But now there was no choice; under Bai Zhengchu's coercion, it had to continue its precognition.
After dozens of precognitions, the four-eyed strange frog's most frequent conclusion was an ancient, rustic courtyard.
This meant that Zheng Dong was very likely to go to a courtyard somewhere.
Bai Zhengchu recalled Zheng Dong's identity in the Special Affairs Bureau and guessed that Zheng Dong might be heading to the Imperial Capital's Special Affairs Bureau headquarters.
Therefore, he planned to intercept the high-speed train to the Imperial Capital.
From this high-speed rail station, there were only three train services to the Imperial Capital.
Two of them had not yet departed, while the other had already left long ago.
Bai Zhengchu had no choice but to summon an Emperor-grade Ethereal Banshee to pursue.
The Ethereal Banshee was a humanoid pet of the Space and Wood dual elements, mastering many space-element skills, making it not difficult to catch up to the high-speed train.
The Emperor-grade Ethereal Banshee used spatial teleportation.
Due to the difference in growth levels, the distance it could cover with spatial teleportation far exceeded that of Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi.
Before long, it brought Bai Zhengchu to another high-speed rail station, where the train bound for the Imperial Capital was stopped.
Many passengers were already disembarking with their luggage.
In a short while, this high-speed train would depart again for the Imperial Capital.
Bai Zhengchu ignored all this and directly summoned all his pets to search for Zheng Dong.
One of his colossal pets even blocked the railway, preventing the high-speed train from continuing its journey.
This scene terrified many people.
Soon, personnel from the Security Bureau rushed over.
Unfortunately, they were helpless against the unreasonable Bai Zhengchu.
Bai Zhengchu searched for over ten minutes but still couldn't find Zheng Dong.
He was filled with rage and didn't know how to vent it.
He was, after all, a Legend, a proud scion of the Bai family, yet he couldn't even find a trace of Zheng Dong. His pride was severely wounded.
Now, not only for Bai Wenxuan, but also for himself, he had to find Zheng Dong.
Seeing the high-speed train stopped before him, his anger surged, and he wanted to have his pet push it over and destroy it completely to feel a bit better.
In reality, Zheng Dong had already disembarked from the high-speed train.
The luggage he was attached to was taken off the train by a tall woman, who then hailed a taxi and headed to an unknown destination.
Zheng Dong had originally planned to hide on the high-speed train all the way to the Imperial Capital.
However, his precognitive sense warned him that continuing on the train would be dangerous.
So, he simply didn't reveal himself, remaining attached to the luggage until it was taken away by the woman.
Only when the precognitive sense ceased to warn him did Zheng Dong detach himself from his possession and use spatial teleportation to leave the taxi's trunk and arrive on a street.
It was then that he realized he had arrived in Shicheng.
Shicheng was not too far from the Imperial Capital, and Zheng Dong planned to use earth vein teleportation to reach the Special Affairs Bureau.
Fortunately, it went relatively smoothly.
His precognitive sense did not issue any further warnings.
Upon arriving at the Special Affairs Bureau, Zheng Dong met Legend Zeng Zuo again.
"You brat, you really know how to hide. Not only couldn't Bai Zhengchu find you, but when I sent Legend Jin Heng to Modu to pick you up, he didn't see you either."
Zheng Dong had heard of Legend Jin Heng; he was also one of the heads of the Special Affairs Bureau, a titled Legend known as the Mountain-Quelling King, possessing great strength.
"Legend Jin Heng? No one contacted me!" Zheng Dong asked, puzzled.
"Likely, he couldn't find you and went straight to teach Bai Zhengchu a lesson!" Legend Zeng Zuo said dismissively.
Subsequently, Legend Zeng Zuo contacted Legend Jin Heng.
It was then learned that while Bai Zhengchu was wreaking havoc on the high-speed train, Legend Jin Heng had intercepted him, severely punished him, and apprehended him.
Bai Zhengchu's seven Emperor-grade pets were no match for Legend Jin Heng's Overlord-grade pets.
The gap between them was far greater than the gap between the vice-principals of Modu University and Bai Zhengchu.
Therefore, Bai Zhengchu was no match for Legend Jin Heng.
Afterward, Legend Zeng Zuo also retrieved the surveillance footage from the scene.
It showed Bai Zhengchu being beaten half to death, like a stray dog, dragged away by Legend Jin Heng.
"Zheng Dong, Legend Jin Heng asked me to ask you what compensation you want. He plans to capture Bai Zhengchu and extort a hefty sum from the Bai family!" Legend Zeng Zuo said.
Zheng Dong was somewhat surprised; could one really extort compensation like this?
Indeed, in this world, might made right!
If his fist were strong enough, he could have killed Bai Zhengchu and then gone to the Bai family to demand compensation. What could the Bai family do?
He could only hold onto this grudge for now.
Given the Bai family's strength, Legend Jin Heng likely couldn't kill Bai Zhengchu.
