Starting with the Broken-Winged Frost Butterfly: Beast Taming

Climb onto the whale's back.

The back is flat and broad, stretching into the clouds in all directions, like a vast wilderness suspended in the air, making one feel as insignificant as a speck of dust.

But Zhu Ran didn't have time to sigh.

To everyone's surprise, a group of people were sitting on the back half of the whale's back.

They were generally well-dressed, with composed and cold expressions. Their eyes opened and closed, and a faint aura of killing intent emanated from them, like a sharp blade poised to strike, precisely cutting through space and locking onto the crowd.

"These are the 'bodyguards' the school assigned to us?"

"The vast majority are senior students from the combat academy, and the worst are in the top 500 of the combat power ranking, with many in the top 100, or even the top 50..."

"Wait, am I seeing things? I think I see Professor Tang. What's he doing in the entourage...?"

All three hundred trainees boarded the whale's back.

The floating whale let out a long, resonant cry, its sound echoing far and wide. It spun half a circle, aimed in one direction, swung its tail, and swam with all its might.

Zhu Ran then discovered that standing on the whale's back was extremely safe. No matter how fast the floating whale sped up, only gentle breezes brushed against their cheeks, as if the violent air currents were blocked by an invisible barrier.

This experience was truly magical.

At this moment, Mr. Qingzhi stood on the whale's head, closed his eyes to rest, and remained unmoved.

Fisherman glanced at Master Cai.

The wealthy man glared back at the fisherman.

The two men were animated, gesturing with their hands behind their backs, perhaps playing a drinking game.

In conclusion, the old man took a step forward, cleared his throat, and began to speak:

"Before entering the secret realm, let me reiterate."

"Only two-life Beastmasters can freely enter and exit the Ancient Kingdom of Soldiers. We are only responsible for escorting them back and forth. Once you enter the country, you can only rely on yourselves and your teammates."

"Of course, a group of battle pet masters are stationed in the secret realm, and there will also be mentors of the second life level accompanying them, but I hope you will not use these extra safeguards lightly unless absolutely necessary."

Zhu Ran seemed lost in thought.

So, Professor Tang Jiamu was one of the accompanying mentors of the second life?

Indeed, the difference between mature B-grade and A-grade is a watershed. The vast majority of students cannot possibly possess A-grade. Just based on that black-striped leopard, Professor Tang's overall combat strength far exceeds the average level.

Then I heard the old man say:

"The course lasted for a month. The school did not arrange any competitions or measure the value of the spoils. The school had only one requirement—to survive."

"Whether you want to get rich overnight or contract your favorite pet, protecting your life must be your top priority."

"Of course, there will be some implicit prohibitions, such as not harming fellow human beings, not indiscriminately killing the secret realm's pets, and not seriously damaging the secret realm's ecology... Once someone is found to have violated these regulations, in addition to Zhongdu University participating in the interrogation, the national legal department will not sit idly by. Those with egregious offenses will spend the rest of their lives in prison..."

No one laughed or joked; everyone straightened their backs, held their breath, and listened attentively.

These are the basic rules.

"Now we'll begin assigning guards."

Mr. Cai took out his phone—he was still within the city limits and had internet access.

"Liang Ruixin, Group 1."

"Shan Yahan, Group 2."

"Wu Haoran, Group 3."

……

Each time a name is called, a person emerges from behind the whale and joins their assigned group.

The whole process was relatively quiet, but those whose names were called were somewhat famous, such as "Wang Chunzhu" from group 17 and "Lü Zhaohai" from group 56.

A gasp of surprise would then erupt from the crowd.

"I'm so lucky to be in a group with Sister Chunzhu! She's a top 50 fighter on the power rankings, usually unapproachable!"

"Lu Zhaohai is even stronger. Moreover, he's a junior in his class, our junior, but he's already broken into the top thirty of the combat power rankings. To achieve such a feat among tens of thousands of people, given time he will surely become a pillar of the Yanxu Kingdom..."

Zhu Ran and Liang Baizhou were assigned to group 85.

The two were also curious about the new members of the team in the coming month: whether they would be male or female, how strong they would be, and what type of pet they would have.

"Ye Shi, Group 83".

"Ke Banlei, Group 84."

"Qin Taozhi, Group 85."

The name is called here.

The usually calm tone of the old man was surprisingly interrupted by a subtle pause.

Then, he narrowed his bright little eyes and searched the crowd carefully, as if sifting through gold and silver.

"Whoosh—"

A figure stood up, with long, jet-black hair cascading down like a waterfall, and a pair of purple eyes that resembled the eyes of a demon, alluring and captivating.

This is a female beast tamer.

Her features were sharp and delicate, her figure was tall and well-proportioned, and the pure black leather armor made her skin appear even whiter.

As soon as she stood up, everyone's eyes were drawn to her; her radiant beauty captivated even women.

But what Zhu Ran sensed first from her was a cold and aloof aura, as if strangers should stay away and the noise should not disturb her. She seemed to be shrouded in an invisible layer of ice mist, and no matter how others looked at her or spied on her, she was completely unaffected by the outside world.

"Qin Taozhi, that name, that appearance..."

"Is this the freshman?"

"That's her! The current legend at Zhongdu University, who ranked fifteenth on the combat power list last month, and Chixia City follows her every week!"

The once silent whale back was now in turmoil because of the girl's appearance.

Many people stood on tiptoe, moved their bodies, and leaned forward to get a clear look at her.

"Isn't it absurd to have freshmen serve as bodyguards for seasoned seniors?"

"Thinking about it carefully, it really makes sense. But this one, she advanced to the second level in just three months after enrolling, and then reached a height that everyone looked up to in a month. Now another month has passed. Do you think it's possible for her to break into the top ten?"

The student being questioned hesitated: "This... can't be, right? Every single one of the top ten is a monster, and they all possess a mature A-rank form..."

"What's wrong with Qin Xiaohua's fate-bound pet? Rumor has it that her 'Ink Thorn Rose Fairy' isn't just an ordinary mature A-level pet, but a family-limited pet. If we trace its origins, it's probably closely related to the ultimate-level 'Dark Night Black Rose Queen,' one of the oldest life forms in the Yanxu Kingdom that ended the dark age, and the oldest legendary pet..."

The speaker's mouth was dry, and the listener's heart was pounding.

At this time.

The black-haired, purple-eyed girl, having left the whale's back, glanced at the chaotic crowd. Seeing no one raise their hand, she frowned and asked coldly:

"Isn't Group 85 here?"

In the blink of an eye, you could hear a pin drop on the whale's back.

Under the intense and bewildered gazes of the crowd.

After a three-second silence, Zhu Ran and Liang Baizhou slowly raised their hands.

Zhu Ran was alright, his expression was calm, his gaze was indifferent and straight ahead, unmoved by external things.

Liang Baizhou, however, was sweating profusely and his scalp was tingling.

Why have I been getting so much luck lately, following Master Zhu?

This is the only S-level Beast Tamer that Zhongdu University has produced in the past five years.

If Grade A is already considered exceptional, then...

Then she must be the Dragon King or the Phoenix!