Volume 1, Chapter 57: Still Treasure Hunting? The Purple-Horned Demon Legion is Here!

[Name: Seven-Colored Pearl Clam]
[Level: Level 1]
[Potential: SSS-Rank]
[Innate Talent: Great Dream of Ages (Sleeping inside the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam allows beast masters to grow rapidly while enhancing their own potential and skill effects.)]
[Skills: Sleep Through Difficulties, Smaller the Ability the Smaller the Responsibility, The Thirty-Six Stratagems as the Best Choice!]
……

After carefully examining the detailed information of the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam, Lin Yao could not help but fall into a brief trance.
He had to admit that the beast bestowed upon Xia Yumeng by the Profound Flame Empress was remarkably suited for her.
This beast was exceedingly rare, and its grade was shockingly high.
It was actually a legendary SSS-rank beast!
It must be remembered that Lin Yao had previously heard Murong Nanchi promise that only if he could raise his beast master level to Level 15 within a limited time would the guardian bestow upon him an SSS-rank beast.
Yet Xia Yumeng was blessed with supreme fortune, as the Profound Flame Empress casually bestowed an SSS-rank beast upon her.
Both the innate talent and skills of this beast, named the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam, were astonishingly compatible with Xia Yumeng.
Its [Great Dream of Ages] talent, to put it bluntly, allowed the beast master to lie inside the pearl clam and sleep to grow stronger.
In this way, not only would the beast master's level soar rapidly, but the beast master's various innate talents and skill effects would also continuously strengthen along with it.
Not only that, but the names of the three skills mastered by the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam were also quite amusing.
For instance, [Sleep Through Difficulties] was a defensive skill. As long as the beast master crawled into the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam and fell into a deep sleep, the shell could provide an impregnable defense.
In the future, if Xia Yumeng encountered an enemy she could not defeat, she could simply lie inside the pearl clam and dump all the pressure onto the enemy to worry about.
The defensive strength of the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam was by no means inferior to the Double-Winged Golden Cicada's impregnable defense talent.
Therefore, as long as the enemy's level was not vastly superior to Xia Yumeng's, they would basically be powerless against her.
As for the skill [Smaller the Ability the Smaller the Responsibility], it was likewise extremely suitable for Xia Yumeng.
As long as Xia Yumeng's strength was weaker than the enemy's, the damage she sustained would be reduced accordingly.
The stronger the enemy, the more obvious the damage reduction inflicted upon her and the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam would be.
Combined with [Sleep Through Difficulties], Xia Yumeng practically possessed exceptionally formidable self-preservation capabilities.

As for the final skill, [The Thirty-Six Stratagems as the Best Choice], it was, as the name implied, a tactic used for escaping and running for one's life.
This skill could directly teleport the beast master far away, though it consumed a significant amount of energy for both Xia Yumeng and the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam itself, so it was best not to use it carelessly unless absolutely necessary.
Lin Yao could not figure out where the Profound Flame Empress had managed to acquire such a top-tier beast.
However, he was certain that this beast was indeed, as the Profound Flame Empress had judged, remarkably fitting for Xia Yumeng.
Xia Yumeng herself used her scouting skill to scan the attributes of the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam, only to be startled by the immense value of the gift, making her hesitant to accept it for a moment.
Although she loved it dearly in her heart, this was a rare SSS-rank beast with an unimaginably high value!
Xia Yumeng felt that she could not possibly produce any gift of equal value to repay the Profound Flame Empress's generosity.
Thus, she had no choice but to hold back her reluctance and return the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam with both hands.
"Empress, I truly want this gift with all my heart, but this beast is far too precious; I cannot accept it!" Xia Yumeng bit her lip and said, "When I am able to offer an equivalent gift to the Empress in the future, I will exchange it with you then."
"Oh?"
The Profound Flame Empress slightly raised her cold phoenix-like eyes and sized up Xia Yumeng's delicate face for a fleeting moment.
She had merely bestowed this Seven-Colored Pearl Clam on a whim and had not expected the other party to repay her with equivalent benefits.
Yet Xia Yumeng's current reaction made the Profound Flame Empress hold a few more ounces of admiration for her.
The Profound Flame Empress had always bestowed favors without demanding returns, but she detested greedy and insatiable people above all else.
With this thought, she raised a hand to lightly stroke Xia Yumeng's head and said calmly, "This is my bestowal to you; you do not need to repay me with anything."
Hearing the Profound Flame Empress say this, Xia Yumeng looked back at Lin Yao, eagerly seeking his opinion.
This beast was simply too precious, and she still felt somewhat indecisive on her own.
Lin Yao smiled slightly, pondered for a moment, and spoke up, "Since the Empress gave it to you, just accept it with peace of mind."
Hearing these words, the Profound Flame Empress raised her delicate brows slightly.
She never considered herself as simply "giving" things to others; they were always "bestowments."
In her view, even Lin Yao's occasional audacity toward her was fundamentally a manifestation of her indulgence and appreciation, one of the favors she granted to him.
With Lin Yao's statement, Xia Yumeng finally accepted the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam beast with overflowing joy, then solemnly bowed to the Profound Flame Empress and expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Empress! I will definitely work hard to repay you in the future!"
The Profound Flame Empress gave a soft "hm" in acknowledgment and said no more.
Having gained such a massive benefit from the Profound Flame Empress, Lin Yao could not help but cast his gaze toward the exquisite hair-pin equipment resting in the Profound Flame Empress's hair bun.

