79: Chapter 79 The Nine-Tailed Fox's True Plot?

Su Qingxue's words...

...were like a massive boulder dropped into Jiang Yun's heart,

stirring up a thousand waves.

Allowing a beast to complete its evolution?

Such an Opportunity sounded like a fairy tale, enough to drive any Beast Tamer mad.

But Jiang Yun wasn't dazed by this sudden 'pie in the sky'; instead, he became even more vigilant.

He had no personal ties to Su Qingxue, and she was a member of the Spirit Demon Royal Family with heaven-defying strength. Why would she give him such a benefit?

He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and looked directly into Su Qingxue's eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything.

He asked in a low voice, "Why should I believe you? And why would you give me such a great benefit?"

He made no attempt to hide his suspicion.

There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, especially a 'gift' from a terrifying existence with an unclear stance; there was often a greater price hidden behind it.

Su Qingxue didn't seem surprised by Jiang Yun's questioning.

The corners of her lips curled up with an otherworldly laziness and nonchalance. "Whether you believe me or not is up to you. I am merely proposing a trade; the choice is in your hands. As for why I'm giving it to you..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the messy battlefield around them.

Her tone was flat, yet it carried a trace of subtle depth that was hard to detect.

"Perhaps I just think that making you a bit more interesting sounds quite nice. However, if you miss this chance, you might have to spend several times the time and effort to search for those elusive evolution Materials. Whether it's worth it, judge for yourself."

Jiang Yun's heart stirred.

Su Qingxue's words hit his weak spot.

The evolution of the Wind Thunder Cloud Sparrow and Little Fire was indeed one of his most urgent needs. If he could skip the tediousness and uncertainty of gathering Materials, it would undoubtedly save a lot of time.

Moreover, given her strength, if she really wanted to harm him, there was truly no need to go through such trouble to fabricate a lie.

But... was it really that simple?

"What are the conditions?"

Jiang Yun didn't agree immediately.

Instead, he pressed for the core issue.

He had to know the price.

Su Qingxue smiled softly.

It was as if she had long expected him to ask this question.

She extended a slender jade finger and said nonchalantly, "It's simple. Give me twenty of the beast cores you have on you. Just ensure I can enter the top ten of this competition and obtain a spot to go to the Provincial Academy."

"What?"

Jiang Yun was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard.

Twenty beast cores?

Ensure she enters the top ten?

This condition... was so simple it was hard to believe!

He had repeatedly robbed others, and the beast cores he had accumulated already exceeded a hundred. Giving away twenty wouldn't hurt, and it certainly wouldn't shake his foundation for securing first place.

Using twenty beast cores to exchange for a massive Opportunity that could potentially allow two beasts to evolve simultaneously?

This price was far too disproportionate!

"It's that simple?"

Jiang Yun's brow furrowed, and the doubt in his heart only increased. "Just for a spot in a Provincial Academy? With your strength, why would you need to do this?"

When things are abnormal, there must be a catch!

Su Qingxue covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes sparkling. "Believe it or not. I only have this one condition. If you must ask for a reason..."

She glanced towards where the Cult Protector had turned to ash, her tone turning slightly cold. "Perhaps it's because I also utterly detest the style of the Yuhai Cult. They're an eyesore. Besides, Demon Cores are no different from roadside pebbles to me; they're useless."

"Yuhai Cult? Demon Cores?"

Jiang Yun caught these two keywords, and his heart jolted.

Could this so-called Opportunity actually be related to this cult?

"It seems you still know nothing."

Su Qingxue seemed to have found an interest in talking, or rather, she was intentionally guiding him. "Aren't you curious why this Yuhai Cult appeared in this Misty Forest? What is their purpose in slaughtering students and snatching beasts?"

Jiang Yun shook his head.

He had only encountered an attack earlier and didn't know the deeper reason.

"They are here to collect enough strong Aptitude Origins from Vicious Beasts and tamed beasts for an Origin container called a Demon Core."

Su Qingxue's voice carried a hint of mockery.

"And this Demon Core, which has condensed who knows how many Aptitude Origins, is your evolution Opportunity this time."

As she spoke,

Su Qingxue watched Jiang Yun's pupils suddenly contract.

