Chapter 197: Chapter 173 Void Hunter

(PS: I made a small change to the last chapter; the Golden Finger can now see the egg’s Attribute.)

He picked up the bamboo leaf that had fallen on his shoulder.

Chen Xing found the bamboo leaf heavier than he had imagined.

The weight was about equivalent to a leaf cast from pure silver.

A chilling and icy sensation transmitted from the leaf to his fingertips.

His fingers stung from the cold.

Complex patterns remained on the surface of the leaf, resembling symbols of ice and snow.

Staring at the leaf, Chen Xing was stunned for several seconds before he ran back to Dong Fang’s tomb.

To call it a tomb was actually a stretch; there was only a stele erected.

In front of the stele, it was desolate, with nothing but dust and the bottle of wine he had just placed down.

It didn’t seem like something suddenly came back from the dead and ran out from within.

Wait a minute…

Chen Xing sorted through his thoughts.

The only contact he had with Dong Fang was through the Illusion Realm.

And this bamboo leaf greatly resembled the one on the Snow Bamboo Swordsman.

Having been in contact for so long in the Illusion Realm, he believed he wouldn’t mistake such a conspicuous thing.

Moreover, this bamboo leaf didn’t look like anything ordinary.

If it did not come about as a prank from some hidden powerhouse, then there was a high probability that the two were genuinely connected.

But that was the Illusion Realm, and this was reality.

Could it be that the Illusion Realm and reality had some kind of connection,

that the Tower of Dreams could actually enable candidates to travel through time and return to the past?

Chen Xing found his own idea a bit absurd.

Nonsense… If that were possible, Great Xia would have stopped struggling to survive and taken over the Exotic Region long ago.

Rather than believing he had gone back to the past, Chen Xing felt it was more believable to think that Dong Fang had never died and had been alive until now.

If he had survived so long without accidents, he probably would have already become an Advanced Beast Tamer by now.

But… there was still an unexplainable point: he and Dong Fang did not know each other in reality.

Could it be that in the assessment Illusion Realm, those who are still alive from the battles also enter with their “consciousness”?

Are high school graduates taking exams while these powerhouses are playing real-life role-playing games?

…

Boarding the high-speed train that sped across the vast land, he finally arrived at Longbei City.

Viewed from high above, this massive city resembled a tremendous “lantern,” encapsulating the passage between the two worlds of the Exotic Region.

Therefore, many people also jokingly refer to the city as “Lantern City” online.

Longbei City is not only Great Xia Kingdom’s bridgehead to the Exotic Region but also a witness to history.

In the course of history’s battles, the Exotic Region was always accessed through this point, and Great Xia also used it as a base to launch counterattacks and penetrate the Exotic Region.

Two worlds of civilization collided here, and with the ongoing development of the Exotic Region over the years, the city has gradually transformed into a popular tourist and hub city, even though it lies deep in the inland. Its unique geographic position has allowed it to become one of the top economic powerhouses in the country.

Even the Provincial Capital of a State, Jincheng, pales in comparison.

What’s even more special is that Longbei City is the unique “Twin-Realm” city within Great Xia.

It spans two realms, divided into South City and North City, with South City within Great Xia and North City located in the Exotic Region.

Even at ten o’clock at night, the streets are brightly lit and bustling, with restaurants, bars, and food streets visible everywhere along the roadside.

Normally, one would need to undergo identity verification and obtain a pass certificate for the first trip to the Exotic Region.

But as Chen Xing had his Jiuzhou University student ID, he was exempted from registration.

The staff member took Chen Xing’s student ID, checked it, and then said with a smile, “Welcome to the Exotic Region.”

The light on the machine beside him lit up.

Chen Xing passed through the corridor.

At the end of the corridor, a vast chasm that looked like an abyss suddenly came into view.

The colossal rift, hundreds of meters high and nearly a kilometer wide, seemed as if a deity had torn a large piece out of this world’s canvas.

On the other side of the rift, it was also a brightly lit night.

