Chapter 178: Chapter 158 Magic Affinity

Meanwhile, in the outside world.

As numerous candidates entered the Illusion Realm.

A giant leaderboard, reminiscent of a celestial ladder chart, appeared in the outside world.

The leaderboard bore no names, just examination numbers.

Each exam number corresponded to a score.

Less than a minute after many students had entered the examination room, an exam number suddenly appeared at the top of the first page.

It jumped every few seconds and continued to leap violently until at last, it surged by 50,000 points, crushing the runner-up with 40,000 points by scoring a total of 71,212 points and securing the top spot.

In reality, atop a mountain 30 kilometers from Iron Rock Pass City.

Gravestones blanketed the mountain like a dense forest of steles.

Each gravestone corresponded to a name.

In the very center, a massive memorial bore three large characters— ‘Monument of Heroes’!

On the mountain’s flank, a simple cabin stood at the waist of the hill.

In the courtyard, gigantic jars of liquor were neatly arranged.

There also stood a thirty-meter-high white bamboo in the yard.

A gust of cool breeze blew, making the white bamboo sway slightly, with the bamboo leaves emitting a sound like clanging metal.

…

“My name is Dong Fang, what’s yours?”

“Chen Xing.”

“A talented student from Jiuzhou University, huh? Impressive, how did you train that Beast Taming?”

Inside one of the armored cars in the middle, the Beast Tamer who had just summoned the Snow Bamboo Swordsman was having a cheerful conversation with Chen Xing.

“Just the regular training, I guess my aptitude for Beast Taming is relatively good.”

Dong Fang seemed to believe him and laughed heartily.

Through conversation, Chen Xing learned that Dong Fang was not old, having just turned thirty this year.

He had already become a Beast Tamer with energy levels of a hundred.

He was currently serving as a colonel of the forty-second division.

Responsible for escorting this transport team.

“Colonel Dong…”

“No, you’re just here for support, just call me Brother Dong.”

“Those Exotic Region mongrels, I killed one of their leaders earlier; never expected them to set up another ambush.” Dong Fang said happily, “Fortunately, you stepped in and cleared out a bunch of their beasts, or it would’ve been troublesome if the supplies had been damaged.”

“Brother Dong, are you the only hundred-level Beast Tamer escorting?”

“It’s just me for this team,” Dong Fang shook his head. “There’s a two-hour journey left to Iron Rock Pass, and you’ll head back with the transport corps once we arrive.”

Dong Fang turned to face Chen Xing as he said the latter part.

“And you?”

“I’m planning to stay behind,” Dong Fang stated, “but there’s no need for you to do the same. The troops that the enemy is harassing have already reached the rear of the third-line defense… The situation at the front must be quite grim.”

“You’re still young; you’ll have many more opportunities,” Dong Fang told Chen Xing earnestly, “You are the future, and the future shouldn’t stay behind.”

“Brother Dong, you’re only thirty years old yourself.”

“I’ve been in the military for twelve years, much older than this kid here.”

Chen Xing laughed, “With the war having broken out, there’s no longer talk of having a future or not.”

Chen Xing, who was well-versed in history, understood,

In this special era, it wouldn’t be long before the whole population was enlisted.

Even teenagers, who had just signed their Beast Taming contracts and went straight to the battlefield after military training, were not uncommon.

Where there is no shelter, how can one expect the eggs beneath to remain unbroken?

Dong Fang fell silent.

Seeing this, Chen Xing changed the subject, “Brother Dong, your Beast Taming seems quite strong, where did you subdue it?”

Dong Fang adjusted his mood, “My Snow Bamboo Swordsman was subdued in a Snow Mountain Secret Realm; initially, when I captured it, it was just a seven-energy-level White Bamboo Spirit Monster.”

Dong Fang shook his head regretfully as he said this.

“It’s a pity that Transcendence is so difficult. If I had more time, perhaps my Snow Bamboo Swordsman would have had the chance to achieve Transcendence, and I could have contributed more at the front.”

Transcendence, huh?

You can’t usually acquire knowledge in this area.

Before him stood a Beast Tamer who was attempting a breakthrough at Energy Level one hundred.

Although it was within an Illusion Realm, this kind of knowledge should surely be accurate.

Chen Xing seemed to casually converse with Dong Fang, “Brother Dong, which Transcendence path did you choose?”

