"Is that it, just opening the access permissions? Didn't they say there are a bunch of treasures in these ruins and secret realms, and all the loot is for the individual?"
"Haha, no wonder that Lu guy said there's a chance to enter even without the identity of the Eleventh Bureau. This isn't giving out treasures; it looks more like recruiting cannon fodder."
"Whether there are treasures inside or not is still uncertain. There might only be monsters."
Shiyu sensed that something was off.
To obtain the access permissions, one must pass the field combat training organized by the association. From this, it seems they require a certain level of combat ability from those entering.
What would happen if one lacks combat ability... Do I even need to say? Most likely, they would die in the ruins.
"A bit of a trap."
When Shiyu was trying to find more information about this secret realm, a "gurgle" sound suddenly came from the side.
"Um, ow—"
Shiyu-11, disheveled and unsteady, came over and asked when the meal would be ready.
At this moment, the Qingmian worm lay limp in the birdcage, completely devoid of any worm silk!
"There's a sumptuous feast today, don't worry, I'll go prepare it right away."
Shiyu checked the time and was surprised—it was already so late.
Usually, time seemed to drag on during meditation, but now, after just a short while on his phone, it was almost dark.
If the phone could evolve into a mechanical life form, it might awaken the ability to control time... like that silly girl.
Not only was Shiyu-11 hungry, but Shiyu himself also felt a bit hungry after realizing it. He quickly went to prepare the food.
A moment later.
Shiyu-11's iron bamboo, bamboo shoots, bamboo leaves, and ironheart wood.
Shiyu's cabbage stir-fried with pancakes and tomato egg soup.
Qingmian worm's vegetable leaves.
The three of them started eating their respective meals.
While eating, Shiyu asked Shiyu-11, "Are you interested in the field combat training?"
After returning from the battle arena last time, Shiyu had the idea of participating in the field combat training.
Currently, the only thing that could put pressure on Shiyu-11 was this.
Although this training is called field combat, the safety throughout the process is relatively guaranteed, as it is organized by the Beast Tamer Association for local apprentice beast tamers.
If Shiyu were to enter the secret realm now, to be honest, he was still a bit scared, after all, he didn't know what was inside.
But if it's this field combat training, it seems fine to participate.
First, to continue training his and Shiyu-11's combat abilities, and second, to see if there's any connection between this training and the secret realm.
"Ow!!!"
Shiyu-11 raised both arms, charging! charging! charging!
Its eyes were bright, indicating that it definitely wanted to participate.
If the effort of training isn't to showcase the results, it would be meaningless.
That Ice Armor Beast and those Earth Rats couldn't make it showcase all its training results.
The only one that gave it some pressure was the Wind Demon Lion, but Shiyu-11 also had a sense of its own limitations, knowing it definitely couldn't beat the opponent.
The Wind Demon Lion is a Commander-level creature, and the pressure it exerts is quite strong for a growing juvenile like Shiyu-11.
The pressure exerted by a King-level creature can even directly kill lower-level creatures.
When a pet beast reaches the King level, it can autonomously awaken the ability to intimidate.
This is why the intimidation skill Shiyu copied is praised as having the "qualities of a king" after mastering it.
Mastering the special ability of a King-level creature in advance, i.e., the "qualities of a king."
"Then let's participate together."
Shiyu nodded and then looked at the Qingmian worm in the birdcage, saying, "You too."
"Ji??"
The Qingmian worm looked bewildered and innocent.
"According to what I know, um, what I found on my phone, the evaluation criteria for the field combat training basically depends on what creatures you defeat or what rare resources you collect."
"Of course, the fighting part is up to Shiyu-11, but for collecting things, your worm silk can make the job much easier." Shiyu smiled.
For those plants growing on cliffs, he was too lazy to pick them himself, so it was best to leave it to the Qingmian worm. Or for resources guarded by creature groups, stealing would be more efficient than fighting.
"Ji!" The Qingmian worm buried its head and started eating what it considered its "last meal."
...
The next day.
Lu Qingyi came again.
She brought the identification card representing Shiyu's status as a prospective member of the Eleventh Bureau.
At the same time, she handed over the bank card with 10 million in savings that Shiyu had been longing for. The recommendation letter from Bamboo Rock Martial Hall was nothing compared to the first two.
