Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 360 The Dragon Bows Its Head, What is the Origin of the Egg?

The commotion in the mountain stream had not yet completely subsided, and everyone was still immersed in the power of the Azure Wave Cloud Dragon and the defeat of the Winter Hound.

Wang Yuanzheng was analyzing the details of the battle with great enthusiasm, while Shang Qianqian was excitedly checking the precious video footage in the camera. The silent Zhuang Jianbai was treating the cracks on the Frosthound's ice armor with a calm expression.

Just then, a light footstep came from the mountain path behind them, followed by a familiar voice: "Hey, it's quite lively here."

"Is there anyone else?"

Shang Qianqian was the first to turn around and saw a familiar figure walking slowly on the misty mountain path—it was the young beast tamer who had previously possessed a second-tier Winter Hound.

She had previously marveled at the excellence of the Winter Hound's breeding, but now that she had seen this Winter Hound, which could only briefly contend with the Azure Cloud Dragon, she suddenly felt that the Beast Tamer's Winter Hound was nothing special.

Her thoughts flashed by, and a smile appeared on Shang Qianqian's face. She immediately waved enthusiastically and greeted them in a clear and loud voice: "Oh, it's you! Are you here to search for the dragon too?"

Before Chen Yuan could answer, she excitedly pointed to the depths of the misty mountain stream and the slender figure shrouded in the clouds, appearing and disappearing in the mist: "This giant dragon is called the Azure Wave Cloud Dragon, a Morning Star quality pet beast of the water and wind elements, and its strength is extremely powerful."

As Shang Qianqian was excitedly sharing her "great discovery," the Star-Traveling Owl on her shoulder stretched out its wing and poked her cheek.

"Don't cause trouble." Shang Qianqian frowned and reached out to swat away the wing of the Star Owl.

"Cuckoo~"

But when the warning cry of the Star Owl rang in her ears, Shang Qianqian subconsciously looked up and immediately realized that the atmosphere was not quite right.

The students from Yunhua Academy who had been enthusiastically discussing Zhuang Jianbai just moments before all fell silent. They turned around in unison, their eyes fixed on the newly appeared Beast Tamer, their gazes filled with surprise, awe, and even a hint of nervousness.
Zhuang Jianbai also stopped what he was doing and slowly stood up.

An extremely complex emotion suddenly surfaced on that face that had remained calm throughout – respect, solemnity, tension, and a hint of indescribable fighting spirit.

The Winterhound beside him tensed up instantly, its icy blue eyes fixed on the newcomer, a low growl of wariness and fear emanating from its throat!

Under Shang Qianqian's astonished gaze, Zhuang Jianbai spoke first, his voice low and solemn:
"Advisor Chen."

Immediately afterwards, Wang Yuan and the other students seemed to wake from a dream, and respectfully, with a hint of excitement, shouted:

"Advisor Chen!"

"Hello, Consultant Chen!"

A unified sound rang out at the mouth of the quiet mountain stream, startling a flock of birds.

Shang Qianqian's voice stopped abruptly. She turned her head sharply to look at the smiling figure walking towards her, then at the extremely respectful attitude of the students around her, and then at Zhuang Jianbai's solemn expression.
At that moment, her brain went blank, as if countless fireworks were exploding in her mind.

“You you you you.”

Shang Qianqian pointed at Chen Yuan, her body frozen in place, her expression incredibly complex—shock, disbelief, sudden realization, shame, and an uncontrollable mix of excitement and elation made her look like she was both crying and laughing.

"Gu Gu."

The Star-Patrolling Owl glanced sideways at Shang Qianqian, whose emotions were fluctuating too much, and a hint of disdain appeared in its eyes. Then, its eyes emitted a faint blue light, and an invisible wave of mental energy instantly enveloped the latter.

hum!
Shang Qianqian's body trembled, and all sorts of complex emotions vanished in that instant, leaving only a sudden realization as if waking from a dream:

"So you're Consultant Chen, the top beast tamer in Qin Province who was featured in the Donghuang Daily?"

Seeing Shang Qianqian's reaction, Wang Yuan glanced at the action camera on the latter's chest and muttered to himself, "A video blogger who doesn't even recognize Consultant Chen, sigh, lack of professionalism."

Before meeting Consultant Chen, Lü Hao was just a minor internet celebrity in Qin Province.

However, since his interactions with Consultant Chen, Lü Hao's popularity and fame have skyrocketed, and he is now considered a well-known video blogger in the vast Donghuang.

Therefore, many video bloggers believe that they can gain massive traffic by following Consultant Chen and try every means to get in touch with him.

Consultant Chen, who brings a huge following, was right beside her, yet Shang Qianqian, a video blogger, didn't recognize him. The dramatic effect was off the charts.

Chen Yuan slowly walked closer, observing Shang Qianqian's changing expression, and couldn't help but smile, saying, "I dare not claim to be the number one beast tamer in Qin Province, but if you are referring to the advisor Chen from the Qin Province Beast Tamer Association, then that is me."

