Beast Taming Starts with Ground Mushrooms

Chapter 68: Tongxiang Secret Technique, Carrying the Flag for Tiannan

In front of the City Lord's Mansion in Tiannan City.

This was the first time in Lin Yi's life that he had stepped into the gate of the City Lord's Mansion. Although he had passed by the gate before, he had never gone in, nor had he had any reason to go in.

But today is different. He came by invitation and can swagger towards the City Lord's Mansion. Even Tang Xinyi is stepping into this place full of authority for the first time.

After registering with the gatekeeper, the two walked toward the mansion with the plaque that read "People's City Government of Tiannan Province". Looking at the Qing Kingdom emblem hanging there, Lin Yi was filled with emotion.

The skyscraper behind the city lord's mansion, in particular, inspired awe. However, Lin Yi and Tang Xinyi's destination was not that building, but the Tiannan Auditorium located below it.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Lin Yilin?"

When Lin Yi and Tang Xinyi arrived at the city lord's mansion, a well-dressed woman was already waiting there. She looked to be in her early thirties, with regular features, and a badge of the Beast Taming Legion was pinned to her work uniform.

"Hmm." Lin Yi nodded instinctively, still wondering what the city lord and the principal of Tiannan Beast Taming University wanted to see him about.

However, Lin Yi's intuition told him that it should be a good thing. If it wasn't, perhaps the way he was invited would not be like this.

"Mr. Lin, please follow me. The city lord and Principal Li have been waiting for a long time." The woman gestured for them to follow, then led the way. The three of them stepped onto the stone steps and walked towards the city lord's mansion.

The moment Lin Yi stepped inside, he felt a sense of solemnity and reverence. The entire building was excessively quiet, yet it was filled with a righteous and awe-inspiring atmosphere.

Neither Lin Yi nor Tang Xinyi spoke, but silently followed behind the woman. The former was dignified and proper, and even the way she walked seemed different from ordinary people. Lin Yi knew that it was a habit formed through special training or instinct under the influence of the environment.

The three of them moved through the huge mansion. The decoration of the city lord's mansion could not be described as luxurious, but it was exceptionally grand. The style was simple and unadorned, yet it gave people a different feeling.

Fifteen minutes later, the woman led Lin Yi and Tang Xinyi to a side hall on the fifth floor and stopped.

"Mr. Lin, the city lord and Principal Li are inside." The woman maintained a smile throughout, and her gaze towards Lin Yi was somewhat different.

"Thank you." Lin Yi nodded, exchanged a glance with Tang Xinyi, and then pushed open the door and went inside.

Upon entering the side hall, the first thing that caught Lin Yi's eye were two figures that he recognized quite well. One of them was Li Zhenbei, the president of the fifth branch of the Beast Tamer Association of Tiannan Beast Taming University, and the other was Liu Bochuan, Lin Yi's master.

The two were clearly reserved, sitting upright in the side hall, and only relaxed slightly when they saw Lin Yi push the door open and enter.

As for Li Zhenbei and Liu Bochuan, sitting directly opposite them were two elderly men, both with full heads of silver hair. One of them was kind and benevolent, and was none other than Li Hong, the principal of Tiannan Beast Taming University.

Li Xiaolin and Lin Yi had the privilege of meeting him from afar, and as for the other old man, it was obvious that he was Bu Kongyun, the current city lord of Tiannan Province.

Even though Lin Yi had never met Li Hong, he could tell who the city lord and who Li Xiao were just by looking at the old man's different demeanor from the other three.

"Lin Yi, come here."

Li Zhenbei raised his hand, about to speak, but Liu Bochuan spoke first, and he couldn't help but give Lao Liu a deep look.

Lin Yi didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately stepped into the hall, glanced at the four people, and distinguished them in his mind.

"Lord of the City, Principal Li, Elder Li, Teacher."

Lin Yi took the initiative to greet the group, making it seem more like he was chatting with elders than meeting them for the first time.

At this moment, everyone's eyes in the entire side hall were focused on the young man. Bu Kongyun looked the boy up and down and couldn't help but nod to himself: "As expected, heroes emerge from among the young. He is neither humble nor arrogant, and has a handsome appearance. Old Li, Tiannan University has really struck gold this time."

Upon hearing this, Li Hong smiled slightly: "This kid has been hiding his true abilities quite well. Even I, the old principal, almost misjudged him."

As they talked, they both laughed, seemingly worried that Lin Yi was too reserved; their laughter was full of ease.

"Child, please sit down."

Bu Kongyun spoke first, and Lin Yi nodded in response. He walked between Liu Bochuan and Li Zhenbei and sat down directly. His demeanor was neither restrained nor presumptuous.

Seeing the boy's composed demeanor, the two top figures in Tiannan City couldn't help but secretly admire him. In this kind of situation, if it were an ordinary student, they would have been timid and hesitant, but Lin Yi behaved just right, neither humble nor arrogant, nor ostentatious.