After all, Bai Zhengchu hadn't been able to do much to him.
He would have to rely on himself to deal with Bai Zhengchu later.
As for compensation, he certainly wanted it.
He thought about it; he already had two super-intelligent chips and three mimic crystal stones, and he only needed some auxiliary resources for awakening mechanical pets.
However, he could purchase these auxiliary resources himself or apply for them from the Special Affairs Bureau.
If he were to extort them himself, the more the better.
But since it was Legend Jin Heng doing it, and he wasn't familiar with Legend Jin Heng, he didn't know what to ask the Bai family for.
So, he said:
"Anything is fine, but preferably resources related to the Wood element."
"Alright, I'll inform Legend Jin Heng. Don't worry, the Special Affairs Bureau will definitely not let you suffer.
If the Bai family doesn't bleed a little this time, Bai Zhengchu won't be going back!" Legend Zeng Zuo said.
Zheng Dong wasn't too concerned about these matters.
He planned to go to the Abyssal Ruins to cultivate and increase his pet space level as soon as possible.
Next, Zheng Dong exchanged and purchased some cultivation resources at the Special Affairs Bureau and then headed to the Abyssal Ruins.
He had been there before and knew the way, arriving quickly.
After his identity information was verified, Zheng Dong successfully entered the Abyssal Ruins space.
There were still people cultivating here, though fewer than last time.
Zheng Dong found his previous cultivation spot and began to cultivate.
This time, his main focus was to increase his pet space level, followed by helping his pets improve their skill proficiency.
For this purpose, he had prepared a large amount of Ethereal Stones, including spoils of war and those purchased from the Special Affairs Bureau.
He could cultivate here for thirty days, with a cultivation speed about fifteen times that of the outside world, equivalent to over four hundred days of cultivation outside.
If nothing unexpected happened, he could completely raise his pet space level to Level 4.
Time passed quickly while cultivating.
In the blink of an eye, eighteen days had passed.
His cultivation progress was slightly faster than Zheng Dong had anticipated, and his pet space level was close to leveling up.
Furthermore, Xiao Zi and all his other pets had their proficiency raised to the "Mastered" level, except for their quasi-divine skills.
As for the proficiency of quasi-divine skills, it increased more slowly.
Currently, the three quasi-divine skills mastered by Youyou had their proficiency raised to the "Proficient" level. To reach the "Mastered" level, it would take at least another month of cultivation here.
Xiao Zi's two quasi-divine skills were still a bit short of reaching the "Proficient" level.
However, the higher the proficiency of quasi-divine skills, the less consumption there would be when used, and the greater their power would be, further enhancing the combat capabilities of Xiao Zi and Youyou.
Unknowingly, it was the twenty-fifth day.
Zheng Dong's pet space naturally advanced to Level 4.
This meant Zheng Dong could contract 4 pets, making him a high-level Beastmaster.
As his pet space level increased, Zheng Dong could imprint more pet skills.
He could now imprint beginner, intermediate, and advanced skills without restriction.
The number of ultimate skills he could imprint also increased to 36, and quasi-divine skills to 2.
In addition, he could combine any four imprinted skills to form an ultimate skill.
Moreover, he could activate four layers of skill domains, assisting pet cultivation, and the cultivation speed increased by another double.
This would make it faster to assist Xiao Zi and Youyou in cultivating quasi-divine skills in the future.
Unfortunately, the growth levels of Xiao Zi and his other pets had not increased.
It seemed he needed to strengthen their training.
Additionally, Zheng Dong also felt that raising his pet space to Level 5 would be more difficult than before.
It would likely require twice or thrice the resources and time.
This was also a hurdle.
Many Beastmasters stopped at this point.
Then, from Master to Legend was another hurdle.
The path of cultivation would only become more difficult.
With a few days remaining, Zheng Dong continued to cultivate and consolidate his pet space.
At the same time, he also assisted Xiao Zi in raising both of her quasi-divine skills to the "Proficient" level.
Regrettably, Zheng Dong's mental power remained at the intermediate level.
The increase in mental power was more difficult than he had anticipated.
When Zheng Dong left the Abyssal Ruins, it was already January 10th, Year 4721 of the Yanhuang Calendar.
Modu University had already started its winter break.
There were only a little over twenty days left until the New Year.
Zheng Dong also received messages from Ning Wei, Bei Wen, Yu Qian, and others.
All of them were concerned messages.
After all, the news of Bai Zhengchu's rampage at Modu University had already spread.
In addition, there was a message from Legend Zeng Zuo, asking him to visit the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters after finishing his cultivation.
Zheng Dong also wanted to awaken his mechanical pet at the Special Affairs Bureau.
The Special Affairs Bureau headquarters possessed specialized equipment and mechanics to assist Special Affairs Bureau members in awakening, maintaining, and evolving mechanical pets.
After all, every member of the Special Affairs Bureau contracted a mechanical pet, and for the sake of secrecy, it could only be handled internally.
