Divine Beast Creator-Chapter 2000 - 2001: Exploration Methods

Even though Feng Yuan didn’t thoroughly understand the specific situation of the Earth Maze, based on the spirit beasts they’ve encountered so far, he could basically determine that the Earth Maze increases in difficulty layer by layer, which indeed aligns with the needs of a trial.

Otherwise, encountering an insurmountable spirit beast like the Xuan Turtle right at the entrance would just be causing trouble.

Pressing down the pricked-up ears of the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound, Feng Yuan said irritably to Xiao Ji and the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound,

"Don’t think about rushing straight to the bottom. What if you encounter enemies like the Xuan Turtle again? Moreover, normally, the mechanisms in Ancient Ruins shouldn’t be that simple. Who knows what troublesome foes we might face later on."

Although Feng Yuan didn’t believe that Maomu Academy could replicate the terrifying technologies from the Mythical Era and ancient civilizations, it wouldn’t be too hard to bring Xiao Ji and the others some trouble.

Xiao Ji fluttered its wings and let out a dissatisfied screech, clearly believing that other enemies weren’t that difficult to deal with. As for the Xuan Turtle? After tricking the Xuan Turtle with the Underworld Domain previously, Xiao Ji felt inflated, not seeing the Xuan Turtle as a match at all.

Seeing Xiao Ji’s bloated demeanor, Feng Yuan wordlessly patted Xiao Ji’s head and said,

"Alright, don’t mess around, don’t cause us any trouble."

Tamur circled around Feng Yuan and said,

"The Xuan Turtle isn’t very difficult to handle."

"That’s true for us, but Xiao Ji and the others can’t deal with it."

Glancing at Xiao Ji, Feng Yuan said bluntly, while Tamur looked at Feng Yuan with confusion, not quite understanding why he needed to make such a clear distinction. Aren’t the Beastmaster and his beasts one unit?

As Qi Chen found a staircase entrance hidden by vines, everyone fell into a dilemma.

The staircase extended downward, aligning with their previous guesses. However, Feng Yuan felt there was something odd about this staircase because, up until then, the Earth Maze’s passages had all been carved out of rock. Admittedly, this could be a ruse by the academy.

But it’s certain that the designed Earth Maze passageways should be maze-like tunnels carved into the rock, so these unexpected vines looked very out of place.

It could be said that these vines not only failed to conceal the entrance, but actually made it more prominent. To Feng Yuan, this seemed very abnormal.

Even if this was a trial, given the academy’s style, such an assessment aimed at graduating students would simulate reality to the greatest extent. This means the academy wouldn’t intentionally leave obvious hints, even if it concerned crucial points for progress.

Initially, Dou Yanlan didn’t think much of it, but she quickly began to ponder. When she started speculating about potential enemies on the next level and whether she could handle them, she also thought of this. Based on higher-grade assessments, this situation certainly felt more like a trap.

So, could it be the opposite scenario?

Furrowing her brows, she couldn’t make up her mind for a moment. Qi Chen, noticing Dou Yanlan’s frown, asked in confusion,

"Yanlan, what’s wrong?"

"This place seems to have a problem..."

Dou Yanlan shook her head as she thought. This place gave her an uneasy feeling; the emerald sap dripping from the vines Xiao Ji had cut open appeared normal, but precisely because of that, she felt even more uneasy.

Seeing Qi Chen still not quite understanding, Dou Yanlan pointed at the vine then to the nearby rock wall and said,

"Don’t you think it’s too conspicuous? But I don’t know if this is a trap or an important area disguised as a trap."

"Is there a way to test it?"

Scratching his head, Qi Chen said awkwardly. He hadn’t thought much about it, just seeing the stairs as a way to another place, without suspecting their sudden appearance.

Dou Yanlan thought for a moment and said,

"No, we don’t know the structure of this place. During explorations of ruins, such places are among the most dangerous areas prone to casualties."

"However, it’s also not possible to easily exclude this area. If things get tough, letting others lead the exploration isn’t out of the question."

Stroking his chin, Feng Yuan said, while Qi Chen glanced at him, unsure of what he meant. Dou Yanlan shook her head and said,

"No, it’s not fair to others, and if this is an important area, we’d end up at a disadvantage. It’s just..."

