Astral Pet Store (WN)

Chapter 206 Speedy Ascension

Several groups were waiting in an orderly line in front of the tower entrance; all of them wished to test their strength through this ancient trial. It was a pretty good place to hone their spirits and endurance because that lingering soul of an elder dragon was a perfect training target.

They still needed to be cautious though, because the fragment of a dragon soul could still hurt or even kill them if their visit was untimely.

“Hey look. Someone reached the fourth level.” A man pointed to the 4th section of the tower which was glowing at the moment.

“He’s pretty good. An eighth-rank battle pet master or above, I reckon?”

Being an eighth-rank battle pet warrior was already impressive in this mysterious realm. Back in the base city, they were either leaders of prominent settler teams, or influential figures respected by many.

Unamused, Su Ping glanced at the glowing tower and found a spot at the very end of the line. He wanted to enjoy some peace while waiting, though the chattering crowds wouldn’t let him since most of them had gone there with many friends or teammates tagging along, all of them talking excitedly about all the fame and glory they could attain by leaving their names on the Pioneer’s Ranking list.

The conversations only grew louder and louder when somebody successfully reached the fourth level, because that was a rare occurrence.

Soon enough, more people began piling up behind him.

“Wait… Mister Su? Is that you?”

Su Ping turned around after hearing the voice, but only saw a person he didn’t recognize.

“You are…?”

He didn’t believe any of the students who usually visited his shop were qualified to be there. Though there might be exceptions.

The man chuckled embarrassingly. “I’m Gu Beichen, Mister Su. I used to buy stuff from you. I even placed my Fantasy Beast under your care once. That rings a bell?”

Su Ping did remember something like that. It was when his shop had yet to become widely-known among people. Gu Beichen seemed to be a settler who had purchased some pet food from his shop back then.

“Oh, I know you. Heh heh.”

“*sigh* Guess this happens when you have too many customers to take care of, eh?”

In the past, Gu Beichen had felt bothered by the insane price Su Ping asked of him for training his Fantasy Beast. But he changed his mind later when he summoned the pet during a barren area expedition; he realized that the unbelievable growth of his pet was completely worth 100,000 astral coins.

Unfortunately, he had been stuck in his mission so he couldn’t visit Su Ping for more services. He had always planned to do this as soon as he had time. It was completely unexpected to run into Su Ping in this place.

“Are you also here to test your mettle?” Gu Beichen checked Su Ping from head to toe without detecting any noticeable astral power. In his view, someone so young might have reached the fifth rank, which was already remarkable.

Su Ping nodded slightly in return.

Gu Beichen looked behind Su Ping and showed a strange look. “Did you come alone, Mister Su?”

“Um-hmm.”

“Whaaat? You’re not-“

This was a risky thing to do even if someone didn’t plan to enter the uncharted sectors. A lone traveler was often prey to muggers and murderers when walking in areas without proper surveillance. Even the titled battle pet warriors stationed there couldn’t keep an eye on all spots at all times.

“You um, do you need me to accompany you on your way back?” said Gu Beichen. He wouldn’t bother with such matters normally, though he decided to make an exception since Su Ping had indeed helped him once.

Su Ping declined the offer. As far as he could see, Gu Beichen was probably there to spend some time training, while he would leave as soon as he cleared the tower challenge. Their schedules wouldn’t allow it.

Gu Beichen looked a bit frustrated after his generous offer was turned down. He was currently a sixth-rank battle pet warrior who needed to reach the next rank to enter the Elite Pet Warrior League. He knew he could make it soon because he was strong enough to fight against most upper seventh-rank monsters already. He was confident that he could protect a vulnerable shopkeeper from most trouble.

He wanted to ask again, but held back on second thought; he had never been a man of many words. Since Su Ping didn’t need him, he would gladly avoid the extra work.

“Fair enough. Take care.”

Su Ping nodded slightly in return.

Both of them waited patiently without talking again.

A young lady in front of Su Ping was hopping happily while talking to an old man beside her. “Hey grandpa, I’ll reach the fifth floor this time! If that Tang Ruyan could do it at such an age, I can do it too!”

The old man smiled gently. “Of course you can, dear.”

Su Ping thought about the woman still trapped in his scroll and wondered how to deal with her later. He had to find a way to force her to talk.

The queue shortened at a steady pace. Soon, the girl in front of him had her turn.

The second section of the tower was lit up after only a minute had passed. The girl was apparently very experienced in getting past the illusion on the first floor.

The trick to succeed there was not strength, but courage. Even titled battle pet warriors would get too scared to continue if they didn’t know that the dragon lurking inside was only an illusion.

A moment later, the third section shone brightly.

Gu Beichan looked up with a frown. He could see that the lady was only 20 or perhaps younger, while he had already hit 25. Seeing such a young woman making progress so quickly stressed him out.

Soon, the fourth section glowed, causing several onlookers to yell out in surprise.

The miracle didn’t continue; after a long interval, the girl showed up at the base of the tower with sadness written all over her face.

“It’s okay, my girl,” her grandfather quickly moved closer to comfort her, “You can always try again next year. You have plenty of time.”

The girl clenched her teeth. “I—I’ll queue up and try again. I can make it to the fifth floor. I almost had it!”

The old man carefully checked whether she was hurt in any way.

11*Sigh* All right. But don’t push yourself too hard, OK?”

“I won’t, grandpa.”

Given that he wasn’t going to challenge the tower due to his old age, he turned around and was about to head to the end of the line. He stopped for a moment when he saw another young man just behind his granddaughter; he seemed to be of a similar age.

“Oh, pardon me, my friend. I’m not a challenger. You may go ahead.”

Su Ping came back from his inner musings and realized it was already his turn.

The old man shook his head as he believed that this young man was too easily distracted.

“Are you sure you’re ready, young’un? This is no child’s play. Going in there unprepared is too dangerous.” Su Ping looked at the old man. “Ready? Oh, well, yeah, I’m totally ready.”

“You-I mean… All right. Take care of yourself.” The old man moved aside as he was not interested in being too considerate to a stranger.

“Keep your eyes peeled in there, Mister Su!” Gu Beichen reminded him.

“Sure. You be careful too. The challenges are pretty harsh.”

Well you don’t have to tell me about that! Gu Beichen thought with an irritated look. Is he seriously going into the tower like a clueless sightseer??

Su Ping answered him by entering the entrance without looking back. “That man looks pretty young, doesn’t he?” the girl commented.

“Sure does.” The old man nodded. “He must have earned a ticket here through his connections. But compared to you, he’s clearly unprepared for this.”

The girl didn’t look interested. She was used to running into “unprepared guys” during her studies.

“Quick, let’s go to the end of the line and start over, grandpa.”

“Sure.”

They walked along the line, but were soon stopped by several yelling people around them.

Confused, the girl turned around and saw the fourth section of the bone tower shining in yellow.

“He—how??”