55 - I’m Surrounded by My Own Pets!

As the director of the Orchid Pavilion continued to sigh deeply, an expression of silent grief washed over her face. The discord between her and her daughter had long been notorious, ever since the botched evolution of Chi Yan’s "Firefighting Arsenal: The Purple Calamity," a mistake inadvertently orchestrated by the director herself. The director's youthful extravagance had led to bodily repercussions, inadvertently triggering a special condition during Chi Yan’s evolution to the "Firefighting Arsenal: Remnant Wings." [High-level: Biological Type—Firefighting Arsenal: Has never been fed breast milk since birth.] However, the moment her mother shared her thoughts, Chi Yan’s expression shifted intriguingly. She was slated to lead her team as captain in a public exhibition match against the Clearstream Academy tonight? In the previous college league, the Orchid Pavilion ranked 40th while the Clearstream Academy held 37th place. Both teams were tightly matched rivals. But that was under Winter Lacquer's leadership... Now, without Winter Lacquer leading the main team, defeating Clearstream Academy was an impossible dream! After wrestling with her thoughts, Chi Yan abruptly questioned, “Old-timer, do you want to lose five high-level crystals and your dignity, or would you rather break even and gain some face?” “If you hand over all five high-level crystals to me, I promise to secure a win in this exhibition match for you!” “If I lose, I won't take a dime!” Under the director’s astounded gaze, Chi Yan earnestly made her proposition, resolved and self-assured. Her confidence wasn’t unwarranted; she recalled the words of that certain woman after defeating the Starlight Academy—the woman had assuredly proclaimed, "Please feel free to request my help for any future tasks." Much like her younger self, so long as there was monetary incentive, didn't that woman accomplish anything as well...? If Chi Yan could enlist Lian Xing’s assistance, losing to Clearstream was simply not an option! After a few moments of stunned silence, the director blinked incredulously at Chi Yan's bold assertion. “If your system has awakened, you should have told me earlier!” "......" "......" —— —— In the virtual battle space, after enjoying a good rest, Lian Xing logged back into the virtual combat world. Like a disheartened internet-addicted girl in reality, she sought solace in her existence within the digital realm. Who could have guessed that the "Super Golden Wheel," a storm in virtual battles, could hardly support her dependents in real life!? Yet, as Lian Xing opened her inbox, highlighted with numerous alerts, her sleepy eyes widened in disbelief. Moments later, she counted the incredulous number before her. 11,110,1100,11000,110000!!!! A hundred and eleven thousand victories! [You have amassed a total of 110,000 victories in ranked battles, which can be converted to 11 high-level crystals or 110 mid-level crystals.] [If the player wishes to publicize their personal image, reply “Permit publicization,” and the officials will connect you with advertising sponsors.] [Due to numerous complaints, your avatar has been forcibly transformed by the officials, and repeated violations may lead to account suspension.] "......" "......" "Redeemable for 11 high-level crystals all at once?" "Am I suddenly rich!?" Gazing at the backend notification, Lian Xing stood frozen, murmuring in disbelief. Initially, she had anticipated being quickly defeated as part of her level-grinding exercises, never expecting to sustain an unbroken streak of 110,000 victories. Earning 11 high-level crystals in one day was by far more lucrative than any personal sales she could make in a similar timeframe! Moreover, the earnings from endorsement deals wouldn’t be trivial either, surely...? Stars sparked fiercely within the eyes of the young girl. Yet, following a brief wave of elation, her expression gradually cooled. "The only reason I've managed to win 110,000 times consecutively is that hardly any beast tamers on the general level have challenged me..." "The Golden Wheel requires a certain activation time to exert its full power, and the Jade Hammer has no defensive capabilities. If targeted, I, as the beast master, could easily fall." "If any general-level elemental or long-range weapon types attack me directly, it would be perilous..." Not to speak of the inevitable scenario where someone sets up a general-level mechanical sniper