toward Locke's main body, wanting to use his blood claws to slice open Locke's throat.

But a Corrupt Soil Taro King floated behind Locke, firing a [Mayfly Flower Cannon] shot at him.

Howard seemed to have intelligence about Locke. He knew how powerful those spore shells were, so he clicked his tongue and used the vampire's high speed to dodge directly.

The deep purple spore shell hit the ground and immediately exploded, releasing deep purple mist that quickly contaminated the ground soil and air.

Locke used Mayfly Flower Cannon to continuously fire at his opponent, pursuing and attacking.

"Single Mayfly Flower Cannon attacks are still too clumsy. It would be best to control three Mayfly Flower Cannons simultaneously to create covering spore rain attacks against enemies," Locke thought. "But obtaining six more Corrupt Soil Taro Kings is almost impossible. Perhaps in the future I can use other plant magic to make up for the attack gaps in my Mayfly Flower Cannon."

"I still need to fight a bit more, only in battle can I improve my understanding of my own spells."

While using Mayfly Flower Cannon so many times to suppress his opponent, Locke was also rapidly improving his understanding of this spell.

Locke's Mayfly Flower Cannon was like heavy artillery, each shot forcing vampire Howard to use every method to avoid it.

Although Howard boasted of having an undead body, if he were hit by the Mayfly Flower Cannon's cognition-disrupting spore shells, he would be completely finished.

So in a sense, Locke possessed spells that could bypass the vampire's undead body and directly defeat his opponent, this was also what Howard found difficult to handle.

The battle between the two had already involved rapid movement, fighting from one side of the mountain range to the other.

All along the way, the magical pressure struggle between them frightened all the ordinary magical creatures and ordinary creatures in the forest into scattering and fleeing, with birds flying in all directions.

During this process, Howard constantly tried to rely on the vampire's physical superiority and undead ability advantage to attack Locke's main body during the escape process.

Meanwhile, Locke maintained heavy artillery attack suppression with Mayfly Flower Cannon, forcing his opponent not to dare directly confront him, while using Omen Mandrake Vines to harass him and employing Green Grasp to engage when his opponent wanted close combat.

At the same time, Locke relied on his Night Walker Cloak's defensive power to withstand the opponent's sudden blood claw sneak attacks.

Under this combination, Howard had no good solutions.

But simultaneously, during Locke's pursuit, aside from hitting his opponent with Mayfly Flower Cannon, he indeed had no other methods to deal with his undead body.

Both sides' magical power was rapidly depleting.

During the chase, Howard suddenly turned around, his blood claws reaching for Locke's throat, but collided with the leaf blade controlled by Green Grasp.

In just an instant, Locke again chanted the Green Grasp incantation. The leaf blade immediately surrounded his body, launching over ten consecutive attacks, from neck to wrists to ankles, causing streams of blood to flow from his opponent.

If he weren't a vampire, this series of attacks would have already killed him.

But Howard still let out maniacal laughter. "You underestimate our blood curse magic too much! This kind of attack has no effect on our undead bodies whatsoever!"

Locke said impatiently, "Weren't you here to kill me? Stop running, our battle has already attracted the attention of patrol wizards and academy high-level wizards."

"If you want to kill me, hurry up."

Howard's expression darkened. He indeed wanted to kill Locke because he had accepted a Blood Curse Court academy mission.

Blood Curse Court had issued a kill order for the first-class wizard apprentice who developed the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus.

Because last time, they had suffered tremendous losses in the wizard war due to the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus.

That destruction of the Curse Technique Research Institute had cost them large numbers of wizard apprentices, along with research materials for new curses under development and related experimental data.

Unfortunately, Howard had still underestimated Locke's strength. He hadn't expected that Locke wasn't at all at the level of a newly promoted first-class wizard apprentice as described in the intelligence.

His magical power was far more substantial.

If not for the vampire's undead body, he would have already lost. Even now, he was barely managing to hold on.

He hadn't found any opportunities.

Locke's spell composition was very reasonable, and he also wore a high-grade magical item that enhanced his defensive power.

Meanwhile, Locke took advantage of the moment Howard turned to attack him to directly scatter a handful of seeds into the air. Those seeds were mixed with some advanced growth hormone. Then Locke chanted an incantation, and the 0.5-circle Wild Grass Entanglement immediately erupted.

Those Wiregrass Bull Sinew began rapidly growing around Howard, this was a binding-type spell.

Howard's eyes flickered. "This is bad, absolutely terrible."

He tried to use extreme speed to leave the Wild Grass Entanglement's casting range, but the wild grass entangled his legs and wound toward his upper body.

Meanwhile, the Mayfly Flower Cannon behind Locke was like death's giant maw, aiming to fire at him.

Howard struck the Wiregrass Bull Sinew with his blood claws, his expression changing.

This wild grass was simply too hard, he couldn't destroy it in time before being hit by Locke's Mayfly Flower Cannon.

Then he would be finished.

The next moment, Howard's eyes flashed with determination. He actually used his blood claws to cut his own legs, then relied on his wings to fly directly out of the Wild Grass Entanglement's range.

He gasped in mid-air, looking at Locke who was pursuing him. "This guy..."

Locke followed with interest, watching his legs slowly regenerating. "The undead body has reached this degree?"

"That's indeed quite troublesome."

Locke didn't stop attacking, directly throwing a Crystal Palm Fire Lotus at him, then chanting the Scorched Earth Bomb incantation.

Howard had no time to catch his breath before seeing in horror a beautiful crystal flower thrown at his forehead.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 138: Massacre

Pierre felt a suffocating sensation, like seawater about to completely submerge him.

That loneliness, that negativity, layer upon layer, endless and unceasing.

'Is this the Paralysis Curse?'

'No good, it's too unbearable. I have no hope.' Pierre's eyes grew dim with despair in his agony.

Curse magic most easily made a person lose heart and hope.

For those afflicted by curses, often the most troublesome aspect wasn't the curse's effects, but how their minds were influenced by the curse magic, their willpower would decline, emotions would become volatile, and their personalities would turn strange.

Pierre rolled his eyes upward and saw an owl circling above his head, seeming to look down at him.

The owl's huge eyes on its face flickered with an unusual light.

The next instant, the seven Blood Curse Court second-class wizard apprentices before him screamed in terror.

Vines pierced through their bodies, penetrating their vampire bloodline-modified flesh. Their bodies were punctured, their limbs broken, their wings smashed, their brains beaten to pulp.

Those seemingly delicate vine branches now acted like drills and swords, enveloping all seven vampire apprentices in their attack range.

Countless punching shadows filled the air as fifteen vine fists struck rapidly. The seven second-class wizard apprentices couldn't even react before suffering massive bodily damage in an instant.

Enhanced by the Deep Blue Jade belt, Locke's exquisite magical power stability was sufficient to control fifteen vine fists, each strike hitting their weak points.

Four vampire apprentices had their hearts pierced by the vine fists, screaming as golden flames erupted across their bodies before they were quickly burned to ash.

Locke appeared in the middle of the dense forest, his expression extremely displeased. He had almost lost his experimental data.

Repeating the experiment would waste another two months!

The three surviving vampire apprentices felt Locke's overwhelming magical pressure with terror, this wasn't the magical pressure of a newly promoted first-class wizard apprentice.

This was an opponent they absolutely couldn't challenge.

The three second-class vampire apprentices immediately struggled with their bodies already severely damaged from Locke's vine punch attack, transforming into shadows as they flew toward different directions in the sky.

"Run quickly! This person isn't someone we can provoke."

"His attacks are too vicious. He's completely different from those white wizards, he killed four of us without even blinking!"

The three vampire apprentices flapping their bat wings in mid-air suddenly discovered that despite flapping their wings for a long time, they remained in place, completely motionless.

Looking down, they saw that branches from Locke's three Omen Mandrake Vines had bound their legs, making movement impossible.

No matter how they flapped their wings, they were like insects caught in a spider's web, unable to move.

The three vampire apprentices were greatly horrified. Facing this scene, they all screamed.

"How could we encounter a first-class wizard apprentice here?"

"Help! Damn white wizard. Don't kill us, we're human too, we have emotions. Please give us a chance. We were forced to become black wizards..."

Just as one vampire in mid-air was flapping his wings and begging Locke for mercy, he lowered his head, his eyes flashing strangely, then suddenly bared his fangs and tried to dive at Locke in a sneak attack on his main body.

But the next instant, the bodies of all three vampire servants, including him, were completely entangled in Omen Mandrake Vines, while deep purple fruits grew between the branches and leaves of the three Omen Mandrake Vines.

These hundreds of fruits exploded simultaneously.

Poison Berry Barrage!

This completely shattered the three vampire apprentices' resistance capability. At the same time, Locke's Omen Mandrake Vines began spinning like a storm, with Ogham script constantly flickering on the surface of the three vines, and the three vampire servants were ground to pieces under this attack.

This was Vine Shredding from the Vine Surge series of spells.

Three vines with a total of fifteen branches would cover enemies like a meat grinder, turning them into fragments.

The later spells in the Vine Surge series had similar spell models with only 0.5-circle difficulty, so Locke had casually completed the spell model for Vine Shredding, which he'd been learning recently, during the battle.

After eliminating the seven Blood Curse Court second-class wizard apprentices, Locke immediately took out a bottle of Minor Viridian Potion from his astral ring and used wood elemental magical flames to make it steam in his hands, transforming it into a mist that drifted toward the entire nearby forest contaminated by dark magic, as well as those undead creatures.

This was a small technique that potion master assistants generally knew, called [Potion Vaporization].

This was a way to utilize potion formulas, using the characteristics of wood elemental magical flames to transform liquid potions into mist for widespread distribution over the surrounding environment.

The application range was quite broad. For example, in the current situation, it was suitable to use higher-grade Minor Viridian Potion to create large-scale purification of surrounding undead creatures.

Under the influence of the vaporized Minor Viridian Potion, the forest originally affected by dark magic began gradually changing from a gloomy, dark environment back to normal forest colors.

At the same time, those souls bound to rotting corpses by necromantic magic, upon breathing in the Minor Viridian Potion, raised their heads one by one as if their souls were ascending to heaven.

Their souls had also found liberation.

Batches of ghouls collapsed to the ground, their bodies rapidly and completely rotting, unable to be utilized a second time by necromantic magic.

Seeing this scene, Lorne and Pierre became extremely excited. They had thought they were doomed this time, but who knew Locke would personally come to rescue them.

Lorne and Pierre were incredibly excited, looking at him like their savior: "Locke!"

"You came. You're so strong, as soon as you acted, all those Blood Curse Court black wizards died."

The two were about to approach, but Locke signaled them to stop with his eyes, while the Omen Mandrake Vines wrapped around his right hand remained dark red.

Lorne and Pierre sensed something was wrong, their expressions puzzled.

Gabby's voice reached Locke's ear through Secret Language technique: "Senior Locke, there are still signs of humanoid creature activity here. He's rapidly approaching you, underground."

"Right beneath your feet!"

Locke immediately looked at the ground beneath his feet. His right hand's gentian leaf blade flew out like a flying sword, striking the ground and colliding with a blood claw that emerged from underground.

The sound of powerful metallic collision rang out.

Locke jumped backward while curling his lips into a smile. "A first-class wizard apprentice? No wonder you had the courage to use those seven second-class apprentices to fish for me."

"Did Blood Curse Court send you to kill me? But you're not worthy."

Locke showed no anger at the sudden attack or discovering he'd fallen into a conspiracy, no fear or panic. Instead, he was interested, his eyes flashing with intrigue.

After all, he had already realized this possibility on the way here and had confirmed the ambusher's location through the Omen Mandrake Vines' special abilities and Gabby's observational skills as a shapeshifter.

Initially, Locke had thought those seven second-class wizard apprentices should also know part of this ambush plan but upon engaging, Locke could tell from their reactions that they knew nothing.

They were merely bait being used by someone else.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 137: Cooperation with the Shapeshifter

231 Diagon Alley.

Locke rode his Engel Swift Snail into the small alley, his magical pressure as obvious as a lighthouse in the darkness. The powerful magical pressure was like a small stone thrown into a river, creating ripples in the small lake that was Diagon Alley.

Many second-class wizard apprentices looked at Locke with surprise and respect, actively greeting him.

Diagon Alley was a small lake that couldn't accommodate big fish.

It was basically populated only by second-class wizard apprentices, so these second-class wizard apprentices were all speculating about what matter had brought a first-class wizard apprentice into Diagon Alley with such imposing momentum.

Locke nodded slightly to them, then found Gabby Montoya at number 231, who had been attracted by his magical pressure.

Every wizard's magical pressure had a specific natural frequency, making them relatively easy to identify.

When first-class wizard apprentices wanted to hide, they needed to restrain their magical pressure; when searching for people or wanting others to find them, they needed to release their magical pressure as much as possible.

Locke said to Gabby, "Gabby, come on. I'm paying 70 magic stones to hire you again. I need to find a third-class wizard apprentice named Pierre."

He handed Gabby a leaf from his Omen Mandrake Vines. "Can you help me find him through this leaf's scent? He has an identical vine leaf on him."

Locke briefly explained, "He's currently in extreme danger. I need maximum speed."

Hearing this, Gabby immediately carefully took the Omen Mandrake Vine leaf, then transformed her face to show black cat characteristics, a partial application of Spirit Cat Transformation.

She sniffed deeply, then transformed into a black cat and ran on the ground for a moment. Then Gabby breathed a sigh of relief and turned to tell Locke, "Senior Locke, I can smell his faint scent in the air."

"I can find him. Senior, should we leave immediately?"

Locke showed a slight smile. "Good. Let's go immediately. Jump on this snail and come with me, you direct the way."

The Engel Swift Snail was created by academy beast-taming wizards using different magical creatures for bloodline hybridization and bloodline modulation. It not only naturally possessed 0.3-circle Drift magic but also had amazing endurance. Its natural spells were passive with extremely low consumption, operating on different principles from wizards casting spells.

Therefore, even if wizards used magic to temporarily increase their speed beyond the Engel Swift Snail's, for long-distance travel they still couldn't match the Engel Swift Snail, which could use Drift magic throughout the entire journey.

The black cat that Gabby had transformed into jumped onto the snail's back, and the snail began racing quickly in the direction Gabby indicated.

Sitting on the snail's back, Gabby continuously sniffed the special scents in the air. Spirit cats were magical creatures with amazing agility, scent, and tracking abilities.

Low-level shapeshifters usually had limited combat power, so their learning direction generally expanded toward exploration, tracking, and reconnaissance.

The medium-level magical creatures that shapeshifters chose to transform into basically possessed all the abilities of those magical creatures, and might even be somewhat superior.

This was because the transformation was based on the species' average capabilities.

Using bloodline modification to integrate spirit cat bloodlines into one's body could only obtain partial spirit cat abilities, and generally no wizard would choose to undergo spirit cat bloodline physical modification anyway.

Five minutes later.

The black cat Gabby had transformed into stood on the snail's head, her eyes brightening. "Getting close, they're in the mountain range ahead, but I also smell blood, and also undead scent..."

"There should be another third-class wizard apprentice beside that third-class wizard apprentice. They should both be injured."

"Senior, you'd better hurry, otherwise they'll both die."

Locke frowned and glanced at the three invisible Omen Mandrake Vines wrapped around his right hand. The Omen Mandrake Vines had turned very red, becoming a dark red color.

This indicated that enemies were indeed nearby but this color wasn't right.

After thinking for a moment, Locke's eyes flashed with cold intensity. Whoever dared touch his experimental data would die.

He said to Gabby, "Gabby, transform into an owl and fly up to observe the area."

"You should have learned the Transmutation School's Secret Language technique, right? Listen for my instructions at all times."

Gabby answered proudly, "Senior, Secret Language technique is our shapeshifters' core ability during the apprentice stage, of course I've learned it."

"At least I know single-target transformation Secret Language technique."

The so-called Secret Language technique involved applying certain transformations to magical power, turning it into a low-voice information transmission channel that could establish communication between two wizards. During combat, both parties could transmit commands and information at any time.

Powerful shapeshifters conducted deep research in multiple transformation Secret Language techniques, even achieving one-to-many magical power transformation to establish secret communication channels.

Locke had learned about this in Universal Studies class.

At that time, the dark elf Sasari had carefully explained to him the differences, commonalities, and advantages/disadvantages between the Transmutation School's [Secret Language], the Illusion School's [Voice Transmission], the Divination School's [Language Code], and the Mental School's [Mental Interference], these four spell systems.

One could only say that the field of magic was extremely vast. Except for the early primitive magic period when some wizards could learn many fields and become all-around masters, the current stage of white wizards emphasized mutual cooperation, complementing strengths and weaknesses, and division of labor.

This was more efficient.

...

In the mountain range, Lorne and Pierre were covered in wounds, gasping for breath. The little magical power they had was nearly exhausted.

Around them were undead creatures, and the forest seemed to hide even more rotting corpses behind the trees, filling the air with putrid odors.

