Wilderness: I Tame Beasts to Survive

Chapter 466: Chapter 308: The Suitable Candidate (2)

Rationally, Han Ning felt he had to choose between the two of them.

So, he simply tossed the frustrating decision to Dean Wu. "Ugh, this is giving me a headache. Dean Wu, you’re highly respected and your word is law, so I’ll leave the decision to you. I’m washing my hands of it."

Dean Wu looked at his student, utterly speechless, and shook his head in resignation. "I know what you’re thinking. Leave it to me."

...

「The next day, inside a luxurious private room at Tingchao Pavilion.」

"This is the Beast Master you recommended?" Shui Rui asked, her voice laced with surprise as she sized up Liu Mengting, who was next to Han Ning.

The woman was just so ordinary-looking and showed no signs of any powerful Spiritual Fluctuation. She looked like a common passerby, which naturally made Shui Rui doubt her.

"Yes, she’s very skilled. Second only to me," Han Ning said with a faint smile.

Liu Mengting and Lin Tianhe were seated beside him.

Lin Tianhe knew he wasn’t strong enough and had voluntarily given up the spot, but he wasn’t about to miss out on the action.

As for his young follower, Ah Yu, Han Ning had sent her into the city with Hailian to buy some local specialties.

Shui Rui didn’t agree immediately. Instead, she said in a deliberating tone:

"I’m going to contact another Beast Master and have him test her strength. What do you think, Han Ning?"

"I have no objection," Han Ning nodded.

"Alright, please wait a moment." Shui Rui said a word to her younger sister beside her, and the slender, buxom Shuili turned and left the room.

"He’s often difficult to reach, so I had to send my sister to fetch him in person," Shui Rui explained, taking a sip of the local tea.

"The one I have in mind is a Beast Master with Deep Sea Race blood. He’s a cut above Shui Yun in terms of strength."

In Shui Rui’s plan, Shui Yun was the backup for the third spot; if she couldn’t find any other suitable candidates, she would have to choose her.

"A Beast Master from the Deep Sea Race?" Han Ning was somewhat surprised. The Deep Sea Race was a major power. He had heard they possessed legacies of advanced Meditation Techniques, far beyond what races like the Merfolk and Sea Deer—who had to band together for survival—could ever hope to match.

Time trickled by as they sipped their tea and ate dessert.

About half an hour later, the sound of footsteps approached from outside.

Shui Rui’s sister returned, leading in a burly giant of a man who was rippling with muscle. He stood at least two meters tall, and his eyes flashed with a vicious glint.

He was slightly hunched, with bronze skin and a face covered in fish scales that made it impossible to tell his age. He wore a silk, short-sleeved garment, revealing muscular arms and a back covered in jet-black scales.

The moment he stepped inside, the thick stench of the sea filled the air.

His physique alone lent credibility to his identity as a Beast Master from the Deep Sea Race.

"Sister, Wutuo is here."

"Please, sit." Shui Rui offered Wutuo a polite smile.

"Hmph." Wutuo grunted, his powerful voice echoing in the elegant room. He pulled out a chair and sat.

"Let me introduce you. This is Wutuo of the Blood Shark Squad, and these are..."

As the client, Shui Rui began to introduce them.

"You..."

"You’re not from one of the Celestial Sea races?"

Wutuo’s gaze swept over Han Ning and Lin Tianhe. When his eyes landed on Liu Mengting, they lingered for a couple of seconds, and a peculiar look flickered in their depths.

His brazen stare made Liu Mengting uncomfortable, and she let out a cold huff.

Han Ning sharply noticed the shift in his expression. ’His intuition told him there was something wrong with this man.’

"Wutuo, show some courtesy. It’s extremely rude to stare at a Beast Master from an Alien Race like that." Han Ning’s brow furrowed as he met Wutuo’s eyes with a cold gaze of his own.

"You..." Wutuo started to speak, but as he met Han Ning’s cold gaze, he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his mind. Tears welled up in his eyes uncontrollably.

