73: Chapter 73 The Whereabouts of the Tyrannosaurus Heart!

The queue to receive the survival manual moved quickly.

The survival manual felt heavy in hand; the cover was made of wear-resistant, waterproof material, stamped with the emblem of the Qiming Beast-Taming Academy.

The freshmen just took it hurriedly, not even having time to flip it open, before hearing Zhao Honggang's voice, which sounded like muffled thunder, ring out again:

"Alright, everyone has the manual. Now, enter the secret realm in order."

As he spoke, he scanned the crowd, and a hint of a smile appeared on his usually stern face: "See you all in three days."

As soon as he finished speaking, the first few freshmen in line, under the guidance of the senior students in charge, stepped toward the seemingly ordinary forest ahead.

When the first freshman's foot crossed an invisible boundary, the air around them rippled like a calm lake disturbed by a pebble, suddenly spreading out in visible rings.

The moment the ripples appeared, the student's figure, like a reflection in water being disturbed, twisted and blurred until it vanished.

Then came the second, the third...

Every freshman who crossed that boundary triggered the same spatial ripples, and then their figures disappeared.

The line moved quickly, and soon it was Class Three's turn.

Lin Chen took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Hum.

An extremely faint sensation came, and the scenery before his eyes changed rapidly.

Whoosh—

The next moment, a breeze carrying the fresh scent of grass and moist soil brushed against his face.

Lin Chen quickly steadied himself and looked closely.

Before him was an entirely different world.

He was standing on a relatively open grassy field, with soft, thick grass beneath his feet.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the tall trees above, forming bright beams of light, with dust motes drifting within them.

The air was exceptionally fresh, and every breath made one feel invigorated.

Looking around, ahead lay an even denser forest, with ancient trees reaching the sky and vines hanging down.

In the distance to the left, there were rolling mountain contours covered in lush vegetation, with one peak standing particularly tall, its summit hidden in faint clouds.

To the right, the sound of water could be faintly heard; there seemed to be a river or a stream.

Behind him was also an endless sea of forest, and the entrance he had come through had long since vanished without a trace.

"So this is the interior of the secret realm..."

Lin Chen whispered to himself, then with a thought, he immediately summoned the Flame Claw Beast and the Songsong Dog.

"Gagu?"

As soon as the Flame Claw Beast appeared, it pricked up its ears vigilantly, its nostrils twitching, and its dark green eyes scanned the surroundings rapidly.

Huh, an unfamiliar environment.

The Songsong Dog appeared next: "Ying wu?"

The little one seemed somewhat bewildered by the sudden change in environment, but it was quickly attracted by the rich vitality and scenery around it. It looked around with curious, bright black eyes, but when it sensed the various strange auras in the air, it subconsciously leaned toward Lin Chen's feet.

"Alright, let's figure out where we are first."

Lin Chen took out the survival manual and flipped through it quickly.

The manual's content was detailed, with both text and illustrations.

The first page was a panoramic map of the secret realm, drawn quite precisely, marking the main terrain and landforms.

"First, determine my location..."

Lin Chen closed the manual and looked up to scan the surroundings.

He quickly locked onto the most conspicuous landmark in his field of vision—that towering mountain peak piercing the clouds, its summit wreathed in mist.

Through this mountain peak and the surrounding reference points, Lin Chen quickly determined his approximate position; he was in the southwest region of the secret realm, where the terrain was relatively flat.

Subsequently, he quickly browsed the section in the manual regarding the creatures of the secret realm.

The manual listed dozens of known common wild pet beasts, including not only low-level Transcendent ones like the "Grass Vine Monster" and "Azure Blade Ant," but also mid-level Transcendent ones like the "Poison Blade Mantis" and "Water Moss Beast," as well as High-level Transcendent ones like the "Thunder Leopard" and "Black Armor Giant Rhino," among others.

Each pet beast came with a sketch, a description of its habits, a danger assessment, and most importantly—the points obtainable by defeating it.