Lorne said wearily, "How can there be so many ghouls?"

The two of them had originally obediently followed Locke's advice not to take on academy missions to eliminate undead creatures outside the academy, because Locke had told them that recently there were Blood Curse Court spies outside the academy hunting Lilith's Cottage apprentices.

But they hadn't endured for long before being attracted by the academy's undead elimination missions offering high rewards of up to 15 magic stones per mission.

This wasn't a small reward.

When Gabby had conducted initial investigations of anomalous events, her pay was only 25 magic stones. Although that mission didn't require her to fight, Gabby was a second-class wizard apprentice.

So Pierre had been tempted by Lorne several times, and the two had taken on this academy mission together and left.

Who could have imagined that unlike others, they were immediately surrounded and attacked by large numbers of ghouls upon leaving.

Pierre said regretfully, "Lorne, Locke told us not to go out. I should have listened to him. He's a first-class wizard apprentice, he definitely knows more inside information than we do."

Lorne raised his sword and swung it out, forcing back a ghoul. He wiped the sweat from his face. "It's too late to say anything now."

"Pierre, I'll try using my knight's physical strength to fight our way out with you... maybe there's still a chance..."

Just as Lorne finished speaking, increasingly loud laughter emerged from the dense forest.

"Hahaha... these two little white wizards are really stupid, falling into our trap and still thinking they can fight their way out."

"How laughable."

"Hurry up and kill them both, especially that wizard apprentice named Pierre. He should have an important potion being tested on him. Killing him can slow down those potion sellers' development of new potions."

In Lorne and Pierre's despairing eyes, seven Blood Curse Court second-class wizard apprentices appeared in the forest, either hanging upside down from trees or standing beneath them.

Just as Lorne was about to move, the next instant a vampire apprentice appeared before him, using extreme speed to teleport-like appear at his side, then blood claws directly pierced through both of Lorne's shoulders.

The vampire apprentice said with mockery and cruelty, "Don't move around, or both your arms will be ruined."

"So now I'll ask you a question, do you want both arms ruined now, or both arms ruined later?"

Pierre and Lorne's faces turned deathly pale. They hadn't expected to encounter Blood Curse Court second-class wizard apprentices!

On the other side, another vampire apprentice also grabbed Pierre's head with blood claws, the five fingers like trying to crush stone, pressing against Pierre's head and leaving five finger marks on his skull.

Pierre screamed in terror, but this scream only made the vampire apprentice, who had become psychologically twisted in the Blood Curse Court's long-term oppressive environment, more excited.

"Hehehe... little white wizard, don't you know that pain and fear are the power source of our curse magic?"

This vampire apprentice began chanting the Paralysis Curse incantation beside Pierre's ear.

So-called curse magic required the curser to cast incantations and hit others. The cursed person needed to experience some fear or at least emotional vulnerability, and then there must be contact or physical harm between both parties for direct cursing to occur.

All three conditions were indispensable.

Of course, this applied to same-level opponents. When magical levels differed greatly, these three conditions weren't necessary.

So curses were weak against same-level opponents but were absolute tools for bullying weaker targets.

In his terrified screams, Pierre gradually discovered that his body was increasingly beyond his control. His breathing lost rhythm and became weak.

His limbs felt like they had lost sensation.

Pierre and Lorne were like two little lambs that had fallen into a wolf pack, completely defenseless, only able to be continuously tormented by the mocking wolves.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 136: Pierre Under Attack

Locke looked at Witch Sophia with confusion. "Teacher, for this breeder examination, if I pass all the subjects completely, can they still prevent me from passing?"

Witch Sophia shook her head. "No. The chief examiner for this test is very principled, she absolutely would not do such a thing."

After thinking it over, Locke nodded. "Then teacher, I still want to participate."

"I still want to give it a try."

The main issue was that if he didn't participate this time, he'd have to wait another year.

Having become a first-class wizard apprentice in just two years, waiting an additional year for no reason would seem very strange.

Since the other party absolutely wouldn't deny his results, then there was no problem.

With the Memory Ointment, he had basically familiarized himself with most of the breeder knowledge.

And regarding the Mana Co-frequency Cultivation Method, he had also made some progress.

Although this cultivation method required a lifetime of practice and mastery, with almost no day when one could claim to have fully learned it.

Moreover, if he could obtain his breeder certificate as soon as possible, it would also benefit Witch Sophia's resume greatly.

Locke had always known that Witch Sophia was continuously undergoing remote teaching position assessments from wizard organizations in the Star Domain Sea.

Witch Sophia nodded with satisfaction. "I guessed you'd react this way."

"As long as you can handle your own affairs well, you've already won half the battle."

"Many people just don't understand this point. They spend their time on too many meaningless things." Witch Sophia handed Locke a document. "This is the breeder industry code of conduct, memorize it."

"Remember, you must memorize it completely, from beginning to end, word for word. You'll need it during the examination."

Locke asked curiously, "Teacher, the traditional breeder examination has three rounds: the first tests theoretical knowledge, the second tests the Mana Co-frequency Cultivation Method, and the third requires completing special cultivation of a magical plant within a specified time."

"The industry code isn't part of the examination scope..."

"Alright." Locke said, "I understand, teacher. I'll memorize it properly."

With the Memory Ointment available, this wasn't difficult.

Although Locke didn't know why Witch Sophia wanted him to do this, his instinct told him it was better to memorize it.

Witch Sophia said to Locke, "Good, you may go. I have my own matters to attend to."

Watching Locke turn and leave, Witch Sophia frowned slightly. She picked up a magic book from beside her desk and began thinking in a low voice. "Lady Morgana will definitely be very strict with you."

"I wonder if having you take this examination is a good thing or a bad thing."

"But I still want Lady Morgana to meet you."

...

After leaving Sophia's office, Locke immediately went to his personal pharmaceutical laboratory located in another city.

The laboratory had been renovated to look quite professional, with a production line already operational, specifically for Minor Viridian Potion production.

This production line included magical centrifugal extraction, processing primary raw materials, and various reaction steps while waiting for potion preparation, all of which could be handled by the three wizard seeds Locke had brought along with his assistant Terry.

This eliminated a large amount of repetitive manual work Locke would have had to do himself, compressing his Minor Viridian Potion preparation time by half while requiring only half his energy.

Similarly, large-scale production equipment for batch-producing advanced growth hormone gel was also in the installation and testing phase.

The three wizard seeds Locke had brought were also in the learning process.

In the future, Locke planned to recruit some wizard apprentices to expand his personal pharmaceutical laboratory's production lines.

Inside the laboratory, Locke looked toward his assistant Terry, who was working at the operating station on the Minor Viridian Potion production line, using magical centrifugal extraction to separate dryad bloodline and prepare other raw materials.

Locke asked Terry, "Wasn't this afternoon supposed to be when Pierre comes for cognitive experiments? Why hasn't he arrived yet at this hour?"

Terry put down the potion in her hands, belatedly realizing, "Ah? I'm sorry, boss."

"I really didn't notice that."

"Pierre rarely arrives late, today he really hasn't reported to me yet." Terry's expression darkened, and she glanced up at Locke somewhat guiltily, afraid he might be angry about this.

Pierre was crucial to the human experimentation data for the Memory Ointment, the more critical the moment, the more attention should be paid.

A bad feeling rose in Locke's heart. "I previously reminded Pierre and Lorne not to take on academy-external undead clearing missions recently."

"Could it be they still went out?"

"Pierre's special constitution makes him easily targeted."

Especially now that he was the developer of the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus, he'd probably been targeted by Blood Curse Court operatives long ago.

Pierre's relationship with him was very close, and he'd been entering his laboratory regularly recently, it would be perfectly normal for Blood Curse Court spies to target him.

Seeing Locke's darkened expression, Terry became somewhat panicked. "Boss, I'll go find him immediately."

The three wizard seeds in the laboratory curiously stole glances over.

Locke frowned and said to Terry, "Enough, where could you possibly find him? Stay here."

"Continue producing Minor Viridian Potions. Before I go to the Healing Hand Treatment Center tomorrow, you need to prepare at least five bottles of Minor Viridian Potion."

"Terry, you lead my three junior apprentices and continue working."

Terry quickly expressed agreement, while Locke hurriedly left the laboratory.

Sitting on the back of his Engel Swift Snail, Locke looked at the Omen Mandrake Vines on his right hand and noticed their color had turned slightly red.

"Two weeks ago, I placed a leaf from the Omen Mandrake Vines on Pierre's body, that action seems very wise now."

"They must be targeting me; otherwise my Omen Mandrake Vines wouldn't turn red. The Omen Mandrake Vines can only sense hostility directed at me."

"It must be some blind Blood Curse Court wizard apprentice causing trouble."

Locke traced the faint connection between the Omen Mandrake Vine leaf and the main vine body in the void, commanding his Engel Swift Snail to race in that direction.

Riding the Engel Swift Snail was much faster than going himself.

"The route passes through Diagon Alley, where second-class wizard apprentices live." Locke pondered.

"Pierre is crucial to my Memory Ointment human experimentation data. He's about to become a second-class wizard apprentice, we can't let all previous efforts go to waste at this moment."

"I remember the shapeshifter Gabby also lives at 231 Diagon Alley. For finding people, I still need to rely on shapeshifters, I'll have her help me locate Pierre's exact position."

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 135: Awakening Treants and Vine Boxers

Two weeks later, in Locke's laboratory.

On the laboratory workbench sat a small potted five-year-old apple tree. This potted plant had been specially treated so it would only grow to a child's height and wouldn't get any taller, looking very delicate and cute.

The apple tree was still hanging some fiery red apples, looking like small red lanterns. This type of apple tree potted plant was called [Aiden's Branch].

It was the best magical plant for first-class wizard apprentices to practice the very complex spell model [Awaken Treant].

Awaken Treant was originally something that only first-circle wizards from the Life School's plant magic subdivision could accomplish.

But using the simplified [Awaken Treant] along with the special supporting magical plant [Aiden's Branch], one could achieve this at the first-class wizard apprentice stage.

Being able to do this was very important. It could maximize this wizard's understanding of first-circle spells.

A first-class wizard apprentice wanting to become a formal wizard needed not only sufficient mental strength, but also corresponding understanding of first-circle botanical spells, being able to construct their first personal first-circle spell.

In a certain sense, all the cantrip models that wizard apprentices learned before first-circle spells were preparation for their first first-circle spell.

As Locke chanted the incantation, 89 Ogham runes flashed across [Aiden's Branch].

Immediately after, this apple tree began crawling out of the flower pot like a child. During this process, facial features gradually appeared on its trunk, and its movements became increasingly flexible.

But just as the apple tree treant climbed out of the pot and placed its roots on the workbench, at least nine Ogham runes on the apple tree's surface suddenly flickered, and then the entire spell model rapidly collapsed.

The [Aiden's Branch] seemed to endure tremendous pressure, its trunk making 'crack~' and 'crack' sounds as it rapidly regressed from treant form back to ordinary tree.

Then its bark began cracking, and some branches broke.

Locke's expression remained unchanged. He wasn't surprised by this situation. Awaken Treant was a cantrip model that Witch Sophia had specifically told him to learn two weeks ago.

Witch Sophia believed this would greatly benefit his understanding of first-circle spells.

The greatest gain from learning this spell wasn't having another powerful spell ability, but its auxiliary effect on his future path.

So he had spent 100 magic stones to buy an [Aiden's Branch] apple potted plant, plus another 500 magic stones to enroll in this course at the public classroom. When he really couldn't understand something, he would consult Witch Sophia.

After two weeks of study, this was his first attempt, but it indeed failed.

"My mana is still insufficient to awaken ordinary magical plants into treants. This is the first reason for failure." Locke thought, "The second failure point is that 89 Ogham runes are too complex, so my understanding deviated, and the spell model was problematic from the start."

"When mana was circulating, there were errors everywhere." Locke thought, "But it's fine. Failure is only temporary. I can continue learning slowly."

"The botanical garden has already begun delivering the second batch of Crystal Palm Fire Lotus." Locke thought, "Perhaps the academy might sign another bulk procurement contract with me soon."

"As long as I have sufficient resources, I can buy more [Aiden's Branch]. As long as I have enough practice materials, my speed in learning the Awaken Treant spell model won't be too slow."

He had already been improved by one tier in aptitude due to Weeping Blood Nightshade, plus Deep Blue Jade improving his mana stability and accuracy, combined with Memory Ointment increasing his learning speed. So as long as he was willing to spend money and invest resources heavily.

His speed in learning this spell would likely not be slower than those Children of Elements.

Locke looked at the Aiden's Branch that was already half-ruined, "Should be able to try 2 to 3 more times. Looks like another big expense, but this money must be spent."

"Learning Awaken Treant can elevate my understanding of plant magic."

Locke looked at the three Omen Mandrake Vines wrapped around his right hand. After doubling his mana, he naturally needed to learn more spells and more powerful spell models, converting this increased mana into his actual real combat power.

During these two weeks, he had successfully outlined a 40 Ogham rune 0.7-circle cantrip model [Vine Boxing].

This was the second spell in the Vine Surge series.

Locke softly chanted an incantation, and the three Mandrake vines on his right hand each split into five branches, with the ends of these five branches each curling up to form vine-outlined fists.

Immediately after, these fifteen vine fists struck the laboratory air like raindrops, the sound of cutting through air growing louder and louder.

After about three minutes, the spell finally stopped.

Locke looked at this scene with satisfaction.

The Vine Boxing spell allowed the three Omen Mandrake Vines to form special attack patterns, creating physical attacks like violent storms against enemies in an instant.

The Vine Surge series had three more spells: [Vine Thrust], [Vine Whip Combo], and [Vine Strangle].

Including the Vine Boxing that Locke was currently using, plus the previous Multiple Manipulation, these were all the spells in the Vine Surge series.

These four spells were all 0.5-circle, didn't require special course enrollment, and had high similarity. Learning one meant quickly mastering how to apply the others.

Combining five spells together could use powerful vine spells, trapping enemies in continuous and intensive attacks.

Meanwhile, the previous Poison Berry Shot from the Vine Hand series still had some value and could be mixed in for use.

This set of combination attacks was the standard spell repertoire for first-class wizard apprentices in the plant magic subdivision.

At this time, Locke temporarily set aside spell learning and went to Sophia's office.

In Sophia's office.

Locke asked Sophia, "Teacher, you wanted to see me?"

Witch Sophia nodded and asked, "Locke, how is your Memory Ointment recently? I see you've already given it to a third-class wizard apprentice."

Locke smiled, "Teacher, the situation is very good. That third-class wizard apprentice is named Pierre. After using my Memory Ointment, his memory performance improved by about 50%."

"His learning progress in public classes has greatly improved, which can be seen from his recent academic performance. Meanwhile, I arranged for my assistant Terry to conduct daily cognitive and memory experiments on him, and we've found amazing improvements in his memory, with much faster learning speed."

"Due to the Memory Ointment's effects, he's now almost becoming a second-class wizard apprentice. I predict he should become a second-class wizard apprentice in half a year."

Locke added, "However, he originally had level 4 aptitude, so taking about three years to become a second-class wizard apprentice is also normal."

"But the Memory Ointment undoubtedly played a catalytic role."

Witch Sophia was slightly surprised. "Fifty percent? Mm, this effect slightly exceeds my expectations. But as long as you know what you're doing, your ointment shouldn't cause any experimental accidents under normal circumstances."

"Remember to record the side effects. Especially don't miss behaviors that seem unrelated to the experiment, as those might be indirect reactions caused by the experiment."

Sophia shared her experience, "I called you here to talk about the breeder certification exam you registered for last week."

Sophia's expression looked somewhat strange. "I'll be honest with you. Due to certain reasons, I have a very poor relationship with this year's chief examiner. If you participate this year, you'll most likely fail."

"So, do you still want to participate?"

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 134: Virdantia University's Mistake

Locke thought for a moment, then declined. "No, forget it."

"I'm not good at spell model development."

Locke did think about it quickly, but human energy is limited.

He was thinking about the fourth magical plant, and his personal pharmaceutical laboratory was also accelerating to produce results. At this juncture, he really didn't have the mind to manage developing a spell system for Crystal Palm Fire Lotus.

Compared to developing new varieties of magical plants and potions, this kind of thing wasn't as profitable.

As long as he developed new magical plants and potions, he could truly sell them however he wanted.

But cantrip model development work took a long time, was very difficult, and basically only paired with the academy's combat departments. The number of users and learners was limited. Although it would also be profitable, compared to the two things he was currently doing, the money-making efficiency was too slow.

With that time, he might as well develop a few more powerful magical plants.

More importantly, the synthesis cube really wasn't suitable for spell synthesis. He had tried before, and the synthesis cube couldn't synthesize informational things.

That meant spell development could only rely on his own thinking. Although Locke was confident that with his current foundation, he might be able to develop some powerful supporting spells, the efficiency would be too low.

It was meaningless.

According to Witch Sophia, there was no need to be too obsessed with how much higher or lower your spell model power was during the apprentice stage.

