Volume 1, Chapter 23: What Kind of Beast-Girl Wears a Secretary Outfit to Battle?

Lin Yao pondered for a moment and concluded that the Green Demon Undead must be avoiding an appearance because of Zhu Zhihan.

It was well-known that Zhu Zhihan possessed a skill called "Evil-Warding and Demon-Suppression," which was exceptionally effective against malevolent entities like the undead. Her other abilities, consisting of divine lightning and heavenly flames, were also things that a Green Demon Undead could likely not withstand. Therefore, even if the creature were lurking nearby, it had hesitated to launch an attack.

Lin Yao’s assessment was only partially correct. While the lurking Green Demon Undead was indeed wary of those factors, the more critical reason was that it had been nearly destroyed by the powerful individuals who had come to rescue Xia Yumeng earlier and was currently in a state of unprecedented weakness. The numerous experts hired by the Rose Family had been unlucky; although they failed to locate and rescue Xia Yumeng, their efforts had been pivotal, ensuring the money spent by the Rose Family was not entirely in vain.

The Green Demon Undead was now severely crippled and extremely frail. If it were to reveal itself now, Zhu Zhihan might very well be able to defy the odds and slay this weakened Level 40 undead, despite her being only at Level 10.

After some thought, Lin Yao said to Xia Yumeng, "It’s fine. We will leave at a normal pace."

As these words fell, Xia Yumeng straightened her back, making her already prominent curves even more pronounced. She assumed that Lin Yao, this old eccentric, simply did not regard a Level 40 Green Demon Undead as a threat. This implied that Lin Yao was very likely a powerhouse of Level 40 or even higher. One had to understand that every ten levels for a Beastmaster represented a watershed moment. The gap between a Level 10 Beastmaster and a Level 40 Beastmaster was far greater than that between an average person with ten thousand yuan and a multi-millionaire.

However, the reality was that even with the limitless potential of Zhu Zhihan by his side, Lin Yao could not yet be compared to a Level 40 Beastmaster. Lin Yao left his Shadow Spirit-Eaters behind in the dungeon to continue breaking down all harvestable energy materials, while he and Xia Yumeng quickly departed the site.

Once they were out of the dungeon, Lin Yao did not dare to delay. He left a few Shadow Spirit-Eaters behind to stand guard before swiftly retreating with Zhu Zhihan and the eleven Shadow Werewolves. This led Lin Yao to discover another significant advantage of the Shadow Spirit-Eaters over refining scrolls.

Refining scrolls could only extract pure energy on the spot and required immediate absorption. In extremely dangerous environments, these scrolls were often useless. For instance, on a battlefield engaged in fierce combat with alien races, one could not expect to swing a blade while simultaneously finding the focus to use a refining scroll. With the Shadow Spirit-Eaters, this concern vanished entirely. He could drive the creatures to decompose and extract energy from fallen enemies and beasts while continuing to fight.

Shortly after Lin Yao left with Zhu Zhihan and Xia Yumeng, the Shadow Spirit-Eaters continuously transmitted pure energy back to him, raising his level to 11. He had taken a major step toward the milestone of Level 15 set by Guardian Murong Nanci.

Yet, Lin Yao did not feel particularly relaxed. At the beginning, he had leveled up like a rocket, reaching Level 8 in one go. At first glance, leveling up seemed easy. In truth, however, it had become difficult starting from the jump between Level 6 and Level 7. Otherwise, the rookie record of Level 7 set by Guardian Murong Nanci would not have remained unbeaten for so many years. The difficulty had continued to skyrocket from Level 7 to 8, and now from 10 to 11.

"This won't do. If things continue like this, there is no way I can reach Level 15 before the college entrance exam..." Lin Yao thought to himself. He did not lack the strength to reach Level 15, but he was encountering the same problem as every other Beastmaster in the rookie trial battlefield. The danger zones outside the urban area of North Wind City were endless, and the further one went from the city, the more perilous they became. These zones were filled with numerous camps of alien races. Although the Shadow Werewolves possessed the "Tracking" skill, which made it relatively easy to find enemies and beasts, he still had to spend a significant amount of time and energy searching for prey.

Lin Yao felt a growing sense of urgency. Moving forward, he not only had to increase his hunting speed but also consider better strategies to facilitate faster leveling.

Just as Lin Yao was pondering, Xia Yumeng spoke with a hint of hesitation: "Senior, have you heard of the Rose Treasure?"

Hearing her address him this way again, Lin Yao felt a headache coming on and had to explain once more, "I really am not a 'senior.' As for the Rose Treasure, I have only heard rumors."

Xia Yumeng secretly huffed, becoming even more convinced that this old ghost was likely eyeing her body. Leaving aside everything else, what self-respecting Beastmaster would have their alluring, humanoid beast go into battle wearing black stockings and high heels? These details all suggested that Lin Yao was an old lecher. Moreover, when Lin Yao spoke just now, his gaze had lingered for a split second on her chest and then on Zhu Zhihan's, clearly comparing their sizes. Xia Yumeng was extremely confident in this regard; regardless of who the other party was, she felt she was in no way inferior.

However, thinking of the Rose Treasure, Xia Yumeng temporarily set these petty grievances aside. She hurriedly asked, "Senior... er, no, Your Excellency? Are you interested in the Rose Treasure?"

Lin Yao replied casually, "Just call me Lin Yao. As for the rumors of the treasure, there is no solid evidence to prove it actually exists, is there?"

The Rose Treasure referred to the super-treasures secretly hidden across the globe by the ancient Rose Family through special means. The goal was to ensure that if the family suffered a major blow, as long as a descendant survived, they could find a cache anywhere in the world and rapidly make a comeback. Unlike the Count of Monte Cristo, who had to undergo immense hardship to find a single treasure, members of the Rose Family were different. No matter where they were, as long as the blood of the Rose Family flowed in their veins, they could quickly obtain a super-treasure as capital for a resurgence.

This strategy ensured that the Rose Family was nearly impossible to eradicate completely. Even if their headquarters were destroyed and their wealth plundered, they still possessed countless assets and members scattered across the globe.