Looking at the Thunder Python in front of him, Chen Yue could barely suppress his laughter.
Yet Song Xuan misinterpreted his expression as fear and sneered smugly,
"Hmph! Let me show you just how powerful my Thunder Python is today!"
"Activate: Thunderball!"
With a thought, he issued the command to the Thunder Python. In the next moment, the beast opened its jaws wide, slowly forming a violet-blue thunder-attribute energy ball in front of its mouth.
Watching Song Xuan, Chen Yue felt more convinced than ever—this guy was ridiculously weak, nothing compared to someone like Yun Xianhe.
No, comparing Yun Xianhe to this trash was an insult to the former.
"Full of openings… tsk tsk. Bastet, finish it quickly!"
As soon as he spoke, Bastet dashed forward and in a blink was right in front of the Thunder Python.
The Thunder Python was momentarily stunned, surprised at how fast the white cat had moved. Even the Thunderball it was charging up paused slightly.
Bastet didn't give it a chance to recover. Before the Thunder Python could react, a glowing claw came down hard on its head.
Bastet was already in its growth stage—this strike instantly sent the Thunder Python flying, life or death unknown.
"This… how is this possible?!"
Song Xuan was stunned, frozen on the spot, too shocked to even check on his beast.
Fortunately, one of his lackeys shook him out of it. He rushed over to check on the Thunder Python.
"Good thing it just fainted. It's not dead. But it'll take a while to recover."
If a beast dies, the Beast Master suffers severe consequences—not only would their spiritual power take a hit, but they wouldn't even be able to contract another beast for a long time. Beast Masters and their beasts are bound by shared glory and downfall.
Thinking about this, Song Xuan broke into a cold sweat. Even his gaze toward Chen Yue was filled with fear now.
After recalling the Thunder Python into his bronze tome, Song Xuan turned to leave.
He was genuinely scared. Chen Yue was someone he could not afford to provoke, at least not for now.
But before he could flee, Zhang Liang stepped in front of him with a grin, blocking both Song Xuan and Li Si.
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"
He held out his hand and gestured for money.
"Oh crap! I nearly forgot!"
Song Xuan had hoped to sneak away and pretend the bet never happened. But facing Zhang Liang's Dark Hunter and Chen Yue's Bastet, both of which he couldn't defeat—especially with his useless sidekick Li Si trembling beside him—he had no choice.
Chen Yue shook his head and muttered,
"Rich second-gens who've never seen blood… worse than regular people."
Resigned, Song Xuan took out his phone and transferred the 500,000 Da Xia coins over to Chen Yue.
Once the transfer was confirmed, Zhang Liang moved aside and let them go. The pair fled without another word.
"I'll transfer you 250,000," Chen Yue said. He knew that without Zhang Liang's support today, Song Xuan would've definitely weaseled out of paying.
But Zhang Liang stopped him, blocking Chen Yue's phone.
"Keep it. You know my family's situation."
Then he waved Chen Yue off with a smirk,
"Besides, how are you going to keep up with your dad if you don't have that money? Tsk tsk… work hard, son!"
Without waiting for a reply, he walked away quickly.
Chen Yue could only shake his head with a wry smile. Aside from his annoying habit of calling himself "dad," Zhang Liang had no faults.
From his original body's memories, Chen Yue recalled a time when he was so broke he couldn't afford food because he had to save for notebooks. Zhang Liang had found an excuse and treated him to breakfast for an entire month.
This was a friendship they both deeply cherished—and perhaps because of those inherited memories, Chen Yue had come to treasure it just as much.
"I need to work even harder!"
Yunyun Emporium
"Holy Feathers? I used to have some, but they're hard to store. The holy essence dissipates over time, so you rarely see them on the market," Yun Xiaohai explained when Chen Yue asked about the evolution material.
Chen Yue had searched for it the day Bastet evolved but didn't purchase it due to limited funds. Now that Bastet's next evolution was close, securing the materials was a priority.
"Is there just not much demand for Holy Feathers?" Chen Yue asked.
Yun Xiaohai nodded.
"Yeah, only high-level Beast Masters usually need them—and even then, they want high-grade feathers. Low-grade ones barely sell. Unless… you're looking for high-grade?"
Chen Yue shook his head. Not because he didn't want them, but because he couldn't afford them yet. Plus, Bastet didn't need high-grade feathers—the low-grade ones were far more cost-effective.
"Would it be possible to know which secret realm produces them?"
After a moment of thought, Chen Yue asked a question that even Yun Xiaohai didn't expect.
"You want to hunt them yourself? But you're only at the Bronze level, and the college entrance exams are near. One slip, and you could ruin everything."
Yun Xiaohai didn't answer directly, instead advising Chen Yue to drop the idea.
It wasn't unheard of for Bronze-level Beast Masters to enter secret realms, but that was usually after the college entrance exams—or they were experienced adults. Not a high schooler like Chen Yue.
"Don't worry, Boss Yun. I'm just asking out of curiosity."
To get more info, Chen Yue had to lie.
Yun Xiaohai stopped pressing him and responded plainly.
"You probably know already—Holy Feathers come from the wings of the Holy Light Lion. These beasts dwell in the Sacred Light Secret Realm near Yunhai City. It's a low-tier secret realm."
He pulled out a map and circled an area.
Chen Yue studied it—it was located outside the city's west edge.
"The Holy Light Lions you'll find range from juvenile to mature stages. But since part of the realm is now under federal control, the outer regions only have juvenile ones. The feathers you're looking for should be obtainable there."
"My advice? Hire a team through a commission to bring them out for you. It's more expensive, but safe and fast."
Chen Yue memorized his words, snapped a photo of the map, and thanked Yun Xiaohai before preparing to leave.
"Sigh… one last thing. Keep this to yourself. Even if you plan to go, wait until after the college exams. This could affect your whole future. Know what's important."
Waving his hand, Yun Xiaohai ended the conversation.
Chen Yue, though determined, still took his advice seriously.
"I understand. Thanks, Boss Yun. I'm off to help your nephew train now."
He waved and walked toward the bus station.