But the style of the buildings was completely different.

Looking through the Exotic Region portal, one could see that the buildings on the other side were generally “huge”.

Passing through the Exotic Region portal gave Chen Xing the same feeling as passing through a Secret Realm portal.

It was as if just a wall apart merged together two different international cities with distinct styles.

The architectural style of North City in Longbei City was full of diversity, and the most noticeable feature was the presence of beasts and monsters everywhere.

Almost everyone walking on the streets had a Beast Taming by their side.

This was completely different from within Great Xia.

Within Great Xia, Beast Tamings were the equivalent of “private cars”; even the cheaper ones weren’t too expensive.

One could afford it by stretching the budget a bit.

But after buying a car, the daily maintenance costs weren’t low. If a family wasn’t well-off, it would reduce the quality of life, so not every family had a Beast Taming.

However, in the Exotic Region, Beast Tamings almost became a necessity.

Looking around, almost everyone had a Beast Taming by their side, and some large-sized Beast Tamings that couldn’t be summoned arbitrarily in public places within Great Xia were not rare here in public settings.

The houses on both sides were mainly made of stone, with huge stone pillars resembling the palaces of the Roman era.

A carriage parked not far away stopped in front of Chen Xing.

“Get on.”

The mentor lifted the curtain, revealing half a face behind it.

Chen Xing boarded the carriage, and with the sound of horse hooves clatter, the carriage left from where it was.

“Did you come specially to pick me up, mentor?”

Chen Xing was somewhat surprised.

No wonder the mentor specifically asked what time he would arrive at Longbei City’s high-speed rail.

Han Yuning said lightly, “It’s on the way.”

Laughter from the friendly coachman came from the driver’s seat.

“The bag behind you contains the egg you mentioned?” Han Yuning’s gaze fell on the huge backpack behind Chen Xing.

Chen Xing had specially bought an oversized backpack to fit the egg.

But fortunately, with the student ID from Jiuzhou University, relying on the student ID had saved him much trouble along the way.

In addition, this was the Era of Beast Taming; strange people were commonplace.

Chen Xing’s situation was relatively restrained, so although some passersby did take notice, he didn’t encounter any trouble on the way.

“Yes, mentor, have you ever heard of the Void Hunter?”

“Void Hunter…”

Han Yuning thought for a moment and indicated she had not heard of that name.

“You can check it in the school library later, and if you can’t find it there, then it’s likely that no useful information can be found on this side of Great Xia.”

“By the way, the Dong Jun and the Twin-fiend Dogs you had sent over have all arrived, and I’ve placed them all in the new breeding farm I prepared for you.”

“That fast?”

Chen Xing was somewhat astonished.

“Of course, fast. They were shipped by air, with a direct flight, and there was a VIP express channel through the border controls,” said Han Yuning, “You also got delayed for quite a while at Martyrs’ Mausoleum.”

When the Martyrs’ Mausoleum was mentioned, Chen Xing couldn’t help but recount the strange encounter he faced that day.

“Mentor, I feel that this bamboo leaf isn’t ordinary.”

Chen Xing took out the bamboo leaf from his pocket.

Han Yuning took the bamboo leaf, her eyes focusing on the special pattern on the leaf.

After examining it carefully, she returned it to Chen Xing, “This is a good thing; remember to keep it.”

Chen Xing asked, “Then, what’s its use?”

Han Yuning teased, “The simplest use is as a token. This bamboo leaf carries a strong personal scent, meaning it can be used as a token in a certain sense. Generally speaking, it wouldn’t just be given to someone randomly.

The mark on this leaf cannot be simply imprinted; it has already involved Rules/Laws which average people cannot duplicate.

Besides, the material of the bamboo leaf itself is also good. You could use it as Treasure Material for Beast Taming Evolution, but that would be a bit of a waste, since such design involving Rules/Laws isn’t something that ordinary Beast Tamings can produce.

It seems you’ve met a powerful ally in the Illusion Realm.”