The phone emitted a series of beeps, and Lu Fei found it rather odd. Had Ke Xin changed her number?
Just then, a knocking sound came from outside the door.
Lu Fei threw on a jacket and went out. He saw the drunkard standing at the door, holding a wine gourd. Lu Fei teased him,
“Handsome fellow, at your age, after drinking so much last night, you can still wake up this early?”
The drunkard chuckled, “It’s all for you, kid.”
“Enough nonsense, hurry up and come with me somewhere.”
Lu Fei was a bit curious, but he still put on his clothes and followed.
After walking for a while, they arrived at a familiar place, the territory of the Iron Turtle.
Looking at the crystal-clear cold spring water before him, Lu Fei couldn’t help but ask, “Handsome fellow, you’re not asking me to undergo special training with the Iron Turtle King again, are you?”
The drunkard smirked mysteriously and shook his head.
“I don’t have that much free time. I’ve learned all I need to. Why bother fighting them anymore?”
In the distance, the Iron Turtles collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Following that, the drunkard placed a package he was carrying on the ground. Inside it was a millstone of no great size.
Just as Lu Fei was wondering,
The drunkard spoke.
“Give me the Dongting Flower and the Clear Heart Grass.”
Lu Fei took out the two items from his spatial ring and handed them to the drunkard, reminding him, “Handsome fellow, you promised me a reward if I found these two things.”
The drunkard chuckled.
“Enough nonsense, you’ll get your reward.”
Afterward, the drunkard placed the Dongting Flower and the Clear Heart Grass into the millstone. At this moment, the Iron Turtle King slowly swam over from a distance, opened its mouth, and spat a mouthful of water into the millstone.
The amount of water was not much, only about a small cup, disproportionate to its size.
After a while, the drunkard smiled and poured the strange, viscous sauce from the millstone into an empty cup. The sauce was a peculiar dark green with hints of dark red and black. Its sticky appearance was sickening.
It was like some kind of ointment.
Lu Fei leaned closer to sniff it, and a foul odor assailed his nostrils. Holding his nose, he asked, “Handsome fellow, what is this stuff? It stinks! Are you making some kind of drug to harm someone or deal with your enemies?”
But the drunkard’s next words shattered Lu Fei’s composure.
“Drink it.”
The drunkard’s tone was neither light nor heavy, but Lu Fei was stunned.
“What???” Lu Fei confirmed again, “You’re telling me to drink this? How can this be drinkable? And I clearly saw the Iron Turtle King spit into it just now!”
The drunkard pouted, “Kid, you wouldn’t be able to buy this stuff with money even if it were on the market.” He looked at the Iron Turtle King, which had already swum away. “Did you think that was ordinary saliva? You truly don’t know what you have.”
“That small mouthful just now was the essence of this entire cold spring, all the spiritual energy was gathered within it. And you’re being picky.”
Lu Fei froze, his expression filled with disbelief.
The drunkard never spoke seriously, so who knew if he was trying to trick him?
Lu Fei took the bowl of utterly disgusting, unknown sauce, looked at it again, and finally struggled, “Can I not drink it?”
Unexpectedly, the drunkard readily agreed, but immediately added, “If you don’t drink it, then don’t blame me if your spiritual center explodes during the upcoming training.”
Lu Fei, who was about to put down the cup, raised it again.
Ultimately, under the drunkard’s threats and enticements, he drank the foul-smelling sauce. He immediately rushed to the spring and drank several mouthfuls of spring water, only then did the strange taste in his mouth begin to dissipate.
The drunkard chuckled beside him.
A moment later, Lu Fei stood up and walked to the drunkard’s side, his expression still grim.
“Handsome fellow, what did you make me drink?”
The drunkard chuckled.
“You don’t need to know what this is. Just know that it’s something that money can’t buy.”
With that, he left on his own.
“Rest well for another two days, then we’ll begin new training.”
Lu Fei followed him back, trotting along.
Late that night, Lu Fei felt exceptionally clear-headed. It was as if people were fighting in his brain, and he couldn’t sleep at all. Especially the place called the spiritual center, which Huangfu Chenyi had mentioned, was extraordinarily active.
Lu Fei pondered, thinking that this might be the effect of the sauce he drank, but for him, it didn’t seem to have any substantial effect.
Just like that, two more days passed.
The drunkard called Lu Fei to the courtyard. In the courtyard stood a machine that resembled a water dispenser. It was covered in rust, clearly indicating it hadn’t been used in a long time.
Lu Fei stepped forward to examine it, but couldn’t find anything unusual. He felt like he had seen this thing before.
“Handsome fellow, what is this?”
The drunkard circled the machine and connected various plugs and wires. He then gently patted it, and the rust immediately fell off.
The drunkard muttered to himself, “I wonder if it still works.”
“Never mind, let this kid try it first.”
Lu Fei listened to his self-talk, feeling utterly bewildered.
At this point, the drunkard looked at him and introduced, “Kid, this is a simulation combat machine. Take out your beast taming scroll and place it on here, and put your hand on it as well.”
Lu Fei’s heart gave a jolt.
“You want me to use this old equipment for simulated combat?” Lu Fei immediately understood what he meant by letting him try it first.
The drunkard chuckled.
“Don’t worry, I made you drink that stuff a few days ago. Even if you fail, your spiritual center won’t be harmed.”
Lu Fei’s heart pounded.
With a crestfallen face, he said, “Can I not try?”
He suddenly felt that the drunkard was an bottomless pit, a hole that could never be filled.
The drunkard said sternly, “No!”
“I went through a lot of trouble to get this thing, you definitely have to try it.”
He slung an arm around Lu Fei’s shoulder. “Don’t you want to become a strong person like me? Let me tell you, after the combat, you’ll know how to become strong.”
Lu Fei’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
“Stop the nonsense and hurry up.”
Under a barrage of threats, Lu Fei reluctantly placed the beast taming scroll on the machine and then placed his hand on it as well.
Suddenly, the entire machine lit up, and at the same time, Lu Fei’s body trembled violently.
He felt his consciousness gradually blur, and a very realistic scene emerged in his mind, as if he were there.
At this moment, he was standing on a vast combat arena, the immense field occupied only by him.
In the center of the arena was a giant screen.
Standing in this field, he appeared particularly small, and a sense of loneliness and fear welled up within him.
Lu Fei was shocked.
Just then, the giant screen lit up.
It displayed the figure of a robot.
A moment later, the robot emitted a sweet female voice.
“Respected Beast Master, welcome to the Dark Ranking.”