166: First arrival in Beijing

How would you evaluate the capital city?

Luo Chen only took a few quick glances before Zhuang Sheng led him back to what appeared to be a suburban area.

However, those few glimpses still left Luo Chen with a general impression.

Skyscrapers stretched as far as the eye could see, interspersed with buildings Luo Chen couldn't identify, and some statues that looked like Star Beasts.

Luo Chen’s current location was in the eastern part of the city, a mountain range that stretched for over ten miles.

From the outside, the mountains seemed to extend for over ten miles, but after passing through an invisible membrane, Luo Chen discovered that the interior was a world of its own.

Looking down from high in the sky, the endless mountain ranges stretched as far as the eye could see, with azure lakes embedded within them like bright pearls.

Zhuang Sheng and Luo Chen arrived on a flat mountaintop via Illusion Butterfly’s spatial teleportation.

The mountaintop was so flat that Luo Chen suspected it had been leveled.

This mountain featured various ancient-style buildings, and in front of the rustic mountain gate stood a tall, young man.

When he saw Zhuang Sheng appear with Luo Chen, he quickly walked a few steps to greet them.

“Teacher, is this the new Junior Brother?”

Zhuang Sheng nodded, and before he could introduce them, the young man eagerly began to speak.

“Junior Brother, I’m also Teacher’s disciple, ranked third. My name is Li Wenhao. Above us, there’s a Second Senior Sister. You’re ranked fourth.

Our old Teacher is quite busy, so if you need anything in the future, you can just find me.”

Zhuang Sheng shook his head helplessly, “You talk too much. Chen’er, as he said, if you need anything here, just find him.

If he can’t solve it, just send me a message on the terminal.”

As Zhuang Sheng spoke, Li Wenhao nodded incessantly, appearing very enthusiastic.

“Never mind, you young people have more to talk about. Wenhao, properly introduce this place to Chen’er and arrange a courtyard for him.”

After saying this, Zhuang Sheng started walking deeper into the building and soon disappeared from sight.

“Junior Brother, Teacher told me several days ago that I would have a new Junior Brother. I’ve finally been looking forward to your arrival.”

Luo Chen smiled awkwardly, “I’ve kept Senior Brother waiting.”

Li Wenhao waved his hand dismissively, “That’s not important. The main thing is that I finally have someone to keep me company. You know, guarding such a large mountain forest alone is incredibly boring.”

“You’re alone?” Luo Chen looked around. In such a large mountain range, there was no one else? That would indeed be quite lonely.

Li Wenhao nodded, stating matter-of-factly, “That’s right. Teacher is very busy, and Second Senior Sister is constantly fighting in secret realms. So, I’m the only one left here.”

Luo Chen keenly noticed that Li Wenhao only mentioned Second Senior Sister and didn’t mention any Senior Brother or Senior Sister. Was it intentional oversight?

Or did he simply dislike Teacher’s first disciple, so he chose not to mention them?

Luo Chen couldn't grasp the relationships, so he simply suppressed his doubts for the time being.

“Come with me, I’ll first show you around the buildings and facilities here.”

Li Wenhao led Luo Chen through the mountain gate supported by wooden vines. The front was a plaza of several thousand square meters, with many glowing portals of different colors shimmering on it.

They were neatly arranged like an army on the plaza.

“The first two rows of these secret realms are King Rank secret realms, mainly providing some basic resources, while the three middle rows are Wild Rank secret realms, which are the main source for cultivating Star Beast materials.

The last row contains secret realms where Star Beasts have been confirmed to exist, and, well, there might even be higher Ranks.

I see that Junior Brother is currently at King Rank Nine Stars. If it’s not necessary, it’s best not to go to those later secret realms for now.

If you need any special resources, you can ask me for help.”

After bypassing this plaza, there were four different mountain gates side by side.

The first one on the left was composed of emerald green vines, adorned with various colorful flowers, looking vibrant and full of life.

Li Wenhao also came to this door first, pulling Luo Chen inside.

“Behind this door is a space specifically used for planting various plants. If you need anything in the future, you can come here to find it.”

After stepping through the wooden door, the scene before them changed completely.

Nearby were flat open fields, where different species of plants were neatly and systematically planted.

To accommodate the growth requirements of various plants, Luo Chen even saw snow-capped mountains, lava fields, deserts, Swamps, and other diverse terrains in the distance.

These vastly different terrains were perfectly intertwined and coexisted here. Luo Chen could only say that this was truly a grand undertaking.

“Earth Spirit.” While Luo Chen was observing the environment, Li Wenhao suddenly called out a name.

“I am here.”

A deep, resonant voice echoed in their ears. Luo Chen looked down at his feet; the answering voice came from beneath the ground.

A mound of soil rose in front of their feet, then the soil continuously shaped itself into the form of a simple, honest man.

“Third Young Master, what do you wish to command?”