Lin Yi sat down, and Li Hong was the first to look at him: "Lin Yi, do you know why we asked you to come here today?"

"Principal Li, could it be related to the 'Extraordinary Secret Realm'?" Lin Yi guessed. The fact that the entrance to the 'Extraordinary Secret Realm' appeared in the spiritual vein of the southern city of Tiannan was no secret. After thinking it over, he realized that the only reason the two big shots had come to him was this.

"It seems you've heard some rumors too. In that case, we won't beat around the bush. Child, the reason I brought you here is actually very simple: I want you to take the lead." Bu Kongyun's eyes were bright and piercing as he stared intently at the boy opposite him, as if trying to see right through him.

Lin Yi didn't back down. Instead, he met Bu Kongyun's gaze with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "To carry the flag for Tiannan City?"

What does that mean?

Lin Yi was truly bewildered. He understood the words "carry the flag," but what flag could a mere first-level fifth-grade beast tamer like himself carry for Tiannan City?

Even if a younger generation is truly needed to take the lead, it should be a genius girl like Chen Shiqi, given her undeniable talent.

As expected of the top leader of Tiannan Province and the lord of the city, Bu Kongyun immediately and concisely explained the cause and effect to Lin Yi.

After hearing what the other party said, even Lin Yi felt uneasy: "I'm leading this year's freshmen into the 'Transcendent Realm'?"

The implication is that the two intend to have Lin Yi lead the way into the "Extraordinary Secret Realm," guiding the top ten freshmen of Tiannan Beast Taming University deep into the "Secret Realm."

Bu Kongyun nodded: "Child, you heard me right. From now on, you will be the one to carry the banner of Tiannan City."

"Why me? Shouldn't the senior students be more suitable than us newbies?" Lin Yi was puzzled. Why were the more powerful beast tamers not being valued in the 'Transcendental Secret Realm', but instead being paid attention to the freshmen?

Li Hong immediately explained, "You don't know this, but in the 'Extraordinary Realm,' it's not that the stronger you are, the better. On the contrary, this newly opened realm is more beneficial to you freshmen."

"Principal Li, I don't understand what you mean." Lin Yi looked at Li Hong.

Bu Kongyun continued, "This time, the 'Extraordinary Realm' has developed self-awareness, which is what we usually call a 'living' realm. Based on past experience, there will be rules and order limiting the realm."

"To put it simply, the stronger the beast tamer, the less likely they are to reach the depths of the secret realm. If we are not mistaken, this secret realm is divided into three restrictions."

"These three restrictions divide the secret realm into three areas from the outside in. The first area restricts beast tamers below level 5 of the third rank to enter, which is why the condition for this city-wide trial is that they must be below level 5 of the third rank."

Because only beast tamers below this level have the possibility of entering the secret realm.

"The second restriction, which is the second area deeper into the secret realm, will be even stronger. We estimate that it will most likely only allow beast tamers below the third rank to enter. As for the last area, which is the core area of ​​the secret realm, it may only be accessible to beast tamers below the second rank."

"And this restriction has become an opportunity for you freshmen, because only you can truly delve into the core of the secret realm."

Only you newbies are beast tamers below the second rank. As for those senior students who haven't reached the second rank in almost two years, they are obviously not within the scope of the city lord's mansion's consideration.

These guys are hopeless; even if they get in, they're no match for these rising geniuses.

As the two continued to explain, Lin Yi gradually understood.

"Wait, Principal Li, do you and the City Lord mean that the Beast Tamers who entered the 'Transcendental Secret Realm' this time are not just from Tiannan City?" Lin Yi caught the most crucial information.

Bu Kongyun nodded: "That's why we want you to take the lead. The entrance to the 'Extraordinary Secret Realm' is not limited to Tiannan City. According to the information we have collected so far, at least ten provincial capitals in the surrounding area have also sensed the opening of the secret realm."

"But that's not the worst part. The worst part is that our archenemy has also formed an entrance. So when you go in, you'll not only be facing all the beast tamers in our country, but more importantly, 'them.' This is a real tough battle, and people will die."

After speaking, Bu Kongyun kept his eyes fixed on the changes in Lin Yi's expression. If the young man showed the slightest hesitation, the result would be a direct replacement.

Lin Yi frowned slightly, but his face clearly showed no fear. At this moment, he was more concerned about the so-called nemesis the other party mentioned.

"Lord of the city, which side's arch-enemy are you referring to?"

The myriad races within the Beast Cave? The fallen beast races of the mountains? The "Beast Taming Demon Court and Holy Court"? Or perhaps those fallen Beast Taming Demon Kingdoms?

These are the mortal enemies of the human race that Lin Yi knows of so far. Since they are arch-enemies, they must be one or even several of them.

