Liu Yi thought for a moment, then directly picked up 14 【A-rank Pet Skill Proficiency Boosters: 10%】 and 4 【B-rank Pet Skill Proficiency Boosters: 1%】, dropping them onto the word ‘Glare’ on Chiying’s information panel.
【Glare (Expert 56%) → Glare (Arcane ∞)】
At least the proficiency was over 50%, so it wasn’t a significant loss.
Now, 12 【A-rank Pet Skill Proficiency Boosters: 10%】 and 84 【B-rank Pet Skill Proficiency Boosters: 1%】 remained; she would continue to save them.
The most important thing now was to prepare to leave.
Liu Yi stood up, and Ziyue and Chiying immediately pressed against her.
“We need to find a way out,” Liu Yi’s voice echoed in the empty rock cave. “The only exit should be where we first entered.”
They returned to their original spot.
Liu Yi looked up at the water above, separated by an invisible barrier: “Ziyue, try using Frost Path to extend upwards and see if it can penetrate the barrier.”
Ziyue nodded, gently tapping the ground with her front paw. A frosty blue path instantly extended upwards, passing directly through the invisible barrier and continuing its ascent.
Liu Yi said, “It seems that barrier was just to separate the water above.”
However, she didn’t know how long it would take to surface after entering the water from here, or if her breath would last.
Just then, the water above suddenly rippled, and a blurry figure slowly descended from above.
The ripples in the water above became more pronounced, and the blurry figure gradually sharpened.
It was a slender Water-type pet, entirely aquamarine, with its dorsal fins fanning out.
Liu Yi immediately recognized the newcomer: an Advanced rank pet, the Aquamarine Seahorse.
The Aquamarine Seahorse was a working pet of the Beast Tamer Association’s rescue team, specialized in underwater rescue operations.
The Aquamarine Seahorse spotted the traces of the Frost Path and swam along it to the invisible barrier. Its large, round eyes met Liu Yi’s through the barrier.
“Bingbing!”
Ziyue immediately let out a clear cry.
The Aquamarine Seahorse was visibly startled. It quickly circled the barrier, then turned and swam upwards, soon disappearing from view.
“It must be going to notify the rescue team,” Liu Yi said with a sigh of relief, gently stroking Ziyue’s head. “We should be able to get out soon.”
Chiying coiled around Liu Yi’s neck, its crimson eyes fixed on the water above.
About twenty minutes later, the water rippled again, and this time, three figures appeared.
Two Aquamarine Seahorses and a Beast Tamer in a diving suit. The Beast Tamer wore a special mask and had the Beast Tamer Association’s emblem pinned to their chest.
The Beast Tamer approached the barrier, took a small device from their waist, and pressed it against the barrier.
The device emitted a soft blue light, and the barrier rippled like water, revealing an opening large enough to pass through, but no water flowed out.
“Liu Yi?” the Beast Tamer’s voice, muffled by the mask, asked. “I’m Xu Xianglu from the Longwu Beast Tamer Association’s Secret Realm Rescue Team. Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you!” Liu Yi shouted back, her voice echoing in the rock cave.
“That’s great!” Xu Xianglu visibly relaxed. “We’ve been looking for you for two whole days. Wan Yulian and her group already returned safely, but then came back in, insisting they wouldn’t leave until you were found.”
“Can you come up?” Xu Xianglu asked. “The Aquamarine Seahorses can take you out.”
Liu Yi immediately mounted Ziyue, and Ziyue trotted upwards along the Frost Path.
The moment they entered the water, one of the Aquamarine Seahorses immediately swam to Liu Yi, opened its mouth, and exhaled a large, transparent air bubble that slowly enveloped Liu Yi.
Once fully enclosed, the bubble had no internal water currents, allowing Liu Yi to breathe freely. She reached out and touched the inner wall; it felt like flexible rubber.
Another Aquamarine Seahorse created a bubble for Ziyue as well.
As for Chiying, it indicated that it could move freely in the water without a bubble.
Xu Xianglu asked, “Are you ready? We’re going up.”
Liu Yi nodded, gripping the inside wall of the bubble.
The Aquamarine Seahorse manipulated the water currents, propelling the bubble upwards.
Chiying, meanwhile, gracefully swayed its body, easily keeping pace beside Liu Yi.
As they ascended and turned in countless directions, the Glowmoss grew brighter, and Liu Yi could see the sunlight rippling on the water’s surface.
“Splash—”
The bubble broke the surface, and she looked around, finding herself in the center of the pool.
Standing on the bank, anxiously waiting, were Wan Yulian, Jin Yan, and Jia Yangping, along with several staff members in Beast Tamer Association uniforms.
“Liu Yi!” Wan Yulian waved excitedly, tears glinting in her eyes. “It’s so good that you’re safe!”
The Aquamarine Seahorse pushed the bubble to the shore, where it automatically popped upon contact with land.
Liu Yi stepped onto solid ground, and Ziyue leaped out of her bubble right after.
Chiying, in turn, sprang from the water, landing lightly beside Liu Yi, and shook off water droplets in sync with Ziyue.
“Thank goodness you’re alright!” Jin Yan rushed forward, her voice choked. “After the purple mist cleared, you never came back...”
Jia Yangping scratched his head, his honest face filled with guilt. “It’s all our fault for being too weak; we couldn’t help.”
“I’m fine,” Liu Yi reassured them. “I was just washed into an underwater rock cave. Thanks to Ziyue and Chiying, we were able to safely wait for rescue.”
An older Beast Tamer Association staff member stepped forward, a look of approval on her stern face. “Student Liu Yi, I am Cai Lan, the head of the Longwu Beast Tamer Association’s Secret Realm Management Office. You single-handedly resolved the Phantom Mist Sovereign crisis and saved many trapped Beast Tamers. The Association will grant you appropriate commendations.”
“According to our on-site investigation and what Wan Yulian and her group reported, if you hadn’t acted promptly, the hallucinogenic spores controlled by the Phantom Mist Sovereign could have spread throughout the entire Secret Realm, causing severe consequences.”
She turned to a nearby staff member: “After leaving the Secret Realm, arrange a vehicle to take Student Liu Yi and her friends back to the Beast Tamer Association Main Building. They need to rest well, and then we will discuss the rewards in detail.”
In the car on the way back, Wan Yulian recounted in detail what happened after Liu Yi disappeared.
It turned out that after the purple mist dissipated, the rescue team quickly arrived, but they searched the entire pool without finding any trace of Liu Yi.
Wan Yulian said, “It wasn’t until this morning that a rescue team member’s Aquamarine Seahorse discovered the underwater traces of the Frost Path, which finally pinpointed your location.”
Liu Yi looked at Xu Xianglu in the front row: “Thank you for your professionalism and persistence.”
Xu Xianglu turned and smiled. “It’s our job. But honestly, to survive a battle with an ‘Advanced pet’ and then endure underwater for so long, and still be able to use skills for the Aquamarine Seahorse to find you two days later—you and your pets are truly remarkable.”
“One could also say your own abilities saved you.”
Rate on N.U.