Upon hearing Chen Yuan's affirmative answer, Shang Qianqian's eyes widened suddenly, then she covered her mouth, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.

Good heavens! She had actually worried that this beast tamer wouldn't have enough self-defense capabilities in the deep mountains, so she didn't choose to invite him to search for the dragon together.

She even compared Consultant Chen's Winter Dog with Zhuang Jianbai's Winter Dog, and ultimately concluded that the former was inferior to the latter.

Upon learning that this person was Consultant Chen, Shang Qianqian's mind was once again filled with many thoughts:

"Although Consultant Chen's 'Severe Winter Dog' is currently weaker, this also means that it is more malleable, has greater potential, and has more possibilities for future development."

"Under Consultant Chen's careful training, given time, the Winter Dog will surely surpass the Winter Dog."

Chen Yuan didn't dwell on Shang Qianqian's turbulent emotions. His gaze swept over the excited students, finally settling on Zhuang Jianbai, whereupon he nodded slightly.

"I didn't expect to meet you here. Your Winter Hound has improved a lot."

His gaze fell on the powerful, ferocious Winter Hound beside Zhuang Jianbai, its icy armor gleaming, with a hint of approval and inquiry.

Advancing a leader to the Morning Star level is not difficult at all. Zhuang Jianbai must have put in a lot of effort to help Yan Dongquan advance, and fortunately, he succeeded in the end.

Chen Yuan could clearly sense the immense ice energy contained within this Winter Hound, which was far stronger than it had been at the Eastern Glory Tournament. It seemed that Cola would soon have a formidable opponent.

"Consultant Chen, you flatter me," Zhuang Jianbai replied in a deep voice, his expression reserved yet subtly revealing a hint of joy. "I'm still far from being as good as you."

Then, his gaze swept over Chen Yuan's body, but apart from the sparks on his shoulder, he did not find any other figure.

Just then, Sprite, who was behind Chen Yuan, curiously came closer.

It circled the much larger Winterhound several times, its light blue eyes filled with wonder and anticipation.

Is this what I will look like after evolving?

How majestic! How imposing!
That tail, that size, that look—it looks even more imposing than Boss Cola!

"Ouch?"

Sprite raised her head, staring intently at the Winter Dog that was so close to her, and waved her chubby paws, her eyes full of longing and anticipation.

If I evolve to be like this, will I be able to defeat the Coca-Cola boss?
The Winterhound's massive body stiffened slightly, its once proud head instantly drooping. A hint of shame and embarrassment flashed in its icy blue eyes, and it let out a few muffled "woof" sounds, not even daring to look Sprite in the eye.

Defeating Coca-Cola is also its goal, but it has not yet achieved this goal.

Sprite:"."

The look of anticipation on Sprite's face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of disgust and regret.

It pursed its lips, took two steps back, and moved a little further away from the Winter Dog, its face full of resistance.

Since I can't defeat the Coca-Cola boss, I won't evolve into this form!
Seeing Sprite's reaction, Winter Dog's expression froze. It lowered its head deeply, and its tail swayed weakly.

Chen Yuan noticed the interaction between Sprite and the Winter Dog and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

Even if Sprite resists now, it will still choose to evolve into a Winter Hound in the near future in order to improve its strength. That's fine; the Beastmaster Association has this advancement requirement, so there's no need to spend Source Points to unlock it.

However, Sprite has only broken through to the second tier, and advancing to the Morning Star quality will take at least until the third tier, so there's no need to rush it for now.

The immediate priority is to ensure the three little guys steadily improve, then unlock the advancement conditions for Ironhead and Runrun Duck, and try to get them to successfully advance to Morning Star.

A flurry of thoughts flashed through my mind when suddenly a clear, crisp bark rang out: "Awooo!"

The next moment, a light brown figure swooped down from the sky like lightning and landed lightly beside Chen Yuan.

Cola seemed to have just finished a chase; the air around her hadn't calmed down yet, and the fighting spirit in her azure eyes hadn't subsided.

"Are you alright?" Chen Yuan asked with concern when he saw Cola appear.

After Shang Qianqian left earlier, Chen Yuan stayed in the same place and waited for a long time. Huohua, who had finished today's special training mission, was the first to return.

Chen Yuan waited for a while but Cola didn't return, so he decided to come here first to look for the dragon, since Cola's dog nose would easily find its trail anyway.

The appearance of the cola instantly attracted everyone's attention, and the Winter Dog tensed up as if by reflex, its muscles bulging beneath its icy armor, its eyes filled with vigilance and a hint of instinctive fear.

It stared intently at the cola, letting out a low growl, but its momentum was noticeably weaker.

Cola merely glanced at Winter Dog with a calm and unwavering gaze. After a second, the look passed over Winter Dog and then locked onto the Azure Wave Cloud Dragon floating above the mountain mist.

Cola's azure eyes suddenly ignited with a fierce fighting spirit. Compared to the Winter Hound, which had suffered repeated defeats, it longed for such a powerful opponent.

Chen Yuan then collected his thoughts and looked seriously at the Azure Wave Cloud Dragon shrouded in mist.