As long as you could advance quickly, that was enough.

Hearing Locke's refusal, Zack didn't show any surprise. After all, in his view, everyone indeed had things they were good at and not good at.

So in wizard society, there was meaning to division of labor.

Zack nodded, "Alright, I was just asking for your opinion."

"Speaking of which, you were actually mentioned prominently at a potion exchange meeting recently."

Locke looked puzzled.

He had no contact with any potion exchange meeting at all. How could that meeting be connected to him?

Zack explained, "Did you forget? You were originally a wizard seed cultivated by Virdantia University. You were supposed to go to Virdantia University."

"But later, you came to our Lilith's Cottage, while that Ruxin went to Virdantia University."

Locke quickly guessed what happened. "Everyone knows about these things now?"

Zack said, "Not really, only those who pay attention to the exchange meeting hosted by Teacher Halen Vera know. At this potion exchange meeting, potion masters from Virdantia University openly mocked our academy's potion studies for falling into decline. Recently, Virdantia University's potion studies have indeed gradually created some gap with our academy."

"As a counterattack, Teacher Halen Vera mocked them for being blind back then, mistaking fish eyes for pearls. They originally used Ruxin to exchange for you, and now you're already a first-class wizard apprentice and potion master assistant, while Ruxin is only a second-class wizard apprentice."

"Moreover, at the treatment center, it was your plan that cured her."

Zack smiled, "Those people from Virdantia University initially didn't believe it. After Teacher Halen Vera gave them evidence, they were all speechless."

"What was originally supposed to be a war of words at the exchange meeting ended up with those Virdantia University potion masters being hard-controlled on the scene for over ten minutes because of your matter."

"So Teacher Halen's students all heard about you to some extent this time."

Zack seemed to have some schadenfreude. "Locke, your matter alone was used by Teacher Halen to hard-control three Virdantia University potion masters on the opposing side."

"This achievement was too fierce. So everyone spread the word."

Locke held his forehead slightly. He had originally wanted to settle accounts with them later.

But unexpectedly, Virdantia University had already been severely mocked by Lilith's Cottage wizards at the potion studies exchange meeting because of this matter.

Come to think of it, everyone knew about this kind of thing, especially during verbal battles when it was easiest to be publicly criticized.

He just didn't know whether this matter was good or bad for him.

Forget it, this kind of thing was just an anecdote and should quickly become something no one cared about.

The first-class wizard apprentices of Lilith's Cottage were all very busy, either busy with work, research, or paying debts. Everyone's remaining bit of gossip interest would quickly be attracted to other things.

Zack consoled Locke, "At least after this, your image in Teacher Halen Vera's heart is good. You know my mentor is Halen Vera, and Teacher Halen liked to mention your matter in front of students for several days afterward."

"So he has a very good impression of you now."

He changed the topic, "By the way, remember to pay attention to your junior students recently."

Locke looked at him puzzledly. "What do you mean?"

Zack cut the steak with his knife and fork, "Recently, many second-class and third-class wizard apprentices from Lilith's Cottage have been attacked when going out."

"It should be the work of Blood Curse Court people."

"Teacher Halen Vera told us a few days ago to pay special attention to our own junior students in the laboratory, warning them not to go out recently."

"I remember you also have several junior students, right?"

Zack stood up, "You should warn them a bit. Especially those involved in work. If some junior students suffer casualties, finding replacements for them quickly would be quite troublesome."

"The people being attacked have one characteristic, they all have some special skills."

"The academy higher-ups are quickly investigating this undercover network hidden within the academy's port city." Zack said, "Besides that, many undead creatures have recently appeared outside the academy."

"The academy has issued many tasks to eliminate undead creatures for those second-class and third-class wizard apprentices, so many wizard apprentices go out, giving those undercover agents opportunities to attack them collectively."

Locke nodded to Zack. "Thank you for the reminder."

"I understand. You're still well-informed."

He thought of Pierre and Lorne, as well as the three wizard seeds that Witch Sophia had him mentor. These five people were all third-class wizard apprentices now.

"Next time I go to the pharmacy, I need to remind them. Especially Pierre. In two more months, the report on my Memory Ointment will come from him. If he gets attacked, it would be very troublesome."

Zack bid farewell to Locke, "I have Teacher Halen's network, so I know various news much faster than you."

"But it's fine, we're friends. I'll remind you."

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 133: Zack's Procurement Feedback

Witch's Kitchen.

In private room number 3, Zack ordered two servings of tri-color salt grain steaks, one chilled sea cow liver, two servings of molten lava liquor, and one dish made from potato-type magical plants.

Locke discovered that Zack actually had a gourmet badge issued by the Witch's Kitchen, similar to the Platinum Star membership badge from Lijin Secret Language.

The badge was shaped like a coiled tongue.

With the gourmet badge, all consumption at the Witch's Kitchen could be halved. But it seemed that one needed massive consumption at the Witch's Kitchen to obtain this membership badge.

Locke guessed that Zack, as one of the academy's procurement department heads, obviously often brought his collaborators to patronize the Witch's Kitchen.

Zack was clearly very familiar with the flavor masters in the Witch's Kitchen. As soon as he arrived, the most skilled flavor masters from the Witch's Kitchen would personally come out to prepare food for them.

At the dining table, Zack was even more enthusiastic toward Locke. "Locke, to be honest, at the beginning, purchasing your magical plants put a lot of pressure on me."

"Because it was a gamble."

Locke raised his eyebrows curiously. "But I had my teacher's certification."

Zack explained, "Yes, magical plants are much more lenient than potions. They don't need human testing, just simple tests to issue a certification. But performance testing is often limited to just a few aspects, very restrictive."

"Many magical plants only expose their weaknesses when used in large quantities. Many breeders want their works included in academy bulk procurement partly for money, and partly to better test their magical plants."

Zack explained, "For example, I once purchased a slightly improved Bellflower magical plant from a breeder. From the paper data, its performance looked slightly better than traditional Bellflowers, but problems arose when I distributed them to the academy's combat wizards."

Zack raised his index finger, gesturing in the air, "That variety of Bellflower magical plant was very unstable. Its performance in stable conditions looked very good, so it ranked highly in advanced breeder certification tests. But in combat, once it entered unstable conditions, its power would even drastically weaken."

Zack's expression didn't look good. "That mistake almost bankrupted me."

"But it was unavoidable. After all, potions have to be consumed, so the review process is very strict. But magical plants are external items, so the review definitely won't be as strict."

"There's no need for that either. After all, these things can only reveal problems through large-scale combat testing. Pure testing is very limited."

Zack raised a glass of molten lava liquor toward Locke, "So when I was purchasing your Crystal Palm Fire Lotus, although I saw the excellent performance on the certification, I still felt somewhat uneasy."

"It's just that your Palm Fire Lotus had double the power, and I really couldn't see what problems it could have, so I took the risk of signing that 20,000 magic stone order with you."

"But the results were unexpected." Zack smiled, "Just three days ago, a group of academy combat wizards engaged in fierce battle with people from the Blood Curse Court outside Lilith's Cottage territory, in a mortal country's capital."

"That country was a vassal state of the Blood Curse Court. In that country's capital, there was a Blood Curse Court curse technique research institute where many evil curses were developed and used in wars against us."

"As a response, our side decided to implement a [Scorched Earth Bomb] bombardment strategy against that curse technique research institute, to destroy that place until nothing could grow. At that time, because Palm Fire Lotus inventory was insufficient, they unexpectedly used your Crystal Palm Fire Lotus."

"Originally, according to existing unspoken rules, new varieties of magical plants like yours couldn't possibly be prioritized in important battles. So this was a coincidence."

Zack said, "But the combat test results were very good. Using this new variety of Palm Fire Lotus could boost the actual power of Scorched Earth Bombs to between 0.6 and 0.7 circle levels."

"Just one thousand Scorched Earth Bombs achieved at least the effect of two thousand Scorched Earth Bombs, and the individual bomb explosion power was more powerful, making it much harder for those Blood Curse Court vampires to survive such explosions."

"Not only that, it actually produced a special effect in actual combat."

Zack handed Locke a document containing a set of pictures rapidly drawn using magical technology, almost identical to the real scene.

This was the work of a speed artist, a branch of the Illusion School.

Locke flipped through these photos and found that the enemy capital's land bombed by Scorched Earth Bombs wasn't the scorched black color recorded in books, but rolling magma.

In other words, parts of the enemy capital had been directly bombed into a small-scale lava sea.

The scalding magma was still flowing on the ground, continuing to cause secondary damage to the surviving ground defense facility techniques of the Blood Curse Court, and conducting concentrated destruction of various cursed magical trap runic arrays hidden underground.

Locke's expression became serious because this was an effect that individual Crystal Palm Fire Lotus combined with Scorched Earth Bombs couldn't achieve.

"After Scorched Earth Bomb explosions, the standard change to land is turning it scorched black. Even large-scale concentrated explosions would at most make the land completely scorched. This kind of spell result couldn't possibly be the designed effect of the Scorched Earth Bomb spell model."

Locke, being both a life magical botany wizard and a breeder and potion master, immediately thought of another possibility.

"Wait, the biggest difference between Crystal Palm Fire Lotus and ordinary Palm Fire Lotus is that Crystal Palm Fire Lotus exhibits [wood element fiber crystallization] phenomena."

"Ordinary Palm Fire Lotus only has wood element fibers. Crystallized wood element fibers can contain more individual mass fire elements, and crystallized wood element fibers are very hard. Even when explosions occur, they aren't ignited instantly but are shattered into countless small fragments scattered in mid-air."

"So during large-scale concentrated explosions..." Locke suddenly realized he had overlooked something very important.

"You can't just consider the eruption of flame elements stored inside individual Palm Fire Lotus, plus the energy conversion from wood elements being ignited by fire elements."

"You also have to consider the crystallized wood element fibers inside those thousand Palm Fire Lotus. If those wood element crystal fibers are torn apart by explosions..."

"But because the concentration is too high in a short time, if they still try to converge flame energy with each other, it would form a [compression effect], causing flame energy to be gathered after the first explosion time while maintaining explosive power, forming molten lava."

Locke's eyes brightened slightly. "That magma isn't ordinary magma, but concentrated results of high-concentration spell flames, causing secondary fatal damage to enemy territories."

"At least it has great advantages in sweeping survivors and destroying enemy magical traps hidden underground."

Locke pondered, "However, if that's the case, Scorched Earth Bombs can't fully utilize the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus's capabilities. The academy needs to develop a new spell model to use as a supporting spell for Crystal Palm Fire Lotus."

"I think now that the direction is clear, development should be quite simple."

Zack couldn't help but applaud, "Worthy of being the developer of Crystal Palm Fire Lotus. As soon as I explained, you figured it out. Afterward, the academy sent first-class wizard apprentices from the Evocation School's flame magic and plant magic to analyze together, and they gave similar opinions."

"They called this phenomenon the [Lava Conduit] phenomenon. Around the special structure you developed for Crystal Palm Fire Lotus, the wood element fiber crystallization structure, a series of follow-up supporting spell development plans were also arranged."

Zack said briefly, "Basically treating your work as a cantrip model development platform."

"In the future, the academy will develop a series of follow-up cantrip models around this work, just like how magical vines have Vine Hand, Vine Surge, and other series spells."

"It's just unfortunate that this is something those breeding competition committees couldn't know about, otherwise you might not have been fifth in the preliminaries. You might have been first."

Locke said modestly, "It was just luck."

He really hadn't expected this to happen.

It seemed that sometimes it was indeed necessary to provide magical plants in large quantities to war department wizards. They might discover many things that couldn't be found during individual spell use.

Zack thought for a moment, "By the way, the academy higher-ups also want you to participate in this development group. Of course, the choice is yours."

"After all, with your help, our work should progress quickly. What do you think?"

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 132: Sales Pitch from an Ouroboros Genius

Chimera Trading Market. Locke once again arrived at the Kentri Furnace Workshop.

He was already familiar with this shop, so naturally there was no need to switch to other alchemy workshops for purchases. There were still quite a few shops in Chimera Trading Market that sold counterfeit and inferior goods, so Locke preferred to go to familiar shops to buy the magical resources he needed.

Tyne Kentri emerged from the flame furnace refining formation covered in dirt and ash. This time his entire body was blackened, as if he had just crawled out of slag from inside a furnace.

Locke found it somewhat unbearable to look directly at him. This alchemist was really too miserable, completely incomparable to those elegant and refined potion masters.

After hearing Locke's requirements, Tyne became enthusiastic. "Enhanced security? When you came last time, I already wanted to recommend this to you, but you left before I could finish speaking."

"I've long felt that a genius breeder like you should have already upgraded the treatment of your botanical garden."

Tyne's shop was only half a street away from Lijin Secret Language, so when he occasionally encountered Yuri Burns, he would hear some information about Locke from Yuri, and thus Tyne knew that Locke was a genius breeder.

Locke also learned from Yuri that Tyne was a wizard seed of the Ouroboros Circle, and his status was not low.

Although he was in Chimera Trading Market, he was merely using this market to sell his various products. He personally could receive various resource allocations from the Ouroboros Circle.

He wasn't as miserable as he appeared.

It was just due to the special nature of alchemists that every time Locke saw him, he always looked very rustic.

Tyne was very interested in promoting his own works. "I recommend you buy three True Sight Orbs that I carefully designed, paired with two sets of protective barriers, then buy two Clay Golem Guards, and that should be about right."

Tyne moved over a stool, then jumped on it and took down a basketball-sized orb from the shelf. "Look, the three True Sight Orbs can establish mana connections between them. You can use the True Sight Orbs to monitor things within fifty meters around the orbs."

"The True Sight Orbs I made have a little bit of not-so-important enchantment magic added, allowing them to float in mid-air, so you can use these three True Sight Orbs to inspect your botanical garden and pharmacy."

"Oh, and there's also a 0.5-circle memory technique on top that can record scenes that occurred within three months."

Locke took the True Sight Orb, wisely not asking why alchemical items must always include enchanter methods.

In reality, although alchemists and enchanters mutually excluded each other, they were paradoxically forced to cooperate with each other.

Many magical items were masterpieces from the intersection of both fields.

Locke examined it and found he could indeed observe through one True Sight Orb the detection range of another True Sight Orb, with a maximum observation radius of about fifty meters.

But through the 0.5-circle levitation technique enchanted on it, it could patrol above his botanical garden and pharmacy.

This was equivalent to a remotely controllable, freely movable surveillance system.

Locke nodded, "Not bad, but how much does it cost?"

Tyne jumped down from the stool. "Each one costs 250 magic stones."

Locke frowned slightly. "Too expensive. And I'm buying three at once, can't you make it cheaper?"

Tyne spread his hands, "But it has three 0.5-circle spells attached, Memory Technique, Detection Technique, and Levitation Technique. The main body is already an outstanding alchemical item, essentially equivalent to a mid-to-high level magical item. If it weren't for this being a popular item, a necessity, the price might be even a hundred magic stones higher."

"I'm telling you, Locke, for such an amazing breeder's botanical garden, you must have this kind of thing." Tyne said in a low voice, "My alchemy workshop is constantly visited by thieves wanting to steal my special magical alloy material formulas."

"Even some of my apprentices want to steal and learn my skills. True Sight Orbs are essential. Without buying them, how can you feel at ease?"

Seeing that Locke still showed resistance, Tyne could only rub his hands together, "Alright, alright, if you buy three at the same time, I'll give you a discount."

"How about 220 magic stones each? Can't go any lower. I'm only making this additional concession because you're a regular customer."

Locke nodded slightly. After signing the bulk procurement contract last month, he still had 5,400 magic stones left, plus this month's income from the Super Mandrake Vines magical fields and Wiregrass Bull Sinew magical fields, totaling 3,500 in income.

Currently, he had a whopping 8,900 magic stones in his astral ring.

This was a huge sum.

It wasn't that Locke couldn't afford these small items, he was just instinctively bargaining.

After all, True Sight Orbs were indeed necessities in a certain sense. Everyone would purchase them to monitor certain places that must be monitored.

"Fine, then I'll buy three True Sight Orbs," Locke said.

The dwarf Tyne continued enthusiastically promoting the works in his shop. "Two protective barriers, just set them up in one place and they can automatically deploy a 0.8-circle semi-permanent barrier array, each selling for 500 magic stones!"

"And my Clay Golems." Tyne pointed to the depths of his shop, where a clay golem stood like a model. The golem looked like an enlarged version of a clay figure, standing over four meters tall, with magical runes covering its body, each rune flickering slightly with spell radiance.

The Clay Golem's eyes even emitted dangerous red light.

A powerful aura rushed toward them.

Tyne excitedly introduced his latest work, the Clay Golem, another masterpiece created by alchemists, a capable assistant for wizards, a puppet robot that could be operated with magic, very suitable as botanical garden guards.

Tyne said enthusiastically, "One only costs 1,200 magic stones. This thing is genuine high-end goods that ordinary first-class wizard apprentices can't afford."

