14: So outrageous it's like a lie.

The off-road vehicle drove very smoothly.

It was also quite quiet inside the car, with only the faint breeze from the air conditioner.

Bai Ye sat in the back seat, wearing a Beast Tamer Association uniform that didn't fit very well, and secretly sized up the young girl in the driver's seat.

Fifteen years old—surely she isn't driving without a license, right?

From the moment he got in until now, she hadn't said a word, focusing intently on driving. Her profile appeared somewhat soft under the interplay of light and shadow from the streetlamps, yet it still exuded an unapproachable coldness.

The silver owl on her shoulder also kept its eyes closed quietly, like a statue.

"Um..."

Bai Ye felt he needed to find something to say; the atmosphere was too awkward.

"Don't you need to conduct a psychological evaluation on me?"

"In the car?"

Bai Ye choked slightly.

That didn't seem quite right.

"We'll talk about it back at the Association."

Qin Yue stared straight ahead at the road conditions without blinking.

"Oh."

Bai Ye obediently shut his mouth.

He leaned back against the seat and began to think about what to do next.

This trip to the Secret Realm had yielded huge gains.

Not only had his strength soared to the Extraordinary Level, but he had also obtained a pile of valuable loot.

Especially the Lich's corpse. For a Demonic Beast with Commander-level Aptitude, even a corpse was extremely precious to certain Beast Tamers or institutions specializing in Undead System research.

Demonic Beasts with the Undead attribute were inherently extremely mysterious.

Perhaps he could use this Commander-level corpse to further improve his Aptitude.

He had to find a way to safely turn these things into money.

And there was also the matter of raising Xiao Lan.

For a Ghost Orchid with Normal Aptitude to evolve, the resources required would be absolutely massive.

Relying solely on ash was too inefficient; he had to buy Advanced fertilizer.

All of this required money.

"We're here."

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Yue's voice sounded again.

Bai Ye snapped back to reality and found that the car had already stopped in front of a silver-white building with a strong sense of technology.

At the entrance of the building, the massive badge of the Beast Tamer Association shimmered with a metallic luster in the night.

"Get out."

Qin Yue unbuckled her seatbelt and got out first.

Bai Ye followed her out, looked up at the magnificent building, and couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

This was the Luoxue City branch of the Beast Tamer Association; Beast Tamers had to come here for Rank evaluations.

He hadn't expected his first visit to be in such a manner.

Qin Yue led him into the building. Along the way, they encountered many staff members who would respectfully stop and greet Qin Yue when they saw her.

Bai Ye followed behind Qin Yue.

Even a Genius shouldn't warrant this much respect from professional-level Beast Tamers.

It seemed this young lady's status in the Association was not as simple as she had made it out to be.

She led Bai Ye to a pure white room.

There was nothing in the room except for two sofas and a coffee table.

"Sit." Qin Yue pointed to the sofa opposite her.

Bai Ye sat down and felt the sofa was so soft it felt like he was sinking into it.

The evils of privilege!

If the timing wasn't wrong, he would have wanted to ask Qin Yue, "Does your Beast Tamer Association hire apprentice Beast Tamers?"

Qin Yue sat down across from him, and that silver owl flew up from her shoulder, landing silently on the coffee table.

A pair of golden eyes stared at Bai Ye without blinking.

"We can start now."

Qin Yue took out a tablet and tapped it a few times.

"Name, age, school."

"Bai Ye, seventeen, Luoxue City No. 2 High School."

"Initial beast pet."

"Ghost Orchid."

Qin Yue's fingers paused on the tablet, and she looked up at him.

"Aptitude, Normal?"

"Yes."

Qin Yue's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"How long did you stay in the Secret Realm?"

"About six days."

"Describe your experience in the Secret Realm in detail, from when you entered to when you left. The more detailed, the better."

Qin Yue's tone remained strictly professional.

Bai Ye fell silent.

A detailed description?

Tell her he had a cheat code that allowed him to get stronger by beating up his own beast pet?

Or say that he spent less than a day going from an ordinary person to an Extraordinary Level tough guy?

"What, you don't want to talk?"

Seeing him not speaking for a long time, Qin Yue's voice turned a bit colder.

"It's not that I don't want to talk," Bai Ye sighed and spread his hands.

"It's just that I don't know how to say it. The process was too bizarre; even if I told you, you might not believe it."

"I get stronger by sunbathing. When the sun was hottest in the Secret Realm, I was wrestling with the Undead bare-handed..."

After listening, Qin Yue rubbed her temples.

This... was indeed bizarre enough.

A Beast Tamer who doesn't tame beasts but goes to fight Demonic Beasts himself—it sounded like something someone could only say after drinking half a catty of white liquor.

"Also, I have intelligence on other Undead Demonic Beasts in the Secret Realm. They didn't feel very good to fight; their bones were too hard. It wasn't as good as fighting that last Lich..."

Qin Yue raised her hand, making a gesture to cover Bai Ye's mouth.

"Stop! Write these things in a report later. The Association will give you sufficient compensation based on your intelligence."

A faint, fresh fragrance flooded into Bai Ye's nasal cavity. After exhaling, he nodded slowly.

Qin Yue retracted her palm, which had become a bit warm from Bai Ye's breath, and lowered her head to swipe on the tablet a few times.

"Psychological evaluation, B+. Mental state is stable, has a strong sense of self-protection, and is withholding some key information."

She looked up at Bai Ye.

"The Association can purchase those trophies, and the price will be 10% higher than the market rate."

"That works."

Bai Ye breathed a sigh of relief; this was what he wanted.

As long as he could exchange the items for money, whether he wrote the report or not didn't matter.

"Um... I have one more request."

Bai Ye added.

"Speak."

"I need confidentiality. I don't want my name to appear alongside these items in any public transaction records."

He understood the principle that an innocent man is guilty of the crime of having a treasure.

It would be strange if an ordinary student suddenly producing so many good things didn't get targeted.

However, if they weren't at the Elite Rank, Bai Ye would let them know what a natural physique was!

Qin Yue gave him a deep look, seeming somewhat surprised.

As expected of the first to clear the Secret Realm; his Heart-Nature was much better than most students.

"That's fine. The Association has special channels to handle such matters."

She stood up and packed her things.

"The evaluation is over. You can go. Because of this incident, the school will give you all a week off; the aftereffects of the Secret Realm need to be observed."

"Thanks. Wait! You're saying other people entered the Secret Realm too?"

Bai Ye also stood up and asked, his face full of surprise.

This wasn't right. How did they survive unscathed?

"You entered a solo Secret Realm. In every respect, you really are gifted."

Seeing Bai Ye's face getting darker, the corners of Qin Yue's mouth curled up slightly before returning to calmness in an instant, as if it had just been an illusion.

"Tomorrow at nine in the morning, I will come to pick you up to go to the Association's internal market. Bring all your things."

After Qin Yue finished speaking, she paused and added another sentence.

"My contact information will be sent to your phone in a moment. In the future, if you have things to sell, you can contact me directly."

Is she trying to get on my good side?

This young girl could actually see the potential in him that was as deep as the ocean.

Bai Ye almost gasped and exclaimed, "Terrifying!"

When she walked to the door, she suddenly stopped and said without looking back.

"That Ghost Orchid of yours is very interesting."

After saying this, she left with the silver owl.

Bai Ye stood in place, an orchid leaf wrapped around his fingertip, emitting a faint fragrance.

Interesting?

It's more than just interesting.

In a while, you'll all know what 'Plants vs. Giant Beasts' means.