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When Shen Yun revealed that the unusual youngster’s name was “Yan Qi,” Qin Zhou had already guessed who he was. Yan Qi.

If it’s Yan Qi, it’s no wonder the spirit beasts are drawn to him. After all, just like Qin Zhou, Yan Qi is a member of the game development team.

Even if the affection points weren’t as high as 20, they were at least 10.

Within the entire game development team, Qin Zhou generally maintained good relationships with his subordinates. Yan Qi was a special case. He was the youngest. Combined with his quiet nature, Qin Zhou took particular care of him.

If we were to name the people most familiar with the game’s mechanics,  Yan Qi would certainly be among them.

If Yan Qi had become the “main character” and entered this game, it’s quite possible he would have arrived at the Red Cloud Sea ahead of schedule. After all, he had long since studied the script thoroughly and understood the plot’s development as clearly as could be.

“Senior, do you know that young man?” Shen Yun asked. “I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll recognize him when I see him.”

If the protagonist really was the Yan Qi he knew, things would be much easier to handle.

Qin Zhou, aware of his status, retreated to the outskirts of Spirit Beast Mountain. Even so, young spirit beasts still came to nuzzle him.

Fortunately, as the disciples who had gone to perform the Spirit-Awakenings returned from the mountain, the young spirit beasts, upon seeing them, grew timid again, ran off, and hid deep within the mountains.

Qin Zhou finally had a moment of peace.

The members of other sects didn’t know who Qin Zhou was, but seeing him standing beside Shen Yun—and noting that his demeanor didn’t suggest he was a junior—they bowed respectfully as well.

Most of the disciples had successfully awakened their spirits.

In their hands, in their arms, or on their shoulders, there were traces of spirit beasts to varying degrees.

Some were foxes or goats, while others—the more formidable ones—were powerful spirit beasts resembling leopards or wild elephants. Though their forms varied, their ranks were roughly the same.

As they were all novice beast tamers, the spirit beasts they had awakened were generally not particularly powerful.

“Look, what’s that?!” 

“A Thunder Lion Beast!”

“Is there actually someone in our generation of disciples capable of taming a Thunder Lion Beast?” 

“He’s a disciple of the Shanning Realm!”

The young man dressed in the Shanning Realm disciple robes walked slowly toward the crowd. His expression was defiant, and at his side was his mentor—his master. What truly caught everyone’s eye, however, was the Thunder Lion Beast following behind them.

The Thunder Lion Beast is considered one of the strongest beast species a novice tamer can handle. It possesses formidable offensive power; one would be unwise to provoke a Thunder Lion without some real strength.

“Chengli, go show Master Shen your Thunder Lion,” the disciple’s master said. The young man nodded and led the Thunder Lion forward.

The surrounding disciples made way for him.

“Senior Shen, please take a look.”

Shen Yun nodded. “To have tamed a Thunder Lion, you possess great talent. I hope you stay true to your original aspirations and remain as brave and fearless as your Thunder Lion.” 

“Thank you, Senior Shen,” the young man said, glancing around at Shen Yun.

Shen Yun: ?

“Are you looking for something?”

The young man, named Chengli, replied, “I’m looking for my junior disciple. When we entered Spirit Beast Mountain earlier, it seemed he went with Senior Shen, so I’m curious—has my junior disciple successfully awakened his spirit, and what kind of spirit beast has he tamed?”

Even if Shen Yun wasn’t well-versed in these political intrigues, he could still pick up on something.

“I’m a disciple of the Shanning Realm. I didn’t have a mentor, and that person resented me for stealing the spotlight from his disciple.” Recalling what Yan Qi had said, Shen Yun thought to himself that the young man before him was likely the “that person’s disciple” Yan Qi had mentioned.

Seeing that Shen Yun was merely staring at him without speaking, the young man could no longer contain himself: “Senior Shen, you may not be aware of this, but my junior brother is naturally favored by spirit beasts. That’s why all of us disciples from the Shanning Realm are speculating about what kind of spirit beast he’ll tame during this Spirit Awakening Ceremony.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yun sensed something was amiss. The young man was deliberately saying this.

He wanted to put Yan Qi in a difficult position.