"Think about it, when you go out shopping with such a powerful guy by your side, how great that would be. Clay Golems are magical puppets with powerful magic-resistant skin and magic immunity abilities. Each of their strikes can compare to cantrip models from the Force school, and you can even cast spells remotely through the Clay Golem."

"Aside from being a bit slow in movement speed, there are no other problems!"

Tyne strongly recommended it. "If enemies invade your botanical garden, you can even remotely cast spells to counterattack through the golem. Locke, don't hesitate, buy it quickly. This isn't something ordinary first-class wizard apprentices can afford!"

"This is high-end goods!"

Locke glanced at Tyne and his Clay Golem creation, then nodded lightly. Under Tyne's almost excited gaze, he said indifferently, "Mm, I think you're absolutely right. I am just an ordinary first-class wizard apprentice."

"I only need these three True Sight crystal balls. I don't need the others. This is 660 magic stones."

The alchemy cottage was distributed by the academy and already had powerful defensive arrays, so he didn't need to purchase additional defensive barriers, or even buy something like a Clay Golem that was expensive yet had a relatively narrow range of applications.

He needed to save money to buy more magical resources that would help with cultivation, not squander it carelessly here.

He didn't need to buy a Clay Golem to take out and show off in front of people.

Moreover, the golem's movement speed was too slow. While it was more than adequate as a guard, it would be insufficient for use in combat.

The expression on Tyne's face immediately cracked. "Locke, you... wait, don't leave. If you won't buy high-end goods, you could buy luxury items. I recently have another work, magic mirrors..."

"Locke, you're really too stingy! You're at least the rising star genius breeder of Lilith's Cottage!"

After forcibly saying goodbye to Tyne, who kept trying to sell him his products, Locke took the three True Sight Orbs and prepared to leave Chimera Trading Market.

Unexpectedly, halfway through, Locke encountered a familiar person on the street, first-class wizard apprentice Zack from the procurement department.

Zack was obviously in a good mood at the moment, even walking with a smile. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Locke, then immediately approached Locke, wanting to share something about the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus with him.

"Locke? Your mana... has grown quite quickly. By the way."

"Locke, the batch of magical plants you delivered to me played a great role in the wizard war against the Blood Curse Court a few days ago!"

"Come, let's go to the Witch's Kitchen together. I'll treat you to another meal. This can be considered our celebration."

"That sounds good, Senior Zack." Locke glanced at the sky. It was almost noon, and he thought about how the food made by flavor masters still wasn't cheap.

Moreover, he should have deeper cooperation with Zack in the future.

Therefore, he didn't refuse.

Furthermore, Locke also wanted to know what exactly had happened to make Zack so happy.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

WIZ Chapter 131: Doubled Mana and One Month

A month later, in Locke's study.

Locke pressed his palm against the amethyst matrix.

Immediately, immense magical pressure descended upon it. The amethyst matrix rippled wave after wave, with undulating surges, and a number appeared within the amethyst.

446!

A flash of surprise crossed Locke's eyes. "Worthy of what I spent over twelve thousand magic stones for, the result of fully utilizing the beginner's benefit period of the advanced meditation method."

"When I just became a first-class wizard apprentice, my mental strength was 220. Later, I practiced with ordinary meditation methods for over two months, but barely increased my mental strength by one point. That means during the beginner's benefit period of the advanced meditation method, I actually gained a total of two hundred and twenty-five points of mana."

"If it weren't for the beginner's benefit period, how could I have possibly doubled my mana directly in one month, with mana depth equivalent to someone who had been a first-class wizard apprentice for several years."

He had already doubled his mana, and the more total mana one had, the purer the mana became, and the higher its quality.

So the improvement in strength was exponential.

Now when Locke cast cantrip models like Green Grasp, Mayfly Flower Cannon, and the Vine Surge series of spells, their power could increase out of thin air, reaction speed and casting speed also improved comprehensively, and the number of times he could use them increased significantly.

Locke's magical pressure and surface magic resistance were also more than double what they were before, allowing him to withstand more powerful spell attacks and external radiation pressure.

This improvement in strength brought about by increased mana was more of a comprehensive enhancement.

Locke suppressed his excitement and thought, "However, having left the beginner's benefit period, my mana progress speed can't possibly be this fast anymore. It's unlikely to see the phenomenon of increasing eight or nine points of mana in one night again, but rather the phenomenon of taking two or three nights of meditation to increase just 1 point of mana."

"And the further along, the more difficult it becomes to increase mana."

"From what Andrew and Axi told me, after mana exceeds six hundred, it becomes very difficult to increase further. Even using advanced meditation methods requires painstaking practice, or using large amounts of mid to high-level magical resources for acceleration."

"After mana exceeds eight hundred, it becomes even more exaggerated." Locke thought, "Andrew told me that after mana exceeds eight hundred, very high-quality magical resources are needed to accelerate its growth."

"So wizards in the southeastern quadrant, after their mana exceeds eight hundred, begin attempting to use a type of advancement potion to directly assault the threshold of becoming a formal wizard."

"Because after eight hundred, improving mental strength becomes very awkward. The mental strength quality is too high, requiring large amounts of advanced resources to accelerate its growth. But wizard apprentices themselves aren't formal wizards and can't find so many advanced resources."

"At that time, a wizard apprentice's mental strength isn't like a formal wizard's mana, with such high quality that it can directly attract more planar energy from the void, so meditation progress becomes very slow."

"Mental strength exists in a relatively high quality state, yet not that high, in a slow-progress valley period." Locke looked at his reflection in the study mirror, "How many wizard apprentices in the southeastern quadrant who can't obtain advancement potions are consumed to death in this valley period."

"Stuck at the eight hundred to one thousand stage for their entire lives."

"But if there are advancement potions, it seems possible to use the power of potion studies to directly break through this stage and force advancement." Locke became troubled. "It's just that I've been mixing with those potion studies assistants for so long, yet still haven't found out what advancement potions are."

"It seems this thing, like advanced meditation methods, is under strict information blockade by the White Wizard Association of the southeastern quadrant."

"I can't access it until I reach that stage. And I can probably only obtain such magical resources through the academy."

Locke thought of those wizard seeds within the academy, like Anglon, Mary, and Albert. Did they have qualifications to access advancement potions?

Locke walked out of his study. The magical pressure on his body formed a protective layer covering his surface skin, strengthening his magic resistance.

Now his mana could compete with those veteran first-class wizard apprentices, so he had one less shortcoming.

He ordered his cat-girl maid to clean the house while having his gray dwarf servant open the laboratory door.

During this month, Locke had also learned to brew Minor Viridian Potion through repeated continuous practice. He had wasted 400 magic stones purchasing large amounts of low-level practice materials, plus later real materials for practice.

Honestly, if he hadn't freeloaded Witch Sophia's formula and sought her guidance, he would have needed to spend at least 500 more magic stones on a course, and the material costs would likely have been even more expensive.

Moreover, such private potion formula courses generally couldn't be purchased through public courses. Similar public potion formula courses typically cost between 800 to 1000 magic stones.

Locke quickly separated three portions of dryad bloodline, extracted the effective components from within, then used other materials, spending an hour and a half to quickly brew three vials of Minor Viridian Potion.

The most expensive material in Minor Viridian Potion was only dryad blood. Other expensive materials and materials requiring complex processing techniques had all been omitted by Sophia, leaving only the dryad blood as the main material plus some auxiliary materials.

While reducing efficacy, it also lowered brewing difficulty.

Although it was a potion simplified from a magic potion, the brewing difficulty of Minor Viridian Potion wasn't too low either.

With Minor Viridian Potion, he had thoroughly established his footing at the Healing Hand Treatment Center.

From now on, even without Andrew and Axi helping him, he could cure most patients afflicted with curses.

Locke looked at the three vials of Minor Viridian Potion in his hand. The emerald liquid in the potion vials contained many transparent, flawless small bubbles. Overall, the potion liquid itself looked like some kind of gemstone.

The improvement in mana was undoubtedly key to his ability to quickly learn Minor Viridian Potion preparation. The higher the mana, the lower the learning difficulty and learning cost for preparing such high-difficulty potions.

"Brewing minor potions takes half an hour per vial." Locke rubbed his temples.

"And it's very mentally exhausting. I should quickly establish corresponding production lines in my personal pharmaceutical laboratory, using those assistants to save my energy, having them do the repetitive labor portions of preparing Minor Viridian Potion for me."

"Three vials of Minor Viridian Potion, I can try synthesizing them to see what happens." Locke directly placed the three vials of Minor Viridian Potion into his synthesis cube. "Hope they can give me some surprises."

Locke looked at the botanical garden documents on his laboratory workbench. During this month, he had urgently developed one hundred acres of magical fields and, through planting the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus he had synthesized, had already delivered one thousand Crystal Palm Fire Lotus to Zack's side this month.

He needed to deliver 4000 plants to Zack's side within three months, in three batches.

This month he had only delivered one thousand plants.

But that was fine. In the first month, the magical fields had just been established, and he had just used advanced growth accelerator to forcibly ripen the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus, allowing the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus that originally needed at least a year to mature and be usable to be harvested in qualified quality within one month, yielding one thousand plants.

Later on, production would increase more and more. In the remaining two months, having those one hundred acres of magical fields produce three thousand plants would be more than sufficient, and could even be higher. It was estimated that about two thousand plants could be produced each month.

For the excess production, Locke decided he could directly trade with Lijin Secret Language, since not only the academy would purchase such magical plants, but other individual botanist wizards would also be interested.

Similarly, during this month, he had learned the 0.5-circle [Scorched Earth Bomb]. This spell model wasn't complex for his current self, and he had quite a few Crystal Palm Fire Lotus on hand, so practicing didn't create much cost pressure.

But Locke had recently been thinking about the monitoring issues for his botanical garden and pharmaceutical laboratory.

The alchemy cottage where the botanical garden and pharmaceutical laboratory were located had its own security functions, and ordinary first-class wizard apprentices couldn't easily break in.

But he should still place some monitoring magical products in the botanical garden and pharmacy, so he could understand the work progress and magical plant growth conditions of these two places at any time. If any emergencies occurred, he could also handle them promptly.

Locke pondered in front of the workbench.

"I can go to Chimera Trading Market to take a look. There should be shops that can solve this problem. Besides monitoring, I can also buy some magical locks and set up barriers to strengthen my security conditions."

[NEXT CHAPTER]

SUP Chapter 104: Tony's Truth! Batman Returns! (Part Two)

She chased Ian into the elevator, her face full of disbelief. This was a luxury elevator, with the interior completely wrapped in genuine leather, even the handrails were polished rosewood.

Gwen saw the "Management Personnel Only" sign outside.

"I'm a shareholder of your world. Now I'm going to ask the administrative CEO who planned this world what the hell he put in the planning proposal."

Ian pressed the button for the elevator's top floor.

The elevator doors slowly closed and rapidly ascended.

"What are you talking about?"

Gwen felt she shouldn't understand Ian's words, but she also had a contradictory feeling that she did understand, making her heart increasingly confused.

"Ding~"

It wasn't Ian's system that rang, but the elevator reaching the top floor. As the elevator opened, the young girl who had already endured too much she couldn't bear today discovered the elevator opened directly to the CEO's office.

"You have this kind of access?"

Gwen was stunned.

She knew that for large companies like Stark Group, different floors required different permissions, and floors where the CEO was located basically only had a few people qualified to reach.

"Still saying you're not a Stark Group shareholder! Liar!" Gwen stared at Ian suspiciously. She couldn't understand why Ian had this kind of group access.

Yet couldn't find where Stark Group was located.

"I tell at least twenty percent truth every day, how could that make me a liar?" Ian glanced at Gwen speechlessly. He had just been testing whether his "special privileges" were still there.

The test results didn't disappoint Ian. Whether it was Teacher Tony or the privileges granted by the Creator, they hadn't completely kicked him aside after using him.

He could still gain some special access by showing his face.

"Alright, there are twenty minutes left. I need to find a way to use you to awaken Tony's memories." Ian walked out of the elevator into a luxuriously ostentatious office.

Persian carpets woven with gold thread, an entire wall of glass wine cabinets displaying absurdly aged whiskeys, and a pure gold globe on the desk gleaming in the sunlight.

Full of nouveau riche flavor.

"Is Jarvis here? Is Jarvis around?" Ian looked at the empty office and spoke to a surveillance camera. He remembered Stark Group had Tony's beloved artificial intelligence everywhere.

This might also be why there were no security guards at the main entrance.

"Who's Jarvis again?"

Gwen examined the surroundings.

She seemed somewhat disapproving of this office owner's taste.

"Jarvis? I'm looking for your boss."

Ian jumped up and knocked on the camera's head.

The camera didn't respond.

What responded was the bathroom on the left side of the office, splash splash, the sound of a toilet flushing came from inside. The bathroom door opened, and a shiny bald head poked out.

"Jarvis died many years ago, along with my dear friend Howard. Now, I'm the boss here." The bald man fastened his luxurious Hermès belt while slowly walking out of the bathroom.

Seeing this man, Ian's jaw nearly dropped to the carpet, his brain slightly malfunctioning.

"Huh? You... how could it be you? Iron Monger!" Ian was truly bewildered. Even with his wisdom, he had never anticipated this scene.

"Um, he should be called Obadiah Stane." Seeing the big shot she could only see on TV, Gwen nervously hid behind Ian.

As the daughter of a police family, she knew too well what illegal entry meant. "Little lunatic, you're not here to acknowledge relatives, are you? Are you a descendant of the Stark family?"

This was probably the only reasonable explanation Gwen could think of.

She obviously watched plenty of eight o'clock soap operas.

"I am Obadiah Stane, not some Iron Monger. Your little girlfriend is much more knowledgeable than you." The bald man Obadiah walked toward his luxurious desk.

"I'm not his girlfriend. I'm a hostage he captured." Gwen quickly denied this, also creating an opportunity for herself to argue later, allowing police and courts to be lenient with her.

"Aren't you my captured navigator?"

Ian looked back at the extremely cunning Gwen.

"So now that you've used up my value, there's no bond between us? I've become a navigator?" Gwen wanted to curse but found she couldn't remember the words.

"Damn it, what's wrong with me."

Gwen covered her forehead, feeling many fragments surfacing.

"Use them and throw them away, all men are like that..." Obadiah chuckled teasingly, applying hand cream while looking at Ian and Gwen with curious eyes.

"Obviously I don't know you two. Normally, you shouldn't have access to my office." Obadiah picked up the phone, as if wanting to call the front desk for inquiry.

He didn't seem nervous or defensive.

"This little lunatic came looking for Tony Stark. He's been muttering about Tony Stark." Gwen spoke for Ian while he was frowning and examining the surroundings.

Her words made Obadiah pause.

"Looking for Tony?"

Obadiah put down the phone.

He looked thoughtful.

"Tony, are these your guests?"

Obadiah spoke into a microphone.

"Yes, sir."

A familiar voice responded. Next moment, something unexpected happened, Tony appeared, but he was still in holographic projection form.

"..."

Ian was dumbfounded.

Digital Tony only glanced at him, then turned toward Obadiah.

"This is Mr. Ian from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. We have some sensitive business involving Stark Group that needs discussion." His words surprised Obadiah.

"This kid isn't even an adult!"

Obadiah looked at Ian strangely. Many people only knew the IRS was powerful, few knew that both the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the IRS were actually behemoths.

Most companies would have some fear of these two departments.

"Who says I'm not an adult?"

Ian wanted to pull out his spirit cards but forgot he didn't bring them. Digital Tony immediately defended Ian, lowering his voice to Obadiah.

"Hereditary, that's how it is."

A very reasonable statement.

Obadiah suddenly understood, his attitude immediately became enthusiastic.

"I should have known. In that case, I'll leave this to you. Feel free to drink, and there's a private room I built inside, you'll love the little toys in there."

He winked at Ian and left the office without suspicion. Until the elevator doors closed and the floor display kept descending, Ian and Gwen finally looked away.

"What kind of little toy room?" Gwen, full of curiosity, was about to explore the side room when Ian grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her back.

"Damn it! Why is my neck so sensitive!" Gwen felt like a cat with a stress response. Ian used the desk and coffee table sofa to "imprison" her in the middle.

"What happened, you'd have to ask him." Ian looked at holographic Tony. "Are you dead? How did you become like this again? And the company was taken by Obadiah?"

Ian didn't know if Tony remembered him, so he started with "witty banter" as a greeting. Digital Tony didn't seem angry about this.

"Howard Stark never had children, only an artificial intelligence created with his life's work, that's me, Tony Stark."

His words could be called earth-shattering.

Once again giving Ian a big Marvel shock.

"????"

Ian's face was full of question marks, feeling like he was about to become a white guy question mark face.

"So let me get this straight, you're saying Tony Stark, that playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, genius inventor, never lived as a human in this universe?"

Such facts were somewhat beyond Ian's imagination.

He was still a writer but he wouldn't write such absurd plots even as a writer.