She continued to explain:

"As long as you can get your hands on the Demon Core and let your two beasts absorb the pure Origin energy contained within, the effect will be enough to rival, or even surpass, the Origin power provided by the Materials required for their normal evolution. The only drawback is that this Origin power has no specific attribute buff, but its advantage lies in its quantity and purity, which is enough to significantly boost their Rank while driving evolution."

Demon Core... Vicious Beast Origin... evolution Opportunity!

Jiang Yun's mind raced.

He recalled that the Cult Protector had also mentioned a Demon Core earlier.

It seemed this matter was indeed certain.

He suddenly looked at Su Qingxue.

He wondered why this Nine-Tailed Fox hadn't shown herself for so long.

Could it be she went to investigate the Yuhai Cult?

While Jiang Yun was confused and shocked,

Su Qingxue continued, "Now, give me twenty beast cores, and I will tell you the specific location of the Yuhai Cult's stronghold. As for whether you can take the Demon Core from that tiger's den, that depends on your own ability."

Jiang Yun fell into silence, his heart struggling violently.

The Opportunity was undoubtedly extremely tempting, but the risk was also immense.

A cult stronghold would surely be heavily guarded, and there might even be existences stronger than that Protector.

Was Su Qingxue truly pointing him toward a bright path, or was she trying to kill with a borrowed knife?

After thinking it over repeatedly, Jiang Yun grit his teeth.

Beast evolution and strength improvement were both extremely important.

Competition on the provincial stage would surely be even more intense; he needed more power.

Furthermore, he faintly felt...

...that although Su Qingxue was mysterious and unpredictable,

her actions seemed to have their own logic, and she might not necessarily be trying to harm him.

"Fine! I agree!"

Jiang Yun no longer hesitated. He counted out twenty Black Iron Ninth Tier beast cores from his storage ring and handed them over.

With a wave of Su Qingxue's delicate hand, the beast cores vanished.

She nodded in satisfaction and didn't delay further, saying directly, "In the Core Area, to the southwest, about ten miles deep, there is an altar. The Demon Core and the Yuhai Cult stronghold are right there."

After she finished speaking,

she gave Jiang Yun a meaningful look. Her figure gradually became ethereal, as if melting into the air, leaving only a faint sentence echoing in the forest.

"Good luck, Jiang Yun. I hope the next time we meet, you can bring me more... surprises."

Before her voice had even faded,

the person had already vanished without a trace, as if she had never appeared.

On the spot, only Jiang Yun remained, his brow furrowed, his heart surging with waves.

This trade seemed like he had gotten a huge bargain, but his intuition told him that Su Qingxue definitely had a scheme.

What was her true purpose?

Was it to use his hand to sabotage the cult's plans?

Or was this simply a trap aimed at him?

He found it difficult to judge her goal.

In the face of powerful strength,

he had no choice.

Only by becoming strong quickly...

...could he break free from this feeling of powerlessness being manipulated by the unknown.

The evolution chance the Demon Core could bring, however, was a very real temptation.

To go, or not to go?

Just as Jiang Yun was caught in a difficult decision,

a familiar and urgent female voice came from the distant woods:

"Jiang Yun!"

It was the City Defense Team captain!

Lin Wei!

Jiang Yun looked toward the sound and saw Lin Wei, dressed in her City Defense Team uniform, quickly running over with a group of people.

Beside her were several middle-aged men with steady and deep auras, as well as over ten fully armed City Defense Team members.

Their beasts followed closely behind, varied in form, but all without exception exuded a not-weak aura.

Jiang Yun's gaze swept over them.

The Manifestation of All Things Entries talent activated instantly.

The leading middle-aged man with a resolute face and sharp eyes was accompanied by a majestic Winged Tiger; its Realm had actually reached Gold Rank Three.

The beasts of the other two middle-aged men, who looked like lieutenants, were Silver Rank Seven and Silver Rank Eight respectively.

Combined with Lin Wei and the other members' Bronze beasts, this was a force of considerable strength.

Clearly, the abnormalities in the Misty Forest and the news brought out by the escaped students had drawn extreme attention from the outside world. This was an elite force sent in to purge the cult and rescue survivors.

"Jiang Yun! It's great that you're okay!"

Lin Wei was the first to run up.

She saw that although Jiang Yun's clothes were a bit messy,

he seemed to be mostly fine.

She clearly breathed a sigh of relief, a joyful expression appearing on her face. "The Mayor and Principal He were both very worried about you. With the cult invasion, the situation is critical, so we immediately organized a team to come in for rescue and purging!"