Sure enough, whispers began to spread among the crowd—

“Naturally favored by spirit beasts? Is there really a disciple in the Shanning Realm with such extraordinary talent?” 

“Who is it?”

“With that kind of talent, even on his first Spirit Awakening, he’d have to summon at least a Thunder Lion or Fire Tiger-level spirit beast.” 

“Where is he?”

As if to prove the point, Yan Qi actually appeared.

However, he didn’t come down from Spirit Beast Mountain; he came from somewhere else.

Holding a small wooden puppet in his arms, with not a single spirit beast in tow, he simply appeared before everyone. Everyone noticed him.

But no one connected him to the Shanning Realm disciple who was naturally favored by spirit beasts. That is, until Xu Chengli’s voice rang out—

“Junior Brother Yan Qi, you’re here! How did the Spirit Awakening go? What kind of spirit beast did you tame? Let your senior brother have a look.” Xu Chengli smiled faintly, the malice in his eyes undisguised.

Ever since Yan Qi had entered the Shanning Realm, he had stolen all the limelight from him.

This time, he was determined to see just what kind of spirit beast Yan Qi could tame.

Yan Qi, approaching while holding the small wooden puppet, glanced at him and lowered his gaze: “None.”

“You didn’t tame one?” Xu Chengli’s smugness deepened. “How is that possible? Junior Brother Yan Qi, aren’t you naturally beloved by spirit beasts?”

Yan Qi walked straight past him.

He paid no heed to Xu Chengli’s loud outbursts.

Xu Chengli’s expression darkened. “Stop right there! I’m your senior brother, after all—what kind of attitude is that?” Yan Qi clutched the little wooden puppet to his chest and walked even faster.

He didn’t want to get into an argument with anyone, and he knew he wasn’t a smooth talker, so he instinctively tried to walk away. The little wooden puppet tugged at his sleeve, halting Yan Qi in his tracks.

Yan Qi:?

Lu San poked his head out from Yan Qi’s arms, taking in the full extent of the anger and embarrassment on Xu Chengli’s face. Should he just let him get away with this?

Yan Qi gently patted the little wooden puppet and said earnestly, “The team leader said not to worry about it. He’s just jealous of me. If you take everything to heart, you’ll only make yourself miserable.”

His voice was soft, but Xu Chengli heard every word clearly.

“Yan Qi!!” he growled, grinding his teeth.

Xu Chengli darted forward, instantly appearing before Yan Qi, and grabbed his hand. “Who do you say is jealous of you!” 

“Jealous of what? Look closely—I’ve tamed the Thunder Lion!”

Yan Qi thought for a moment, then said, “…Congratulations.” Xu Chengli nearly choked on his breath.

He laughed through gritted teeth. His eyes darted to the small wooden puppet Yan Qi was clutching to his chest, and he flew into a rage. “You spend all day fiddling with these worthless puppets, and you dare say I’m jealous of you!”

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Yan Qi’s little puppet.

Yan Qi’s expression hardened. He shielded the little puppet first and struck out with a palm strike.

Caught off guard, Xu Chengli took the blow and stumbled back several steps. His eyes widened with fury. “You dare lay a hand on me! Today, I’ll purge the Shanning Realm of you!”

“Thunder Lion!”

The Thunder Lion behind Xu Chengli’s back instantly went wild with rage. Its massive, burly frame advanced step by step toward Yan Qi, its eyes filled with ferocity. Watching this scene, everyone inwardly knew this was bad.

That was a thunder lion.

An ordinary beastmaster wouldn’t stand a chance!

Why are they being so stubborn with each other?

“Where’s the leader? Isn’t the leader going to step in?”

Immediately, everyone turned their heads to look at Xu Chengli’s master. However, Xu Chengli’s master showed no intention of intervening. Instead, he smiled warmly and said, “It’s just children roughhousing. There’s no need for you all to worry. As a junior disciple, Yan Qi lacks respect for his elders and doesn’t understand the importance of harmony among brothers. He deserves a lesson.”

Upon hearing this, everyone understood.

The master and disciple had colluded to bully him.

Just then, someone noticed that the little wooden puppet in Yan Qi’s arms had suddenly jumped down from him.

The little puppet stood its ground, and the Thunder Lion actually seemed to freeze in its tracks, daring not to advance any further.

