"It's actually a rare candy?"
When the System's cold, mechanical voice announced the mission reward in his mind, Liu Yuan's eyes instantly lit up like stars ignited in the dark night.
rare candy!
As a transmigrator, he naturally knew exactly what this item was!
In that world called pokémon, this was a divine item that could unconditionally raise a pokémon's Rank by one Rank!
Although simple and crude, its effect was beyond doubt.
Moreover, this was the Douluo Continent!
Liu Yuan's heart pounded uncontrollably as a bold and crazy thought blazed in his heart like a prairie fire.
The Spirit Master cultivation System of the Douluo Continent was fundamentally different from the pokémon Rank System.
Here, the increase in Rank was never linear.
In the early stages, from Spirit Scholar to Spirit Grandmaster, then to Soul Elder and Soul Ancestor, although it required talent and effort, as long as resources kept up and the spirit ring configuration was appropriate, the leveling speed wouldn't be too slow.
But once one stepped over the threshold of Spirit King and Spirit Emperor, every Rank increase would become increasingly difficult.
And after reaching Titled Douluo, it was a world of difference!
Moving from Rank ninety to ninety-one might require years of bitter cultivation.
From Rank ninety-one to ninety-five was an even greater chasm that countless Titled Douluo could never cross in their entire lives.
As for the "Super Douluo" Realm after Rank ninety-five, the spirit power accumulation and comprehension of Laws required for each Rank increase were terrifying figures that grew geometrically!
Especially from Rank ninety-eight to ninety-nine, that single step had stuck countless brilliant top-tier experts.
How many years had Gluttonous Douluo Xuan Zi stayed at Rank ninety-eight? He probably couldn't even remember himself.
Wasn't the same true for Body Sect Master Poison Undying?
In the entire continent, how many people could truly stand at the absolute peak of Rank ninety-nine?
The gap of this single Rank was the ultimate manifestation of qualitative change caused by quantitative accumulation.
So... what if Liu Yuan waited until after Rank ninety-eight to consume the rare candy?
From Rank ninety-eight, instantly rising to Rank ninety-nine!
As soon as this thought appeared, it was like the most violent thunder, striking hard upon the lake of Liu Yuan's heart and stirring up colossal waves!
The value of this rare candy could no longer be described as "precious"; it was simply an ultimate ticket to becoming a Limit Douluo!
"The Black Gold Horned Bull Beast... I must have it!"
Liu Yuan clenched his fists tightly, his desire to become stronger now transforming into an incredibly determined resolve to act.
Without any further hesitation, he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and began to devote himself entirely to searching for the mission target.
Integrating the Profound Truth of the "Extreme Speed" Spirit Ability into his movement technique, his entire being turned into a flickering afterimage, shuttling through the eerie and grim forest at high speed with an efficiency far beyond that of ordinary Spirit Masters.
However, two and a half days passed in the blink of an eye.
The vastness of the Sunset Forest exceeded Liu Yuan's imagination, and the environment within the forest was even more complex than that of the Star Dou Great Forest.
He practically turned the area between the forest's outskirts and the mixed zone upside down, hunting many Spirit Beasts that tried to attack him, yet he still found no trace of the "Black Gold Horned Bull Beast."
"Damn, is this Black Gold Horned Bull Beast really that rare?"
Beneath a twisted, metallic-looking tree, Liu Yuan stopped his steps, leaning against the trunk while breathing slightly, his brows furrowed.
After two and a half days of high-intensity searching, even with his current Physique, he felt a hint of exhaustion.
He felt somewhat depressed; he had originally thought that with his perception and speed, finding a ten-thousand-year Black Gold Horned Bull Beast Spirit Beast within three days wouldn't be difficult.
But reality had taught him a lesson.
The Black Gold Horned Bull Beast was too rare.
The pair of horns on its head were incredibly hard, making them excellent Materials for crafting many core spirit tool components.
Especially in the Sun Moon Empire, where spirit tool technology was highly advanced, the demand for black gold horns was enormous, leading to long-term and devastating hunting of this Spirit Beast.
Over time, in the Sunset Forest near the border of the Sun Moon Empire, the Black Gold Horned Bull Beast had almost gone extinct, becoming an extremely rare existence.
That was why it was so difficult for Liu Yuan to find one.
"It seems the System's missions aren't that simple after all," Liu Yuan sighed helplessly.
Although he was depressed, with only half a day left on the mission time limit, Liu Yuan had no time to be discouraged.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, identified the direction once more, and prepared to make a final effort.
This time, he pushed his search range a bit deeper.
Finally, just after he crossed a swampy area filled with a faint miasma, a slight "crack" sounded from behind a thicket not far ahead.
Liu Yuan's figure instantly froze, his ears twitched, and his gaze immediately shot toward that direction.
On the other side of the thicket, a robust Spirit Beast was lowering its head, gnawing on a special plant that emitted a metallic luster.
Its body was like a bull's, with knotted muscles full of power.
Most eye-catching was the pair of towering horns on its head, about half a meter long and jet-black like ink, yet reflecting spots of dark golden, cold light under the dappled sunlight!
It was indeed the Black Gold Horned Bull Beast!