"If the Tony Stark you're referring to is me, then I can answer you, I have indeed never lived. I am what Howard created for his wife as companionship after she miscarried."

"At least initially."

Digital Tony nodded, answering Ian's question.

"..."

Ian opened his mouth but couldn't rebuild an effective language system. His brain was completely filled with conceptual creatures like "holy crap" galloping through.

This development was too outrageous! And at this moment, Gwen, squatting behind the desk, suddenly said: "He lost his soul from the very beginning."

"So in the new world, he wouldn't have a second chance." After saying this, even Gwen was shocked, incredulously covering her mouth.

"Hmm?"

Ian's pupils shook as he looked at holographic Tony.

"Is that so?"

Digital Tony's face showed some confusion. "Since birth, my core has contained information that even Howard doesn't understand. I think this was left for you."

Saying this, he displayed part of his stored data.

It was a video.

In the footage, the background was still that underground base.

"Where is this?"

Gwen wanted to ask but was silenced by Ian covering her mouth. In the video, that familiar Digital Tony turned around, as if facing the camera recording the information.

"When you see this information, everything must have gone very smoothly." Digital Tony's calm tone made Ian feel the difference in understanding between humans and AI.

No wonder there would be robot uprisings.

This was no longer a matter of different worldviews, was it?

"What kind of smooth is this?"

Ian thought about everything he encountered today, not even having the energy to complain. Perhaps Digital Tony anticipated his question and actually continued speaking in the video.

"You might have doubts, but this is normal. The world you're now facing isn't a result I deliberately adjusted, but an unavoidable beginning. It belongs to the universe we recreated, yet it hasn't experienced all the processes a universe needs to develop to its current state."

"People and objects, good and evil, they'll have a period of chaos, but eventually will gradually settle. This process cannot be accurately simulated through data calculations."

This sentence contained a lot of information.

Ian's brain was rapidly computing, computing, still computing.

Digital Tony could probably see Ian's computational limits. "You just need to know that if you still want to continue receiving the kind of help that Sentry and All-Man gave you."

"What you need to do is help this world return to its proper track, at least the track you think is proper. It will eventually become a benchmark, evolving into the center of a new multiverse."

Digital Tony looked like an NPC issuing quests.

His tone had no emotional fluctuation.

Ian wasn't sure if he was trying to cover something up.

Ian always felt this world still had a bit of Tony's personal agenda mixed in.

"Not giving me a new profession called [Marvel Nanny] doesn't make sense, right?"

Ian roughly understood Tony's meaning, help all heroes get back on track. Perhaps this was the new way for him to acquire the professions contained within those heroes.

He didn't need to think about how Tony calculated this.

Omni-machine God Tony.

Of course he had wisdom more super than super intelligence.

"No way, you're really discussing creation?" Since Ian's hand was loose, Gwen could speak again. Her expression was like she'd seen a ghost.

Ian ignored Gwen and looked at the time.

Somewhat anxiously wanting to ask the Tony in the video why he chose him. But the video was nearing its end. Digital Tony gave Ian an apologetic look.

"Listen, the world should be like this, sunshine, coffee, damn traffic jams, annoying reporters... even including those broken things we always complain about."

"It shouldn't be ruins, shouldn't be doomsday. So... we rewrote its ending together."

"I've done everything I could do. I'm sorry, I'm too far from home with no way to return, so I can't provide you any further help."

Digital Tony, looking somewhat melancholy, lowered his head.

"This was destined from the beginning, and it's an ending I've already accepted. After all, if someone must sacrifice, it's better to be me, saves others from screwing up."

"Dawn has come, the world keeps turning. That's enough."

His image began to gradually blur.

The image finally disappeared.

Finally ended.

"That wasn't me." Digital Tony spoke.

"We all know he's not you. He's just a tiny bit more handsome than you." Ian responded, his mood complex.

Hearing this, Digital Tony didn't deny it.

He just looked directly at Ian, data streams sliding through his eyes.

"However, I will also provide you all possible help within my capabilities. This is Howard's highest directive to me, all his subsequent upgrades to me were to prepare for the appearance of this video's recipient." Digital Tony spoke, explaining why he had covered for Ian earlier.

Not because of Digital Tony's legacy but because of Howard Stark, the man.

"Hmm?"

Ian looked at this unfamiliar Teacher Tony, his eyes slightly trembling. His wisdom couldn't fathom Omni-machine God Tony, but he felt he could speculate about Howard.

Why would Howard give such directives to this holographic Tony?

Behind this, there must be deep meaning!

As for what deep meaning... he'd have to think more. When he figured it out, Ian felt that would be when he'd slap his forehead in sudden realization.

"Then I have a request."

Honestly, Ian still had many doubts, but looking at the clock, there was only one minute left until his return to the DC universe.

"I need technology, lots of technology, and... some ready-made black technology." This was Ian's request, and like the old Teacher Tony, the new Teacher Tony was equally responsive.

When the return bell tolled, Ian awakened from his dream.

He had returned fully loaded.

"Where is he?!"

Gwen saw Ian disappear from the spot, her brain instantly crashed. She felt countless memories beginning to surge, painfully holding her head and squatting down again.

"Ian said he left you return fare."

Digital Tony controlled the office's mechanical arm to hand Gwen fifty-six dollars.

"I..."

Gwen took several deep breaths, didn't take the money, and stumbled toward the elevator. Long after she left, tiny golden sparks appeared in the office air.

"Sorry, I took a shower, got dressed up... no, where is everyone? My positioning shouldn't be wrong." A refreshed Doctor Strange arrived fashionably late.

...

Outside the window, the night was as thick as spilled ink, with only a few stars struggling to emit faint light.

"Tonight was too scary."

Ian turned on the desk lamp. Today he had a lot of information to digest, and still had unresolved doubts. However, tomorrow night he could still enter the Marvel world.

"Now, let me see new Teacher Tony's black technology." Ian first called with his old phone. Sure enough, once night fell, he would be intermittently blocked by that man.

Before, Ian could only be furious about this but now it was different.

He took out his new phone.

Of course, the old phone wasn't recycled but linked to the new phone. Whether it was any Teacher Tony's technology, it was useful. Ian successfully got through to the phone that had blocked him.

"What's wrong with you? How can you hack into my phone?" The other party seemed to be fighting someone, with villains howling, the low voice panting.

"Don't underestimate family heritage, Batman..." Ian also lowered his voice, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by an infinitely deeper voice.

"Speak human language."

Batman's tone carried warning.

"Uh, well, actually it's because I also used my external brain... I wanted to see which was more powerful compared to my dad's external brain."

Ian became honest.

At least he thought he honestly gave an answer.

"????"

The Batman on the other end fell silent.

Only his fighting seemed more vigorous.

The screams of Gotham's villains were extremely fierce.

Very distinctive.

After all, villains in ordinary cities rarely exercised, so their wailing voices definitely didn't have such staying power, to the point that Ian couldn't stand it and pulled his phone about half a meter away from his ear.

He showed a disgusted expression.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

SUP Chapter 104: Tony's Truth! Batman Returns! (Part One)

Kamar-Taj Library.

Dust drifted slowly through the beams of light.

"This book..."

Stephen Strange wiped away the thick dust from the desktop with his sleeve, revealing the ancient runic carvings underneath, as he carefully placed the glowing golden tome in the center.

Faint light illuminated the furrowed brow of this medical doctor.

Ian's Book of Magic

The title flickered with a subtle glow in the dim light, as if breathing with life.

"Ian... Ian's Book of Magic... this can't possibly be a coincidence." Doctor Strange murmured quietly, his fingertips lightly tracing across the cover. A book glowing was something he had never encountered before.

This book had been sealed away for many years.

It had existed in the library since the birth of Kamar-Taj.

Until today, it had never emitted such golden radiance. When one coincidence appears alongside another coincidence, Doctor Strange, well-versed in various mystery novels, believed this absolutely couldn't be mere chance.

"According to my irresponsible bastard teacher, this book's origins are untraceable, but it's at least two thousand years old, discovered alongside our Kamar-Taj's inherited artifacts."

Doctor Strange loosened his collar and pulled out an ancient pendant, a small metal disc embedded with an emerald gem, its surface etched with runes identical to those on the book's title page. The Time Stone was sealed within a container, currently being held in Doctor Strange's hand, with barely visible green light flickering within.

"Because of this book, it's called the Eye of Ian. Legend has it that it's an artifact of an ancient higher-dimensional being." Over the years, Doctor Strange had read through nearly all of Kamar-Taj's collection more than once. This was precisely why, when reflecting on the name Ian, familiar memories began to surge.

"Ian, Ian's Book of Magic, Ian's artifact the Eye."

He began murmuring again.

The Time Stone flickered slightly within its container, reflecting Doctor Strange's contemplative face. At this moment, he felt as if Sherlock Holmes had possessed him, his mind racing as he began connecting the clues.

1. That boy knew of the Sorcerer Supreme's existence, yet was ignorant of modern magical systems.

2. That boy mentioned dimensional demons, as well as Dormammu and Cyttorak, names unknown to anyone.

3. His opponent's powerful magical talent, which even made the Sanctum Sanctorum submit.

...

At this moment, Doctor Strange's pupils suddenly contracted, feeling he might have truly understood.

"He's an ancient being awakening from slumber!" Doctor Strange's pupils shook violently, as if he'd developed retinal disease, his fingers unconsciously tapping the desktop.

"Yes, perhaps that's it, which is why he seemed so contradictory, clearly knowing about sorcerer knowledge yet making me feel his ignorance about the magical world."

"In reality, the ignorant one might be me. What he's been telling me might belong to ancient secrets, real history that has been buried in the river of time!"

"What dimensional demons, demon lords... he was subtly expressing his own identity, and testing me, testing this generation's only Sorcerer Supreme who could potentially threaten him!"

Thinking of this, Doctor Strange was greatly shaken.

His tapping rhythm on the desktop grew faster and faster. The library's temperature seemed to drop several degrees suddenly. Doctor Strange's breath condensed into white mist in the cold air.

Or perhaps Doctor Strange's heart was disturbed.

After all, based on such speculation, reviewing and reflecting, Stephen Strange, this top figure in the medical field, with his superhuman intelligence, realized he might have already leaked information that shouldn't be leaked.

"My answer was equivalent to telling him that this world no longer has demons or dimensional gods, that he has become the only surviving demon god after some shocking catastrophe!"

Doctor Strange felt he had connected all the clues. Indeed, all those years of reading mystery novels hadn't been in vain. He even connected Ian's final act of pushing him down "arrogantly" and leaving, wasn't this showing that a mere Sorcerer Supreme without backing was no longer in his eyes?

That act of taking away the delivery girl!

It was completely demonstrating his arrogant ability to do whatever he pleased!

"This is astounding!"

Doctor Strange was shocked by his own deduction. Could there really have been such a legendary period in the past? Was there truly a glorious era when sorcerers didn't need to work hard to obtain magical power?

"Now is not the time for me to envy those sorcerers. If demons and gods truly existed in this world, does this mean that boy..."

Doctor Strange's fingertips began trembling, his Adam's apple rolled.

"That boy is the legendary evil villain who only exists in stories?" What an unfamiliar term, yet it made Doctor Strange feel his spine chill as he drew a sharp breath.

Never mind him.

Even his teacher, the Ancient One, probably had never encountered such a situation. The Sorcerer Supreme was already the pinnacle of cultivation. A life of eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, had continued for who knows how many generations.

Saying nice things on the street to scam some living expenses, this was the Sorcerer Supreme's daily routine... Yet now, an actual living ancient threat had appeared?

"Will I be the only one who can stop the disaster?"

An unprecedented emotion rose in Doctor Strange's heart. Unease and excitement intertwined in his veins. He felt his empty life might have finally found its deserved meaning.

"Will I become... a hero?"

Doctor Strange felt his pores gradually relaxing. He wasn't someone who particularly liked self-sacrifice, but his boring life had finally rippled with a precious wave.

How could he not seize this?

"He said he was going to Stark Tower!"

At this moment, the passionate Doctor Strange felt his thinking was unprecedentedly active. One evil plan after another that could utilize Stark Group began to be predicted by him.

He knew what he should do now.

The Cloak of Levitation automatically flew over, draping itself on the shoulders of this man burdened with responsibility. He grabbed the Time Stone pendant and hung it on his chest, standing up and running toward the door.

However, more than ten seconds later, Doctor Strange returned.

"Thank you. No wonder my bastard teacher said I'm the smartest among all generations of Sorcerer Supremes."

He kissed that copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes. Without reading this book, he felt he wouldn't have possessed Holmes-like logical thinking.

"Now, you are my Watson."

Doctor Strange patted the cloak behind him and once again ran toward the door, his figure disappeared outside. Due to his overactive thinking, he even forgot to close the library door.

A breeze passed, the door shaft turned silently, slowly closing.

"Snap."

An aged hand gently pressed against the door panel, completely sealing the gap.

"Sigh~"

A deep sigh followed.

"This is simply being... too clever." A somewhat hunched old man stood in the quiet library, the sleeves of his yellow robe hanging down. He was the bastard teacher from Doctor Strange's memory who had already passed away.

The previous Sorcerer Supreme.

The Ancient One.

"People who haven't been beaten up always need to experience some setbacks." The Ancient One's bald head gleamed with gentle luster in the candlelight, a helpless smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.

In the library, dust settled again, as if time flowed particularly slowly in this place. He walked slowly toward the center of the room, his gaze locking onto Ian's Book of Magic.

"Studied it for eight hundred years, not a single spell inside. After all this time, it turns out the book's owner simply doesn't know magic yet." The Ancient One placed the golden book back on the shelf.

"Our Sorcerer Supreme will help me figure out what's really going on."

"However, I need to be cautious. He better not actually believe the nonsense I told him about being able to roam heaven and earth after death, becoming a free astral wanderer."

The Ancient One mumbled as he walked to a hanging hemp rope, raising his hand to retie the death knot into a slip knot, tugging it twice to confirm it wouldn't hang anyone to death before feeling slightly relieved.

"Tonight I still need to appear in his dreams, telling him that without finding a successor, even dying heroically doesn't count." The Ancient One muttered to himself, his figure gradually disappearing in this empty, silent room.

"Still thinking about borrowing others' power, heh. Sorcerers must rely on themselves... even great beings like Eternity can't be relied upon." The Ancient One's remaining muttering slowly disappeared from the room.

He was solid.

He had just left the old place.

...

New York, above Manhattan.

Ian shot through the buildings like a human cannonball.

Of course, people witnessed his actions.

"Ahhhh, look, there's a person bouncing in the sky! Is he Rabbit Man?" Exclamations rose one after another from the streets below.

"Oh my God, he must be delivering food."

A girl pointed at the sky, her tone amazed.

"This is really amazing. If I had abilities like his, I can't even imagine how much tip money I could make in a day." The girl's boyfriend sighed with envy.

He was probably also a delivery guy.

"Could you be a little more ambitious? With abilities like that, why would you still deliver food! You should go to Mexico to transport local specialties, the avocados there are so expensive here."

The girl sternly scolded her boyfriend's short-sightedness.

Her boyfriend showed a shameful expression.

"You're right. I could actually go to Cuba to transport cigars."

The boyfriend actually started fantasizing.

"Trafficking tobacco? Wouldn't that be a bit too bad?"

The girl also began worrying about her boyfriend's character issues.

No wonder they say birds of a feather flock together.

Both of them were quite good at fantasizing.

Fortunately, no one called the police, New York citizens in this world seemed to default that "bouncing perverts in tight clothing" were part of the city's infrastructure.

Perhaps it was because excessive evil had never sprouted in this world?

While leaping, Ian had already moved far from the Sanctum Sanctorum.

"Don't move, your movement makes my shoulder uncomfortable." On Ian's shoulder, Gwen Stacy was like an angry cat, tightly gripping Ian's collar with a face full of speechless expression.

She was being carried like a bag of cement, head down.

When she opened her eyes, she could only see Ian's well-developed rear end.

"My dad is a police officer! He's a great shot! Let me down quickly!" Gwen gritted her teeth and shouted, her voice torn apart by the oncoming wind.

"I'm handling serious business, but you're the ones who asked me to help you." Ian very considerately made a turn in mid-air, so the bird droppings that should have gone into Gwen's mouth only stuck to her cheek instead. He didn't need Gwen to say thank you, since he was somewhat at fault this time.

If it weren't for the fact that the return time was really approaching, Ian wouldn't have used such a direct method.

"My dad will really put you in jail!" Gwen took the tissue Ian handed her to wipe her cheek while still persistently pressuring Ian.

"Don't make a fuss. Comparing dads is meaningless. I've grown up a few more hours now and am past the age of comparing dads. I won't brag to you about how great a superhero my dad is anymore."

Ian seriously pinched the back of Gwen's neck with his other hand.

Gwen immediately shrank her neck.

"No, wait, why do I feel like this scene is familiar?" Gwen, who instinctively reacted, was very confused about this indescribable feeling.

Hearing her words, Ian's golden pupils flickered slightly.

