The Snow Mountain Ice Lotus was of immense value—rare and priceless, a true treasure that could not be bought.
Because of this, Kent couldn't calm down, but after thinking for a while, he realized there was no need to worry.
Returning to the cave's depths, he saw that the enormous 500-year-old Snow Mountain Ice Lotus hadn't changed. It still lay quietly in the same place, though another petal had fallen off.
"How should such a large ice lotus be used?"
Kent found himself in a dilemma and decided to sit down and think it over.
Although the ice lotus was a high-grade spiritual herb, using it himself didn't seem to offer much benefit. Even though he had mastered ice abilities, the power wouldn't be particularly useful.
Microglow City was located in the south, with warm weather and distinct seasons.
If he were in the north, where snowstorms raged and the cold was unbearable, then having ice abilities would be like a fish in water.
Kent had read some materials and knew that powers were linked to the environment. For example, mastering fire abilities was much less effective in water.
"Anyway, I'll just take it for now and figure it out later."
Kent acted on his decision, carefully digging out the Snow Mountain Ice Lotus. The cold touch made him shiver, and his face turned pale from the chill.
Since his space bag was already filled with Longyuan fruits, Kent had to take some out to make room for the ice lotus, finally feeling relieved.
He summoned Wukong and sat down to eat fruits together with it.
Watching Wukong's experience points and loyalty index rise, Kent felt cheerful. He thought to himself that it wouldn't be long before Wukong could handle things on its own, and at that point, he could apply to become a mercenary.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the last morning of the trial, Instructor He led the first group of students down from Ox Horn Mountain, where they registered the number of Illusion Worm Spirits they had caught at the entrance of the secret realm.
"Zhao Mengxi, caught 32."
"Leng Zimu, caught 27."
"Zhao Shi, caught 5."
"..."
Kent, standing nearby, was a bit surprised. The reason Zhao Mengxi caught so many probably had to do with the Firewing Dragon—by sharing its flying abilities, catching them was relatively easy.
As for Leng Zimu, his numbers were inflated. With his abilities, he couldn't have caught that many, but he had many lackeys. They relied on teamwork to trap the creatures and then pooled their catches.
Finally, it was Kent's turn. He shyly pulled out three Illusion Worm Spirits.
These three were given to him by Zhao Mengxi. In other words, Kent hadn't caught a single one on his own. This result was simply abysmal.
"Kent, caught three."
"Kent, haha, now you regret letting your pet cat go, don't you? Without being able to share its abilities, you're still that useless fool."
Leng Zimu laughed heartily, and his lackeys followed suit.
"Kent, honestly, I've never seen anyone as foolish as you. It seems like I've already won this bet," Zhao Zhi said with a grin, clearly enjoying the moment.
Kent pursed his lips but didn't respond. With his current skills, catching Illusion Worm Spirits would have been incredibly easy.
But what was the point? He had lost all interest in the trial's ranking. As long as he was enjoying himself, that was enough.
"With my current status, quibbling over a few hundred credit points is beneath me," he thought to himself.
All the Illusion Worm Spirits were collected, and the credit points they earned would be distributed by the secret realm's owner to the school, who would then allocate them to individuals.
It seemed that no matter where you were, this was always how things worked.
As they were leaving the secret realm, Instructor He said with a smile to Captain Gao, "Captain Gao, remember to have the donation under Kent's name processed within a week."
Kent almost forgot about this. Since he had obtained the Snow Mountain Ice Lotus, which was extremely valuable, he had been too immersed in his joy to remember. It was only thanks to Instructor He's reminder that he recalled it.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten about the bet with Leng Zimu and Zhao Zhi. After all, the bet involving the Snow Bull Mercenary Group benefited Saint Stone High School, and he was just a figurehead. He didn't care much about it.
Captain Gao twitched his face but nodded without saying anything.
A million credit points was a large sum, but as a mercenary group leader who had been through the wilderness for many years, he still had some savings.
Moreover, the bet wasn't under his personal name; it was a decision made by the entire group, and all the members were contributing their share.
Stepping onto the hanging ladder, Kent entered the secret realm's portal, but this time, it felt different. Although he still stepped into empty space and fell into darkness, there was a repulsive force pushing him.
Entering the secret realm felt like being pulled by gravity, with wind rushing up from beneath.
Exiting the secret realm felt like being pushed by a repulsive force, sending his whole body flying outward.
One minute later, Kent emerged from the secret realm and saw the familiar clear sky and clouds drifting lazily. However, the ground was littered with ruins, fraught with danger.
At the entrance, the Mountain Ape and others were waiting, holding ten steel ropes, ready to lower people down. Kent took one obediently and quickly slid down.
With his current strength, he wasn't able to jump directly from a height of ten or more meters. Garfield's high jump ability only allowed him to leap over 20 meters, so using that ability here wasn't particularly safe.
After all the first group of students had gathered, Instructor He led them on their journey back to the city under the morning sun.
"Don't let your guard down; don't fall behind. There are still dangers on the way back," Instructor He warned.
Though his words were serious, the students, having grown stronger during the trial, weren't particularly worried. They had already encountered dangerous creatures like the Wild Giant Bear, Dark Frost Bats, and Knife Scales Blood Serpents and had gained considerable growth.
Kent remained silent on the way back.
Overall, this trial had been incredibly rewarding. Even if he lost the bet to Leng Zimu and Zhao Shi, it didn't bother him. The Snow Mountain Ice Lotus was worth at least ten million credit points.
He was silent because he was contemplating his future. Should he continue his studies at university?
After some thought, he realized there was no real need. With the God Pet Evolution System, there was no need to follow the traditional path. He longed to unleash the powers he had mastered and to gain even greater strength.
Going to university felt like a constraint. It required a lot of time for studying and socializing, but those things didn't offer much help for his goals.
"Maybe I should take a break from school."
He made a bold decision in his heart. This decision might not be understood by others, but Kent didn't need their understanding. Becoming stronger quickly was his ultimate goal.