Still, Zhou Ming understood that from now on, he couldn’t use his Serpent Pupils carelessly.
He had long suspected the existence of human experimentation in this world, but he hadn’t imagined it had already become an underground industry.
Thinking it through, though, he realized it wasn’t all that surprising.
The Four Major Profession Systems of the Alliance weren’t accessible to everyone, and even then, success depended on compatibility.
If one’s compatibility was too low, it was impossible to advance to the level of a Professional Beast Tamer.
Some people resorted to incomplete class advancement systems to achieve that promotion.
However, for those who advanced using such flawed systems to further improve their strength, the only path was to perfect their system—and human experimentation was one such method.
The Alliance strictly cracked down on these acts. Once discovered, they would investigate to the end.
The reason was simple: to maintain stability.
To keep public order, prevent panic, and preserve the privileges of those controlling the Four Systems.
Moreover, it ensured that no independent class system capable of producing a Legendary Saint would fall into private hands, keeping the Alliance’s top-tier combat power under monopoly.
Having pieced everything together, Zhou Ming shifted his focus back to the Northern Wasteland.
With Vermilion Jade and the snake swarm alternating guard duty, Zhou Ming slept soundly atop the tiger pelt in the cave, ready to enter the Northern Wasteland at dawn.
…
The next morning, Zhou Ming shouldered his backpack and resumed his journey.
When he passed through Windback Gorge, everything went smoothly this time—no unexpected dangers.
Once he emerged, the vast Northern Wasteland stretched endlessly before him. The emerald grasslands met the azure sky at the horizon.
“Skreee—”
As Zhou Ming admired the breathtaking view, a sharp cry rang from above. Looking up, he saw a massive flock of Griffins.
He couldn’t tell their exact number, but there were at least several dozen—an overwhelming sight that blotted out the sun. Zhou Ming froze, hardly daring to breathe.
“Wait… these aren’t wild Griffins.”
Thanks to his sharp vision, Zhou Ming noticed that each Griffin carried a rider.
This wasn’t a wild flock—it was a squad of Beast Knights.
Not daring to move, Zhou Ming stood still and watched the Beast Knight squad pass.
Only when the Griffins vanished from view did he finally exhale in relief.
“The Alliance’s Griffin Knight Regiment—what are they doing in the Northern Wasteland?”
Calming his nerves, Zhou Ming recalled details about the force before him.
The Griffin Knight Regiment—one of the Alliance’s three elite legions—answered directly to the Alliance Headquarters.
Though only a thousand strong, every member was a Professional Beast Tamer, trained under the Beast Knight system, each paired with a Griffin bred specifically by the Alliance.
Every Griffin Knight was equipped with specialized bows and arrows. Combined with their formidable physical strength, they possessed terrifying power both in ranged and close combat.
“Could it be that a large-scale Dimensional Rift has gone out of control?”
Zhou Ming pondered deeply. He knew the ruins within the Northern Wasteland Base’s perimeter were the reason for much of the Alliance’s activity here. But even for that, they wouldn’t dispatch the Griffin Knights—unless… something had gone terribly wrong with a major Dimensional Rift.
For the simplest reason of all—