Chapter 375 - 345: Pet Beast Exchange
Stepping through the Light Gate, the scene abruptly changed.
It was as if he had been transported from a bustling metropolis to a primeval jungle in an instant.
In fact, that was exactly what had happened.
He and his advisor, Teacher Wu, now stood on the slope of a small mountain.
A platform, about a hundred meters wide, was situated on the mountainside.
Atop the platform stood a Light Gate.
This was the very passage for entering and exiting the Secret Realm.
It was the same one they had just emerged from.
From the edge of the platform, one could overlook almost the entire Secret Realm.
The Secret Realm stretched out from the foot of the mountain, a vast, lush jungle. Dotted throughout the jungle were small villas.
"Do you see that river extending from our mountain? It almost divides the forest below into two sections," Teacher Wu began to explain. "The area on the left belongs to the C-Level Cultivation Bases, and the area on the right is for B-Level. There are also some Cultivation Bases up here on this mountain—those are A-Level."
"The Cultivation Bases available to you are in Zone C," Teacher Wu said, pointing to the largest area at the foot of the mountain.
"Now, let me take you there."
As he spoke, Teacher Wu started walking, and Li Qian followed close behind.
After a few steps, Li Qian suddenly heard the loud rush of water. He asked, "I think I hear water, and it sounds powerful. Is that a waterfall?"
A look of clear interest appeared on his face as he spoke.
He couldn’t help it; the evolution method he knew for a Koi Carp to become a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon required a waterfall.
"Yes."
Teacher Wu nodded. "On the south side of the mountain, to our left from where we’re standing, there’s a waterfall with a drop of three hundred meters. It’s a well-known scenic spot within the Secret Realm."
"But since the Secret Realm is sparsely populated—mostly with Breeders, their assistants, and some AI helpers—very few people actually go there to admire the view on a typical day."
Li Qian murmured in agreement but didn’t say anything further.
’I’ll go check it out myself later when I have a moment,’ he thought.
Both Li Qian and Teacher Wu were Beast Masters. Having experienced evolutionary feedback several times, their physical conditioning was excellent, so they walked at a brisk pace.
Before long, they arrived in Zone C.
"Right now, there are seven vacant Cultivation Bases in Zone C. I’ll take you to see them one by one," Teacher Wu explained as they entered the zone and sat in a small roadside pavilion.
They chatted while they waited, and after a moment, a self-driving shuttle pulled up at a leisurely pace.
"This is the Secret Realm’s autonomous shuttle. It can take you anywhere you want. You can summon it anytime through VR glasses or your phone’s local network."
Teacher Wu continued his explanation as he boarded the shuttle. It had five rows of seats and could hold ten people.
The shuttle was open on both sides and had a transparent roof, allowing passengers to enjoy the passing scenery.
"Teacher Wu, I have a question. Are the Cultivation Bases here free to use?" Li Qian asked, unable to resist, as he watched the white villas flash past.
"Using a Cultivation Base requires Points, but the cost isn’t high. It’s only 50 Points for a whole year," Teacher Wu said.
Li Qian nodded. He had already learned about these Points; they were essentially the universal currency within the school.
Eating, renting books, and purchasing all kinds of Extraordinary Resources from the School Pet Beast Center all required Points.
More importantly, purchasing Extraordinary Resources with Campus Points was much more cost-effective than using Federation Coins or Federal Contribution Points on the outside.
Furthermore, Campus Points were accepted at all universities.
As long as he had Points, he could even exchange them for rare materials at Zhonghai Beast Taming University or Kyoto Beast Taming University if they weren’t available at Shazhou Beast Taming University.
Naturally, since using Points was so advantageous, some students were bound to get ideas about reselling items to make a profit.
This sort of thing was inevitable, but thankfully, it wasn’t a widespread problem.
The university’s regulations on this were extremely strict. If a student was caught, and the offense was serious enough, they could be expelled directly.
Teacher Wu explained all of this to Li Qian along the way.
Li Qian listened and nodded periodically, thinking the university’s management in this regard was quite reasonable.
Teacher Wu continued, "While 50 Points isn’t a lot, the fee can be waived if the Cultivation Base enables the Pet Beast exchange mode."
"Pet Beast exchange?" Li Qian echoed, confused. He shot Teacher Wu a questioning look.
Teacher Wu smiled and said, "The Pet Beast exchange mode is when the fruits of a Cultivation Base’s labor—usually Pet Beasts, but it could also be potions or other items—are made available for students to acquire."
"It’s a win-win situation. Talented students can obtain Pet Beasts with high Racial Potential, and the Breeder earns a good amount of Points."
A glint of interest flashed in Li Qian’s eyes upon hearing this.
’As far as I know, there are only a few ways to earn Points,’ he mused.
Getting high scores on exams, advancing one’s power level, and completing missions from the School Pet Beast Center were the three most common methods.
’Now, with this method, I can earn Points without even leaving my base. Why wouldn’t I take advantage of that?’
As he listened to Teacher Wu, Li Qian had already made up his mind.
’Once I’ve chosen a Cultivation Base, I’ll breed some Pet Beasts. Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragons, Frostfire Salamanders, Extreme Fierce Storm Eagles, Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagles, Tidal Sea Spirits, Rock Giants... any Pet Beast I can evolve, I’ll make available for others to acquire.’
Except for the Four-tailed Cat.
’That thing is too weak right now. Even if I evolved one, it wouldn’t be worth much.’
By the time their conversation wound down, the shuttle had arrived in front of a small villa. Teacher Wu pointed at it and began his introduction. "This Cultivation Base is called the ’Nagano Cultivation Base,’ and it was..."
Teacher Wu rattled off a long-winded history of the base and its previous Breeder.
Li Qian only half-listened, not paying much mind to the details. His attention was focused on observing his surroundings.
After sizing up the place, inside and out, Li Qian gave a mental nod of approval.
’It’s not a perfect fit for what I need, but it’s satisfactory enough,’ he thought.
The Cultivation Base, though small, had everything it needed. All the basic necessities were there.
Besides, Li Qian wasn’t a potion-focused Breeder, so his requirements for lab equipment weren’t particularly high.
Satisfied as he was, Li Qian didn’t agree to it immediately.
’There are still other vacant bases to see. There’s no rush. I’ll check out the rest, compare them, and then make my final decision.’