Beast Taming Star Journey

“Wait a minute,” I said in a low voice, “something seems off.”

My brow furrowed, and the fiery lion pawed at the ground uneasily, a deep roar emanating from the depths of its throat.

The fresh scent of grass and trees in the air seemed to be masked by a faint fishy smell. This smell was so faint that it was almost imperceptible. If my beast companion and I had not been of one mind and shared senses, we would probably have had a hard time noticing it.

Su Yao noticed my unusual behavior and asked with concern, "What's wrong, Nong Yu?"

The white crane beside her also folded its wings and cautiously looked around.

"The energy fluctuations around us... are very chaotic," I said in a low voice, trying to discern the unusual interference. "It seems that something is interfering with our connection with our beast taming partners."

The expression on Lan's companion's face also turned serious. He tried to communicate with his beast companion, a huge armored rhinoceros, but found that the connection was intermittent and very unstable.

“My beast companion has sensed it too,” he said anxiously. “It has become restless and unable to concentrate.”

Just then, a shrill laugh shattered the tranquility of the forest.

I turned my head and saw the Beastmaster standing not far away, a sinister smile on his face.

The giant python beside him flicked its tongue, its scarlet eyes fixed on us.

“Looks like someone’s in trouble,” the Beast Tamer said sarcastically. “This Beast Taming Partner Cooperation Zone isn’t so easy to get through.”

My heart sank. Could it be that he was behind this interference?

I tried to communicate with the Flame Lion again, but the connection remained intermittent. It paced restlessly, occasionally letting out an uneasy growl.

In this situation, it's impossible to conduct a collaborative test. "Don't worry, Nong Yu," Su Yao held my hand, her hand warm and strong, giving me a sense of comfort, "Let's think of a solution together."

However, the test had already begun. The voice of the cerium elf echoed through the forest: "The first test: cooperative hunting! Each group of beast tamers, together with their beast taming partners, must hunt down the designated number of Swift Rabbits."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than several Swift Rabbits darted out of the bushes with astonishing speed.

I tried to command the Flame Lion to pursue it, but the interference waves became increasingly intense, and my connection with it was almost completely severed.

The Flame Lion stood there blankly, at a loss. Lan's companion was in no better shape; his heavy, armored rhinoceros was no match for the agile Swift Rabbit, and several attempts ended in failure.

The Beastmaster, however, seemed unusually relaxed. His giant python moved freely through the forest and quickly hunted down several Swift Rabbits.

Seeing our disheveled state, his smile grew even more smug.

"Looks like someone's going to be eliminated," he said sarcastically. "What a pity."

Seeing the smug look on the beast tamer's face, my heart was filled with rage.

This disturbance is definitely related to him! I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

I must find the source of the interference to break this deadlock...

My gaze swept over the beast tamer and the giant python beside him, and suddenly, I noticed a faint light shimmering on the python's neck...

"What is that?" I squinted, a guess forming in my mind...

"Su Yao," I said in a low voice, "look at the python's neck, isn't there something glowing?"

Su Yao followed my gaze and frowned slightly: "It seems... yes, it's flashing, what is it?"

I already had the answer in my heart, and said in a deep voice, "I guess that's the source of the interference."

I pointed to the almost imperceptible faint light at the python's neck, "That should be a special kind of jammer that can disrupt the mental connection between the beast tamer and his beast partner."

Su Yao suddenly realized: "No wonder our beast-taming companions can't concentrate! This beast tamer actually used such despicable means!"

A flash of anger crossed her eyes, and she clenched her fists. I took a deep breath and said loudly, "Beast Tamer, I've seen through your tricks!"

The beast tamer was taken aback at first, then feigned composure and laughed, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

I sneered and pointed at the faint light on the python's neck: "You dare say that's not a jammer? Using such methods to interfere with our beast-taming partners is utterly despicable and shameless!"

The surrounding beast tamers all looked at the beast tamer and began to discuss among themselves.

The beast tamer's face turned ugly; he hadn't expected me to discover his secret.

"You...you're talking nonsense!" he argued. "That's just an ornament for my beast-taming companion!"

"Decorative items?" I countered. "What kind of decorative items would emit interfering fluctuations? Would you dare let Instructor Barium examine them?"

As soon as I finished speaking, Professor Barium appeared in front of us.

With a serious expression, he walked up to the beast tamer and carefully observed the faint light on the giant python's neck.

"What is this?" Instructor Barium asked in a deep voice. The Beastmaster of Cesium stammered, unable to speak for a long time.

Professor Barium reached out and took down the shimmering "ornament".

"It really was a jammer." Instructor Barium's tone carried a hint of anger. "Cesium Beast Tamer, you actually cheated during the test, violating the rules of the Beast Tamer Star!"

The beast tamer's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he weakly protested, "I...I just wanted to..."

“No need for further explanation,” Instructor Barium interrupted him, “Your behavior has seriously compromised the fairness of the test; you are disqualified!”

The beast tamer lowered his head in despair, and the giant python beside him let out a low whimper.

The instructor destroyed the jammer, and the surrounding interference waves disappeared instantly.

My connection with the Flame Lion was restored, and it excitedly nuzzled my face, letting out a loud roar.

I gently patted its mane, my heart filled with joy.

With the interference gone, Su Yao, Lan, and I quickly coordinated, and the Flame Lion, White Crane, and Ironclad Rhinoceros worked in perfect harmony to hunt down the Gale Rabbits, soon completing the first test.

In the tests that followed, we overcame all obstacles with flawless teamwork.

The tacit understanding between Su Yao and me impressed Instructor Bai.

Finally, we completed all the tests and stood at the exit of the Beast Taming Partner Cooperation Area.

“Congratulations,” Professor Barium said with a smile, “you have passed the test.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of accomplishment. However, at that moment, a strange unease suddenly arose in my heart.

I looked around and found that the air around me had become unusually heavy, and an indescribable sense of oppression enveloped me.

"What's wrong, Nong Yu?" Su Yao noticed my unusual behavior and asked with concern.

I shook my head, trying to suppress my unease: "I...I don't know either, I just have a feeling...something is about to happen..."

I looked up and saw a thick fog ahead, obscuring the road.

“Let’s go,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Let’s keep going.” I stepped into the mist, with Su Yao and my companion Lan following closely behind… The fog around us grew thicker and thicker, until we couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces. I felt a chill emanating from the depths of the mist… A hand gently rested on my shoulder…