Chapter 47 Is This an Earthsplitter Tiger Cub?!

Lei Hongyang hesitated. For a moment, he faltered, unable to speak.

Xu Han spoke slowly, his tone unhurried. "It's not really anything important. It's just that I discovered a new secret realm. I suppose he must have learned about it later and wanted me to hand over what I found inside. When I refused, he ordered his men to break my legs."

At these words, everyone turned to look at Lei Hongyang with different eyes.

"How shameless can Old Lei's son be? Trying to steal from someone else?"

"Exactly, Old Lei spoils his son too much. That's how he ended up like this."

"I heard he's a student at Longguo University. What a disgrace to the school."

Lei Hongyang's face shifted from green to white and back again. He glared at Xu Han, grinding his teeth, wishing he could devour him whole.

Dai Guoqiang fixed Lei Hongyang with a dark, stern gaze. "Go and apologize to Xu Han!"

Lei Hongyang's expression changed instantly. Clutching his staff tightly, he protested through gritted teeth, "You want me to apologize to him? He was the one who hit me! Why should I apologize?"

Dai Guoqiang's face darkened, and he was about to speak when a deep, resonant voice came from behind.

"Apologize!"

Everyone turned to see a middle-aged man in a neatly pressed suit walking toward them, exuding a quiet authority without anger. Perched on his shoulder was a jet-black crow, which cocked its head at Lei Hongyang and croaked in a sharp voice, "Apologize, apologize..."

Lei Hongyang lowered his head and forced out the words, "I'm sorry."

With that, he turned and strode into the house.

The middle-aged man gave Xu Han a slight bow, his tone filled with apology. "I'm truly sorry. My son has been spoiled. When we return home, I will discipline him strictly. I assure you, there will be no more trouble like this."

Xia Ling quietly sidled up to Xu Han and whispered, "That's Uncle Lei Ming, President of the Adventurers' Guild and Lei Hongyang's father."

Xu Han nodded politely. "You are too kind, President Lei."

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Xu Han wanted to get something to eat, but many people came over to strike up a conversation and win his favor. More than an hour passed, and he barely managed a few bites of food.

Still, he did get to taste several different types of exotic beast meat, which increased his attribute points. The number of entries in his Gourmet Encyclopedia had risen to forty-five out of fifty. Just five more kinds, and he could unlock the next reward.

Xu Han was growing impatient to return home.

"Xu Han..."

A clear, melodious voice sounded behind him. Xu Han turned to look.

He saw Xia Ling, dressed in a white dress, gazing at him with a hint of shyness. For a moment, Xu Han was captivated.

"When do you plan to go to the capital?" Xia Ling asked, noticing the effect her beauty had on him and feeling a small surge of pride.

Xu Han snapped back to himself with an awkward cough. "Probably in about a week."

He had nearly tried all the exotic beasts around Donghai City. It was time to seek out new ones. Otherwise, it would take ages to expand his Gourmet Encyclopedia to one hundred kinds.

Xia Ling nodded slightly. "By the way, I heard that when we get to university, we'll be assigned mentors. Do you know which one you want to choose?"

Xu Han was startled. They got to pick mentors? That was news to him.

Xia Ling explained, "I heard about it from some of the upperclassmen. Apparently, there will be eighteen mentors to choose from this year, each taking on two students. Ten of them are fourth-tier experts, and seven are fifth-tier."

"What about the last one?" Xu Han asked, puzzled.

Xia Ling propped her chin in her hand. "It seems none of the upperclassmen recommend choosing that one. From what I've heard, that mentor is at the peak of the fifth tier—strongest of all—but her personality is very eccentric and she doesn’t usually like taking on students. Moreover, she has a habit of bringing her students into the lairs of leader-class exotic beasts, resulting in an injury or fatality rate as high as eighty percent. The school administration strongly disapproves of her methods. Originally, they weren't going to let her take students this year, but for some reason, she’s been included again. Be careful—not to pick her."

Xu Han nodded thoughtfully. Such a unique mentor? It was worth looking into in advance.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the crowd, Lei Hongyang was watching Xu Han with a sullen expression.

"That damned brat! How dare he treat me like that! I'll make a fool of him yet!"

His gaze landed on the tiered cake next to Xu Han, and a sly smile appeared on his lips—he already had a plan.

He raised his hand, and a mysterious magic circle appeared in his palm. When the glow faded, a tiny purple mouse, no bigger than his palm, appeared.

"Go, gnaw that table down for me," Lei Hongyang whispered, pointing at the table holding the cake tower.

The Thunder Mouse squeaked with excitement. In a flash of lightning, it darted toward the table.

People nearby also caught sight of the streak of electricity.

"An exotic beast has invaded!"

"Isn’t that a Thunder Mouse? How did one get in here?"

"This is bad! The Thunder Mouse is heading for the cake! Stop it!"

Cries of alarm erupted from the crowd. The bodyguards stationed nearby rushed forward to intercept, but the Thunder Mouse was far too fast. In the blink of an eye, it was at the cake tower.

Just as it was about to crash into the table leg, a magic circle quietly appeared before it. Out from the circle stepped a tiger the size of an adult dog.

"Roar!"

A deafening growl filled the air. The Thunder Mouse trembled in terror and turned to flee.

But the tiger cub was not about to let it escape. With a single bound, it landed in front of the Thunder Mouse and pressed it down with a paw, pinning it firmly to the ground.

With the Thunder Mouse subdued, the crowd finally calmed down.

Xia Xiuwei and a few others hurried over.

"What happened?" Xia Xiuwei asked, frowning.

Xu Han replied calmly, "A Thunder Mouse appeared here, but my pet caught it."

Xia Xiuwei's expression darkened. The venue had been thoroughly checked before the birthday party—how could an exotic beast show up now? It was a slap in the face.

"Investigate this immediately. Find out how an exotic beast got in here!"

"Yes, sir!" The bodyguards responded and hurried off.

"Hey, this little tiger looks familiar," Dai Guoqiang remarked suddenly.

Everyone's attention turned to the cub.

Zheng Zucai stared at the little tiger, frowning, and slowly said, "It looks just like the Earth-Splitting Tiger King!"

His words struck everyone like a bolt of lightning. All eyes turned to Xu Han.

"Could it be... the cub of the Earth-Splitting Tiger King?" Liu Qiangjun asked cautiously.

Xu Han nodded without hesitation. "That's right. This is the Earth-Splitting Tiger King's cub."

Everyone stared at the little tiger as if they'd seen a ghost.