Chapter 136: The Golden Tiger Clan

Qi'er, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, suddenly opened her eyes. She gazed toward the gathering black clouds and crimson lightning in the distance, a look of astonishment crossing her face. When Wang Luo had encountered Hanrod, Chelsea was still lurking in the shadows, yet now, unexpectedly, she had broken through to the seventh rank.

"Oh? You're awake! Someone over there is breaking through to the seventh rank. Do you want to go take a look? My teacher says observing others reach the seventh rank can help one absorb experience and prepare for one's own future breakthrough!"

Seeing Qi'er awaken, Gus was momentarily stunned and asked, feeling a bit uneasy. He hadn't greeted her before sitting down right beside her, which seemed a bit improper.

"How do you know you are a descendant of the Tiger clan?"

Hearing this, Gus scratched his head. He hadn't expected such a sudden question and was at a loss for how to respond. He hadn't felt anything special about himself; he simply believed what his family had told him about his heritage.

"Hold out your hand. Let me examine you!"

Casting a surprised look at Qi'er, Gus obediently extended his sturdy hands. When a small, fair, and soft hand grasped his wrist, Gus felt a sudden flutter in his heart. His face flushed bright red as he stole a glance at Qi'er, who had closed her eyes to probe his bloodline.

"Golden Tiger!"

"A Golden Tiger?"

"You don't know about the Golden Tiger?"

Seeing Gus shake his head, Qi'er looked at him intently, brushing away her internal shock, and slowly began to explain.

"The Tiger clan is the most powerful among the Beastfolk, but within the clan, there are distinctions in bloodline. The most common are the Golden-Yellow Striped Tigers, followed by the White-Yellow Striped Tigers, then the Black-White Striped Tigers. Above those are the solid White Tigers and Black Tigers, and the highest of all is the Golden Tiger!"

"Ah? So I possess the bloodline of the highest-ranking Golden Tiger clan?"

Gus was stunned by Qi'er's explanation. This was the first time he had heard such things; his elders at home had never mentioned them.

Knowledge of the Beastfolk had long been lost in the river of history. Nowadays, the only way to learn more about them was to enter the Imperial Palace of the Beastfolk Empire on the day of one's bloodline awakening.

In the Beastfolk Empire, about sixty percent of the population possessed some Beastfolk blood. Some even retained physical characteristics such as tails, ears, or noses, but they were not considered true Beastfolk. Only those whose bloodlines truly awakened, allowing them to undergo beast-transformation, were considered real Beastfolk.

"Yes. Do you know how a bloodline is awakened?"

"I heard from my grandfather that the higher the bloodline, the harder it is to awaken. Awakening requires a Bloodline Pill, which can only be crafted by at least a seventh-rank alchemist. You also have to consume and refine the essence blood of a magical beast of the same type and attribute—at least a seventh-rank beast—and even then, it's not guaranteed!"

Recalling his grandfather's words, Gus repeated them to Qi'er, though he felt puzzled: why was Qi'er so interested in Beastfolk affairs? How did she know things even his grandfather didn't?

"That's right. With the dilution of bloodlines, awakening has become increasingly difficult. Do you know why I am so interested in the Beastfolk?"

"Why?"

Gus asked foolishly. The next moment, he was struck dumb with shock, staring blankly as Qi'er's appearance underwent a drastic change.

***

"Chelsea!"

Wang Luo, who had been walking, suddenly looked up at the sky. Black clouds were gathering, and crimson lightning flickered within them—it was a crimson lightning tribulation. He had only read about it in books and had never seen it in person, and he could feel Chelsea's aura emanating from it.

After a brief pause, Wang Luo changed direction and rushed toward the source of the tribulation. He had missed Hanrod's tribulation a few days ago, and he was determined not to miss this one.

*Oink, oink...*

*Squeak, squeak...*

Following the crowd along with Damon and the others, the Fatty Pig and the Little Black Monkey suddenly stopped, squealing excitedly as they ran backward, drawing curious gazes.

"Wang Luo!"

"Wang Luo, you've finally come out!"

Seeing Wang Luo emerge, Damon—who had been considered the best person to look after the two beasts over the past few days because of his superior strength—rushed toward him with great excitement.

"Lisa, look how excited Damon is to see Wang Luo. He doesn't seem that excited when he sees you!"

"Yeah, Lisa, Lily is right. Let's go; we won't play with Damon anymore!"

Hearing the words of Lily and the eccentric Bonnie behind him, Damon stopped just a second before throwing himself into Wang Luo's arms. He spun around and rushed back to Lisa's side with even greater speed, wearing a fawning expression.

"Uh..."

Taken aback by the scene, Wang Luo rubbed his nose and looked at the small, mixed group of men and women. He felt strangely uncomfortable, then suddenly remembered that the balance of Yin and Yang, and the intermingling of men and women, was the normal way of life.

"What's going on with you lot? Confession brings leniency, resistance brings severity!"

With a mischievous grin, Wang Luo pulled Damon, Prier, Abigay, and Kero aside and asked with a smile, his eyes constantly darting toward the four young beauties ahead.

"Boss, you don't know how much has happened lately. We're about to go to the Trial Forest again. You have to come with us! It's full of danger, but it's also a lot of fun!"

Hearing Wang Luo, Damon chuckled, Abigay blushed, and Kero remained expressionless. Only Prier acted normal, chatting away with Wang Luo.

"Alright, I was planning on going to the Trial Forest anyway. Tell me, what's up with you guys? You're all paired up now. You're so young, do you even know what you're doing? Do you need your big brother to give you some pointers?"

"You only need to worry about those three. I'm a good boy, I haven't done anything bad! They're the ones causing all the commotion. That little demoness Xilili was saved by Kero during the trials, and ever since, she's been like she's possessed, chasing Kero every single day!"

"Is it a shameful thing to chase me?"

A chilling voice suddenly whispered into the ear of Prier, who had been laughing with Wang Luo. The young men were stunned; they hadn't expected Kero to crack a joke.

"Not shameful, absolutely not! Having Xilili chase you is giving that little demoness face!"

After a slight pause, Prier grinned and said with a determined look. Ever since he learned that Kero practiced both magic and martial arts, Prier had been thoroughly defeated. He had given up on trying to compete with Kero, and besides, with a little demoness helping him now, why would he look for trouble?

"Hmph!"

With a smug snort, Kero turned his head. His gaze swept over Wang Luo intentionally or otherwise. The two paused for a moment, then exchanged a smile; all grievances dissolved in that single smile.