“Originally, I chose both Magic Transcendence and Soul Transcendence, but Soul Transcendence is really abstruse, and after dwelling on it for a long time with no way forward, I estimate that if I don’t break through, I’m prepared to focus my Beast Taming solely on Magic Transcendence,” Dong Fang shared knowledge generously.

Chen Xing was somewhat surprised; he hadn’t expected Brother Dong to have chosen two Transcendence paths.

“Brother Dong, how difficult is Soul Transcendence?”

Dong Fang sighed, “Very difficult, so much so that currently, only one Beast Tamer in the country has successfully achieved Soul Transcendence.”

“But that Soul Transcendence Beast Tamer is hard to replicate, its very essence is soul-based, plus it has consumed special treasures from the Secret Realm.”

“It is said that Soul Transcendence is related to the quality of the soul.”

At this, Dong Fang laughed self-consciously, “My own Beast Tamer was actually lucky; it too has consumed similar treasures, which is why I had it choose that path, and moreover, Soul Transcendence doesn’t require holding a Transcendence Ceremony.”

Dong Fang expressed some regret, “But I still haven’t found the right approach, and if there really is no way, I will have to settle for single Magic Transcendence.”

“Compared to Soul Transcendence, Magic Transcendence is a bit simpler; one only needs to ensure the Beast Tamer’s inner magic power reaches the minimum standard required for holding the Magic Transcendence Ceremony.”

Chen Xing finally heard a keyword, “Magic resonating with the world?”

“Exactly, the magic power inside a Beast Tamer can be considered an independent internal world cycle. Once a Beast Tamer reaches Energy Level one hundred, its internal magic structure is already at its limit.

It’s like the quantity has reached its limit, and the only thing left is to seek a breakthrough in quality.

As the saying goes, no breaking, no establishing.”

There are two ways to break the framework: one is from the inside out, the other from the outside in.

Both methods require the sublimation of magic power.

But from the inside out is too difficult,

requiring the Beast Tamer to step by step fully sublimate its inner magic power.

That’s a leap in class, very tough.

From the outside in, however, is a bit simpler.

From the outside in also necessitates sublimation of magic power, but the requirements are much lower.

One only needs to reach the minimum standard to hold the Magic Transcendence Ceremony.

Then, with the infusion of the vast external world’s energy, break the limit to fully sublimate the Beast Tamer’s interior magic power.”

Chen Xing listened intently.

“Brother Dong, which of the two is more formidable?”

Dong Fang made a comparison, “Which is more impressive, earning a billion on your own from scratch or earning a million and then borrowing nine hundred and ninety million from the bank by establishing a shell company?”

Chen Xing thought for a moment, “I see.”

“But Brother Dong, you didn’t explain how to sublimate a Beast Tamer’s magic power?”

“Did I not?”

Chen Xing just looked at him quietly.

Dong Fang laughed, “Do you know how to pan for gold in river sand?”

“Actually, higher-level magic power already exists within the world naturally, but our Beast Tamers usually can’t absorb it.

However, low-level magic power sometimes still gets tainted with a bit of high-level magic residue.

So, selection needs to be done bit by bit, and there are many methods of doing this.

The most laborious way is to manually pick out the gold from the gravel.

The clever method is to find ways to increase efficiency.

For example, improving Magic Affinity, some special treasures can enhance the affinity between the Beast Tamer and the worldly magic power; with increased Magic Affinity, the efficiency of selecting high-level magic will be faster.

Or, staying in areas where higher-level magic power is richer, with a higher gold content in the sands, naturally, the work efficiency will be improved.”

Wait a second— Magic Affinity?

Chen Xing opened his Skill Tree.

[Grilled Mustard Prawns]: The fresh flavor mixed with the sharpness of mustard creates an exquisite taste. Prolonged ingestion permanently enhances magic recovery speed and permanently increases magic resonance affinity. (0/300)

Just three hundred Skill Points, so cheap?

Outside, the observer shouted, “Major Dong, we are approaching Iron Rock Pass!”

Chen Xing’s thoughts were interrupted, and he looked out through the armored vehicle’s observation window towards the front.

At the end of the horizon, a steel fortress stood between two mountain ranges, like a giant steel dragon sprawled at the edge of the land.