"That's because even though the bond between us has been broken, I'm still providing you guidance." Ian was indeed intentionally testing how to trigger Gwen's soul memories.

"Look, I guarantee Spider-Man can't do this."

He suddenly bent his knees and exerted force.

His whole body jumped up another large section from a height of more than ten stories, catching the bird that had just defecated, then stuffed it to Gwen on his shoulder as his body fell.

"Isn't this thoughtful enough? Do you regret not choosing me as the new Spider-Man?" Ian landed on top of a high tower again, privately looking around for Stark Tower's location.

"..."

Gwen didn't feel Ian's self-proclaimed warmth. She directly let go and released the culprit of her attack. "You little lunatic! Didn't you just say I was the one asking you to be the new Spider-Man?"

Her blurted question carried suspicion and confusion. For some unknown reason, besides the anxiety of being "kidnapped," Gwen seemed completely unafraid of the high-altitude environment and extremely calm.

"Tsk tsk." Ian directly rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

"Normal people should continue questioning why I'm committing kidnapping, but you're concerned about who's asking whom to be Spider-Man. With this mental state, no wonder you can sit at the same table as Tony."

His words left Gwen speechless.

Although slightly confused, Gwen was still being Gwen.

"I've already questioned you dozens of times!" She emphasized loudly. Ian turned a deaf ear, only using his super vision to scan distant buildings.

In the city, there were several tallest buildings but none were related to Stark Tower.

"That's strange!"

Ian remembered Stark Tower should be very prominent.

"Where is Stark Tower?" He asked local Gwen.

"Why would you think that after kidnapping me, I'd still provide you help?" Gwen tightly hugged Ian's neck, eyes tightly closed with a cold smile.

Ian nodded, acknowledging Gwen's words, but this didn't mean he had no countermeasures. "Not talking about bonds, you also wouldn't want me to ask for directions everywhere because I'm lost, right?"

"Maybe eventually we'll run through every corner of this entire city." He knew Gwen was an excellent student who understood how to calculate the probability of running into acquaintances in her mind.

"How despicable did you learn to be like this?"

Gwen was indeed greatly shocked. This threat was obviously very effective.

"From my Uncle Batman." Ian lowered his voice.

"He's definitely not a good person!"

Gwen didn't know who Ian was referring to, but this didn't affect her confident tone. "Damn it, playing psychological warfare with me... Stark Group is over there!"

Gwen finally gave in.

She pointed the way for Ian.

She didn't know why her heart increasingly felt this kind of frustration was incredibly familiar, but she knew she shouldn't have left home today, otherwise she wouldn't have encountered this damn nemesis again!

Hmm?

Why did I use the word "again"?

Gwen was greatly confused.

Having gotten the specific direction, Ian immediately leaped up. The airflow blew away Gwen's rabbit-ear knit hat, but fortunately she was quick-eyed and fast-handed, reaching up to grab her hat back.

"Of course I know some psychology, after all, I'm experienced." Ian got a mouthful of hair, so his reply was somewhat delayed. He frantically spit out Gwen's hair, feeling quite frustrated.

"You definitely didn't wash your hair today!" His voice was deafening.

Gwen's silence was also resounding.

She stopped shouting about kidnapping and fell into an embarrassed mood. Just like this, Ian got a moment of quiet, bouncing and leaping continuously between buildings.

Several minutes later.

The two drew a perfect parabola.

Finally landing with a crash in the plaza in front of Stark Tower. This wasn't particularly spacious, and the building was just normal building height, which was why Ian had difficulty distinguishing it.

"Boom~"

Ian's high-altitude landing lacked the proper family tradition.

The floor tiles under his feet cracked in a radiating pattern.

The moment they landed, Gwen only felt slight bumps. The comfort level on Ian's shoulder made Gwen feel like Ian's body contained a luxury shock absorption system, dissolving even the landing impact perfectly, this might be attributed to Ian's absolute control over muscles and strength in his permanently proven state.

"We're here."

Ian put Gwen down.

Gwen, who was trying to attribute the "shock absorption" credit to the fat in her chest, was back on solid ground.

She was still somewhat dazed.

"What are you doing?"

Gwen looked at Ian, who had squatted on the ground, with complete confusion.

"Although based on the merit I've accumulated, I could completely avoid any compensation, but who told me to be so well-mannered." Ian put three hundred dollars under the cracked floor tiles.

Along with a note saying whoever finds it is responsible for repairing these tiles.

Three hundred dollars, as long as it doesn't encounter Officer Smith, even included labor costs. Having a conscience was just like this. As for whether others had conscience, that had nothing to do with Ian's conscience.

"Hmm? You're compensating for damaging public property? I don't believe you have this kind of awareness." Gwen seemed very surprised, looking Ian up and down as he stood back up.

"Can't help it, who told me this is the world I created. It deserves to have me display my quality." Ian dusted off his hands and turned toward Stark Tower's entrance.

"Already progressed to the stage where you're God and believing in you grants eternal life? Next are you planning to erect a giant statue of yourself in the city center?"

Seeing Ian walk toward the door, Gwen immediately hurried to follow.

After all, having come this far.

She also wanted to know what this familiarity with Ian was about. It was like something had been forgotten by her. If she didn't figure out this strange feeling, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"A bit taller than the Statue of Liberty would be nice, thank you." Ian walked quickly. Stark Tower's glass doors automatically slid open silently upon sensing their approach.

There were no security guards, no security checks, not even a reception robot. There were two pretty girls at the front desk, but they only glanced at Ian and the guilty-looking Gwen.

No reaction whatsoever.

Ian walked directly toward the elevator.

Gwen followed closely behind.

"Are you a Stark Group shareholder?"

[NEXT CHAPTER]

SUP Chapter 103: Strange Marvel! Origin Power! (Part Two)

[Greenwich Village Blake Street]

He carefully tucked Steve's overly vigorous mysterious hair back into his tight shorts.

When the protagonist jogged close to this brownstone townhouse, that man who had been setting up a stall seemed to have already packed up. Not only was the small table gone, but even the villa's front door was completely closed.

Cold wind rolled with snowflakes swirling.

Ian stood in front of that oak door carved with mysterious runes, looking up at this Victorian-style super villa. If he wasn't mistaken, this place should be the so-called Sanctum Sanctorum.

The sanctuary of Kamar-Taj.

From the outside, it looked no different from the surrounding houses, just a bit better-looking, with French Baroque architectural charm and a unique Mansard-style roof.

Before there were buildings, this place had been used by a Native American shaman as a location to seal demons, later becoming a mass grave and a site for cult killings.

Later it became Kamar-Taj, the territory of what was the magical sanctuary of Marvel Universe Earth, and at some unknown time, the originally evil place became the base that the Sorcerer Supreme had placed in New York.

It was also Doctor Strange's residence.

And if Captain America and Spider-Man had both become such characters, the street scammer Ian had encountered here might already have an obvious identity.

"I can't accept this at all, this isn't the Marvel journey I wanted." Ian was quite depressed, the gargoyle on the spire tilted its head as if mocking his hesitation.

After more than ten seconds of struggle.

The boy took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock, knock, knock, knock.

He knocked quite loudly.

Unfortunately, no one responded.

"This is too strange." Ian muttered as he withdrew his hand, his fingertips stained with a layer of fine copper rust, "Don't Kamar-Taj mages even maintain the door knocker of the Sanctum?"

It wasn't Ian being picky.

This indeed seemed somewhat inexplicable.

As an important building for the Sorcerer Supreme to guard Earth and protect this universe, the Sanctum Sanctorum was an important node of the protective barrier and should logically undergo regular maintenance.

How come it now looked.

Almost as broken down as America's Air Force fighter jets?

"Knock knock knock~"

The puzzled Ian knocked on the door again. After this knock, the door crack seemed to widen a bit, and a very plant-scented incense smell wafted from the house.

"An invitation? Or is the door not locked properly?"

Ian tried pushing the door.

The heavy oak door slid open silently, revealing the resplendent hall inside. Floating candelabras cast warm halos, illuminating the thin dust accumulated on the spiral staircase handrails.

It looked like it hadn't been wiped for at least several months.

"Is anyone home?"

Ian politely poked his head in to ask. His voice echoed in the hall, startling several pigeons roosting on the chandelier, and also letting him see where these pigeons were flying to.

Feathers fluttered down.

The folding table covered with purple velvet was stored in a corner, where there was also a constantly swaying armchair with the horse-faced man from before lying on it looking relaxed.

The man's attire was more slovenly than when encountered on the street, dark blue pajama pants peeked out from under his mage robes, his left slipper was nowhere to be found, and his right sock had a hole in it.

He was flipping through a copy of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" with his slender fingers, the hardcover with Holmes's pipe painted into some kind of wand shape with a highlighter.

"Sir, why didn't you continue setting up your stall?" Ian stepped onto the old Persian carpet, his boot sinking into the carpet. His naturally familiar personality made him take the initiative to ask.

"Of course it's because I pack up once I make 200 bucks a day." The man instinctively gave an answer, then, as if suddenly realizing something, snapped the book shut.

"Wait!"

The man jumped up suddenly, the hot tea placed beside him spilling on his pajama pants. He didn't seem to care about this, looking at Ian with a somewhat uncertain gaze.

A red cloak automatically flew to his back.

Identity verification successful.

"How did you get in here!?"

Doctor Strange looked at Ian with disbelief, his eyes wide.

"Maybe because the door wasn't locked?"

Ian pointed behind himself, making a somewhat embarrassed expression.

"This has nothing to do with whether the door is locked or not. What about the Sanctum's protective spells?" Doctor Strange rushed to the door in a few steps and after checking, his expression became even more incredible.

"The protective spells are fine, only people I've allowed can approach my house, and you, you don't have my invitation." Doctor Strange stood at the door position and suddenly turned around.

There was no anger on his face, but rather excitement, "This proves the Sanctum itself invited you, which also means you probably belong to the kind of shocking talent who's naturally meant to become a mage!"

Doctor Strange made what he considered a reasonable judgment.

At least he thought it was reasonable.

"..."

Ian was silent for a moment.

"Are you learning from Holmes to make deductions?"

He found himself increasingly unable to understand the superheroes of this world.

Out of place, perhaps this was exactly that feeling.

"Ah?" Doctor Strange was stunned.

"You discovered this too?"

He somewhat embarrassedly had his cloak help him scratch his head.

This really had the feeling of being lazy to the extreme.

"Don't learn it next time." Ian sighed deeply.

"It's not similar at all, but even so, it still makes me easily cross over into Holmes stories."

His words left Doctor Strange very confused.

He pondered for a long time and still couldn't figure out whether Ian was praising him or criticizing him.

"Stephen Strange? Former neurosurgeon?" Ian's mood was quite melancholy now, so he didn't continue chatting but instead confirmed identity information with Doctor Strange.

Upon hearing this, Doctor Strange was first stunned.

"You even know this?" Then, as if he had "deduced" something again, he patted his forehead, "It seems you also have outstanding talent in prophecy!"

"This is fantastic! At least you won't starve in the future!"

"Child, are your parents nearby? Forget it, that's not important, I can handle them, the main thing is you, would you consider changing careers to become a magnificent mage?"

"Really, I'm not lying to you, you have the potential to become Sorcerer Supreme!"

"I am the Sorcerer Supreme, look how handsome my cloak is. You don't need to wait for me to die, as soon as you learn I'll give it to you, and I'll immediately find a place to hang myself!"

"Seamless succession! Simply couldn't be better!"

Doctor Strange spoke very quickly, but this didn't prove his thinking speed was also fast. He rattled off a bunch of things, his intention to trick Ian was really too obvious.

"..."

Ian looked around.

He didn't find traces of a second mage's existence.

He roughly understood.

"Is Kamar-Taj down to just you now?"

Ian's tone carried some probing.

Doctor Strange's excited expression froze instantly at this moment.

"Uh, it's not just me, it's just that the others... the others don't have such high talent, you know, it seems you already have some prior involvement with the magical world."

"Are you from some mage family?" Doctor Strange forcibly changed the subject, his technique was terribly crude. He was obviously covering up, seeming to want to engage in some back-and-forth with Ian.

However, Ian didn't want to engage in any back-and-forth with Doctor Strange.

"No, I'm not from a mage family, I'm from a positive energy family... Damn it, can this world be a bit more normal? Compared to learning magic, which is no longer that important..."

Ian interrupted Doctor Strange who still wanted to continue his sales pitch, "What I actually want to know more is what's wrong with this world."

He stared intently at the Sorcerer Supreme in front of him.

"What do you mean what's wrong?"

Doctor Strange's expression was somewhat confused.

"You're setting up fortune-telling stalls outside, Captain America is working as a model in clothing stores, and Spider-Man went off to do strip shows... Damn it, I really hope he was just doing strip shows!"

Ian held his forehead.

Even he found it somewhat hard to accept such an absurd world.

"Oh, you mean those two guys, that's very normal, they're all just making a living." Doctor Strange lay back in his chair, his tone carrying a sense of matter-of-factness that shouldn't be matter-of-fact.

The red cloak behind him flew back to the coat rack.

"Those are superheroes!"

Ian covered his head.

"No, I need to see the Ancient One, I need to see Eternity... Go quickly tell Eternity that I've made contributions to Marvel, I've bled for Marvel, I deserve to know an answer."

He wasn't unable to accept an absurd Marvel.

The boy who had finally been a hero once just couldn't quite accept that his heroic deed had actually created such a strange and ridiculous world.

"Eternity? If I knew how to cozy up to such a big shot, would I be here reading novels?" Doctor Strange picked up that copy of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" again.

"What's hidden in your crotch? I can sense magical aura." Doctor Strange asked while reading, even conjuring a chair for Ian but Ian wasn't in the mood to sit down.

"A demon book?"

Ian pulled out his collection from his crotch. Honestly, he still hadn't figured out what this book really was, perhaps Doctor Strange could help him identify it.

Though the world was different.

Some things should still have commonalities.

"Ian's Book of Creation"

This book liked to change its name, and Ian was quite pleased with it, but he still held this sycophantic book and approached, hoping to seek identification from the Marvel universe's Sorcerer Supreme.

"What the hell is this thing? The words on it have twisted into monsters, I can't read them at all."

Doctor Strange looked at Ian suspiciously, "As for demons? Are you trying to scare me? Even ten-year-old mages should know that demons only exist in bedtime stories."

His words carried some disdain.

Ian's pupils contracted sharply, he once again noticed something new that was wrong.

"What do you mean? You haven't seen demons? Haven't fought dimensional demon gods? Dormammu? Cyttorak?" Ian, under his super brain's normal performance, keenly caught very crucial information.

He immediately began questioning.

And directly snatched away the "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" from Doctor Strange's hands.

"Who are Dormammu and Cyttorak?" Without his book, Doctor Strange could only helplessly answer Ian. In his heart, he had already regarded Ian as the successor to replace himself.

He had to be patient.

He still needed to trick the other party into joining the school.

"They're dimensional demon gods, also called dimensional lords."

Ian swallowed hard, he seemed to have realized what Omni-machine Tony God had done.

"I don't know what dimensional demon gods are." Doctor Strange picked up his empty teacup and drank a few sips. When he put the teacup down, it was as if he had spit into it, full to the brim.

"And no one has seen demons either, because demons are just stories used to scare children, perhaps they also appear in film and television works, but they're at most just products born from people's imagination."

Doctor Strange's answer was still so matter-of-fact.

Dead silence enveloped the hall.

"Oh..."

Ian's expression kept changing.

"Tony, and you said you weren't affected... Oh, he seemed to go silent at that time."

His brain was slightly crashing.

"No, then what kind of magic do you Kamar-Taj mages actually learn, and your cloak, its power should come from the Trinity Vishanti, right?"

Ian seemed to have grasped a loophole in this world.

"Uh... what is Vishanti? You're making me somewhat confused. It seems you have some understanding of the mage world, but how does this understanding still mix in so much fantasy flavor."

Doctor Strange stood up from his chair and manually took down the cloak that had automatically hung on the coat rack. That somewhat cheap and inferior texture seemed very discordant.

"This is my levitation cloak, it's not some work of Vishanti, but a magical artifact I crafted myself... God knows how much effort I spent to create it."

"But practicing magic is like this, everything can only rely on yourself." Doctor Strange's tone was full of emotion, his words seemed to reveal why this place was so desolate.

No creditor!

No backer!

The magic of this Marvel universe could only be cultivated through one's own efforts! And the reason for this must be because of the information Tony added when setting up that Infinity Gauntlet!

Tony had tampered with the planning information! Mixed in private goods!

"There's no magical source bestowing power for mages to take shortcuts, I mean more convenient cultivation?" Ian swallowed hard, trying to digest the information.

"No."

Doctor Strange shook his head.

His gaze at Ian was very strange.

"So there are people lazier than me in this world."

His tone was quite emotional.

"How did you get this magical artifact? Did you steal your parents' magical artifact?" Doctor Strange's attention returned to the magical book Ian had pulled out. He began weighing in his heart whether he could beat Ian's parents and snatch this child back to Kamar-Taj to learn magic.