This creature has a pair of wind wings and a gentle face, which is quite different from the majestic and noble Eastern dragon he imagined. Its overall image is more cute.

But this is, after all, a real dragon-type pet.

However, Chen Yuan had already witnessed true gods and incredibly powerful life forms, so the Azure Cloud Dragon before him did not surprise him too much.

But the Azure Cloud Dragon was not interested in the discussion of the group of humans. It was about to turn around and leave, but Cola's undisguised and aggressive gaze, as well as the powerful and pure wind energy fluctuations emanating from its body, made its azure dragon eyes turn slightly and cast another glance.

But it was only a fleeting glance. It still didn't want to get entangled. Its huge body slowly turned around, and its figure was about to disappear completely into the clouds.

"Wait a minute." Chen Yuan's voice suddenly rang out, "Azure Cloud Dragon, I want to have a battle with you."

The Azure Cloud Dragon paused slightly, turned its head, and looked at Chen Yuan with scrutinizing and impatient blue dragon eyes. It seemed to have little interest in the challenge from humans.

Chen Yuan was slightly taken aback when he noticed the reaction of the Azure Cloud Dragon.

There was a time when he also grew tired of battle maniacs who would challenge people to fight at the drop of a hat.

But at this moment, he has become the person he used to hate the most?

The Azure Cloud Dragon was unaware of the turbulent thoughts swirling within Chen Yuan's mind. Just as it was about to turn and leave, the small wind wings on its back suddenly flapped gently.

The azure dragon's eyes narrowed sharply, as if it had sensed something. Its massive head lowered slightly, its gaze piercing through the clouds and locking onto the backpack behind Chen Yuan.

Then, the slender body of the Azure Cloud Dragon slowly left the swirling clouds and mist. Immediately afterward, to everyone's astonishment, the giant dragon head approached Chen Yuan and stared intently at the bulging backpack behind him.

"Hmm?" Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, as if he understood something. He took off his backpack and unzipped it.

The pet egg, which had been sleeping quietly and emitting a faint blue glow, was now trembling slightly. The faint blue light on the surface of the eggshell flickered like breathing, as if it were responding to something.

The next moment, as if drawn by an invisible force, Egg rolled out of the backpack on its own. It spun around twice on the snow, and then, as if it had eyes, it jumped precisely toward the huge dragon head of the Azure Cloud Dragon, landing steadily on the latter's smooth, jade-like forehead.

"!!!"

Everyone was stunned.

"What, a moving pet egg?"

"Is this the pet egg that appeared on Azure Wave Island?"

"Hiss, Azure Wave Island, Azure Wave Cloud Dragon, could there be a connection between the two?"

"Ow!"

Seeing its good friend jump onto the forehead of the Azure Cloud Dragon, Sprite panicked. It quickly ran forward a few steps, but stopped in its tracks due to the Azure Cloud Dragon's intimidating power.

Then, Sprite waved its paws at Egg, trying to get the latter to come back quickly.

Don't anger this big guy!

The Azure Cloud Dragon seemed to be stunned for a moment, but a hint of tenderness and curiosity quickly flashed in its azure dragon eyes, and it even slightly raised its huge dragon head to express its joy at this moment.

At the same time, the pale blue light on the surface of the egg brightened a few times, as if responding to the joy of the Azure Cloud Dragon.

As Chen Yuan watched this scene, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

What exactly is the origin of this pet egg?
Not only were they protected in the deep sea by shrimp soldiers and crab generals, but they also developed self-awareness before hatching, and now they have an inexplicable relationship with the Azure Cloud Dragon.

Just as Chen Yuan was lost in thought, Xuebi saw that Bibo Yunchi was not only not angered by Dandan, but instead carried Dandan through the clouds and soared under the sky. Her light blue eyes were immediately filled with envy and longing.

Sprite bounced around on the spot and couldn't help but let out two shouts: "Awooo!"

The Azure Cloud Dragon glanced at Sprite with its enormous dragon eyes, then gently swayed its tail.

A gentle stream of water appeared out of nowhere, like a docile ribbon gently lifting Sprite and carrying it onto the back of the Azure Wave Cloud Dragon.

"Ouch?!"

Sprite was both surprised and delighted. It carefully lay down on the smooth scales of the Azure Cloud Dragon, feeling the cool and tough texture beneath it. Looking down at the surging clouds and the tiny mountain stream, it wagged its tail excitedly.

The Azure Cloud Dragon let out a deep roar, carrying Egg and Sprite as it slowly circled and soared through the misty mountain stream.

"Ow"

Watching this scene from afar, Cola lowered his body, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.

How dare they kidnap my own underling!

After a long while, the Azure Cloud Dragon slowly descended and gently placed the still excited Sprite and Egg back beside Chen Yuan.

This time, the Azure Cloud Dragon did not rush to leave.

Its massive dragon head turned towards Chen Yuan, the previous impatience and scrutiny gone, replaced by a calm, expectant fighting spirit.

It slowly nodded to Chen Yuan, and then let out a long and clear dragon roar.

(End of this chapter)