“This is my Teacher’s new disciple. In the future, when he comes here to look for materials, do not neglect him.”

The simple, honest man with soil-like skin struggled to pull a smile at the corners of his mouth.

It looked a bit strange, and it was also difficult for him to make such subtle expressions on his constantly crumbling, sandy face.

“Greetings, Fourth Young Master.”

Luo Chen, who was not entirely clear on the situation, could only respond with a smile.

“This is the guardian of this space, and also the head steward. If you need any materials in the future, just tell it, and it will help you find them.”

After understanding its identity, Luo Chen sincerely said to the mud man, “I’ll be troubling you in the future.”

“This is what I should do.”

Luo Chen’s Eye of Truth received no feedback, causing a hint of doubt to flash in his eyes.

Could it be that he had guessed wrong, and the mud man in front of him was not a Star Beast?

“Time is short, let’s go see other places.” Saying this, Li Wenhao eagerly pulled Luo Chen back out through the wooden door.

Caught off guard, Luo Chen couldn't help but look at the ground beneath his feet.

【race: Dust Soil Stone Base

Rank: Wild Rank Seven Stars

Type: Elemental Type · Earth Type

State: Curious

Skills: 1. Earth Spirit Body (Earth Tier): The Dust Soil Stone Base's true form is an Earth Spirit, capable of merging itself into a landpulse, thereby gaining absolute control over the land in a certain area.

2. Earth Qi (Earth Tier): The region where the Dust Soil Stone Base resides will continuously enhance the Earth Qi within the soil, making it more suitable for plant growth and improving the quality of plants.

3. Giant Stone Statue (Earth Tier): The Dust Soil Stone Base controls earth elements to form stone statues (forming different numbers and sizes of stone statues based on the amount of energy) for combat.

4. Ever-Changing Terrain (Profound Tier): The Dust Soil Stone Base controls terrain changes at will (mountains, trenches, Ground Fissure, tremors, etc.).

5. Virtue Carries All Things (Earth Tier): The Dust Soil Stone Base can accommodate almost all elemental energy, thereby creating different terrains.

6. Shifting Shadow (Earth Tier): On the land it controls, the Dust Soil Stone Base can quickly move a target from one location to another.

7. Stone Statue Imprisonment (Profound Tier): The Dust Soil Stone Base controls mud to adhere to the target's skin, then continuously thickens and solidifies, forming a stone statue that imprisons the target.

8. Earth Nutrient (Profound Tier): The Dust Soil Stone Base possesses terrifying conversion abilities, capable of transforming most waste and useless items into various needed nutrients.

Evolution Path: Not yet unlocked.】

Luo Chen merely noted down the information he saw and didn't have time to observe its Skill information in detail.

At this moment, Li Wenhao had already pulled him and started introducing the second black-gold door cast from fine iron.

“This, then, is where we usually cultivate Star Beasts and conduct Star Beast training.”

Upon entering, they first arrived on an alloy platform.

The surroundings were somewhat dim, but in no time, rain began to fall from the sky.

Luo Chen could only use his mental power to erect a mental barrier around himself, preventing the rain from falling on him.

Luo Chen looked at Li Wenhao beside him and found that he had taken the same measures.

“The weather here is like this. One moment it’s a sunny day at forty or fifty degrees, the next it’s a freezing winter with snow flying at sub-zero temperatures.

Teacher said it’s to help us adapt to different combat environments.”

Li Wenhao pointed to the left, “This place is divided into two parts. This side is for Star Beast training and battles.”

Then he pointed to the right, “This side is for Star Beast evolution and cultivation.”

Luo Chen looked to his right and noticed a significant difference: the right half was completely sunny and calm, like a peaceful era.

The middle seemed to be separated by a line, with two distinct weather patterns.

Perhaps this was related to the need for a relatively stable environment for Star Beast evolution and cultivation.

“However, cultivating Star Beasts outside is the same. As long as there aren’t any particularly big disturbances, this place is just for show.”

Alright, Luo Chen retracted his internal evaluation. It seemed this place wasn’t used very much.

“Come on, next one.”

Li Wenhao pulled Luo Chen towards the other two doors, walking into the stone-textured portal.

Compared to the first two, the inside of this portal seemed somewhat ordinary, just a few relatively modern small villas.

The villas were far apart, separated by many exotic flowers and plants, making the environment very beautiful and cozy.

“This is where we usually live. The one furthest inside belongs to our Senior Brother; you generally shouldn’t go there.

The one with the messy colors and peculiar shape is our Second Senior Sister’s, but she rarely comes back now.

The one with the metallic, mechanical style is mine; you can come find me to play later.

The remaining six or seven villas are uninhabited. You can pick any one to live in, but I suggest you put your own identifying mark on it after you move in.”

Luo Chen was a bit puzzled, “Is there a reason for that?”