rifle at the start and snipes her directly as soon as the countdown ends. Lian Xing couldn’t even conceive victory in such a case. Therefore, for the sake of her children’s formula, she needed to enhance the Golden Wheel’s level exceptionally... "Clatter—" After replying to the endorsement message permitting publicization, Lian Xing returned to the challenge mode panel, quickly scrolling down. Soon, she arrived at the recommended area for simulated instances. Lian Xing hadn’t attempted any instances yesterday due to the improbability of conquering general-level nests; high-level nests were only a time sink, offering negligible rewards and experience. However... Given her ability to defeat even the top ten players now, she might as well attempt the general-level instances... Especially since she had recently undergone new enhancements, strengthening her combat power. Even if she couldn’t clear them, gaining some experience would still be beneficial... [Top 5 Hot Simulated Instances] [1. General-level Nest—Plain of Stars, Best Time 7:24:57] [2. General-level Nest—Bloodthirsty Arena, Best Time 5:24:57] [3. General-level Nest—Dragon Emperor's Fortress, No Clear] [4. General-level Nest—Skybound Tree, No Clear] [Lian Xing disregarded the first two conquered instances, focusing instead on the latter two] The Dragon Emperor's Fortress and the Skybound Tree... Within the setting of the Beast Evolution Duel, these two instances' final bosses approached the pinnacle of the general level, posing a formidable challenge to players. Subsequent game updates even introduced a royal-level instance named "Destruction of the Dragon Empire," following the original boss's evolution to royalty. Comparatively, the Plain of Stars and the Bloodthirsty Arena were significantly easier challenges. However... The Plain of Stars was populated entirely by elemental beasts, with a final boss comprising a trio of general-level elementals! Without any defensive strategies, elemental types were what Lian Xing feared the most. Their AOE skills could bypass any pet beasts to directly strike at the beast master, so Lian Xing dismissed attempting the Plain of Stars for now. As for the Bloodthirsty Arena... It contained insect-type biological beasts. Rather than suffer defeat by having insects infiltrate every possible crevice, Lian Xing would choose to perish instantaneously. After contemplating, Lian Xing resolved to challenge the Dragon Emperor's Fortress. "Clatter—!!!!!" Following confirmation, a flash of white light briefly illuminated the area. The blonde girl's ethereal avatar instantly vanished from the training space. —— —— [Dragon Emperor's Fortress] [Story Background: Dominating this region for three centuries but unable to break through to royalty, the "Dragon Emperor" finally lost his sanity, deploying minions to capture beautiful women en masse, hoping to devour hybrids with exceptional talents to force a breakthrough.] [Your beloved has also been seized, and with only 12 hours until the consummation ritual, prevent a heart-wrenching loss by defeating the final boss of the Dragon Emperor's Fortress.] Shortly thereafter, Lian Xing’s vision gradually restored. As her eyes opened, an imposing, colossal skeletal dragon tail spanned across her view. Standing on a sinister and dim cliff, the lengthy dragon tail, which exceeded a thousand meters, connected earth to sky while carrying a massive castle on its back secured by enormous chains. Amidst the omnipresent dark clouds above, continuous flashes of lightning and deafening thunderstorms rendered this scene exceptionally eerie. “The Dragon Emperor's Fortress hasn't lost its ghostly style…” “Plus, fully immersive experiences are way more frightening than merely watching it on a screen!” Rubbing her bun-styled hair, the blonde girl cautiously advanced towards the forefront of the skeletal dragon tail. Even though Lian Xing had cleared the Dragon Emperor’s Fortress early in the Beast Evolution Duel, she vaguely remembered... The fortress's final boss boasted an immensely spectacular bust, nearly touching the ground. Leading Lian Xing to involuntarily exclaim during the confrontation: "Don’t touch my beloved, come at me instead!!” For years afterward, the live stream viewers ridiculed her, jabbering about something akin to a baby driving a truck!? “Clack!!” Moments later, immersed in recalling her past embarrassment, Lian Xing successfully stepped onto the massive dragon tail structure.