“Roar—” The Thunder Lion let out a low growl from where it stood, seemingly gauging the little puppet’s strength. But the little puppet remained motionless.

And so… a standoff ensued.

Xu Chengli glared at it with malice. “Just a worthless piece of wood!” He raised his hand, and spiritual energy surged toward the little puppet. Yan Qi rushed forward immediately, trying to grab the puppet back.

Seeing this, Shen Yun thought to himself, This is bad. Yan Qi cherishes his puppet dearly. And Xu Chengli is truly vicious—he’s ready to attack someone else’s treasured possession at the drop of a hat!

Just as he was gathering his spiritual energy to intervene, a clanging sound rang out. Xu Chengli’s spiritual energy had been intercepted mid-air.

It was Qin Zhou who had intervened.

He stepped out of the crowd. With all eyes on him, he simply said to Xu Chengli, “Enough is enough.”

His tone wasn’t exactly authoritative, but to Xu Chengli’s ears, that casual tone was laced with contempt. Just as he was about to move, his master grabbed him by the arm.

“Master…”

“Esteemed senior, even as a distinguished guest of the Red Cloud Sea, you have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Shanning Realm,” Xu Chengli’s master said. Qin Zhou raised an eyebrow. “If we’re talking about internal affairs, I’d have to break at least two of your disciples’ legs before this matter is settled.”

The crowd:?

“Yan Qi, Lu San, come here.”

Yan Qi froze for a second when he saw his face.

Lu San, who had been turned into a wooden puppet, also froze for a moment. Even as a puppet, the village chief still recognized him.

Yan Qi seemed to have found his anchor; his eyes lit up as he hugged the little puppet and whispered, “It’s the team leader—we’re saved.” Yan Qi scooped up the little puppet and scampered over to Qin Zhou.

The little puppet nodded in agreement. “Mm-hmm.”

Some were amazed that Yan Qi’s puppet could speak. Others were astonished by this sudden turn of events. And still others were furious.

“Master Shen, what does this mean? You demand my disciple’s legs without a second thought? Are all people from the Red Cloud Sea this arrogant?” Xu Chengli’s master’s face turned dark.

He didn’t know Qin Zhou’s identity, but having been spoken to like that, his pride was deeply wounded.

“It is your Shanning Realm that is arrogant,” Shen Yun stepped forward as well. “I’d like to write a letter to the Grandmaster of Shanning Realm and ask: for thousands of years, the Red Cloud Sea has opened its gates to disciples of all sects, facilitating their beast-taming and spirit-awakening practices. Yet a disciple of your Shanning Realm dares to come to the Red Cloud Sea and cause trouble. Do you really think I have a gentle temperament?”

Shen Yun said coldly.

“You…” Xu Chengli’s master’s face turned pale. He truly hadn’t expected Shen Yun to disregard the friendship between their two sects and confront him so fiercely. “Master, perhaps we should just let this go…” Xu Chengli also began to feel intimidated.

They couldn’t afford to offend Shen Yun.

Especially since Qin Zhou’s threat to take both his legs didn’t sound like a bluff.

“Let’s go!” Xu Chengli’s master swept his sleeve and turned to leave. The master and disciple were about to leave.

But Qin Zhou stopped them with a single remark: “You can leave, but your spirit beast stays behind.”

Xu Chengli was so furious he could barely contain his laughter. “My spirit beast naturally follows me. If you’ve got the guts, make him stay on his own!” 

“Fine.”

A golden beam of light descended, like a pair of scissors, snapping the contract between Xu Chengli and the Thunder Lion Beast in a single snip. Xu Chengli sensed that the contract had been forcibly torn apart by an outsider and was left speechless.

It actually worked…

Xu Chengli’s master’s expression also darkened. “Let’s go!” This time, they’d hit a brick wall.

“Take a message back: tell them Yan Qi is no longer a disciple of Shanning Realm.”

As Qin Zhou’s words fell, the master and disciple fled in disarray. Qin Zhou’s move was truly formidable, leaving Ling Shou Mountain in complete silence.

A member of another sect pulled Shen Yun aside and whispered, “Who is that?” 

Shen Yun cleared his throat. “He’s a senior.”

Knowing he’s a senior is enough, right? As for the rest… keep a low profile, keep a low profile.