Chapter 34: The White Tiger’s Yearning

A robust chimpanzee scrambled through the window. Despite its small stature, its arrogant demeanor was an exact replica of its master’s. The chimpanzee walked on its knuckles, marched right up to Wen Li, and began pounding its chest in a display of blustering bravado.

Wen Li watched it with a smile, gently unfolding her mental pathways before it. Sensing the warm energy within, the chimpanzee lunged forward in excitement. But a split second before it could enter, a massive blue butterfly surged outward.

Faced with the surging tide of blue, the chimpanzee didn't even have time to shriek before the giant butterfly engulfed it. Xiao Shan loathed this chimpanzee; without even touching it with its antennae, it simply dissolved into points of blue light that permeated the creature's body. The chimpanzee writhed on the ground in agony, howling as it scrambled back to its master.

On the other side, the sentinel was in too much pain to speak, his jaw locked tight as he endured the violent twitching of his facial muscles. When a mental beast is wounded, its master suffers just as much. The sentinel slammed a fist against the glass and snarled, "Just you wait." He was quickly dragged away by the club staff.

The moment the blue butterfly returned to Wen Li’s mental sea, it began frantically rubbing its tentacles and wings. It rolled through the field of violets several times before collapsing on the ground, looking utterly devastated.

*Xiao Shan: It was so dirty, boo-hoo! Master, I’m not clean anymore!*

Wen Li comforted it in her mental sea for a moment. Although this farce had ended, the competition had to go on. Not long after, a young sentinel sat down opposite her.

"Hello. I’d like a direct mental sea purification; the channel is already open."

The clear, slightly languid voice stirred Wen Li’s memories. It was strange; she felt as though she had heard this voice somewhere before. Fearing he might be an acquaintance, Wen Li remained silent. The sentinel, assuming the Guide was merely being cold and aloof, didn't think much of it.

Ulysses had finally managed to purchase a chance for purification; his "Shadow" hadn't enjoyed such relief in a long time. Sensing the fluctuations in the surrounding mental energy, Wen Li realized the sentinel across from her was quite powerful. To increase efficiency, she reached out a hand. Ulysses looked at the fair, delicate hand before him, hesitated for a moment, and chose to take it.

Wen Li closed her eyes. Before her lay a tall, dense coniferous forest. The fir trees were blanketed in a layer of pristine, powdery snow. The surroundings were vast and silent, with only Wen Li wandering aimlessly. Protected by a mental barrier, she felt no cold. The tricky part was finding the sentinel's mental beast. Five minutes had already been wasted, and the beast was nowhere to be seen. Wen Li had no choice but to float into the air to scan for nearby landmarks. Directly ahead of her stood a snow-covered hill.

Wen Li thought perhaps the mental beast was hiding in a cave. Upon approaching, however, she discovered there was no cave at all; instead, the snow on the hill kept falling despite the lack of wind. Wen Li was growing tired, so she leaned her back against the slope—only for the "hill" to begin shaking the very next moment.

Snow cascaded down like a waterfall, and Wen Li hurriedly retreated. When the blinding white field finally cleared, a pair of pale yellow cat eyes were staring right at her. The hill in front of her was actually an enormous lynx! A giant kitty!

The lynx stood up and sat down obediently, its short, thick tail dangling at its side. Its tawny-brown fur was still dusted with lingering snow. The iconic tufts of black hair on its ears were not pricked up in their usual alert posture, but instead drooped slightly to the sides, making it look exceptionally innocent. Its whiskers twitched, and with a natural, smiling expression, the lynx’s pale yellow eyes looked curiously at the tiny Wen Li.

Wen Li tilted her head back with some effort to meet its gaze. She had spent all that time searching, only to find the mental beast was just sleeping. The lynx sensed the warm aura brought by the little human and assumed she had come to play. It lay back down, squinting its eyes in anticipation of a pet.

Wen Li floated up and began using her mental energy to pet the cat! There was nothing more satisfying than petting a mountain-sized mental beast. She scratched its chin with a rhythmic *snort-snort* and floated behind its head to groom it. She ran out of energy after covering only half of the area. The golden-haired girl sat in the snow, panting, her face flushed with fatigue.

The lynx, thoroughly enjoying the petting, reached out a paw and scooped her up. Wen Li was forced into the lynx’s thick fur. All the while, her mental energy continued to spread and purify.

Her brain-link chimed; the allotted time was up. Wen Li finally remembered who this sentinel was. He was from the 13th Military District, a sentinel who had come to provide support during her very first mission when she had run into trouble. However, Wen Li had no intention of making small talk. While the giant cat was fast asleep, she withdrew her mental energy and returned to reality.

Ulysses felt his hand go empty, and the comforting aura vanished. The warmth in the sentinel's heart began to fade. *Time to wake up, Ulysses. You shouldn't be so greedy.*

After Wen Li pulled her hand back, she calmed the fluctuations in her mental sea. The sentinel opposite her didn't say much; he offered his thanks and left. Wen Li patted her chest—thankfully, he hadn't recognized her, as their previous encounter had been somewhat unpleasant. She calculated the time; she had two hours left, but she had only successfully purified two people. She had to pick up the pace. Cutting her rest short, Wen Li pressed the button to signal for the next sentinel.

Dressed in a crisp white shirt, the next sentinel sat down, and a gentle, mellow voice filled the air.

"Xiao Li, how have you been lately?"

Unexpectedly, it was Wen Jinnian’s voice. Wen Li’s eyes widened, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. As if anticipating her dazed expression, the sentinel chuckled.

"I was lucky enough to be matched with you. Aren't you going to say anything to your brother?"

Wen Li said softly, "Brother, how did you know I was competing?"

The sentinel reached his hand through the window, his sleeves rolled up to reveal a sturdy, powerful forearm. Wen Jinnian replied, "I won't take up your time; let’s begin the purification."

A strange, inexplicable sense of awkwardness welled up in Wen Li’s heart, and for a moment, she didn't know how to proceed. Meeting the original owner’s family again brought about a subtle, complicated feeling. The sentinel didn't urge her, either.

But time waited for no one. Wen Li gritted her teeth and took hold of Wen Jinnian’s arm.

The purification began.

In a dry forest, a white tiger stood out prominently. Its snow-white fur was marked with black stripes, looking like elegant patterns drawn by an artist with thick ink on white silk. Its strong, powerful limbs moved with latent strength, and its tail swayed with agility. Its blue eyes looked at her with tenderness.

Wen Li crouched down to look the tiger in the eye, placing her hands on its head to stroke it. The white tiger leaned into her touch comfortably, rubbing its tail against her. However, two consecutive sessions of high-intensity purification had left Wen Li exhausted, and her fragmented mental sea began to pulse with a dull ache.

Wen Li breathed with difficulty, her hands losing their strength. Suddenly, a wave of mental energy—as refreshing as a spring breeze—permeated her mental sea. Wen Jinnian was silently channeling mental energy back into his sister. Theoretically, this was considered cheating, so Wen Jinnian stopped after only a moment. He knew his sister despised such behavior more than anything.

The white tiger nudged the girl, inviting her to lie on the grass. It rested its front paws on her soft midsection and draped its tail over her arm. The tiger nuzzled the golden hair with its head, resting happily alongside Wen Li. Her long hair spread out, and the girl closed her white eyes, her fair, serene face as beautiful as an elegant painting. Sunlight spilled over the girl and the tiger—warm and peaceful.