The points ranged from a few to several dozen, and for the same type of pet beast, the points varied depending on its strength.

Suddenly, Lin Chen's fingers, which were turning the pages, paused, and his gaze fixed.

On a certain page of the manual, several creatures were marked with eye-catching red borders and huge red exclamation marks.

The note next to them read: "Leader-level Pet Beast!"

The so-called Leader-level pet beasts were actually individual pet beasts that, due to talent, opportunity, or long years of growth, had reached a level far surpassing their peers. They were larger, stronger, and often possessed more powerful skills or special abilities, making them the overlords within their regions.

And among those few names and sketches marked in red, Lin Chen's gaze locked tightly onto one:

[Molten Armor Dragon Lizard]

[Attribute: Fire, Dragon]

[Danger Level: Extremely High (Team action recommended)]

[Points: 200]

Molten Armor Dragon Lizard!

Lin Chen's heart jumped violently.

If he remembered correctly, this type of pet beast would gestate the Dragon-type resource needed for the Flame Claw Beast's evolution—the tyrant dragon heart.

In other words, perhaps he didn't have to wait to exchange points for the tyrant dragon heart; he could completely obtain it in the secret realm ahead of time.

"Then, the goal for this Freshman Grand Competition is clear." Lin Chen closed the manual, his eyes narrowing.

First, become the champion and obtain the double rewards from the system and the academy.

Second, find this Molten Armor Dragon Lizard and obtain the tyrant dragon heart.

With that thought, Lin Chen took two energy cubes from his backpack and handed them to the Flame Claw Beast and the Songsong Dog:

"I'll be counting on you both from here on out."

"Gagu!"

The Flame Claw Beast snatched the energy cube in one bite, swallowed it in a few gulps, and fighting spirit burned brightly in its eyes.

Without needing Lin Chen to say more, bearing the shame of the broken engagement, as a genius, the Flame Claw Beast would slay all enemies.

"Ying wu~"

The Songsong Dog chewed in small bites, but it snuck a glance at Lin Chen and quietly tensed its body.

This was its first time going out with Lin Chen.

"Alright, let's go!" Lin Chen waved his hand.

"Gagu!"

The Flame Claw Beast let out a low roar and took the lead without hesitation. It lowered its body slightly, its sharp gaze scanning ahead, its face filled with impatience.

The Songsong Dog followed closely at Lin Chen's feet.

One person and two pets quickly plunged into the deep, dense forest ahead, their figures soon swallowed by the shadows of the thick branches and leaves.

The light in the forest was dim, and the ground was piled with thick, rotting leaves; stepping on them felt soft and made a faint rustling sound.

The air was filled with a strange scent of decaying plants intertwined with new life, and occasionally, some small insect-type or wood-type pet beasts could be seen being startled and quickly scurrying away.

Lin Chen ignored these low-value targets; his goal was to cross this relatively safe edge of the forest as quickly as possible, enter an area that might have more high-point prey, and simultaneously find the Molten Armor Dragon Lizard.

After walking for about ten minutes, the Flame Claw Beast leading the way suddenly stopped, its gaze locked onto a patch of waist-high, dense grass to the right.

"Gagu~"

Its genius sense of smell told it there was an enemy ahead.

A long snake, about two meters long, crimson all over, and only as thick as an arm, slowly slithered out from the grass.

It raised its triangular head, its scarlet tongue flicking in and out, and its body pulled back slightly, adopting a coiled posture ready to strike: "Hiss~"

The Flame Claw Beast's eyes flashed with ferocity, and it gave a grim smile: "Gagu gagu~"

The enemy not only didn't run for its life but actually tried to take the initiative to attack.

It turned its head to look at Lin Chen and made a throat-slitting gesture with its sharp claws: "Gagu?"

But Lin Chen squatted down, gently stroked the Songsong Dog's head, and said softly: "This battle, you handle it."

The Flame Claw Beast was shocked, as if struck by lightning: "Gagu?"