Liu Yuan's gaze was like a torch as he quickly scanned its entire body.
The shoulder height of this Black Gold Horned Bull Beast was visually estimated to be nearly two meters.
According to records in ancient texts, a Black Gold Horned Bull Beast with a thousand-year cultivation base is about eighty centimeters tall, and for every additional thousand years of cultivation, it grows by about ten centimeters.
This one in front of him was far beyond the standard height; its cultivation was definitely over ten thousand years!
His gaze finally landed on the Spirit Beast's flank and hind legs.
There, several circular wounds were clearly visible, already scabbed over but still distinct, with traces of charring remaining on the edges.
"Bullet wounds..." Liu Yuan's eyes narrowed.
It seemed that before him, someone had already beaten him to it and engaged in battle with this Black Gold Horned Bull Beast.
For some reason, however, they hadn't succeeded and had instead let it escape.
"Regardless, I'll complete the mission first!"
Liu Yuan didn't overthink it; completing the mission was the top priority.
He no longer hid his presence and stepped out from the shadows where he was concealed.
His appearance immediately startled the feeding Black Gold Horned Bull Beast!
"Moo—!"
The Black Gold Horned Bull Beast let out a muffled, angry roar, its eyes as large as bronze bells instantly turning blood-red.
Its previous experience of being ambushed made it full of alertness and violence; it stomped the ground fiercely, causing the solid earth to crack!
In the next moment, it lowered its head, aiming its black gold horns—capable of piercing steel plates—at Liu Yuan. Its four hooves flew as its massive body, like an out-of-control heavy chariot carrying immense momentum, violently charged toward him!
The wind whistled, and its Aura was terrifying; as expected of a ten-thousand-year-level Spirit Beast, its pure physical impact force was already frighteningly strong.
However, after obtaining a top-tier Spirit like Mega Rayquaza and the "Extreme Speed" Spirit Ability representing the ultimate Law of speed, Liu Yuan's strength had long since undergone a world-shaking transformation.
Facing this violent strike, there wasn't even a ripple of emotion on his face.
At the very instant those horns flashing with dark golden light were about to touch his chest, Liu Yuan's figure moved.
"Martial Soul Possession"
"Extreme Speed!"
Without an earth-shattering explosion of spirit power, Liu Yuan's figure merely swayed slightly on the spot, turning into an emerald-green stream of light almost invisible to the naked eye, flashing past the side of the Black Gold Horned Bull Beast in an instant.
It was as if time had been put in slow motion at this moment.
The Black Gold Horned Bull Beast's massive body still maintained its charging posture, its blood-red eyes filled with violence and bewilderment.
Meanwhile, Liu Yuan's figure had already appeared ten meters behind it, slowly retracting his right hand, which was held together like a sword finger.
A second of silence.
Then, with a soft "pfft" sound, a thin but deep bloodline emerged from the Black Gold Horned Bull Beast's thick neck and rapidly expanded.
"Moo..."
It only had time to let out a short, sorrowful whimper before the violent light in its eyes receded like a tide.
The massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, and fell silent.
Ultimate speed brought ultimate penetration and cutting power.
A one-hit kill!
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the time-limited side mission: Sunset Hunt!]
[Settling mission rewards... Congratulations to the Host, you have obtained "rare candy" x1!]
The System's notification sound arrived as expected.
A candy emitting a seven-colored halo, about the size of a thumb and looking sweet and delicious, appeared out of thin air in Liu Yuan's palm.
[Item Name: rare candy]
[Item Effect: After consumption, you can ignore Bottlenecks and directly increase your spirit power Rank by one Rank.]
[System Suggestion: The Host can save this item and use it when your spirit power Rank reaches ninety-eight, which can help you directly achieve the Ninety-Ninth Rank Limit Douluo Realm!]
"It's just as I thought!"
Seeing the detailed description and suggestion given by the System, the last shred of doubt in Liu Yuan's heart completely vanished, replaced by an indescribable ecstasy.
He carefully placed this rare candy, which carried his future hopes, into his storage spirit tool, as if storing a peerless treasure.
Having completed the mission and obtained a Heaven-Defying reward, Liu Yuan was in a great mood and no longer wished to linger here.
He identified the direction, preparing to leave the Sunset Forest as soon as possible and continue toward the Sun Moon Empire's capital, Capital City.
However, at the very moment he turned and was about to take a step.
A slight sound of clothes fluttering in the wind came from the grass not far away.
Liu Yuan's gaze narrowed, and he suddenly turned to look.
He saw two figures, a male and a female, slowly walking out from behind the waist-high grass.
They both looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old; the boy was handsome, and the girl was pretty. There was a slight resemblance between their features, clearly indicating they were siblings.
Both wore silver-white athletic school uniforms of exquisite design. On their chests, a complex emblem of an intertwined sun and moon was embroidered with gold thread, and their entire beings exuded an innate pride and nobility.
At this moment, their gazes were passing over Liu Yuan, staring intently at the still-bleeding corpse of the Black Gold Horned Bull Beast behind him, their eyes filled with deep shock and disappointment.
"Oh no! Xiao! It's all your fault! You were so careless. Look, now someone else has beaten us to this Black Gold Horned Bull Beast!"