Super Divine Pet Shop

"Three hours?"

Su Ping was stunned. He immediately turned on the nearby computer to check the date, only to find that it still showed the same day he had arrived at the store.

"Phew…" He let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately.

If he had truly gone missing for three days, his mother would have been worried sick.

Of course, his little sister might not feel the same way…

Shaking his head, Su Ping refocused on the pet store. Remembering the pet incubation task he had accepted earlier, he started searching around the store.

Soon, he found a well-like pool in the break room at the back of the store.

This was most likely the "Chaos Incubation Spirit Pool" that the system had just established in the pet store.

"So, the incubation happens here? But how?"

Su Ping was curious. Suddenly, an image of a hen laying eggs flashed in his mind. His face stiffened, and the foot he had stepped forward with slowly returned to its position…

"The host is currently under the Newbie Protection Month. For now, using the 'Chaos Incubation Spirit Pool' only requires 10 energy points per use," the system stated.

Su Ping let out a sigh of relief.

As long as it only required energy… Though, even that was a headache.

10 energy points equaled 1,000 bucks!

"Luckily, once I complete the task, I'll receive a Beast Tamer Skill Book. That means I'm essentially buying a skill book for just 1,000 bucks—what a steal!"

For an ordinary Beast Tamer to master a skill, they would need to enroll in a Star Pet Academy, spend years of dedicated learning and training, and even then, success wasn't guaranteed. This was far more valuable than just a thousand bucks.

"System, what's the fastest way to make money?" Su Ping asked.

After a brief silence, the system replied concisely:

"The host can earn energy quickly through pet food sales."

"Pet food sales?" Su Ping immediately recalled that function, and his hairs stood on end. His skin crawled with goosebumps.

"That requires me to collect food from the cultivation site… That place isn't going to be another Thundercloud Ocean Realm, is it?"

He absolutely did not want to go to a place as perilous as that again—he was terrified of dying!

If it was an instant death, that was one thing. But he dreaded the idea of being slowly torn apart by some unknown creature, bit by bit—that was true horror!

The system responded,

"The Thundercloud Ocean Realm is not the only cultivation site; it is merely one among many, and it is classified as an advanced cultivation site.

With the host's current remaining energy, you cannot afford the transmission fee to enter the Thundercloud Ocean Realm. Please choose a cultivation site that matches your energy level.

Note: The higher the cultivation site's level, the greater the chance of collecting rare and valuable food."

"Huh?!"

Su Ping immediately sat up straight.

Transmission fee? Energy cost?!

"Warning: Second verbal offense detected!"

Su Ping's face twisted.

"You mean I have to pay to enter the cultivation site?! Are you sure you're a Pet System and not some kind of Capitalist Tycoon System?!"

He felt completely cheated.

Just moments ago, he had been reluctant to go back. Now, he was being told he couldn't even go if he wanted to!

Worse yet, he suddenly realized—he had been scammed!

For the past three days in the Thundercloud Ocean Realm, he had done nothing but play with his Lightning Rat!

He had completely wasted the opportunity to gather valuable pet food in a high-level cultivation site!

If he had known, he could have brought back a ton of food for lightning-type pets by now!

"System… you scammed me…" Su Ping grumbled in frustration.

The system replied indifferently,

"You never asked. Besides, as a competent host, you should take the initiative to collect all valuable pet-related resources on your own."

"You…!" Su Ping clenched his teeth.

"Warning: Third verbal offense detected. Initiating random punishment—Extreme Pain Simulation…"

Su Ping's eyes widened in horror.

"NO—!"

"AHHH! OH! AAAAHHHH!!!"

After a prolonged series of agonized screams.

Su Ping slumped against the pet store's entrance, utterly defeated.

Clink.

A coin dropped in front of him.

Su Ping looked up and saw a middle-parted man in a suit smiling kindly before turning away with an elegant spin.

"…"

Su Ping silently picked up the coin.

He stared at it.

Stared intensely.

"System," Su Ping suddenly asked, "Can I convert this money into energy?"

System: "…"

"No."

Su Ping muttered an "Oh," then carefully tucked the coin into his pocket.

He stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and took a deep breath.

Life was hard, but it had to go on.

Returning to the store, Su Ping summoned the cultivation plane selection window in his mind.

A translucent menu appeared before him, listing various cultivation sites along with their corresponding energy costs.

Su Ping scrolled down and soon spotted "Thundercloud Ocean Realm"—but the energy cost next to it was a shocking 1,000 points.

1,000 per trip.

Su Ping's eyelid twitched, but he quickly composed himself.

He had ascended beyond mortal emotions.

Continuing downward, he reached the beginner-level cultivation sites, where the energy costs ranged from 1 to 10 points.

"Huh?"

Su Ping suddenly noticed something unexpected.

There was another "Thundercloud Ocean Realm" listed.

But this one only cost 1 energy point!

Did he read that wrong?

He checked again.

No mistake.

Then… was the system wrong?

"The system never makes mistakes," the system's voice chimed in immediately.

"This is a fragmented version of the Thundercloud Ocean Realm—a broken remnant of the original realm. It could be a remote corner of the land, or even an empty, lifeless ruin.Entering is risky. Proceed with caution."

"Fragment?"

Su Ping now noticed tiny words beside the name: "(Fragment)".

He suddenly recalled the history books of the Federation, which mentioned that the Thundercloud Ocean Realm had long since shattered and disappeared.

Could this be… a piece of that destroyed world?

Then…

Was the realm he entered before the full, intact version?

But if the original world was already destroyed, how had he managed to enter it?

A deep sense of mystery filled Su Ping's heart.

The system, however, offered no further explanation.

This was the first time Su Ping felt the system's depth and unfathomable power.

Maybe it was best to avoid provoking it in the future…

After browsing through the list, Su Ping closed the window without choosing a destination.

He was too tired.

Too, too tired.

Spending three days in the Thundercloud Ocean Realm, dying over a hundred times, wasn't just a statistic—it was a mental nightmare.

Many of those deaths had been in unimaginable pain.

Although each resurrection restored his physical state completely, his mental exhaustion only grew heavier.

That was why the Lightning Rat immediately collapsed into deep sleep upon returning.

Su Ping pulled down the store's shutter.

As darkness filled the room, he curled up on the counter and instantly fell into deep sleep.

Su Yanying returned to the academy.

The vast academy campus was filled with large green fields, boasting a high level of greenery. In the distance, there was a plaza with a pond and waterfall at its center, where some students' water-type pets played and splashed around.

However, at this moment, the pond was completely still, with not a single pet in sight.

Even the academy, which was as expansive as an airport, seemed eerily empty, with hardly any people in sight.

The entire place was dead silent.

Su Yanying wasn't surprised at all. She knew exactly where everyone was.

At the far end of the plaza stood a massive venue, resembling a sports stadium.

At this moment, the sound of cheers faintly echoed from within, so much so that even standing at the academy's entrance, she could hear the distant noise.

The afternoon match was still ongoing!

"Come on," Su Yanying called to the Lightning Rat following her, then quickened her pace to head over.

She had spent too much time at the pet store, but luckily, her match was scheduled for later in the day, around 4 p.m.

However, if the earlier competitors were quickly knocked out, her match might start earlier than expected.