Wutuo let out a low grunt, the fierce look on his face vanishing in an instant. Like an actor changing masks, he quickly forced a simple, honest smile. "My apologies, my mistake. I never imagined Your Excellency’s Spiritual Power would be so formidable. It must be at least Tier Three or higher, right?"

"Tier Four?!" Shuili, at the side, breathed out, her mouth slightly agape.

Although she wasn’t powerful herself, her years of dealing with Beast Masters from various races gave her a better understanding of their power levels than even some skilled combatants.

’A Beast Master with Tier Four Spiritual Power meant their Soul Beast was at least a Monarch.’

Wutuo averted his gaze, not daring to look at Han Ning again. He turned to Shui Rui and said, "Elder Shuirui, is he the one you want me to test? If so, I can tell you right now, there’s no need. Mr. Han Ning is formidable."

"No... It’s her," Han Ning said, shaking his head and pointing to Liu Mengting.

’Actually, Han Ning was puzzled. By all rights, Shui Rui should be a Beast Master with Tier Four Spiritual Power, meaning her Soul Beast was at least Monarch Level. She could have just conducted the test herself. Why go through the unnecessary trouble of finding someone of a lower caliber to do it?’

’There was likely only one explanation: either Shui Rui wasn’t skilled in combat, or her supposed strength was inflated.’

"Her...?" Cowed by Han Ning’s might, Wutuo shot a quick glance at Liu Mengting, a disdainful smile touching his lips. "Just leave the fighting to Mr. Han Ning and me. Our combined strength is more than enough to defeat any opponent."

"I’m the client. What I say, goes."

Shui Rui could also sense the tense atmosphere among the Beast Masters. Her brow furrowed, and she quickly interjected.

"Fine, let’s go!" Wutuo sneered and stood up. The muscles on his back tensed, forming a pattern that resembled a grotesque face.

Once Shui Rui and the others had left, Liu Mengting’s face was cold as she said, her voice laced with anger, "There’s something wrong with that Wutuo."

"What do you mean? Did you get a strange feeling from him?" Lin Tianhe asked thoughtfully, rubbing his bicep.

"His gaze... it was disgusting. I don’t know how to describe it. Like a creep!"

"Han Ning, don’t get me wrong and think I’m being petty. It’s not that I’m angry because he stared at me for a few seconds, but that his eyes held a powerful, predatory aggression..."

Worried Han Ning would think she was making a fuss, Liu Mengting quickly added.

"Yes, I know."

Beast Masters are highly sensitive to the gazes of others due to their Spiritual Power. They can easily discern the various emotions behind a look—an ability even a Tier One Beastmaster can grasp.

Liu Mengting’s Spiritual Power was at Tier Three. The fact that she felt this way meant there was definitely something wrong with him.

’If I’m not mistaken, that Wutuo is probably involved in some shady business. The Blood Shark Squad? I’ll have to look into that organization later.’ Han Ning’s senses were even more acute; he could faintly "smell" the thick stench of blood clinging to the man.

...

「Near Tingchao Pavilion, in a private training ground.」

Liu Mengting and Wutuo stood facing each other.

"The real battle is in a few days. Today is just a spar, so stop once a winner is clear. Don’t waste too much energy," Shui Rui reminded them as she looked at the two opponents.

"Understood." Liu Mengting nodded.

Wutuo kept his mouth shut, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere.

"Then... begin!" Acting as the referee, Shui Rui announced with a wave of her delicate hand.

"Han Ning, do you think Sister Mengting can beat that muscle freak?" Ever since Lin Tianhe had seen Wutuo’s dense musculature, he had bestowed the man with this new nickname.

"It’s hard to say. While Mengting’s Spiritual Power cultivation isn’t anything special, she has a unique gift for training Soul Beasts. Her synergy with Lan Qian is the best I’ve ever seen in a Beast Master pair. I don’t even know what their upper limit is."

While the two of them were whispering, the combatants on the field had already summoned their respective Soul Beasts.

The sound of churning seawater arose in front of Wutuo. A figure completely shrouded in dark-brown seaweed began to emerge from the Soul Beast Space. With a hunched back and heavy steps, its form resembled that of the ugly bell-ringer, Quasimodo, from *Notre-Dame Cathedral*.

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