After some simple pleasantries, the group followed Old Master Mu Tianhua into a village cottage that was, relatively speaking, a bit more "luxurious."

Besides Li Qian and Mu Qianqian, the young boy Mu Zoran was surprisingly also present. This was enough to show that his status within the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm was not ordinary.

Moreover, Li Qian’s impression of the young boy, Mu Zoran, had now changed.

He was indeed very cute, but unfortunately, deep down, he was a spoiled brat.

Lunch was relatively simple—just a standard four dishes and a soup, like a simple home-cooked meal.

However, the food was delicious. Even though they were just ordinary vegetables and meat, they were different from what you’d find in the outside world.

Mu Qianqian explained, allowing Li Qian to understand the reason. "Li Qian, lunch may be a little simple, but you can’t get this kind of food outside."

"Whether it’s the rice, the vegetables, or the meat in this stir-fry, it’s all produced here in the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm. It’s not only delicious but also rich in nutrients, far beyond what ordinary ingredients from the outside world can compare to."

"A simple meal like this? If you were in the outside world, you might not be able to eat it even if you offered ten thousand."

Hearing this, Li Qian once again thanked her politely. "Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll have to savor this. It’s my first time eating food produced in a Secret Realm."

The meal was excellent. Li Qian ate two large bowls of rice, and Mu Qianqian and Mu Zoran ate a lot as well.

In the end, the four of them finished most of the four dishes and one soup on the table.

After lunch, at Old Master Mu Tianhua’s suggestion, Mu Qianqian took Li Qian for a walk around the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm.

Li Qian could only follow along, feeling slightly awkward. For some reason, he had a feeling that the old master asking Mu Qianqian to show him around was his way of trying to set them up.

After the two had left, back in the cottage, the young boy reluctantly cleared the table. As he gathered the bowls and chopsticks, he asked in confusion, "Great-grandfather, why are you so polite to that kid?"

Mu Tianhua chuckled and corrected Mu Zoran’s way of speaking. "Don’t call him ’that kid.’ He’s much older than you."

"He’s not that much older," the young boy muttered in response.

Suddenly, as if a thought occurred to him, he nodded seriously. "But if he’s going to ’marry’ Aunt Qianqian, he is a bit on the young side. It feels a bit like Aunt Qianqian is robbing the cradle."

Hearing this, Mu Tianhua’s expression was a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Be careful. If that girl Qianqian hears you, you’ll definitely get a big knock on the head."

He glanced at Mu Zoran, his tone becoming more serious as he reminded him, "And another thing. Be more polite to him from now on."

"Why?" Mu Zoran looked up at Mu Tianhua, confused.

Mu Tianhua gazed out the window in a certain direction, his voice tinged with emotion. "To have figured out the evolution methods for the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon and the Frostfire Salamander at his age... that Li Qian’s future achievements will be immeasurable. If our Mu Family loses the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm, we might have to rely on him someday."

Hearing this, a worried look appeared on the young boy Mu Zoran’s fair face. He hesitated, then began, "Great-grandfather, the Rong Ancestor..."

Mu Tianhua knew what Mu Zoran wanted to say. He didn’t answer directly, instead remarking with deep feeling, "The Rong Ancestor is already twelve hundred years old..."

Although Mu Zoran was young, he was crystal clear on the internal situation of the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm. He then asked, "What about the Second Ancestor?"

Mu Tianhua spoke slowly, his voice laced with a faint sorrow. "The Second Ancestor ultimately failed to complete its transformation. Its Potential capped out at the Emperor level, so it cannot take control of the Secret Realm..."

Before he could finish, he withdrew his gaze and looked at Mu Zoran. "Alright, you’re just a child. Don’t worry about so many things... The most important thing for you right now is to train hard in Meditation and raise your strength as quickly as possible."

The young boy put the dishes aside, watched his great-grandfather step outside, and muttered to himself, ’He’s right. Without strength, you can’t change anything.’

...

Meanwhile, on a winding path leading away from the edge of the village, Li Qian and Mu Qianqian walked side by side.

"Um, about Mu Zoran..." Mu Qianqian was the first to speak, her tone a little awkward. "Don’t take what he said to heart."

"He’s just a kid, they say what’s on their mind." Li Qian smiled faintly. With that, he changed the subject and asked, "Does everyone from the Mu Family live here in the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm?"

Mu Qianqian didn’t overthink it and replied, "Of course not. In fact, most of our Mu Family members are in Yunlan City. Only a very small number are here in the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm."

Li Qian was a bit confused. "But doesn’t the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm speed up a Pet Beast’s growth?"

"It does, but you’ve probably already noticed a problem. The number of people and Pet Beasts in this Mysterious Forest Secret Realm is pitifully small..."

She fell silent for a moment, organizing her thoughts. Then, in a somewhat bitter tone, she said, "It’s not that our Mu Family members don’t want to come in to train. It’s that there’s a problem with the Mysterious Forest Secret Realm. It can no longer support more Beast Masters and Pet Beasts training here."

Li Qian was even more baffled. "How is that possible? This Secret Realm is so vast and open. How could it only support so few Pet Beasts and Beast Masters..."

"Come with me!" Mu Qianqian gazed off in a certain direction, lost in thought. A moment later, she beckoned to him.

With that, she walked straight ahead.

Li Qian naturally followed close behind.

They walked at a leisurely pace for about a quarter of an hour before the view suddenly opened up.

The forest disappeared. Or, to be more precise, it was as if a patch of the forest had gone bald. In its place was a circular meadow, about a kilometer in diameter.

In the center of the circular meadow stood a towering, majestic tree.

Yes, even though it was just a tree, Li Qian couldn’t help but use the word "majestic"—a term usually reserved for mountains.

It was simply because the tree was too tall. Looking up, it was at least a hundred zhang high. If they got any closer, the canopy, which blotted out the sun, would completely obscure the top.

The tree was covered in leaves—golden-yellow leaves. This wasn’t because it was autumn; in fact, it wasn’t autumn in the outside world either. This was simply the natural color of the leaves.

Li Qian took out the golden rong tree leaf Mu Qianqian had given him earlier to compare. He confirmed it very quickly.

The golden rong tree leaf Mu Qianqian had given him had definitely come from this giant Golden Rong Tree.