CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: THE ONE WITHOUT A SPIRIT BEAST RECORD

Nine Star Institute

Inner Courtyard

"Everyone, stand up!"

With the loud call from Deputy Dean Tang Xuehai of the Inner Courtyard, all the students below stood up.

Those who can be here are either exceptional individuals or descendants of wealthy and influential families.

The Lin Chen and Guan Yang that Lin Chen had seen before were among them.

You could see that Tang Xuehai’s expression was very serious:

"...This time the ruins are different from previous ones, all of you are Jiuxing City progeny, so you should have heard of the Jiuxing City Youth Corps."

"Three months ago, we finally discovered traces of them."

"They most likely have already turned into ruins."

The so-called ruins are the spatial traces left behind by a Beastmaster after their death.

Generally, ruins are difficult to form and are related to the will of the Beastmaster.

Some hold resentment, some are due to their immense power, and some are because their Spirit Beasts possess extraordinary strength, forming a Secret Realm.

"The mountains and rivers have received new silk, but the broken spears still rust under the cold moonlight."

"Your mission is to go inside, find the remains of these people, and bring them home!"

As Tang Xuehai spoke this, he was overcome with emotion.

"This year’s Hundred Stars chart for the new students will use the number of heroic remains collected as a reference..."

"Whoever gathers the most can ascend to the top of the Hundred Stars Chart!"

As his words fell, Tang Xuehai looked towards the young man standing at the forefront of the crowd with expectation in his eyes.

This year’s Inner Courtyard students are of very high quality, even with hopes of catching up to last year’s batch.

The one in front, named Ye Yun.

Tang Xuehai has great expectations for him, believing that he has the potential to catch up to last year’s prodigy student Ning Tian.

....

"...Do you mean their Beast Taming Space formed the current ruins?"

In the Monster Hunter Guild, Lin Chen also listened to Lee Zhen explain the whole story.

"Yes."

"Is the information reliable?"

"Of course, this time a Great Success Beastmaster used the bloodline of their descendants, utilizing the psychic sensing power of the Spirit Beast to find the entrance."

"You can’t go in?"

"How did you know?" Lee Zhen looked at Lin Chen curiously.

"Then it’s probably a space overlap..." Lin Chen said, "Among them, someone may still hold resentment. You are afraid that upon entering, this person will be disturbed, and eventually, this space will vanish?"

"Indeed, there are such concerns." Lee Zhen did not deny it.

Space overlap refers to the overlapping of Beast Taming Spaces in a region where many Beastmasters have died, causing anomalies and expansion.

But such spaces are fragile and easily collapse.

With strong Beastmasters like Lee Zhen venturing inside, their strong mental fluctuations could potentially damage the space structure, causing it to close.

Therefore, after careful study by the higher-ups, the task was assigned to the Nine Star Institute as this year’s test project for the Inner Courtyard Hundred Stars Chart.

"I will do my best." Lin Chen’s expression was very serious this time.

The youth corps’ heroic sacrifice ensured the survival of the whole city’s commoners; their remains should not be buried in the barren mountains but should be enshrined in the cemetery, receiving the offerings of future generations.

"This time, the team will consist of three people, and I’ve already chosen the others for you." Lee Zhen said.

Lin Chen didn’t need to look to know who it was, and he said, "I thought I could choose myself."

"I wager you want to sell the slots." Lee Zhen instantly saw through the ugly thoughts deep inside Lin Chen.

"Chairman Lee, it seems you’ve deeply misunderstood me."

"No misunderstanding."

Lee Zhen directly handed the list to Lin Chen and told him to leave.

Without looking, it couldn’t be anyone else but Ning Zimo and Cai Yuanji.

Due to the peculiar nature of this task, there was no need to bring information-related personnel.

Lin Chen sighed, thinking that wisdom comes with age. He took two steps, then suddenly turned back to ask, "This Inner Courtyard Hundred Stars Chart, I remember there’s a prize..."

"Are you from the Inner Courtyard?"

Lee Zhen laughed in exasperation, thinking, how can someone be so greedy?

"Uh... I’m just asking, don’t be so sensitive."

Lin Chen quickly left, knowing that the stingy Lee Zhen was on the verge of rage.

Qin Hao also quickly left, afraid of suffering collateral damage.

Out the door, Lin Chen headed to the library, while Qin Hao, who had nothing to do, followed and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"I want to check the records of those people back then."

"Why check these? They’re not alive."

"Can’t rule out the possibility..."

"Don’t scare me," Qin Hao seemed quite afraid of ghosts.

"Knowing more is always good," Lin Chen said.

He asked the library’s administrator to find the relevant books and started reading from the beginning:

"Su Yu, nineteen years old, Spirit Beast highest level 15..."

"It’s actually this Spirit Beast, very rare."

...

Lin Chen took notes while reading.

Qin Hao was obviously a poor student; even flipping through colorful novels made him drowsy, much like the Little Fox on his shoulder, nodding off.

Suddenly Lin Chen patted him.

"Are we leaving?"

Qin Hao was delighted because earlier he agreed with Bai Jiajia and Sun Guang to treat Lin Chen to a big meal as thanks.

"Not yet." Lin Chen pointed at the book and said, "Look, among the sacrificed youth corps, there is also someone named Qin Hao."

"I didn’t offend you, why are you cursing me?"

"I didn’t make it up, look for yourself." Lin Chen pointed the name out to him.

Qin Hao saw that the name Qin Hao was indeed on the list. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said proudly:

"People named Qin Hao aren’t cowards. He seemed to have had a good relationship with Su Yu..."

"No, it only shows that the name Qin Hao is common."

"Nonsense, a common name should be Zhang Wei."

"...."

Qin Hao didn’t want to continue this topic, looked at the book, and said:

"He also had a sister, named Qin Shaoshao, who also sacrificed herself, only eighteen years old!"

"The oldest inside was only 20."

Lin Chen also sighed.

This dossier only became more distasteful as one read on.

Where there is war, there will be tales of valor, but behind this valor are heaps of lives.

Even if future generations sing their praises for a thousand years, their lives were ultimately left in that war-torn era.

What they left for future generations is a flourishing era, the days they most hoped for.

....

After nearly three hours, Qin Hao was starving, and Lin Chen finally agreed to borrow the books to slowly read at home.

Out the door, they quickly found Bai Jiajia and Sun Guang, but amusingly, Bai Jiajia suggested going to the first barbecue store, and Lin Chen reluctantly obliged and went with them.

The three settled the bill, but adhering to the principle of not losing out, Lin Chen sneakily used a VIP card to get the money back from Jiang Dadong.

Anyway, each of the three earned eight hundred thousand, so Lin Chen didn’t feel guilty.

Back home, Lin Chen continued to peruse the materials.

This 101 Youth Corps, while not everyone had extraordinary talents, some were indeed exceptionally gifted.

For instance, Su Yu, whose family background was good, and whose Spirit Beast was extremely powerful.

One can imagine that during the era of rampant growth of Beastmasters, if Su Yu hadn’t joined the war, he would surely have become a dominant figure in the future.

Lin Chen went through many records, noting down details of their Spirit Beasts and Levels one by one.

He wasn’t too idle but simply liked to take things seriously, especially with dangerous matters, more preparation is essential, as it is a responsibility for his own life and those of his Spirit Beasts.

However, there was one person’s Spirit Beast that wasn’t recorded, and that was Qin Hao’s sister:

Qin Shaoshao.