Wilderness: I Tame Beasts to Survive

Chapter 396: Chapter 273: Sprint 2

At that moment, Dean Wu made his way through the chattering crowd, silently approaching Han Ning to speak with him.

"Over eighty of them are senior figures in their respective industries—essentially experts in their fields. Oh, and I have to tell you something—this afternoon, we actually ran into Academician Zhou Mingkai on the ship!"

"Who?" Hearing the completely unfamiliar name, Han Ning blinked in confusion.

"A top scholar in the field of mathematics back home, an academician of both academies, a giant in applied mathematics." A rare look of excitement appeared on Dean Wu’s face. "With Academician Zhou’s help, we might be able to better study Beast Taming through the lens of human science."

"How could such an important figure be on a cruise ship? Did the government find out we were missing and start running experiments?" Han Ning asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

But Dean Wu shook his head with an odd expression. "Ahem... Apparently, he was taking his family on a cruise to relax after finishing a project. Just bad luck that they ended up here."

"..."

Given how important he was, Dean Wu naturally had to bring Han Ning over for an introduction.

Dean Wu clearly held Academician Zhou in extremely high regard. He had even arranged a private table for the man’s family, with dedicated staff to serve their food. All they had to do was eat.

This special treatment, however, seemed to make Academician Zhou a bit uncomfortable, and he repeatedly thanked the staff serving them.

Academician Zhou looked rather young for his status, perhaps around fifty years old. He had short, dark hair and wore a pair of plain, rimless glasses. With his slender build, a height of about one-seventy, and a simple white sweatshirt, he looked no different from any other university professor.

Sitting beside him were two women and a man, who must have been his family.

"Academician Zhou, allow me to make an introduction. This is our academy’s strongest combatant and our most important pillar—Han Ning," Dean Wu said with a smile, introducing the two.

"Ah! So you’re Xiaohan. Dean Wu was just telling me all about you. Thank you for saving my family." Upon hearing the introduction, Academician Zhou immediately put down his chopsticks and stood up, intending to thank Han Ning formally.

"No, no! You’re too kind."

Quick-witted and deft, Han Ning swiftly stopped him.

Han Ning felt an inexplicable sense of relief, seeing that Academician Zhou was, at least on the surface, approachable.

’Honestly, it would be a lie to say I’m not nervous,’ Han Ning thought. He hadn’t even felt this way when facing the powerful Cang Fei.

’This must be the profound influence of twenty years of education in Xia Country.’

Academician Zhou enthusiastically invited Han Ning and Dean Wu to join them. With such a warm invitation, Han Ning found it hard to refuse and took a seat nearby. Soon, they were all deep in conversation.

From their conversation, Han Ning learned that Academician Zhou had just recently completed an important national-level project. A friend had gifted his family several luxury cruise tickets, so he decided to take his family on a trip to relax. He never imagined something like this would happen.

The woman across from him, who appeared to be around his age, was his wife. She was also a researcher at a scientific institute.

The other, much younger man and woman were their son and daughter.

After a round of polite pleasantries, Han Ning put down his cup and asked curiously, "Academician Zhou, do you remember what time it was on Blue Star when you transmigrated?"

"Don’t be so formal. Call me Lao Zhou, or Teacher Zhou. I think it was around 11 AM on October 14, 2021. Why?"

"The 14th as well? It seems the flow of time between the Insect Continent and Blue Star is completely different," Han Ning sighed softly and replied. "When we transmigrated, it was also October 14, 2021, but in the morning."

Hearing this, Zhou Mingkai fell into thought.

"Teacher Zhou, have you discovered anything?"

Zhou Mingkai shook his head. "It’s nothing. I was just thinking that since we both transmigrated here, one after the other, there should be a passage nearby that connects our two worlds. Of course, with our current capabilities, we can’t observe such a passage. We might need to rely on this world’s technology or specialized instruments to conduct a deeper investigation."

"Whether it’s traversing wormholes or the theory of multiple parallel universes, these theories involve relativity, quantum mechanics, and string theory. Most are still in the hypothesis stage; they remain in the realm of scientific exploration."

