Chapter 41 The Spirit Pearl Exploded

The security personnel, who had been ready to intervene, abruptly halted in their tracks. He was the closest to the scene and could see the battlefield more clearly than anyone; Lin Xiao’s arm, bitten by the Gale Wolf, bore no wounds, only some torn fabric. Now he finally understood why Lin Xiao dared to meet the wolf’s jaws with his arm.

Meanwhile, the viewership of Lin Xiao’s live broadcast soared to astonishing heights. With so many streams, each attracted a different audience. The most watched channel remained Shen Yao’s, unsurprisingly, given her combination of beauty and strength; Ji Boxiao and other strong contenders also drew significant crowds. These individuals were constantly tracking spirit beasts and successfully slaying them, making viewers’ blood boil with excitement, craving their own moment of glory in the secret realm.

Lin Xiao’s channel originally had few viewers, but after the earlier commotion at the small convenience store, more chose to stay. They weren’t particularly interested in seeing Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi battle spirit beasts; they simply wanted to see what kind of antics Lin Xiao would pull next.

Indeed, Lin Xiao proved himself anything but a quiet character. No sooner had he left than he began roasting meat—something none of the other teams dared do so openly, not even lighting a fire. When spirit beasts failed to appear, viewers grew restless, until the Gale Wolf emerged. Many thought Lin Xiao and his companion would be eliminated then and there. Who could have guessed that at that moment, Lin Xiao would display astonishing prowess, slaying the Gale Wolf outright? It was far beyond anyone’s expectations.

[Alright, I admit I spoke too soon before—my apologies! Is he really this strong?]
[I thought for sure he’d be eliminated, but now I’m seeing such thrilling combat!]
[That’s a Gale Wolf, after all!]

The barrage of comments was now almost entirely in Lin Xiao’s favor, though unfortunately, he couldn’t see them. Otherwise, he might have been unable to resist basking in the praise.

Sun Zhiyuan stroked his beard. “That kid’s performance is impressive.” Sun Zhiyuan was genuinely pleased with Lin Xiao’s display. He had always been responsible for Lin Xiao’s training and knew his abilities best. Though Lin Xiao’s powers were somewhat lacking, his combat strength was on par with any student who entered the secret realm. Sun Zhiyuan was confident in this. After a week of feasting on high-grade spirit beast meat and rigorous training, if Lin Xiao couldn’t handle a Gale Wolf, he had no business staying at the retirement home.

If Lin Xiao were no match for the Gale Wolf, Sun Zhiyuan wouldn’t have let Murong Yu arrange an unbeatable spirit beast for him.

He hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to dispatch the Gale Wolf so quickly. Although Lin Xiao’s method seemed reckless, upon reflection, it revealed careful planning.

Murong Yu was also fairly satisfied with Lin Xiao’s performance and was already considering whether to throw more challenges his way. After all, Lin Xiao’s trial had begun the moment he entered the secret realm.

…

After Lin Xiao killed the Gale Wolf, Zhou Zhi rushed to his side. When Lin Xiao blocked the wolf’s mouth with his arm, Zhou Zhi had feared the worst. But everything happened so quickly; before he could react, Lin Xiao had already succeeded.

He immediately examined Lin Xiao’s arm. Seeing the protective gear, his anxiety finally eased.

“You scared me to death, Xiao! You’re so fierce—I never thought you’d be wearing arm guards. I thought you were about to be crippled!”

“What nonsense? I’m not that foolish.”

“Seriously, Xiao, how is your combat power so strong now? I awakened an A-class ability, but I feel like I’m no match for you at all!”

“That’s good for you to realize. I could take on ten like you!”

Zhou Zhi: (;′?????`)

Reluctant as he was to admit it, it did seem true.

“So, how did you become this strong?”

“Just through physical training. What else did you expect?” Lin Xiao replied.

Zhou Zhi was left speechless. Should he start working out more himself?

Lin Xiao knew Gale Wolves were pack animals; seeing one here meant others might be nearby. If a few more appeared, he might not be able to handle them. He dared not get cocky. To be safe, it was best to leave quickly.

Before departing, Lin Xiao made sure to deal with the Gale Wolf’s corpse. Wolf meat was unpalatable, so he wouldn’t keep it. But the pelt would fetch a good price; it was a pity the fangs had been shattered by his bindings, or they too could have been sold.

Of course, Lin Xiao didn’t forget to check for a spirit pearl inside the Gale Wolf. He hadn’t held out much hope, as the odds of finding one were extremely low, especially in low-grade beasts.

So when Lin Xiao saw a marble-sized pearl within the Gale Wolf’s body, he was stunned.

Damn! A spirit pearl!

It was Lin Xiao’s first time seeing one. As soon as he picked it up, he felt the surge of spirit energy contained within. This was a wind-element pearl, which he could use to restore spent energy at most. But that would be wasteful; selling it would bring a handsome profit.

Carefully sensing the pearl, he immediately discerned the contained spirit skill: Enhanced Wind Blade, which could increase the range and power of a level-one wind ability.

Zhou Zhi was also momentarily stunned at the sight of the pearl. When he learned what skill it held, he was dumbfounded.

“No way, what luck is this? That’s the top-tier skill among level-one wind abilities. Even though it’s only a first-level skill, this pearl’s value is several times the price of a normal skill—selling it could easily net a million.”

Lin Xiao was ecstatic—what an unexpected windfall!

“I’ll keep it, then. You don’t lack money anyway.”

Zhou Zhi rolled his eyes; Lin Xiao certainly didn’t stand on ceremony, not that it mattered. He really didn’t care about such a small sum.

“I didn’t do much, so it’s yours. But when we get out, I’ll check if anyone in my family needs it. If so, sell it to me—I’ll pay you market price!”

“Deal! But forget market price; we’re brothers—I’ll give you a 99.9% discount!”

Zhou Zhi: (?? ? ?)

Thanks a lot!

After tidying up, Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi departed, sticking to their strategy; it was not yet time to make their move.

Lin Xiao was unaware that the spirit pearl he obtained was the first to appear in the secret realm. A day and a half had passed since they entered, and at least several hundred spirit beasts had been slain. Only one pearl had appeared out of hundreds of kills, highlighting how rare they were.

As time ticked by, Murong Yu ultimately refrained from throwing more trouble Lin Xiao’s way. That day, apart from encountering another lone low-level spirit beast, Lin Xiao faced no further danger.

Everyone else’s points rose slowly, and the leading group had begun to pull away from the rest.

Night gradually fell. After the previous night’s beast counterattack, the remaining competitors were much more cautious.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi slipped into their sleeping bags early, enjoying a peaceful night’s rest in their earthen shelter.