Chapter 24: Summoned Beasts and Summoned Plants Must Step Aside

A medium-sized demonic beast weighed about five hundred jin; it was massive, and four of them were grazing here.

The beasts fed on plants that grew flush against the ground. At first glance, it looked like nothing was there, but upon closer inspection, one would find a layer of very pale, small plants growing in scattered patches.

Five hundred jin might not be considered large among medium-sized demonic beasts, but in the eyes of Qin Tang and his companions—whose talents were so low they were almost unnoticeable—it was an invincible size. A single claw swipe would cost them half their lives.

Qin Tang felt a bit intimidated: "The beasts are too big."

Just then, two more groups arrived. Among them was Mu Meng'er's team, as well as a young girl dressed in an elegant summer dress whose group consisted mainly of Confucian scholars.

"Why did you come all the way here to dig up plants?" Mu Meng'er ran over to ask Rong Yan.

Rong Yan replied with a chuckle, "Just coming to broaden our horizons and watch some beast hunting."

"We came specifically to kill demonic beasts." Mu Meng'er cast a sidelong glance at Qin Bi, her face full of disdain. "What is she doing here? She won't end up crying in terror from the beasts, will she?!"

*Damn it,* Qin Bi cursed inwardly, refusing to even give the girl a proper look.

The handsome young man in the girl's group did not stop her contempt. Originally, everyone could have collected resources together, but because of Qin Tang's concubine-born sister, they were forced to split up.

The handsome youth, Mu Jun, asked Jiang Xu, "Do you want to join us in hunting the beasts?"

Earlier that morning, Jiang Xu had been very eager to follow a powerful team, but now, he declined with a smile: "No, thank you. I am just an ordinary person without a spiritual root; I'd better stick to digging up plants."

Mu Jun took a single glance at the four demonic beasts and led his team away.

There were more beasts about a hundred meters away. This small space had few plants and was quite barren, offering no cover. Mu Jun's team intended to hunt five beasts, all of which were also medium-sized.

The girl in the elegant summer dress, Zhang Sunrao, sized the group up and asked Qin Bi with a smile, "Do you have any summoning artifacts?"

Qin Bi remained silent. She was shy around strangers, so she stood beside Qin Tang and tugged at his sleeve.

The girl gave a contemptuous smirk and walked away, saying to an elegant Confucian scholar, "The beasts over there are all white foxes. Their fur is excellent, and their crystals should be quite good as well."

The scholar looked upon Qin Tang and the others with arrogance. "Such low talent. Mere ants."

Qin Tang and the others didn't dare speak. Their previous enthusiasm vanished instantly.

In the small space of the Demonic Beast Realm, those with high talent could crush them with ease.

Once the others had left, Qin Lang asked, "Are we still hunting the beasts?"

Rong Yan had already lost his nerve: "The moment we take out our summoning artifacts, the others could just snatch them from us."

Qin Tang and the rest were considering retreating. Qin Bi, however, felt a surge of indignation from being looked down upon. Glancing to the side, she noticed a small patch of loose, uncompacted soil.

Qin Bi walked over, knelt down, and touched the soil. She dug it up with a shovel and grasped the moist earth in her hands. Soon, a handful of soil condensed into a teacup—clean, white porcelain without a single pattern.

Qin Bi's eyes lit up. She stood up and showed it to the others. "I condensed another one."

"Hiss..."

There were gasps of shock and disbelief.

Qin Lang did not hide his astonishment. "Since when did summoning artifacts become so easy to condense?!"

Indeed, Jiang Xu was speechless; he had no idea how the rules of this world had shifted like this.

Having a summoning artifact was useless if you didn't dare use it. Qin Bi felt a knot of frustration in her chest; someone had just treated them like ants and even wanted to show off their prowess by crushing them.

"Wait," Qin Bi pointed to the nearby beasts. "Let's kill those four beasts!"

Low talent couldn't be changed, but making money was another matter.

The thought they had just abandoned was reignited by Qin Bi's new artifact. After a brief discussion, Qin Tang and the others decided to go for it; perhaps they could actually hunt the beasts.

Qin Tang used his summoning artifact to call forth a white tabby, and Rong Yan summoned "Bean Sprout."

As Qin Bi's summoned beast prepared to face the enemy, Qin Bi cheered herself up. Seeing the serious atmosphere, she jokingly waved the new teacup as if she were facing a great calamity: "Let there be a gentle breeze and light rain to strike down these beasts!"

She was only joking, and Qin Lang was just about to grin to ease the tension.

Suddenly, despite the sweltering heat, a series of "cracks" rang out as lightning bolts struck down from the sky.

The two tabbies and Bean Sprout were so terrified they scrambled back. *Good heavens!* As soon as Qin Bi's words fell, lightning descended, striking the four medium-sized beasts one by one until they were charred to a crisp.

Qin Bi was truly stunned. She had only been talking nonsense.

She used to talk nonsense often, but it never resulted in this.

"This... this... this..." Rong Yan was speechless.

Jiang Xu rubbed his eyes repeatedly. It was a bright, clear day without a single cloud in sight.

Lightning had appeared out of thin air! This was absolutely insane.

Qin Tang and Qin Xun's pupils shook with shock, and Qin Lang's eyes nearly popped out of his head. *Mother of mine, you can kill beasts like this?* He had heard how powerful high combat values were, but he had never seen anyone summon lightning.

He had heard his father, Qin Tan, mention it, but he had never seen it. This wasn't even hunting; it was a one-woman show. His cousin Qin Bi had solved it alone, leaving both summoned beasts and plants in the dust.

Bean Sprout was trembling uncontrollably, even more so than the tabby cat.

Such massive beasts, struck down in an instant.

Despite her lack of composure, Qin Bi didn't stand there dazed for long. After all, she was the one who had intimidated the others. She hesitated and asked, "Can we still take the lightning-struck beasts? The fur is so good, it might be ruined."

"Yes, yes, yes..." Rong Yan's voice cracked.

Coming back to his senses, Qin Xun hurriedly said, "Qin Bi, you take them. Leave the fur and crystals to the children."

Jiang Xu didn't fight for them; he didn't dare. Qin Tang's concubine-born sister clearly had a high combat value; if he messed up, she might accidentally strike him with lightning. Qin Xun thought of Rong Yan, and Qin Bi's eyes reddened.

Jiang Xu turned his head away. Even though she was a good crier, this girl was no weakling.

Seeing her cry at a time like this made Jiang Xu feel stifled.

Qin Bi collected the beasts. Looking elsewhere, Mu Jun's team had already summoned their beasts and plants to fight, and Zhang Sunrao's team, having targeted many beasts, had deployed all their summoning artifacts.

In the distance, two battlefields could be seen, with dust billowing into the air.

Qin Lang felt disdainful. Compared to his cousin, the combat power of those summoned beasts and plants was far inferior.

"Sister," Qin Lang said, approaching her obsequiously. "Try using that spell again to see if you can call down more lightning. That was incredible just now."

Qin Bi looked troubled. She made a gesture, but nothing was summoned.

Qin Lang looked puzzled, and Qin Tang, Rong Yan, and the others walked over.

Rong Yan, being well-read, said, "Your cousin just used a Lightning Summoning Art. This newly condensed artifact has no pattern; perhaps it can only summon lightning from the void."

Qin Bi, not understanding, asked directly while holding the teacup, "Can anyone summon lightning if they hold this?"

(End of Chapter)