Noticing the unusual look in his eyes, the Profound Flame Empress hurriedly waved her hand and said, "I do not have many personal treasures on me!"
The meaning was abundantly clear—do not harbor any thoughts about her private treasury!
Lin Yao chuckled inwardly, taking it in stride.
The Profound Flame Empress belonged entirely to him now, so naturally her private treasury must be considered his as well.
However, he did not push his luck further and chose not to actually compel the Profound Flame Empress to take out her private treasury for a detailed inspection at the moment.
After Xia Yumeng concluded the equal beast contract with the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam, Lin Yao led the group and continued on their journey.
Compared to before, Xia Yumeng's mood at this moment could only be described as utterly blissful.
This was hardly surprising; for the vast majority of beast masters, finding themselves in Xia Yumeng's current situation would undoubtedly put them in a fantastic mood.
After all, with the Seven-Colored Pearl Clam, Xia Yumeng's strength would increase even while she slept in the future, so of course she was happier than words could express!
Walking a bit further ahead, Lin Yao suddenly spoke up to signal a halt.
"What is it?" Xia Mengying immediately scanned her surroundings with heightened alertness and asked.
Gazing intently ahead, Lin Yao said in a deep voice, "A large number of Purple-Horned Fiends have appeared ahead, and they are currently locked in combat with some of the beast masters who entered the treasure hall earlier."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of both Xia Mengying and Xia Yumeng grew tense.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhihan curiously tugged at Lin Yao's sleeve and asked, "Brother, what are Purple-Horned Fiends?"
While manipulating the Shadow Werewolf to approach the battlefield ahead, Lin Yao prepared to explain to Zhu Zhihan.
However, before he could speak, the Double-Winged Golden Cicada fluttered its wings and eagerly stepped forward to curry favor, "Master, let this humble servant explain to the mistress!"
Lin Yao nodded slightly, thinking to himself that this was fine as well, just to see how much the Double-Winged Golden Cicada actually knew about the Purple-Horned Fiends.
The Double-Winged Golden Cicada's inherent [Born Knowing] talent sounded quite formidable, but it had yet to display any particularly dazzling performance thus far.
As it turned out, this time was no exception; before it could even get a word out, it was directly interrupted by Xia Yumeng.
"Quiet! Let me tell Zhihan!" Xia Yumeng glared at the Double-Winged Golden Cicada and cleared her throat.
In truth, her knowledge of alien races was extremely limited, but having finally encountered an alien race she had actually heard of, she naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to show off properly.
Thus, snapping up the chance before anyone else, Xia Yumeng popularized the knowledge: "Purple-Horned Fiends are an extremely ferocious elite alien race, evolved from the One-Horned Fiends."