While directly seeking Feng Yuan’s help was the simplest solution, Dou Yanlan didn’t want to do so. She believed Feng Yuan wouldn’t want that either. Such decisions should consider one’s abilities rather than relying on external help.

However, without considering Feng Yuan’s suggestion, Dou Yanlan didn’t quite know what to do. The entrance seemed like the gaping maw of a giant beast to her, ready to deal a fatal blow at any moment.

Qi Chen thought of something and asked,

"We weren’t the first ones to enter. Has anyone passed through here before?"

"It’s highly likely, which means this place could very well be a trap."

Looking at the severed vines, Dou Yanlan said uncertainly. After all, the vines were previously intact. If others had passed through, there’s no reason they wouldn’t have cut through them. But, logically, this place shouldn’t be untraveled...

Which means these vines might regenerate on their own. If so, there’s certainly something wrong with this place.

"So, has Cotton not learned any similar skills like the spirit cat decoy technique to scout for traps?"

Feng Yuan finally couldn’t resist and spoke up. Even if they didn’t want others to scout the traps, it wasn’t impossible. The spirit cat decoy technique, limited to cat-like spirit beasts, allows the beast to create a duplicate with the same appearance and capabilities as the real one. If the duplicate sustains damage, the user loses half their energy and a significant amount of their vigor.

Therefore, it’s rarely used in combat, but that doesn’t mean it has no use. It’s worth noting that such places aren’t uncommon in the wild.

This technique is precisely designed for situations like this. Of course, uncovering all dangers is impossible, otherwise, spirit beasts equipped with this technique would be the top choice for all wilderness explorations.

But as it stands, it’s currently one of the more feasible testing methods. Coincidentally, Cotton itself isn’t the main combat force, and with the addition of the Hao Chun Bird, Cotton can now focus more on harassment while leaving the support role.

So even if something goes wrong and Cotton loses combat power, it wouldn’t have a significant impact on them.

Cotton glanced at Feng Yuan, meowing and waving its tail gently. Dou Yanlan hesitated and said,

"It knows how, but it hasn’t practiced it specifically, so..."

"There’s always a first time. Besides, with this opportunity, wouldn’t it be better to try it now rather than wait until there’s a real need out in the wild to practice gradually?"

Feng Yuan said with a grin, and Qi Chen, feeling Feng Yuan made a valid point, was too timid to speak up, while Dou Yanlan noticed Qi Chen’s strange demeanor and smiled slightly, saying,

"Alright, got it, Cotton, use the spirit cat decoy technique to explore."

With a meow, Cotton excitedly wagged its tail as a small cat identical to itself jumped from its body and darted into the stairway, disappearing into the darkness.

Watching Cotton’s tail sway occasionally, Qi Chen and Dou Yanlan were a bit tense, as the duplicate not being destroyed immediately seemed to indicate that there wasn’t immediate danger below. However, what exactly lay at the end of the tunnel remained uncertain.

After a while, Cotton let out a puzzled meow and lowered its tail. It sat quietly for a moment before turning to Dou Yanlan, gesturing with its paw while meowing.

Thanks to Cotton’s gestures, Dou Yanlan roughly understood what had happened. Throughout all this, Veronia remained silent. Although it understood what Cotton was conveying, it had no intention of translating.

Not only had Feng Yuan not asked, but given their prior actions, this exploration was primarily led by Qi Chen and the others, and Veronia felt it shouldn’t interfere unnecessarily.

Clutching her chin, Dou Yanlan analyzed the information brought by Cotton and said,

"Currently, there’s no significant danger below. There are many tree trunks down there?"

Cotton shook its head vigorously, gesturing with its paw. Furrowing her brows, Dou Yanlan said,

"Pillars?"

Nodding, then shaking its head, Dou Yanlan made several guesses based on Cotton’s gestures before understanding that Cotton was referring to crystal stone pillars. As for more information, it remained unknown for now.

However, Cotton didn’t seem to have found any traces of life below, not even the vines existed in that space, which was strange. If that were the case, what’s with the vines blocking the entrance?