"Guu~"
The trembling silkworm baby grabbed onto his pant leg and started climbing up, slipping down several times as it failed to get a grip.
The little guy seemed a bit dizzy from the water.
The even more pitiful little fire crow had already toppled over like a headfirst plunge.
Among the other examinees' spirits, only the water-type ones were in slightly better shape.
Su Hao spotted a charcoal fire turtle shrinking into its shell, refusing to come out no matter what.
King Zhou took in everything, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
As the Wave-Treading King, he had the ability to transport these students in a much gentler way.
But simple and rough methods packed a bigger punch.
They were more likely to ignite their drive to improve.
He believed these promising students wouldn't be scared off.
The base's gate had already opened.
This base had towering outer walls, surveillance cameras everywhere, and many firearms that Su Hao was seeing in real life for the first time.
Light machine guns, heavy machine guns, and other weapons were mounted all around the base.
Though it wasn't exactly a guard every few steps, this place was clearly a military base!
...
Inside the base, there weren't as many dark, menacing weapons.
Su Hao and the other newcomers finally relaxed a bit.
"This is the area where the base nurtures spirits. We use different methods depending on the spirit type."
A base administrator introduced to them.
From a distance, the spirit-nurturing area looked like rows of greenhouses.
Through the transparent glass, they could see rows upon rows of plants inside.
There were bud types, vine-willow types, moss types, and so on.
"Wood-type spirits are born from these plants. For example, that area covered in vines nurtures Vine Snake spirits...
"Our Qinglan Wood-type spirit nursery mainly cultivates eighteen common wood-type spirits and a few relatively rare ones.
"But even with technological breakthroughs, the number of spirits we can nurture each year is still very small... There's still a long way to go before spirits enter every household."
One examinee suddenly asked, "Why not increase the number of greenhouses?"
He noticed there was still plenty of vacant land within the base.
Besides, couldn't the base be expanded? The income from a spirit-nurturing base should be substantial each year.
Though the student didn't say it out loud, the base administrator seemed to grasp the gist.
He shook his head. "Besides technical methods, there's an even more important condition for nurturing spirits: the regional environment.
"The Qinglan Base is located at the center of the Primordial Zone, and this area can only sustain a limited number of spirits. Twenty-one greenhouses are already the limit. Building more would actually slow down the spirits' growth rate."
The administrator paused. "You might have noticed that many trees in the Primordial Zone have developed crystals. This is a phenomenon of regional mutation, caused by the merging of two worlds.
"You guessed it right—inside the Qinglan Base, there's an entrance to the New World."
The New World!
To Su Hao, this was a term that was neither unfamiliar nor familiar.
Not unfamiliar, because he knew the New World existed. Some of the rare resources he'd bought, even the Attribute Hearts and Attribute Essences from the joint exam rewards, likely originated from the New World.
—He'd never heard of any wilderness on Hailan Star producing treasures.
But information about the New World was extremely, extremely scarce.
On the Spirit Master Alliance website, the section about the New World was inaccessible even with Su Hao's current LV2 permissions.
All he knew was that the New World was a place where crisis and opportunity coexisted.
Only elite-level Spirit Masters were qualified to explore the New World.
"Then why not build the nurturing base in the New World? Is it because it's too dangerous?"
Another examinee asked like a curious child.
The administrator shook his head again. "Danger is a factor, but it's not the main reason. The main reason is simple: only spirits born on Hailan Star are naturally inclined to bond with us Hailan Star people, making them easier to contract.
"Spirits born in the New World can still be contracted, but it's very difficult."
"How difficult? Just think about the wild spirits in the Primordial Zone—those are born in the New World."
Su Hao and the other examinees understood.
Non-native spirits naturally had a tendency to reject and attack them.
This was information they'd never been able to learn before.
Even Bing Ning and Lin Mingzheng... Su Hao saw the same surprise on their faces.
The group walked past one transparent greenhouse after another.
Su Hao suddenly stopped, looking at a nearby greenhouse planted with trees that resembled mulberries.
"Over there, that's where silkworm baby spirits are nurtured, right?"
"Correct." King Zhou glanced at the silkworm baby on Su Hao's head. "If you contracted this spirit within the province, it was likely born here.
"Manager Zhuo, take them inside for a tour."
Manager Zhuo, surnamed Zhuo, stammered, "Ah, oh," before snapping out of it.
Because of one examinee, King Zhou had specially arranged for them to visit the silkworm baby nurturing area up close?
Who was that examinee?
King Zhou's son?
No, that's not right... Manager Zhuo had just heard—the examinee's surname was Su.
Could it be,
He was actually King Zhou's son-in-law!
Otherwise, why would King Zhou go out of his way to favor a student!
Manager Zhuo felt he'd uncovered the truth.
...
After observing the silkworm baby nurturing area for a long time, Su Hao didn't find anything particularly special.
Because the spirits weren't mature this season—ah, no—hadn't been nurtured yet.
He couldn't witness the miraculous sight of a spirit being born.
His only gain was a 5-point increase in intelligence value.
Not bad, all things considered.
The silkworm baby, however, pressed against the transparent glass, staring with big, watery eyes for quite a while... Manager Zhuo didn't complain or rush them, seeming easygoing.
They exited the nurturing area.
Then continued deeper into the base.
As expected, they were headed for a half-day trip to the New World!
After passing through several security checkpoints, they stopped before a massive alloy door.
Standing in front of the door were two stern-faced Spirit Masters and two elite-level Blade Leaf Warriors.
"Lord Zhou."
They addressed King Zhou with respect but still carried out their duties, asking him to present the relevant documents.
"Fill in your names and schools."
Su Hao and the others complied.
A moment later, the alloy door slowly opened.
Revealing inside...
A very spacious, sealed room.
Dark cannon muzzles extended from the surrounding walls.
The floor was concrete, but in the center, there was a patch of grass that looked completely out of place, its edge forming an irregular zigzag where it met the concrete.
Su Hao was a bit stunned.
It wasn't what he'd imagined—a gate or a spatial passage.
"Let's go."
King Zhou led the way.
Su Hao watched closely, seeing King Zhou vanish the moment he stepped onto the grass.
Urged on by the Spirit Masters stationed nearby, Su Hao didn't dawdle. He walked step by step until he finally set foot on the grass.
In an instant,
The surroundings brightened considerably.
----
Qinglan Base Grand Sale: One silkworm baby for three recommendation tickets, three for ten tickets. Buy now and vote quickly~~~