"To be honest, my beast here is also a top-tier Heavenly beast, just like your Kylin, but it's a level 50 royal-grade monster, three levels higher than your Kylin," Kent said seriously, with no hint of boasting in his tone.
Upon hearing this, Long Buyu was genuinely taken aback. No wonder he had felt the unusual aura from the golden-haired giant cat. Even from a distance, it had an oppressive presence.
He couldn't help but believe Kent's words. His Kylin was a close-to-spirit-level monster, and it had shared some information with him, so he was more convinced now.
"I see," Long Buyu said inwardly shocked, but his expression remained unchanged as he nodded. "I've only seen your name online a few times, but I didn't expect you to be this powerful. I'm truly impressed."
Although Long Buyu was an auditor at the Inspection Academy, he was a smart person and could learn the professional content online, so he rarely went to school. He had heard of Kent and Zhao Mengxi, the famous couple, but he had only considered Kent as a remarkable freshman in his eyes—nothing more.
However, now, he couldn't help but reassess Kent. After all, strength was the best passport to recognition. When one was strong, others would acknowledge them.
He really wanted to ask how Kent had evolved that cat to a top-tier Heavenly beast. He had never heard of a top-tier Kylin King.
If he knew that this cat had originally been a lazy, fat pet, his curiosity would have increased tenfold.
Kent glanced at the Kylin, knowing it was Long Buyu's signature beast, and there might be other secrets hidden within him. But that was none of his business. After all, no one would share their secrets with a stranger.
Kent also would never reveal the existence of the system, even to Zhao Mengxi and Fan Qingmei. Firstly, it would be hard to explain, and secondly, he feared unnecessary complications.
"Compared to you, I'm still a bit lacking," Kent smiled lightly. "But could you tell me where you got your Kylin?"
Kent couldn't resist asking the somewhat private question.
"Uh... I'm afraid I cannot disclose that," Long Buyu's face darkened slightly.
Kent's mind began to race with thoughts. It seemed that Long Buyu's opportunity wasn't just the Kylin. The secret he was guarding likely wasn't the Kylin, but the space where the Kylin came from.
"What kind of space could it be?" Kent thought rapidly. It probably wasn't one of the well-known spaces, but rather a secret space known only to Long Buyu.
Given that the Kylin was a rare species, could it mean that there was a purebred Kylin in that space? It must be a large-scale space.
"So, Long Buyu might be hiding the location of a large, special space," Kent realized, a flash of alarm running through his mind. This large space must be extraordinary—not only hidden well, like the mini space where the Gluttonous Shadow Beast resided, but also with more opportunities waiting inside. The Kylin was probably just one of the many treasures there.
Kent's curiosity deepened, but he didn't show it. Instead, he casually asked, "Long Buyu, you're here to explore the Mowling Secret Realm, right? Why haven't you entered yet?"
"How did you know?" Long Buyu's face darkened further. His movements had been exposed.
Kent answered, "Don't think too much about it. I only found out from the registration personnel, so you should understand, I'm here to explore the Mowling Secret Realm too. We're competitors now."
Long Buyu froze for a moment, clearly unable to accept the fact that a freshman had come alone to explore a three-star secret realm.
"I guess I've underestimated you," Long Buyu said cautiously.
"Why haven't you entered yet?" Kent continued his earlier question.
"I just arrived too," Long Buyu's eyes flickered before he spoke.
Kent nodded, not pressing further. "I'll go in first."
The Mowling Secret Realm's cloud formations only rose about a hundred meters high. Kent summoned Garfield and flew up to the entrance of the realm.
Looking around, he saw Ye Yan approaching, but there was still no sign of Golden Sky.
He recalled Garfield and stepped into the dark portal. A familiar feeling of descending overwhelmed him again.
After about 40 seconds, the sensation disappeared, and Kent's vision brightened. He had arrived inside the Mowling Secret Realm.
Looking around, the realm resembled a massive forest, similar to the Amazon jungle, spanning several hundred miles. The trees were incredibly sturdy, towering hundreds of meters tall with thick trunks, their branches and leaves dense and green.
But Kent didn't let his guard down. The temperature in the realm was high, and the environment was complex—perfect for breeding venomous insects and snakes.
Therefore, the original beasts that could survive in this kind of forest were likely to be special in some way.
The forest itself was surrounded by a water area, forming a circular ring. There were several breaks in the ring, creating rivers that ran through the forest. The water wasn't very deep but wasn't shallow either, about tens of meters high, with aquatic creatures living there.
Kent stood at the edge of the forest. After landing, he found himself on a shallow beach, with a water area spanning several dozen miles behind him and the forest stretching hundreds of miles in front.
His goal here was to map out the entire secret realm, find the powerful dangerous beasts, and locate rare materials and resources.
The task could be summarized as exploring, discovering, mapping, collecting, and searching.
Kent was fully geared up in complete B-grade equipment, which protected him from most dangers. He held a sword in one hand and a small shield in the other, with four daggers attached to his pants and waist.
These weapons were forged from Black Magic Steel, named by Kent as Black Knife, Black Dagger, Black Sword, and Black Shield. The heavy staff, weighing 8,000 pounds, was called Black Staff.
Garfield and Bajie were both summoned. Bajie scouted ahead for danger, while Garfield, with Kent's domain, emitted an aura of the Cat King to intimidate creatures, speeding up Kent's journey.
"Let's go," Kent said, walking into the forest with a cautious expression, as the thick woods slowed his movements.
Fortunately, most of the original beasts were deterred by Garfield's aura, or else Kent would have been relentlessly attacked by insects, snakes, and birds.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Kent had slain a few giant venomous insects when a hissing sound suddenly came from ahead, accompanied by the sound of grass and branches breaking.
Kent looked over, and ten seconds later, a massive creature appeared in his sight: a huge, dark purple serpent, resembling a forest anaconda, more than 100 meters long.
Compared to it, Kent seemed like a tiny insect.