"Using this ID, you can directly explore most of the ruins, such as the Pingcheng Ruins, which you can enter directly with this ID."
"There's also the Ice Dragon Ruins in the snow mountain... However, I suggest you go to the snow mountain only after you have professional strength, otherwise, even with cold-weather gear, your body won't withstand the temperature."
"Will there be bodyguards?" Shiyu asked.
"For the Ice Dragon Ruins in the snow mountain, you can apply for bodyguards, but for the one you triggered, it's not possible. I mentioned before that this ruin is special, so unfortunately, no." Lu Qingyi smiled.
Shiyu's eyelids twitched, and he said, "So, what's the situation inside this ruin? You might as well tell me directly."
"The stone statue brother is waiting for the truth to be revealed, but if it's too dangerous, it can only be next time."
"Fine, I'll tell you in advance."
"The predecessor of the secret realm space is the beast tamer's beast space, you know that, right?"
Shiyu nodded.
"First, this ruin space is very unstable. According to experiments, only apprentice beast tamers can enter normally. If the beast tamer's level is too high, their beast space will produce a spatial repulsion reaction with the ruin space."
"Of course, we can force development, but that would easily cause a spatial collapse, which would be counterproductive, as the most valuable thing is the ruin itself."
"I guessed as much. Otherwise, the Pingcheng Association wouldn't prepare to open access permissions for a large number of apprentice beast tamers for such an important ruin." Shiyu said.
"Second, this ruin is a challenge-type ruin, which was likely modified by a beast tamer to train the new generation of beast tamers in their tribe."
"Beast tamers entering will be randomly placed in an independent environment, where they cannot meet each other. There are many elemental creature avatars in the environment, and only by defeating all of them can one enter the next environment."
"It's a bit like a level challenge. Actually, some beast tamers from the Pingcheng Beast Tamer Corps have already entered to explore, but their performance... " Lu Qingyi shook her head.
The apprentice beast tamers in Pingcheng are still too weak. Even though there are no Extraordinary-level creatures in the ruins for now, no one can pass all the levels.
If it were apprentice beast tamers from larger cities, they would definitely explore the secrets of the ruins faster.
However, since this ruin appeared in the Pingcheng area, the exploration priority is for Pingcheng, followed by other districts and counties in Icefield City, and finally, if it remains unsolved, multiple cities will collaborate.
"Is it dangerous inside?" Shiyu asked the most important question.
"According to those who came out, the elemental creatures only aim to defeat their opponents, not to eliminate them. However, if the challenger is too weak, it can still be dangerous."
"Wait a moment, I'll give you a website and an invitation code. You can use your 10 million starting funds to purchase cultivation resources here at a discounted price."
"Reasonably use this ruin and the 10 million, then go to Bamboo Rock Martial Hall to study for a while. I believe you will soon become a professional beast tamer."
"In short, don't focus on the Ice Dragon Ruins for now; instead, make this ruin your primary investigation target."
Shiyu said, "It still sounds a bit dangerous... My Iron Eater Beast is only level 5, and it can't even beat the combat-savvy beast tamers in the corps. I would just be wasting my time."
"If you want to investigate the historical truth of Icefield City, you don't necessarily need to pass all the levels. There should be some clues in each independent environment, and your Listening Talent will be very useful then." Lu Qingyi said, "This ruin appeared because of you, of course... but you should still have the basic ability to protect yourself."
"Learn two new skills with your Iron Eater Beast at Bamboo Rock Martial Hall, and that should be enough. Just having Hardening is too much of a stretch."
"Alright." Shiyu nodded.
Let's continue developing for a while.
He doesn't plan to use the Eleventh Bureau member identity to enter directly, as there's no real benefit, only more unnecessary attention.
Indeed... it's better to first participate in the training assessment organized by the Beast Tamer Association. Entering through this channel is more reassuring.
The standard for passing this assessment should represent the ability to survive safely in the ruins.
If he can't even meet the satisfactory standard for this assessment, he shouldn't go to the ruins; his life is more important.
Shiyu slowly made his plans, but soon he realized something was off. Damn it, didn't he agree never to touch ruins in this life? What's with this sense of anticipation and excitement...