The next day, Su Hao trekked over ten kilometers along the mountain path and finally reached his destination—Deer Snow Town. This was one of the entrances to the Changbai Mountain Primitive Zone. Compared to the Blue Forest Primitive Zone, the Changbai Mountain Primitive Zone was much larger, encompassing nearly half of the Changbai Mountain range. Su Hao had looked up the information. This primitive zone had been established over fifty years ago. It was one of the earliest primitive zones in Dragon Country. The variety of spirits within was also very rich. Some spirits introduced from the New World had undergone "localization" and were no longer as hostile to humans born on Blue Star. Thus, the Changbai Mountain Primitive Zone was also the most popular spirit contract area in Dragon Country. It wasn't uncommon for lucky and skilled spirit masters to contract a rare, high-quality spirit here, and while saying it would skyrocket their success was an exaggeration, it was true that the path ahead would be much smoother. Of course, the Changbai Mountain Primitive Zone was also a frequent haunt for spirit hunters. But Su Hao wasn't afraid at all. He wasn't alone now—the research team had plenty of skilled spirit masters, and within the primitive zone, "forest keepers" patrolled constantly. As vast as the Changbai Mountain Primitive Zone was, under the surveillance of powerful spirits, any unusual activity would be detected. "Phew~" Su Hao exhaled a puff of white breath. A cold wind blew, making him feel a bit chilly—he hadn't brought enough warm clothes. Fortunately, Su Hao was holding a Fire Crow Feather hand warmer. Waves of warmth radiated from it. No big deal. He hugged it a little tighter. "Caw—" ... Deer Snow Town had very few residents, many of whom were forest keepers from the primitive zone. After he arrived, the primitive zone's management arranged for him to stay at an inn. By the afternoon, he met the research team's leader—the senior spirit breeder invited by the primitive zone. Meng Hejing, a professor at Ink Dragon University. She was a middle-aged woman with short hair and a sharp, capable demeanor. She had five graduate students, all intermediate spirit breeders. He had heard this from the other spirit breeders who had arrived earlier. Su Hao counted the spirit breeders present—excluding Professor Meng and her group—there were only fifteen. There were also a larger number of spirit masters. Each had a fierce-looking spirit by their side. "Oh! Su Hao!" He heard a somewhat familiar voice. Turning his head, it was the girl he had met on the train. He was a bit surprised, but after a moment's thought, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Given her behavior on the train, she was probably a spirit breeder too. Inside the hall, Professor Meng walked over, glanced around, and asked, "Is everyone here?" "One more spirit breeder named An He hasn't arrived," a student replied. "Call and ask. If they can't make it within half an hour, tell them not to bother coming." "Got it, teacher." Professor Meng turned back to them and began, "I'll briefly explain the work tasks now. "Our mission is to study the interaction between spirits and the ecological environment. Your task is simple: in your assigned areas, collect detailed data on the spirits and their surroundings, paying special attention to special treasures like spiritual herbs, spiritual fruits, and attribute essences." These words were directed at the spirit breeders. Su Hao understood why. The interaction between spirits and the environment was mutual. The simplest example: in areas with denser vegetation and richer spiritual energy, wood-type spirits were more likely to appear. Conversely, in areas where wood-type spirits lived, the growth of plants was generally better than in other areas. Once a large community of spirits settled in a region, the influence could lead to the birth of more spiritual fruits, attribute essences, and other treasures. These resources were often only found in the New World. The Changbai Mountain Primitive Zone was Dragon Country's pilot area, hoping to cultivate more precious resources and naturally nurture more rare spirits. Their job as hired spirit breeders was to collect data; research and analysis were not their concern. Professor Meng looked toward the spirit masters. "Your task is to protect the spirit breeders while they collect data. I know many of you are here to contract spirits, but remember, after completing the mission, you'll have plenty of time to find spirits to contract. If anyone leaves the team on their own business..." She then turned to Su Hao and the other hired spirit breeders, "And the same goes for you. Don't think the primitive zone only has beginner-level wild spirits." Half an hour later, after gearing up, the research team of forty to fifty people left Deer Snow Town, heading toward the snow-covered mountains. Gradually, the town behind them disappeared from view, and sparse, bare trees appeared ahead. Occasionally, the silhouette of a spirit flashed through the snowy forest. "It's a Snow Treader Deer!" The little deer stepped on the snow without leaving footprints, darting out of sight in an instant. Su Hao stared at his panel and clicked on the icon of the receding Snow Treader Deer. [Spirit: Snow Treader Deer (Ice-type)] [Info: Growth stage, Spirit Power 63...] [Description: I tread on snow without a trace, yoohoo~] "As expected from the Changbai Mountain Primitive Zone—an ice-type spirit right away." In the north, ice-type spirits weren't particularly rare, but they were certainly less common than wood-type or earth-type ones. One would cost at least four to five hundred thousand. That's a lot of money. No wonder the primitive zone often got thieves. They were only allowed to contract one spirit, and it had to be done within the primitive zone. If they couldn't manage it, then... They'd have to go back where they came from. To ensure he could lure... ahem, contract a spirit, Su Hao had packed plenty of materials and jade powder in his backpack. Luring spirits—he was a pro. After walking for over ten minutes, Professor Meng stopped and looked at the surrounding spirit masters. "Summon your spirits." Some larger spirits that weren't suitable to keep by their sides were summoned one by one. The team suddenly grew much larger. The summoned spirits, along with those that had been following from the start, spread out to keep watch. There were Tyrant Bears, Mountain-Moving Apes, Earthshaking Wolves, Ten Thousand Vine Turtles, Assassin Mantises, Fairy Conches, Spring-Summoning Spirits, and more. Su Hao glanced at them—all were elite-level spirits. The primitive zone management was quite generous. But indeed, a contract slot in the primitive zone was a huge draw for elite-level spirit masters. Contracting spirits here was much easier than in the New World and basically risk-free. Just then, Boom— The ground trembled, and snow exploded into the air. A white spirit, the size of a bread truck and somewhat resembling a seal, appeared before them. Its most striking feature was a pair of gleaming fangs that reflected sunlight. Its mouth opened slightly, releasing a burst of cold air. —Ice Emperor Fang! The final evolved form of the White Seal! And... it was a transcendent-level spirit! As soon as the Ice Emperor Fang appeared, the other elite-level spirits around cautiously backed away until they confirmed it was an ally, then breathed a sigh of relief. Before Su Hao could observe the Ice Emperor Fang, he heard... "Roar~" A resonant cry, and beside Professor Meng, another spirit appeared. Its body, over ten meters long, hovered in the air. Black ink formed a serpentine torso, with a pair of horns on its head and four limbs—an imposing presence! It was the signature spirit of Ink Dragon University. The final evolved form of the Ink Spirit—the Ink Dragon! Also transcendent-level! Su Hao felt like gasping, but halfway through, the cold air stung his teeth, so he exhaled instead. He wasn't as shocked as Tang Xin and the other spirit breeders. It wasn't his first time seeing a transcendent-level spirit—he'd even seen monarch-level ones before. The problem was... Wasn't this supposed to be a research team? Two transcendent-level spirits and a bunch of elite-level guards...? That was enough for a small-scale war. Was the Changbai Mountain Primitive Zone really this dangerous!