The four returned to the Cultivation Base. On the way, Li Qian frowned in thought.

’Unstable Rift...’

’Teacher Chu Xiran, Teacher Zhu Bingqing, and Niu Fenjin... is this the secret they’re guarding?’

’Is this also the reason the Mechanical Desecration Association has set its sights on Lingshui City?’

’If that’s true, then Lingshui City won’t be peaceful for much longer.’

Based on his recent contact and preliminary understanding, Li Qian had some grasp of the Mechanical Desecration Association’s methods.

This Cult Organization would stop at nothing to achieve its goals.

Elder Tie, sitting beside Li Qian, glanced over at him. "Is this why you sought protection from Shazhou Beast Taming University?"

Li Qian didn’t deny it, just nodded. "I had already sensed something was wrong before this. That’s exactly why I requested a guard."

There was no need to deny it.

Besides, with Elder Tie’s life experience, he couldn’t hide something like this from him anyway.

"I hope you can step in at a critical moment, Elder Tie, to protect Lingshui City. After all, it’s where I was born and raised." Li Qian continued, speaking frankly, "That’s the other reason for my request to Shazhou Beast Taming University."

Hearing this, Elder Tie considered it for a moment before responding, "As long as your personal safety is guaranteed, if I’m in a position to act, I won’t just stand by and watch."

"Don’t forget, I’m a member of the Beast Taming University too. I may just be a gatekeeper, but protecting the safety of ordinary citizens is also one of our duties."

Elder Tie’s words piqued Li Qian’s curiosity. "Elder Tie, you’re not pulling my leg, are you? Are you really a gatekeeper at Shazhou Beast Taming University?"

Elder Tie replied without hesitation, "Why would I lie about something like that? Besides, you’ll see for yourself once you enroll at Shazhou Beast Taming University."

"Fair enough!" Li Qian gave Elder Tie a thumbs-up. "Shazhou Beast Taming University is really... extravagant!"

"Is that so..." Elder Tie gave a noncommittal smile. "That’s because you don’t understand. Not all gatekeepers are the same. For my position, even with my level of strength, I was almost rejected."

Li Qian couldn’t even imagine it. Yet, he instinctively felt that Elder Tie wasn’t lying, so he decided to just keep quiet.

Meanwhile, in the ambulance, Zhu Bingqing looked at Niu Fenjin, who was now on a respirator and an IV drip. She asked in a serious tone, "You didn’t leak any information you shouldn’t have, did you?"

"I might seem unreliable on a normal day, but when it comes to what’s truly right and wrong, I never mess around," Niu Fenjin immediately declared. "Don’t worry. I didn’t say a single word."

Hearing this, Zhu Bingqing let out a sigh of relief. "That’s good!"

The nurse and paramedic beside them overheard the conversation, completely baffled.

’What kind of riddle are these two talking in?’

Ignoring the strange looks from the nurse and the paramedic, Zhu Bingqing continued, "What’s the situation over there now?"

"I went and checked. One of the elders has already gone in." Niu Fenjin gave Zhu Bingqing an OK sign.

...

Not far from the scene of the earlier battle, inside a residential house, a figure pushed open the window and looked down at the two Security Officers cleaning up the aftermath.

Just then, a cell phone suddenly rang.

The figure by the window picked up the phone and demanded in a hostile tone, "Huang Shiqi, what the hell happened? He’s just some good-for-nothing punk from a Beast Taming Clan who barely reached the Commander Level, and you had the element of surprise. How could you let him get away?!"

"My apologies. I was careless this time. I didn’t go for a finishing blow right away, and he managed to stall until his backup arrived," a grim voice replied from the other end of the line. "However, Huang San, rest assured. It wasn’t a total loss."

"What do you mean?" the figure by the window, Huang San, immediately pressed.

"Before I made my move, I tailed the guy for a while. Through that surveillance, I’ve actually pinpointed a few suspicious locations. If I check them one by one, I’m confident it won’t take long to find the real Sealed Land," Huang Shiqi said, full of confidence.

Huang San retorted bluntly, "And how long is ’not long’?"

"A week at most!" Huang Shiqi declared decisively from the other end.

Hearing this, Huang San’s expression softened slightly. "You’d better pick up the pace. The other side of the Dimensional Rift is almost ready. You know how the higher-ups will deal with us if our delays cause the mission to fail."

Hearing this, Huang Shiqi couldn’t help but shudder.

...

After returning to the Cultivation Base, Li Qian didn’t look up what an "Unstable Rift" was because it was already very late.

The next day, he started training his Koi Carp as usual and looked it up online when he had a spare moment.

There were plenty of descriptions of Unstable Rifts online. He’d just never paid attention to the topic before, so he was clueless. Now that he was looking, it didn’t take long for him to find a lot of information.

According to the descriptions online—which were fairly consistent—"An Unstable Rift is defined in relation to a Dimensional Rift."

"A so-called Unstable Rift is, in essence, a temporary Dimensional Rift that only appears at specific times or under specific conditions."

"...Unlike ordinary Dimensional Rifts, the time and method of their opening are uncertain..."

"...Generally, they exhibit a certain pattern, such as appearing once every six months or a year in a fixed location..."

"...There are also some that are not fixed. Under normal circumstances, these types of rifts are contained using a Sealing Array..."

"Because there are so many Unstable Rifts, the Federation Government simply can’t manage them all. As a result, some are left to their own devices... Over time, some Pet Beasts from inside Dimensional Rifts cross through these Unstable Rifts to the Ancestral Star, forming some of the planet’s most perilous, untamed regions. These areas may contain Extraordinary Creatures of terrifyingly high Levels, with a danger rating potentially rivaling that of some mid-tier Dimensional Rifts!"

"...There are also some Unstable Rifts that, with the tacit approval of the Federation Government, have fallen into the hands of large corporations, powerful clans, and major guilds, becoming a means for them to acquire Beast Taming resources..."

As Li Qian trained his Koi Carp and read through the information online, the context of the recent attack gradually began to take shape in his mind.

’The Mechanical Desecration Association’s target is most likely the Unstable Rift here in Lingshui City.’

’And this Unstable Rift is controlled by the families of Chu Xiran, Zhu Bingqing, and Niu Fenjin.’