And just at this moment.

"Knock knock knock~"

The sound of knocking on the door rang out.

"That's my takeout."

Doctor Strange was immediately attracted, he quickly ran toward the door.

"When I knocked just now, I didn't see you react this quickly. Can't a boy like me be a delivery boy?" Ian was puzzled, but Doctor Strange's expression was even more puzzled.

"You didn't knock on the door. If you had knocked, I definitely would have heard it." Doctor Strange said while opening the door, cold wind mixed with cheese aroma rushing in as the door opened.

It was pizza delivery.

The delivery person was also a pretty girl.

Ian found her very familiar.

"Hi, Gwen, you finally stopped wearing leather pants. Do you still remember the bond between us? The fact that you owe me one hundred and eighty-something favors can't be easily dismissed!"

Ian greeted her, testing whether this acquaintance had memories of the past.

Yes.

Standing outside the door was a girl wearing a rabbit-eared wool hat, holding a pizza box in her hands, her nose tip red from the cold. This pretty pizza delivery girl was Gwen Stacy.

"Huh?"

Gwen looked blankly at the boy in the house.

"Who are you?"

She felt somewhat familiar, yet couldn't remember anything.

"Me? Magical boy Ian, the one you begged to be the new Spider-Man but I didn't agree." Ian keenly caught that trace of confusion in Gwen's eyes.

"I knew it! The bond of friendship can transcend time and space!" Ian was extremely excited. He directly pushed Doctor Strange aside, rushed out the door, hoisted the bewildered Gwen up, and ran off.

"Put me down! This is kidnapping! Kidnapping!"

Gwen was scared out of her wits.

"We need to find Tony! If you still remember me! Even just a little bit, then Tony must be the same as you!" Ian had always had his own plan.

"Oh God! What are you talking about? What magical boy are you? You're simply a psycho boy! Damn it! How do I feel like this sentence is so familiar!"

Gwen pounded Ian's back but found Ian's back was rock hard.

"Fantastic!" Ian was overjoyed.

"Just like this! The power of bonds continues to work!"

He quickly crossed the street.

Behind him, Doctor Strange, who had been knocked to the ground, looked confused like an abandoned mistress.

"Damn brat! I was just about to invite you for pizza! Is this how you treat me? Fine, treating me like this is okay too... Are you coming back to be this Sorcerer Supreme or not!"

After he stood up, he picked up the pizza box from the ground, opened it while eating pizza and shouting outside, however, the only response to him was Ian's figure carrying Gwen and disappearing rapidly into the distance.

Ian was in a hurry because Ian was about to return.

"How is he running so fast... Holy shit! He bounced up! He's flying!" Doctor Strange looked at the distant scene, the half piece of pizza in his hand falling directly to the ground.

Moments later, he slowly recovered from his shock.

"It only fell on the ground for ten minutes, definitely still edible."

Doctor Strange picked up the pizza from the ground, closed the door dejectedly, and walked back to the Sanctum's main hall, his greasy hands directly grabbing for "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes."

At this moment, something in the darkness knocked against Doctor Strange's thoughts.

"Wait, what did he say his name was?" Doctor Strange suddenly ran toward the back hall of the Sanctum Sanctorum, opened a portal, and instantly crossed an extremely vast distance.

Kamar-Taj.

Stephen Strange stepped across the threshold, his boots continuously colliding with the stone floor.

No greetings from apprentices.

No conversations with mages.

Only the whimpering sound of cold wind passing through the corridors. The deserted holy land was very desolate, the wooden training dummies in the practice field were covered with dust, and several abandoned practice robes still hung on the rack, already weathered.

"I remember this name!" Doctor Strange's footsteps echoed in the long corridor. He pushed open door after door, arriving at the dusty and empty library. Doctor Strange's fingers wandered among the bookshelves with few remaining books, finally stopping on an ancient tome with a golden cover.

He carefully pulled it out, the spine making a slight "crack" sound, as if it hadn't been opened for many years. He still needed to blow off the dust on top to see the large characters on the cover.

Inside the empty book were no text or magical records.

"Ian's Magic Book"

On the cover, these characters, even more golden than golden, were very conspicuous.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

SUP Chapter 103: Strange Marvel! Origin Power! (Part One)

The piercing sound of a truck horn slapped Ian's eardrums like a blow to the face.

"Damn it! Great Fortune Celestial!" He instinctively jumped backward, his back slamming into the fire hydrant at the street corner with a "bang," the cold metal transmitting the sound of unbearable denting through his thin T-shirt.

Fortunately, the fire hydrant wasn't damaged enough to start spraying water.

"Looking for death, you bastard! Don't you know you're blocking the road?" The truck driver leaned half his body out of the window and roared angrily, the Santa Claus toy hanging from his rearview mirror swaying along.

"First, the position I'm standing in is a pedestrian crosswalk, and second... I hope you really remembered to buy insurance." Ian stepped forward and kicked the stopped truck hard twice.

He directly sent two of the truck's wheels flying on the spot.

Before the driver could react, Ian had already torn off and dismantled the truck's fuel tank with his bare hands, then casually tossed it into the bed of a pickup truck, the passing driver probably already realizing he had encountered nature's gift.

"Vroom~"

He floored the accelerator and sped off with his full bounty, disappearing around the street corner in the blink of an eye, though his escape speed was far slower than Ian's running speed.

"Hello! Is this 911? I've been robbed by a little kid! Yes... he stole my fuel tank, and he had accomplices to help him, it's definitely a premeditated crime!"

"He didn't use any tools, just ripped off my fuel tank with his hands, and kicked away my six truck wheels, so now I can only replace them with my spare tires."

"What? You're saying I'm joking? I'm not joking!"

"What do you mean provide my identification information first? Damn it! Don't think I don't know you're trying to discriminate against me! You white people only protect your own race!"

"My seven aunts and eight grandmothers finally smuggled over from curry country, but you won't give them legal status, this is a failure of freedom and democracy!"

"It's moral decay... hello? Hello?"

The chattering driver raged impotently at the already disconnected phone.

Police respond to every call?

That doesn't exist, real reports and fake reports need to be distinguished.

The operators at American police stations have considerable discretion in this area.

...

Ian, who had run two blocks, finally stopped, not because he was too tired, but because his shoes had already burst open from the strain, and he didn't want to continue performing barefoot running for passersby.

"Wait, this world can affect me again? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Ian was somewhat puzzled, no one knew what the so-called Creator really meant.

The Creator didn't give Ian a special [Merit Saint] title that would be suspended above his head, visible to everyone wherever he went and equipped with various privileges.

This damn Creator, actually encouraged the universe's will to use the Great Fortune Celestial to frighten little boys!

This really was something his uncle could tolerate, his aunt could tolerate, but Ian... Ian weighed the pros and cons and chose to also endure it for a while, after all, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river.

He still needed to develop.

Living on someone else's territory, he inevitably needed to suffer a little bit of grievance.

"Damn it! Why isn't this new Marvel world one where trucks were never invented!" Ian wasn't really afraid of the Great Fortune Celestial.

No matter how many trucks and planes were thrown at him, his heart would remain unmoved, he was just slightly apprehensive about the Great Fortune Celestial with four wheels on the ground and signs of movement.

No one could explain the reason.

Perhaps post-transmigration trauma was just that hard to erase.

"I feel malice from the Creator." Ian stared at the completely delaminated worn shoe on his left foot, the toe gaping open as if mocking his feat of "flying kick at a truck."

"If I'd known it could already affect me, I would have used my fist." Ian muttered while rubbing his hands, glancing at a warm yellow tent set up across the street.

[Winter Distribution, Free Shoes and Clothing, Everyone Gets a Share.]

This was another scenic line of America.

Rich people or churches often provided charitable aid due to votes and other interests. As the saying goes, don't take what's free for nothing, so Ian immediately went forward to thank the wealthy for their generosity.

"Merry Christmas! May you have a warm winter!"

The volunteer sister handed over a pair of sturdy work boots.

"I'm not very merry, but... thank you." Ian took the brand-new boots, squeezed the soles, felt the quality was good, so he quickly grabbed another pair from the shoe pile.

The volunteer sister didn't stop his behavior because Ian had shown her a smile. Being handsome was just like that, even homeless people would have more advantages.

"Are your eyes contact lenses? They're beautiful."

She even showed Ian a lovestruck expression.

"Thank you."

Ian thanked her again and politely left. He first put on the new shoes, then connected the other pair with shoelaces and hung them around his neck like sausages.

On the street, crowds were congested.

Cars flowed endlessly.

There was a vitality that Ian had never felt in that previously frozen world.

He looked around and suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged.

"Sir, would you like to buy some? Help a poor little boy have enough money to buy a PSP." There was actually a child selling cookies on the roadside.

And he had latched onto Ian.

"Only five dollars, and I'll pray to Jesus for you." The little boy in a wool hat held up a tin box with several rather abstract-shaped cookies lying inside.

"Then you talk to him more, have him send you a game console." Ian didn't fall for it, he felt the little boy's craftsmanship didn't deserve a PSP that even he didn't have.

"Help me, help the child."

The little boy's eyes reddened, looking pitiful.

"Who isn't a child? If you keep pestering me, I'll go tell your mom and your grandma that they conspired to sexually harass me, trust me, I'll win." Ian's low tone intimidated the little boy in front of him.

"..."

This boy could only put away the routine Ian had already played out, timidly and fearfully watching Ian gradually disappear around the street corner. His small heart might have received a big shock today.

"Having to start socializing from scratch in this world again, how annoying." Ian felt slightly melancholy, walking aimlessly on the street, the dazzling array of shops making his eyes blur.

It started snowing.

The weather change was somewhat unpredictable.

Cold wind carried snowflakes drilling into Ian's collar, making him shrink his neck. This did have a few hints of apocalyptic winter, though the temperature was far from that cold.

[Greenwich Village Blake Street]

Ian passed the street sign. On both sides of the street, Christmas decorations flashed with glaring light, pedestrians wrapped their coats tightly and hurried past, their exhaled white breath briefly lingering in the air before dispersing.

In front of a three-story Victorian brownstone townhouse.

A small table covered with purple velvet was quite conspicuous.

On it were placed a crystal ball, tarot cards, and a crooked sign.

[Tarot Readings]

Behind the small table sat a horse-faced man in a cheap red cloak, his beard trimmed fairly neatly, but the hairstyle on his head looked like it had been ravaged by a tornado.

"Young man! I see worry on your face, clearly you've been encountering bad things recently, this is a sign of dim fortune stars, would you like to try tarot card divination?" He had originally been shuffling tarot cards with exaggerated movements, but seeing Ian pass by, immediately revealed a mysterious smile.

Just like a fraudster.

"No need, thank you."

Ian didn't stop, maintaining basic politeness, politely declining the other party before continuing forward. The fortune teller behind him sighed regretfully and lamented about the poor market.

Ian didn't hear this, his attention had already been attracted by the window TV of a roadside electronics store.

"What the hell!"

Ian's golden eyes contracted violently.

His decadent temperament completely vanished.

Replaced by a trembling astonishment throughout his body. On the screen, a figure wearing a familiar uniform walked onto the stage, then the audience seats, like a talent show scene, erupted in intense cheers.

"Ladies! Gentlemen!" The host's extremely passionate voice shook the entire street through surround sound, "Let us welcome tonight's headlining superstar, Spider! Whirl! Wind!"

As soon as these words came out.

They immediately attracted many people on the street to crowd around the window TV.

"It's Spider Whirlwind!"

"Oh my God! I love him the most!"

"His whirlwind spray is still a classic that others can't surpass!"

...

The onlookers around him were all whispering to each other.

Ian couldn't listen at all.

He rubbed his eyes and confirmed again that the person on the talent show stage was wearing the same outfit as the superhero costume in his memory, but now that young boy was standing on the stage.

[Peter Parker]

Subtitles on the TV displayed the boy's name.

"Damn it!"

Ian couldn't help but step back several paces.

Spider-Man Peter Parker, this superhero was actually wearing a sequin-modified costume, with the mask cut open to show a toothy smile, doing splits on stage followed by backflips!

"Gentlemen! Ladies! Here comes the New York boy! Where are the applause and screams?" Peter Parker grabbed a rope on the stage and spun himself into a human top. His red and blue tight suit was studded with glowing LED beads, and the spider logo on his back had been changed to exaggerated fluorescent polka dots.

Music.

Rhythm.

Spinning.

Dancing.

"!!!!"

Ian was completely stunned.

What had he seen!

He saw Spider-Man frantically dancing on stage!

The background music was deafening.

The people crowding around the TV, like the audience in the TV, were all cheering.

"It's coming! It's coming!"

"Whirlwind spray!"

Two children seemed exceptionally excited.

Then, "Let's get wild!"

Peter shouted into the microphone, then slid on his knees, supported himself with both hands, and suddenly lifted his buttocks, at this moment, the dazed Ian finally understood what whirlwind spray meant.

"Pfft!"

Spider-Man's butt was shooting webs!

A large mass of white spider silk sprayed out in a fan shape, accurately hitting the faces of the front row judges! At this instant, the audience in front of the TV and the audience inside the TV both erupted in enthusiastic screams.

The atmosphere seemed very boiling.

A young man with a mohawk waving a "Spider Boy I Love You" glow stick directly fainted, and even several girls by the TV looked like they might collapse at any moment.

"????????"

Ian's face really hadn't shown question marks in a long time.

His eyes widened like kettlebells, not even bells.

"My eyes! My new eyes are going blind!" Ian closed his eyes and vigorously rubbed his open jaw, confirming that his jaw hadn't fallen directly onto the snowy ground.

Too horrifying!

Was this real?

It was scarier than the horror stories Jonathan liked to read!

"It must be an impersonation show! Or a fake!" Ian didn't want to believe what he saw, he had a bad premonition, somewhat dazedly backing up continuously to stand in the middle of the street again.

"Creator, are you there? If you are, squeak..."

To prevent the Great Fortune Celestial from appearing again, Ian lowered his voice when looking up, "If you are, drop a few hundred head-sized golden apples on top of my head?"

Even with such careful and tentative probing.

Ian still didn't get any response.

"Isn't this reasonable? Is this correct? This..." Ian's heartfelt astonishment hadn't finished expressing when his voice abruptly stopped, because he turned his head and saw the clothing store on the street.

That man from the Marvel universe who always believed he wasn't cheating, was holding his iconic shield, standing upright in front of the glass window inside the clothing store.

Not a mannequin because Ian's excellent vision caught the subtle movement of the other party secretly moving his neck.

The boy's breathing stopped again.

Perhaps sensing Ian's gaze, the living model in the window, wearing only tiny shorts and exposing his upper body with perfect muscles, showed Ian a smile with gleaming white teeth.

Yes.

The famous Captain America, the original leader of the Marvel universe, was actually posing in various bodybuilding positions in front of the display window, the olive oil smeared on his abs even glittering somewhat under the spotlights!

"Knock knock knock!"

Ian rushed forward quickly.

He pressed his face directly against the cold window glass, the white breath he exhaled condensing into mist on the surface. The model suddenly came to life, gesturing to him not to knock on the glass.

"I must have been caught in Tony's Kyoka Suigetsu!" Ian's gaze was fixed on the shield in the model's hand, that iconic shield was again being held by the model like a dumbbell in mid-air.

"Are you really Steve Rogers?"

Ian didn't believe it and pulled open the door, rushing into the store. The door chime made a cheerful "ding-dong" sound. Cold wind rolled with snow flakes chased behind him, leaving some traces on the antique-style wooden floor.

"That's right, it's me, your beloved Captain America." The model showed a standard smile with eight teeth, his abs rising and falling with his breathing, his muscles indeed looking full of technological flavor.

"Child, I know what you want to do."

Steve posed to show off his biceps, "Want to touch? Classic that modern technology cannot forge, just one dollar for a full minute of touching."

Good heavens.

This even had a fee-based mode.

"..."

Ian suffered a silent critical hit.

"Why are you doing this here?" He held it in for a while, finally couldn't help but ask, his heart full of a magical creature called [Grass Mud Horse] galloping past.

"Uh."

Steve was stunned first upon hearing this.

"Sigh, no choice, after all, I need to eat. Those politicians are just bastards who've fallen into money pits. Can you believe they're paying me retirement according to WWII standards?"

He put away his exaggerated display, his expression also looking somewhat dejected, cursing in his mouth, "Retirement pay according to 1945 standards? What kind of person could think of such a move to deal with me, fuck! I never had such nightmares even when sleeping in ice for decades!"

Perhaps because Ian was a child, Steve's profanity was used very restrainedly, almost equivalent to tone words like "damn it."

"..."

Ian's silence was just like his current heart.

"Sorry... but this really has nothing to do with me. It's Tony, it must be him. His mental state is abnormal, he doesn't see a doctor himself but wants to stuff doctors on me."

