A middle-aged man passing by couldn't help but snort with laughter at Zhong Ling's words. His tone dripped with contempt as he said,
"This must be your first time in the Horned Demon Secret Realm, little girl. What do you take this place for?"
"The average temperature inside the Secret Realm is over fifty degrees, and in some specific areas, it exceeds sixty-five. Relying on your Beast Pattern alone won't get you very far."
"You two waltz in here knowing nothing. Are you planning on being charitable and serving yourselves up as a meal for the Horned Demons?"
"Horned Demons just love to eat tender little morsels like you!"
Getting worked up, the middle-aged man even threw back his head and let out a passable imitation of a Horned Demon's roar.
Four other Guardian Beast Masters of a similar age stood beside the man.
They were clearly companions, most likely members of the same squad.
His companions didn't stop him. In fact, one of them joined in, imitating the roar and drawing stares from the surrounding crowd.
The man's words made Zhong Ling's face flush red. She hadn't expected a complete stranger to interrupt her conversation with Zhong Yi.
Just then, a young man's clear, steady voice cut in.
"Whatever happens to us in the Secret Realm is our own business. We don't need you worrying about it."
"Xiaolingdang, do you remember that Ice Crystal Flower I told you to grab before we left? Go ahead and take it out. It'll come in handy once we enter the Horned Demon Secret Realm."
As he spoke, Zhong Yi took out his Storage Pouch and retrieved an Ice Crystal Flower, cradling it in his arms.
Zhong Ling heard Zhong Yi and immediately understood what he was getting at.
In truth, Zhong Yi hadn't told her to bring an Ice Crystal Flower, but he had given her a Storage Pouch that morning.
The moment Zhong Ling took out an Ice Crystal Flower, she felt as if she had stepped into a large refrigerator. The air within a three-meter radius around her became refreshingly cool.
An Unranked, Mortal Beast Level Ice Crystal Flower could sell for 40,000 Federation Coins. But the two Bronze Quality, Mortal Beast Level ones in Zhong Yi and Zhong Ling's hands were worth over 200,000 Federation Coins each.
In fact, Zhong Yi's Evolution Shop only had these two Bronze Quality Ice Crystal Flowers.
"Young Master, with these two Ice Crystal Flowers, we won't have to worry about the average temperature in the Horned Demon Secret Realm being over fifty degrees."
"Even if we go to those special zones where it reaches sixty-five degrees, we won't even break a sweat, let alone need to activate our Beast Patterns."
The Hunting Horn Squad was a Hunter Squad that had been exploring the Horned Demon Secret Realm for the past few years. Their main business was hunting Horned Demons and mining Fire Crystal Ore within the realm.
The horns of a Horned Demon were a fairly high-quality forging material. After processing, they could also be used as a supplementary ingredient in food for Fire Attribute Guardian Beasts.
The Hunting Horn Squad also took on occasional missions, and during their time in the Horned Demon Secret Realm, they had gotten into their fair share of conflicts.
The onlookers had assumed that the boy, who looked to be sixteen or seventeen, and the even younger girl would be bullied by the Hunting Horn Squad.
The market outside the Secret Realm was patrolled by the Starlight Army, but as long as no serious violence broke out, they wouldn't intervene.
After all, the Starlight Army patrol teams had plenty on their plates. In addition to preventing violent clashes between Guardian Beast Masters, they were also responsible for surveying the condition of the Secret Realm.
The onlookers had expected Zhong Yi and Zhong Ling to be given a hard time, but they never thought the tables would turn so completely.
These two youngsters had each produced a Bronze Quality Ice Crystal Flower.
A small potted plant like the Ice Crystal Flower, capable of lowering the ambient temperature, was the perfect companion for exploring a high-temperature environment like the Horned Demon Secret Realm.
With these two Bronze Quality Ice Crystal Flowers, the youngsters were essentially holding 400,000 Alliance Coins.
While this was a resounding slap in the face to the instigator from the Hunting Horn Squad, flaunting such wealth in a place like this was hardly a wise move.
'They're just kids, after all. Inexperienced. They don't understand how dangerous the world can be.'
The moment Zhong Yi and Zhong Ling produced the two Bronze Quality Ice Crystal Flowers, the instigator's expression went from embarrassed to openly greedy.
"As your senior, I'm giving you two kids a kind reminder. Don't think you can just waltz through the Horned Demon Secret Realm unhindered just because you have Bronze Quality Ice Crystal Flowers to resist the heat."
"You don't just have to watch out for Horned Demon Swarms, you also have to be wary of the other explorers in the Secret Realm."
"We're about to head into the Horned Demon Secret Realm ourselves. We'll be seeing you again inside."
"One Ice Crystal Flower is more than enough for the two of you. How about you sell the other one to us for, say, 100,000?"
"If we run into each other and you're in trouble, I'll be sure to lend a hand—for the flower's sake, of course."
It might have sounded like a senior teaching a junior, but anyone with a brain could hear the thinly veiled threat in the man's voice.
Just then, a cold, clear sneer cut in from the side.
"Judging by your clothes, you must be from the Lower City District. Instead of worrying if others will run into a Horned Demon Swarm, you should be more concerned about getting targeted by a Bizarre like a tasty little snack when you get back home."
"And when a Bizarre eats a Lifebound Guardian Beast, it doesn't even spit out the bones."
The voice was cold, yet ethereal and pleasant, but the words it spoke were pure venom.
Being targeted by a Bizarre was the ultimate nightmare for any Guardian Beast Master who had awakened a Lifebound Guardian Beast.
The members of the Hunting Horn Squad, along with the surrounding onlookers, turned toward the source of the voice, their expressions all taking on an involuntary look of stunned admiration.
A stunningly beautiful woman in a dazzling red dress was striding toward them on long legs.
Her gait was graceful and elegant, yet she moved with incredible speed, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
Before anyone from the Hunting Horn Squad could respond, she continued,
"Then again, I forgot. You lot don't actually have to worry about that at all."
"Men in their thirties and forties still slumming it in a First Level Secret Realm? There's no way you could have a Lifebound Guardian Beast."
"Even a Bizarre wouldn't deign to eat trash like you. Now scram. Don't be an eyesore in front of my master."
Zhong Yi hadn't taken Hong Ji with him when he went to the Beastmaster Association that morning.
He and Zhong Ling had been wandering the market outside the Horned Demon Secret Realm for over half an hour, waiting for Hong Ji to arrive before they went in.
Different Substitute Puppets inherently had different personalities, and after her Evolution into a Fusion Secret Puppet, Hong Ji was practically indistinguishable from a normal person.
'I used to think Hong Ji was just a beautiful psycho with the air of a queen. Now it looks like I'll have to add 'venom-tongued' to her list of traits.'
Hong Ji's words were a sweeping insult. By saying something like that at the entrance to the Horned Demon Secret Realm, there was no telling how many people would take offense.
At this, all five members of the Hunting Horn Squad adopted offensive stances, preparing to activate their Soul Bases and summon their Guardian Beasts.
Violent conflict might be forbidden here, but if they let such an insult slide without any reaction, the Hunting Horn Squad would lose all face and could never show themselves around the Horned Demon Secret Realm again.