Han Ning understood the subtext. With humanity’s current technology, they probably couldn’t solve the mystery of transmigration, so they had to rely on this world’s technology.

’And what technology does this world have?’ Han Ning mused. ’As far as I know, it’s just Spiritual Arrays and Soul Beast breeding...’

"The path home is fraught with difficulty, so let’s set that aside for now. Why don’t you tell me about your current situation?" Zhou Mingkai said with a smile, looking at Dean Wu and Han Ning.

The two exchanged a look, and Dean Wu briefly told Zhou Mingkai about the major events since the academy’s transmigration.

After recounting the series of events, more than an hour had passed without them noticing. The crowd gathered on the lawn gradually dispersed, and the surroundings became quiet again.

"So, you’re saying this continent we’re on is on the verge of destruction, and you’re selecting personnel to learn about something called a ’Spiritual Array’?" An interested expression appeared on Zhou Mingkai’s face. "That sounds remarkably similar to a data model. Would it be possible for you to take me to see how a Spiritual Array is drawn sometime?"

"I’m afraid that won’t be possible. To see the flow of Elemental Particles clearly, your Spiritual Power must be at Tier One or higher. So, for now, all of you need to focus on contracting a Soul Beast as quickly as possible to raise your Spiritual Power."

It wasn’t that Han Ning was unwilling to show Zhou Mingkai. The problem was that understanding a Spiritual Array required a foundation in Spiritual Power. Otherwise, to the naked eye, it would just look like a meaningless tangle of glowing lines, like an LED light strip.

"Furthermore, learning the Alatake and Witch Spirit languages also requires Spiritual Power. Both are classified as ’Spiritual Languages,’ as they possess the power to manipulate Spiritual Particles."

Zhou Mingkai nodded. "Understood."

...

The arrival of the new members greatly supplemented the academy’s number of prospective Beast Masters.

Akatos and the Dragon Blood Race took responsibility for dealing with the Cyan God Armor Tribe. From that point on, the Barrier on the outskirts of the Jade Forest was fully activated, and they entered a state of total defense.

Thanks to the round-the-clock efforts of the academy’s administration, all 982 newcomers were settled in. They were assigned to various fields based on their professional expertise to assist with preparations for the great evacuation.

As the academy’s strongest fighting force, Han Ning quietly returned to Night Nether City and began the most profound level of his Spiritual Cultivation.

Time slowly passed.

「In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.」

Night Nether City. The Cosmic Light Tower. The 39th floor of the Spiritual Gate.

A man with his eyes closed and a full beard sat cross-legged beneath the twinkling Scattered Crystal Stones.

Illusory lines of starlight sketched out strange patterns above him.

In the center of this nascent world stood a vast, boundless "mountain" that propped up the heavens.

Pangu the Great God’s eyes shone with divine splendor. Treasure Axe in hand, He swung it repeatedly toward the four cardinal directions.

The breath from His mouth transformed into white clouds and gales that swept across the sky.

His left eye emitted endless light and heat, while His right eye was cool and gentle.

His eyes slowly ascended, one after the other, suspending themselves in the firmament above.

As His axe struck, fissures spread across the ground, merging with the land to become the world’s four pillars and five great mountains.

He slashed at the heavens, and an endless torrent of water poured from the rift, becoming rivers, lakes, and oceans.

...

The cultivation method of the Four Symbols Meditation Technique surged through Han Ning’s mind. Images from ancient legends surfaced from the depths of his consciousness as his Spiritual Power spontaneously activated, weaving together one magnificent scene of creation after another.

He was completely immersed in this nascent, primordial world, oblivious to the passage of time...

An unknown amount of time passed. Within his Spiritual World, the sky representing the constellations blazed with brilliant starlight!

Suddenly! A waterfall of starlight cascaded from the heavens, his Spiritual Power forming a brilliant galaxy that flooded into his mind.

Han Ning abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within his pupils.

Spiritual Power, Tier Four. Achieved!

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