"Beastmasters from the Fallen Beast Taming Demon Kingdom," Li Hong said.

Lin Yi frowned even more upon hearing this. It was more accurate to say that the beast tamers of the Fallen Beast Taming Demon Kingdom had contracted with the Fallen Beast Pets than that they had contracted with them. It was obvious who controlled whom.

Although these beast tamers are still human beast tamers, they have long since become puppets of the Fallen Beast Clan. The Fallen Beast Clan has endowed them with great power, and they obey their commands.

Or it could be said that those fallen beast tamers had long betrayed the human race. They never even considered themselves as part of the human race, but rather as naturally fallen spirits. Over time, these fallen beast tamers actually built up many of their own demon kingdoms, and thousands of years ago, they even turned around and suppressed countless fallen beast races.

Even so, these human rebels remained enemies of humanity because they followed the path of corrupt beast taming, creating a vast array of "evil arts," or demonic secret arts. These secret arts could devour human beast tamers and their beast pets, thereby seizing the beast tamer's talent and the extraordinary evolutionary power of the beast pets through "evil secret arts," and turning them into their own.

Over time, the people of the Fallen Beast Taming Demon Kingdom strayed further and further down this path, having long since deviated from the original intention of humankind in taming beasts.

"The Fallen Beast Taming Demon Kingdom?" Lin Yi muttered to himself, gradually realizing the unique nature of this "Extraordinary Secret Realm".

This is not only an incredible opportunity, but also a deadly trap that has arrived ahead of time. This is a rare occurrence, as it is uncommon for a "Transcendental Realm" to open so many entrances at the same time, drawing in the people of the Fallen Beast Taming Demon Kingdom.

Seeing Lin Yi deep in thought, Bu Kongyun and Li Hong exchanged a glance but did not react. After all, upon hearing this news, ten normal people would become serious.

"Child, if you want to give up, we will not force you. However, if you are willing to carry this banner for Tiannan City, the City Lord's Mansion will be your strongest support from this year onwards. Tiannan City will spare no effort to cultivate you, the flag bearers."

"Not only that, we will also give each of you a 'Shared Secret Technique'. This kind of secret technique allows Beast Tamers below the fifth rank to 'share skills' with their battle beasts in advance. Although Beast Tamers cannot share the skills of their battle beasts, with this 'Shared Secret Technique', the Beast Tamer can also use the secret techniques learned by their beast pets."

In other words, Lin Yi and his companions were able to use the "Shared Secret Technique" to unleash the beast pet secret techniques on their battle beasts before reaching the fifth-tier Beast Tamer level.

To put it more directly, if Lin Yi can successfully use the special secret technique 'Tongxiang', then he can also use [Three Thousand Thunder Movement]. Of course, the beast master can never use the beast pet's own skill, such as [Grass Sword Technique].

The moment Bu Kongyun finished speaking, Lin Yi was shocked. He knew that after reaching the fifth rank, Beast Tamers could not only share the extraordinary evolutionary power of their battle beasts, but also "share" the ability to use "Beast Pet Secret Techniques".

There are methods to achieve this step even before reaching the fifth level, which is a knowledge that Lin Yi was unaware of.

"Since such a 'secret technique for sharing' exists, why isn't it widely disseminated?" Lin Yi asked, posing a probing question.

If this secret technique were to become widespread, wouldn't the overall combat strength of human beast tamers below the fifth rank be directly raised by several levels?

However, Li Hong shook his head and sighed, "This secret technique was researched by countless true 'transcendent' level beast tamers. In fact, it was already in existence hundreds of years ago, but it was never brought out."

There are two reasons why this "secret technique of sharing" has not been revealed. First, it is not yet perfect, and rashly popularizing it could lead to serious problems.

"Secondly, this 'Secret Technique of Universal Sharing' is too obscure and difficult to understand. If an ordinary person were to obtain it, it would not only be useless, but it might also cause them to have a mental breakdown and become unstable in their mind."

Therefore, even now, they only dare to use it on the top ten beast tamers of each year in the current beast taming university, and it is still in the verification stage.

"So, we're the test subjects?" Lin Yi was both amused and exasperated.

Bu Kongyun and Li Hong made no attempt to hide it.

"You could say that. Of course, you can also choose not to use it. Once you reach the fifth tier, the effect will be the same."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi fell silent, and the side hall became extremely quiet.

After a moment, he slowly raised his head, looked at Bu Kongyun and Li Hong, and asked the question that had been on his mind for some time.

"Why me?"

Why me? Why couldn't it be Xie Linzhou and Xia Zhiyu?

"Because you are good enough!"

Bu Kongyun's answer was scientific and simple.

There are no other reasons. If there has to be one, it's only that you are outstanding enough that the organization has already taken notice of you.

Lin Yi was speechless upon hearing this, unable to find a reason to refute it.