After leaving the Abyssal Ruins space, Zheng Dong did not choose to take a taxi but directly used the combined skill ultimate, Earth Vein Teleportation.
This was faster than taking a taxi, and the cost was within an acceptable range.
Soon, Zheng Dong arrived at the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters.
He saw that the rooftop was covered with a thick layer of snow, and snowflakes occasionally fell in the courtyard.
The winter in the Imperial Capital was indeed very cold.
However, with Zheng Dong's physique, he could withstand it completely.
He found Legend Zeng Zuo.
Even though the New Year was approaching, Legend Zeng Zuo was still stationed at the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters.
He was alone in the world, a bachelor, much like Zheng Dong. The closer the New Year got, the more he didn't know where to go.
Upon seeing Zheng Dong again, Legend Zeng Zuo was much more enthusiastic than before.
"You brat, you're finally out? It's not too late, you can still make it for the New Year."
After chatting with Legend Zeng Zuo for a while, Zheng Dong got straight to the point.
"Legend Zeng Zuo, are you looking for me because of Bai Zhengchu's matter?"
"Yes, the Bai family has guaranteed that Bai Zhengchu will no longer trouble you. In addition, they will compensate you with an eighth-level resource, the Overlord-grade Heart of Ghost Sea Water Star Grass, and an energy flame fruit with power comparable to a medium-sized forbidden bomb.
There won't be any more. Legend Jin Heng also couldn't excessively pressure the Bai family." Legend Zeng Zuo said.
This outcome was within Zheng Dong's expectations.
However, he did not believe for a moment that Bai Zhengchu would not come to trouble him.
Even if Bai Zhengchu didn't, other members of the Bai family certainly would.
After all, he had caused the Bai family to suffer a loss.
The matter of Bai Wenxuan would also likely be blamed on him.
It would just not be a direct confrontation.
In the shadows, the Bai family would definitely make a move against him.
Zheng Dong was indifferent; the Ling Shen Cult had always wanted to kill him, yet he not only survived but grew stronger. One day, he would return their favor with interest.
"Legend Zeng Zuo, I really have to thank you and Legend Jin Heng this time. Otherwise, my troubles would have been immense."
"You brat, why be so polite? You're one of us in the Special Affairs Bureau, and it's our duty and responsibility to protect you!
Also, I heard you want to awaken a mechanical pet. The Special Affairs Bureau can provide you with some resources for free to help you awaken it!" Legend Zeng Zuo said.
"That's great, how about giving me a few mimic crystal stones!" Zheng Dong joked.
"You're dreaming, kid. To get mimic crystal stones, you need to reach the Legend level to be eligible to apply, and even then, it's not guaranteed!
However, I can get you a super-intelligent chip, but you'll have to pay a portion of the funds to purchase it." Legend Zeng Zuo continued.
Although Zheng Dong already had two super-intelligent chips, who would ever have too many of these things?
He could completely awaken a dual-core or triple-core mechanical pet.
This way, the mechanical pet's learning and computing abilities would be stronger, and its potential would be greater.
"How much is it? Can it be cheaper? I'm also a poor kid!" Zheng Dong asked.
"Get lost. Do you think I don't know that you earned 1 billion in rewards from cracking the Qin Emperor's ruins last time? You're richer than I am." Legend Zeng Zuo said irritably.
"1 billion is a lot, but cultivating, nurturing pets, and buying skill inheritance beads all require money. I've already spent most of it." Zheng Dong said.
In reality, he hadn't spent much at all.
Zheng Dong hadn't spent a single penny at the auction previously, had made a windfall afterward, received 20 million in funding from the Breeding Bureau, and combined with the previous rewards from the Special Affairs Bureau, the money he had was enough for his expenses during this period.
However, upon hearing Zheng Dong's words, Legend Zeng Zuo softened his stance a bit.
"How about you pay 200 million then!"
Zheng Dong complained about being poor again and haggled down the price by 20 million, finally obtaining a super-intelligent chip.
Thus, he now possessed three super-intelligent chips.
Afterward, Legend Zeng Zuo took Zheng Dong to the Special Affairs Bureau's Mechanical Pet Awakening and Maintenance Base.
This was still some distance from the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters, located in a modern building.
The entire thirty-six-story building belonged to the Special Affairs Bureau.
One could also see many Special Affairs Bureau members bringing their pets here for maintenance and evolution.
Legend Zeng Zuo took Zheng Dong to find one of the base's负责人, a mechanic named Di Shi.
Di Shi was a somewhat eccentric middle-aged man, obsessed with machinery.
He barely acknowledged Legend Zeng Zuo, busying himself with maintaining a mechanical pet.
"Di Shi, are you listening to me?" Legend Zeng Zuo couldn't help but curse.
"What's the rush? Can't you see I'm busy? If you don't want to wait, then get lost!" Di Shi replied impatiently.
Facing Di Shi, Legend Zeng Zuo lost his temper and waited with Zheng Dong on the side.