Volume 1, Chapter 29: If I cannot even find this, is it truly my fated tribulation?

In this small pocket dimension, Lin Yao and Xia Mengying’s search was becoming quite exhausting. The shadow wolves under his command had long since spread out in a carpet-like sweep, and Zhu Zhihan was not by his side. Even Xia Yumeng was bustling about, actively looking for anyone.

The team had finally gained a skilled tracker in Liang Xiaofei, yet despite their prolonged search in the surrounding area, there was still no sign of Xia Mengying.

Lin Yao’s Beast Tamer level had now reached 12. As long as a shadow wolf was within a twenty-kilometer radius, he could share its vision. The seventeen shadow wolves under his command had already formed a great net, sweeping the area within dozens of miles for any trace of Xia Mengying.

Of course, searching was one thing, but leveling up and hunting monsters could not be neglected.

Along the way, every strange beast and alien tribe they encountered became targets for Lin Yao to gain experience points.

During their journey, Lin Yao continuously activated his “Shadow Beast Control” talent to rapidly increase the number of troops, quickly raising the count of shadow wolves from seventeen to eighteen.

Only then did Lin Yao realize that the “Optimization Medal” he wore was quite a fine piece of equipment for boosting power.

Thanks to its ongoing effect, the strength of his energy blast skill had subtly increased.

His energy blasts were already formidable, and as his Beast Tamer level rose, their power became even more pronounced.

With the Optimization Medal, before reaching level twenty, the energy blast’s strength would steadily improve bit by bit every day.

A one- or two-day increase might seem insignificant, but accumulated over time, this slow and steady enhancement was not to be underestimated.

However, this search for Xia Mengying was proving far more difficult than Lin Yao had anticipated.

Two days passed swiftly.

He still had not found any trace of Xia Mengying, but the number of shadow wolves under his command had increased again!

It had now reached twenty-two.

Night fell, and on a clearing in the forest, the weary group sat around a campfire to rest after a long day.

Xia Yumeng’s exquisitely beautiful face was full of worry, and she looked listless.

Liang Xiaofei felt deeply ashamed. Having awakened the “Heaven’s Sight and Earth’s Hearing” talent, he was naturally gifted for tracking, yet after searching so long for his benefactor, he had not made any progress.

No sooner had Liang Xiaofei sat down by the fire than he could not suppress the urge to stand again. “I barely fought today, so I don’t really need rest. I’ll go look around nearby once more.”

Hearing this, Xia Yumeng sprang to her feet. “I’m coming too!”

Xia Mengying had always cared deeply for her younger clan sister.

When Xia Yumeng had gone missing, Xia Mengying had searched tirelessly, disregarding danger.

Now, upon learning that Xia Mengying might be in peril, Xia Yumeng was naturally determined to help her sister with all her strength.

But Lin Yao waved them off. “Rest when it’s time to rest. Search when it’s time to search. Now is rest time. Everyone, rest well. Once you’ve recovered your strength, then we’ll search with full effort.”

His tone was firm but not harsh, carrying an unmistakable air of finality. Liang Xiaofei and Xia Yumeng exchanged glances and did not insist further.

Zhu Zhihan, who had also wanted to join the search, stuck out her tongue at the words, swallowing what she had been about to say. Instead, she nestled obediently beside Lin Yao like a well-behaved little bird, resting her head on his shoulder.

Lin Yao secretly admired Xia Mengying.

When he had just left Northwind City, Xia Mengying had steadfastly helped him, even gifting him the “Silent Ring” he now wore.

He naturally did not wish for Xia Mengying to perish or suffer humiliation.

Yet, despite the twenty-two shadow wolves with the “Hunting” skill under his command, combined with himself, Zhu Zhihan, Xia Yumeng, and Liang Xiaofei all tirelessly searching, there was still no sign of Xia Mengying.

If something truly had happened to her, it could only be said that fate had dealt her a cruel blow.

That night, Lin Yao did not sleep. Instead, he practiced “Meditation Technique” to accelerate the recovery of his energy and mental strength, all while continuing to rapidly increase his troops.

The more shadow wolves he had, the higher the chances of finding Xia Mengying.

About three hours later, Lin Yao used his “Shadow Beast Control” talent to summon the twenty-third shadow wolf.

By the time the group finished resting, he had summoned the twenty-fourth.

Perhaps because of the repeated cycle of draining and quickly restoring his energy and mental power, this near-extreme training had purified and strengthened his spirit and energy.

The most direct result was that his energy blast’s power in a normal state had increased by at least one percent.

Don’t underestimate that one percent — under his “Attribute Multiplication” talent, it was equivalent to a ten percent boost.

An energy blast power increase of ten percent might not seem much, but the key was that it could continue to grow.

Every time his energy and spirit made significant progress, the power of his energy blast would rise accordingly.

If this momentum continued, it wouldn’t be impossible for Lin Yao to focus wholly on perfecting his energy blast.

After the rest, Lin Yao began assigning tasks to the group.

“Zhihan, you’re mainly responsible for searching west. You can go a bit farther, but if you encounter danger, immediately regroup at my location.”

Zhu Zhihan nodded obediently. “Understood, brother. I will do my best to find Miss Xia today!”

For convenience, Zhu Zhihan now preferred to call Lin Yao “brother.”

After assigning Zhu Zhihan, Lin Yao turned to Liang Xiaofei.

“Xiaofei, head southwest today. Likewise, you can extend your search range appropriately.”

“Understood!” Liang Xiaofei nodded solemnly, his tone already tinged with the respect of a subordinate speaking to a superior.

Lin Yao was naturally pleased to accept such a talented individual.

Since Liang Xiaofei was willing to follow him, Lin Yao would not treat him unfairly.

When assigning tasks to Zhu Zhihan and Liang Xiaofei, Lin Yao allowed them a bit of freedom to expand their search areas.

When it came to Xia Yumeng, Lin Yao’s tone grew especially serious.

“Yumeng, you take three shadow wolves and search due north, but you absolutely must not go too far! If your clan sister isn’t found, and you get lost instead, that would be a disaster.”

Xia Yumeng stuck out her tongue and softly agreed, “Got it. I won’t run off today.”

Previously, in her urgency to save others, she often unwittingly ran far away.

Though she hadn’t caused any trouble, she understood that under these circumstances, it was safer to heed Lin Yao’s advice.

With Zhu Zhihan, Liang Xiaofei, and Xia Yumeng assigned, Lin Yao murmured thoughtfully, “I’ll cover the remaining directions with the other shadow wolves. If you find any clues, seek out the nearest shadow wolf and use their mental communication to notify me directly.”

With the tasks distributed, everyone set off on their respective searches.

Meanwhile, over in Xia Mengying’s area, she had already fought several fierce battles over the past two days against squads sent by Qin Tanlang and Zhao Wuji.

Xia Mengying herself remained unscathed and had evaded capture by Qin Tanlang’s forces, even managing to kill several of them in counterattacks.

Still, her situation was extremely perilous.

She could not leave this pocket dimension, nor could she fall into Qin Tanlang and the others’ encirclement.

When encountering scattered groups of three or four Beast Tamers, Xia Mengying could easily shake them off, even killing one or two.

But if she were to be surrounded, her chances would be slim indeed.