Ian's expression was quite complex. If he still couldn't see that something was wrong with this reopened world, he would be too unworthy of his super brain.

"What are you talking about?"

Steve was stunned and didn't understand Ian's meaning. He looked at Ian's clothing, then suddenly pulled out a small card from his ultra-short pants.

"You look like a rich kid. Tonight at eight, YouTube live stream, I'll continue leading everyone in [American Butt Training Plan], remember to subscribe on time."

"To have a butt like mine, you must start training from childhood." Ian didn't dare take Captain America's card. This man still maintained his business-like smile.

"When you're as handsome as me, you actually don't need a butt anymore, but rather those butts outside need me." Ian picked up a nearby clothing rod while speaking.

He helped Steve adjust his somewhat exposed super shorts.

"Subscribe to my channel and you can become even more handsome." Steve still didn't give up trying to sell, but seeing the clothing store owner walking over from the inner room, he quickly resumed his pose.

"Remember to subscribe."

Steve made a final reminder in a mosquito-like voice, then his whole person returned to statue-like stillness, as if afraid of being docked pay for moving around.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

The clothing store owner approached Ian.

"Help me pray that none of this is real, thank you." Ian knocked over a row of clothes hangers as he turned, the mannequins' wigs rolling to the ground like colorful mushrooms.

You could see how much impact the little boy's heart had received.

"Sorry."

Ian pushed open the clothing store door and rushed out. It wasn't that he was fleeing in panic, but he suddenly realized a problem and returned to the area he had passed earlier.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

SUP Chapter 102: The Omnipotent Sentinel, That Snap! (Part Two)

Ian didn't know what obtaining correction data meant, he only knew his physical attributes seemed to have learned some super passive, directly gaining a significant numerical boost.

After slowly recovering from shock.

Only then did Ian discover the reason.

Mainly because the confused him heard system prompts.

[Host successfully recorded new data, [Iron Body] has been corrected to [Perfect Divine Body], please check.] This was the information the system displayed in Ian's ears.

Also the reason why Ian's attribute values greatly increased.

[Iron Body: Your body surface will gain significant strengthening, notably improving strength and constitution attributes.] The original [Savage Tyrant] exclusive skill changed at this moment.

[Perfect Divine Body: This skill will automatically gain growth improvement affected by level. Mortal flesh, how can it bear divine glory? This perfect body is your ultimate weapon to crush all beings!

Your physical quality achieves qualitative leap, able to effectively resist any form of physical attacks, and will also have significant resistance to magic, toxins, and mental attacks.

When you fully activate "Perfect Divine Body," your body will undergo complete transformation, entering a completely new appearance, reaching peak state with all values doubled.]

It had to be said, [Perfect Divine Body] evolved from [Iron Body] definitely improved by more than just a little. However, looking at this incredibly powerful skill effect, Ian didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

"My hard-accumulated negative effects!"

The hamster party's nightmare struck again. Ian watched his [Slow Poisoning] [Neural Damage]... these leveling buffs' icons slowly disappear, leaving only negative effects like [Evil Energy Corruption] and [Slow Corrosion] that came from higher-level sources and were therefore difficult to remove.

"How am I supposed to level now?"

Ian was naturally happy to gain powerful skills, but losing so many leveling methods was definitely a significant loss for him.

Just as Ian was lamenting that in the future, if he wanted to level quickly, he might only be able to inflict greater intensity on his body, his eyes suddenly felt itchy, directly interrupting his lament.

The system hadn't even issued a prompt yet.

Ian already roughly realized what was happening.

[Name: Ian Kent]

[Ordinary Professions: Student lv8 (56/1280) [Writer LV2 (1/20)]]

[Extraordinary Professions: Berserker LV4 (75/80) Savage Tyrant lv3 (9/40)]

[World Recognition: Independent NPC]

[Talent Skills: Reverse Blood Furnace, Perfect Divinity]

[Professional Skills: Healing Frenzy, Perfect Divine Body, Eternal Day Pupil.]

...

No changes in profession information.

However.

The [Savage Tyrant] skills changed again. [Solar Eyes] became [Eternal Day Pupil], obviously related to the correction data the system mentioned.

[Host successfully recorded new data, [Solar Eyes] has been corrected to [Eternal Day Pupil], please check.] The system's prompt was a tiny bit late but arrived eventually.

"Hiss, there are ants crawling inside." Ian covered his eyes. He didn't want to learn from the Uchiha clan to make the world feel pain, but his eyes were indeed undergoing extremely intense changes.

[Eternal Day Pupil: Mental attributes will jointly affect this skill's effects with Constitution attributes. When your eyes become suns, all things will submit to this eternal burning light and heat!

Your eyes have fused with the law power of "Solar Core," pupils transformed into two miniature stars, freely controlling cosmic-level forces like light, heat, and plasma.]

No detailed description, but just this brief description shocked Ian. His eyes seemed to be transformed into two small stellar reactors?

This wasn't about whether he could take civil service exams anymore!

Am I a radiation source now?

"And my beautiful blue eyes are gone too! Damn! Is it too late for me to reset and redistribute skill points now!" Ian somewhat hurriedly turned to look at the glass nearby.

His itchy eyes reflected eye-catching luster on the glass.

He panicked.

Ian was truly panicked.

"Quick, turn into a super high-definition mirror!" Ian directly pulled out his magical book from his pants. Its name had now become [Ian's Beloved Magic Book He Can't Bear to Eat]. Perhaps sensing Ian's urgency, the magic book's cover text twisted again.

[Ian's Magic Mirror User Manual]

It still had the stubbornness of being a book, but among those cover combination elements, a small round mirror had indeed twisted out. The high-definition mirror surface let Ian see the capillaries on his face clearly. At this moment, Ian's eyes seemed filled with golden radiance, his pupils completely transformed into molten gold color.

Starlight-like fragments seemed scattered within.

"Eh~ still pretty handsome?" Ian, who had been unsteady before, immediately calmed down. Nuclear reactor or not didn't matter, as long as it didn't affect his prosperous beauty, then there was no problem.

This was his last capital.

His good deskmate Madison had taught him this broad path before.

"Even so, the system should apologize to me. It never asked if I was willing to upgrade skills." Ian seriously criticized his system accessory in his heart.

But this didn't affect him simultaneously looking forward to opening the [Savage Tyrant] skill tree. The profession name hadn't changed, just this profession's skill tree had been completely overturned.

First, two dividing lines appeared on the skill tree, dividing skills into three tiers. Each tier's background was different. The first tier had red-eyed black shadows laughing maniacally.

It was called [Savage Tyrant].

The second tier had expressionless black shadows slaughtering.

It was called [Merciless Conqueror]

Required level 45 to advance, and after advancement, the description said it would gain massive attribute increases. As for the third tier accessible only at level 90, it had a black shadow with its back to all beings.

It stood at the very top of the entire skill tree named [Void God].

It belonged to this profession's peak advancement, the description said it would gain incredible authority.

"How incredible can it be?" Ian blinked.

"Am I really playing a game in the real world?"

He couldn't help but sigh.

His gaze looked toward the first tier, skills belonging to [Savage Tyrant]. Even with the same name, all the original skills had been completely replaced.

[Fear Realm: Actively release mental pressure, making enemies within range fall into panic. Effects are reduced on targets with extremely strong will. Enemies who completely lose fighting spirit will lose their lives.]

[Combat Instinct: Battle-hardened killing techniques, can instantly analyze enemy weaknesses and adopt the most effective killing methods. Your body might react faster than your brain.]

[Absolute Levitation: You will gain a biological force field layer for flight. Above the sky, you are the tyrant ruling everything. Looking down on all beings is your birthright privilege.]

...

Bad news.

[Super Flight] skill was gone.

Good news.

[Absolute Levitation] seemed to come with a tiny bit of biological force field.

"Only for flight, this is definitely a biological force field shipped from Pinduoduo..." Ian thought he should be happy, but his current hard-to-calm emotions were slightly complex.

Just as Ian stared at the two hero corpses and began performing nine rounds of thanks as promised.

"Buddy, you've been standing here alone for twenty minutes. I saw in the surveillance that you occasionally laugh, and that final smile even reminded me of Stephen Hawking."

Gwen's voice rang from the doorway, her tone puzzled.

"You don't understand. Things went against expectations, but in a good direction, so I should respond with a bitter smile." Ian sighed, stuffing his magic book back above his crotch.

"Bitter smile..."

Gwen still found Ian's explanations hard to understand. Besides seeing that expression on Hawking's face, she had never heard of such a thing as bitter smiling in her life.

"Hmm, alongside that are also wicked smiles and faint smiles." Ian stepped forward, pulling out a bag of still-warm soy milk from his long coat pocket and handed it over.

Still a natural food.

The packaging made enticing "rustle" sounds.

How could Gwen resist?

"Gulp gulp gulp~"

Gwen accepted the feeding, but she was also puzzled by Ian's courting behavior, "Do you have something to ask of me? Otherwise why do you keep giving me food?"

The warm soy milk slid down her throat.

Gwen felt a strange taste, hmm, not the evil kind of strange, but like multiple beans mixed together strange, with a hint of senna leaf flavor.

Though this body's taste buds weren't as good as before, they were still somewhat different from ordinary people. In that instant, Gwen had the impulse to stop eating but the fragrance of natural food made her hesitant.

"I just want to satisfy my curiosity."

Ian spoke honestly.

As he spoke, he pulled out some sweet potatoes.

This time, Gwen didn't dare accept.

She already sensed something unusual.

"What curiosity?"

Gwen kept a mouthful of soy milk in her mouth, not daring to swallow.

"You wear leather pants that only Black Widow would wear every day. I want to see if you bulge when you fart." Ian remained honest, not even letting his gaze linger on Gwen's butt for more than three seconds, very gentlemanly.

"Pfft~"

Gwen directly spat out the soy milk.

Ian dodged in time.

"Looks like it does bulge. Bad review, you're using artificial leather. I checked, good genuine leather doesn't bulge." He promptly observed the scientific phenomenon he wanted to observe.

"No! Can't you care about really important matters?" Gwen's expression was spectacular, throwing away the soy milk in her hand, looking around as if searching for something.

"What are you looking for?"

Ian was still curious.

"Needle and thread."

Gwen really hoped to find tools so she could sew Ian's mouth shut.

"Rumble~"

The base suddenly began violent shaking.

Ian could maintain his balance but unlucky Gwen sat down hard on the ground. Due to her current bulging state, the inferior leather pants finally gave way with a long releasing sound.

They tore, right at the butt-sitting position.

"..."

Gwen couldn't believe what was happening to her, not daring to get up while sitting on the ground, only staring ahead, her gaze completely locked on Ian.

"This has nothing to do with me anymore, I'll buy you genuine leather pants tomorrow, okay? Master Ian has money." Ian warily stepped back half a step, protecting his belt.

He seemed afraid Gwen would try to snatch his pants.

At this time, the shaking continued.

Dust from the peeling ceiling fell with rustling sounds, like sudden gray drizzle.

"Is it time?"

Gwen had no thought of seeking compensation. She looked up at the ceiling, the dome slowly opening, that crack directly above her head.

This made her even more afraid to stand up.

Self-destruction for a new body was already too late.

"What time?"

Ian's inquiry received no response.

"Tony said you would snap that finger for us."

Gwen's gaze tightly fixed on Ian, her voice carrying a tremor, seemingly feeling extremely confused about what was coming, her eyes holding emotions Ian had never seen before.

"I told him I might not be able to transmit my will to the Infinity Stones." Ian remembered his situation, he could interact with this world, but this world could hardly interact with him.

"No, you can."

The suddenly appearing voice came from Digital Tony.

"Teacher Tony, where are you?"

Ian turned to look.

The alloy walls peeled away like eggshells.

Answering him was the suddenly pouring daylight.

When the blinding sunlight poured in, Ian found the entire base had appeared on the ground. Those researchers, soldiers, and engineers who had been working on Galactus's body were all surrounding the outside.

Galactus's corpse stood in the distance behind them. These people densely filled the streets, so numerous that they seemed endless at a glance.

Sunlight filtered through dilapidated buildings onto the ground, forming mottled shadows. Everyone looked at him with gazes Ian had never felt before, the same expression as in Gwen's eyes earlier.

Hope?

Expectation?

Ian couldn't tell clearly.

"You don't need to transmit your will. The goal to be achieved, I've already recorded it in this gauntlet... So, you just need to snap it."

Digital Tony stood at the very front of everyone.

Floating in mid-air, he had even put on silver armor for himself.

Though only a data shell but this was perhaps his way of showing solemnity.

A metal disc rose from the ruins, supporting the Infinity Gauntlet embedded with various colored stones. All stones were embedded, each flowing with mysterious radiance.

"Then let's try?"

Ian walked to the front of the Infinity Gauntlet.

He had after all touched the corpses Tony provided. A person should keep their word.

"But don't have too much hope in me."

Ian's voice was calmer than expected, reaching out to grip the gauntlet suspended on the disc. The moment metal met palm, he felt an incredibly unfamiliar surge of power.

He could actually interact with it!

The Infinity Stones' power made Ian feel warm all over!

"Now I'm Thanos."

Ian marveled in amazement.

"No, you are our savior." Digital Tony's voice rarely filled with warmth. Sunlight pierced through clouds, currently laying a golden path right at Ian's feet.

"Omnipotent power is in your hands. Only you can create heaven and earth for us. Moreover, you can achieve your heart's desire through this. You will become a source of emerging power." Digital Tony seemed to be frantically providing emotional value. He had even calculated Ian's purpose for entering the Marvel universe this time.

"I can become a magic source through this?"

Ian was somewhat moved.

"Greater than that." Digital Tony responded softly.

"Your words sound like temptation." He looked around, taking in everyone, Betty and Gwen, and that researcher Dr. Helen Zhao who wouldn't give him snacks.

These people's gazes, Ian was very familiar with them, because he had seen them before. When some bad things happened and Superman arrived in time, the victims looked at Superman with exactly these gazes and expressions.

When Superman descended from the sky, his cape billowing in the smoke and dust, those trapped, injured, and desperate people looked up at that red and blue figure.

Their eyes burned with that same almost devout hope.

Like parched earth thirsting for rain, like searching for starlight in the night. That trembling, burning, hope-filled gaze, Ian had never thought he would step into this blazing focus of attention.

"I've never really trusted others' flattery, but today I will be your hero." Ian's fingers unconsciously caressed the metal surface of the Infinity Gauntlet.

The stones' faint light flowed between his fingers.

"I choose to trust my own judgment. You are not shadows coveting other worlds, but a respectable group yearning for redemption and fighting for it until the world's final moment."

"When such a resilient group asks me for help, I'm willing to give it one chance. Perhaps this is my old man's influence on me, I can't let him be too disappointed."

Ian was rarely serious, his tone very calm.

As he spoke, he raised the hand wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.

"Please."

Digital Tony also bowed slightly at this moment.

Tens of thousands of people stood among the ruins, holding their breath.

"This time, I am a merit saint."

Feeling everyone's gazes upon him, including Gwen who still didn't dare to stand up, Ian felt emotions welling up inside, complex emotions he had never experienced before.

"All eyes on me."

"Not bad either."

He rubbed his hand lightly.

"Remember to build me a golden toilet... forget it, you probably won't remember anyway. Mature little boys know to steal gold from the Stark house to make toilets themselves."

Ian reverted to his original personality.

With those words, he decisively pressed his thumb down.

Thus, the sound of shattering glass immediately rang out, that crisp sound particularly obvious in this dead silence.

"Trust me, you are the last hero. The Creator will be with you at this moment." Digital Tony's sincere prayer echoed in Ian's ears at this world's end.

He saw everything disappearing. The crowds on the street turned into scattered points of light, their expressions not even having time to change, still frozen in that moment of hope and trust.

All things withered like sand in the wind, breaking into firefly-like light points in the backlight. The world was like a pencil drawing directly erased with an eraser, buildings, Galactus, even sunlight crumbled into powder and drifted away.

Then, the world returned to silence.

Death-like quiet enveloped the blank void and darkness, lasting roughly three heartbeats. Until the first car horn pierced the silence, colors suddenly exploded wildly from all directions.

Neon tubes "buzzed" to life with rose-red light, corner coffee machines steamed milky white vapor, yellow and blue taxis splashed rainbow-like water as they braked sharply. Pedestrians appeared from thin air like magic cards, housewives with shopping baskets brushed past skateboarding teenagers, the sound of overturned popcorn buckets mixed with street musicians' guitar strings.

Electronic sounds from shop windows, children's laughter while chasing, sounds flooded the empty streets like a tide. The frozen world seemed to truly gain reconstruction and rebirth with a single snap.

"Creator, are you there? Give a sign if you are."

Ian stood in the middle of the crosswalk, a ginkgo leaf falling on his shoulder.

"Beep beep beep~"

A horn sounded.

"Damn, Great Fortune Celestial."

Ian, who had been looking up at the sky with somewhat melancholy feelings.

In an instant, he snapped completely awake.

[NEXT CHAPTER]