"Uh..." Bei Bei suddenly stopped, staring blankly at Lin Lei's shoulder.
Lin Lei also chuckled. "Thinking about standing on my shoulder again?" In the past, Bei Bei had often stood on Lin Lei's shoulder, but now he had taken on a human form. At this moment, though not particularly tall—only about 1.7 meters—he was a young man.
However, he could no longer stand on Lin Lei's shoulder like before.
Lin Lei studied the transformed Bei Bei carefully. His appearance was quite refined, though his eyes still held that same mischievous glint. Bei Bei grinned, ran a hand over his short-cropped hair, and lifted his head proudly. "Boss, how's this hairstyle? I've been thinking about it for ages, even before I became a god."
Lin Lei was caught between laughter and speechlessness.
"On my way here from the Dark Forest, I picked up a little something along the way," Bei Bei said, affecting mystery.
"Oh?" Lin Lei looked at him. Bei Bei flipped his hand, and a tattered straw hat appeared. With practiced ease, he plopped it onto his head, beaming with satisfaction. "Boss, doesn't this hat suit me perfectly?"
Seeing him like this, Lin Lei burst out laughing. "It suits you! It really does!"
Bei Bei adopted a solemn tone. "Boss, let's go somewhere else to talk. Let's not bother anyone else."
"Don't bother anyone else?" Lin Lei was momentarily startled, but then he caught on. He turned to look at the Martial God and the High Priest nearby, who were clearly struggling between laughter and exasperation. Seeing Bei Bei like this, they couldn't bring themselves to scold him.
"Sorry," Lin Lei quickly apologized.
"Please, just take the little one away," the High Priest said, caught between amusement and helplessness.
"Right, we're leaving," Lin Lei said immediately. "You two carry on." He started to lead Bei Bei away from the rear garden, but Bei Bei turned back and shouted at the High Priest and the Martial God, "My boss says you should carry on!"
Lin Lei could only glare speechlessly at Bei Bei.
The two walked side by side through Dragonblood Castle.
"Boss, I'm a god now too. You might not necessarily be my match anymore," Bei Bei said smugly.
Lin Lei smiled. "The stronger you are, the better, Bei Bei. If you surpass me, that's even better." He suddenly recalled the divine beast's innate abilities and asked, "Bei Bei, you're the second God-devouring Mouse across countless planes. So, what's your innate talent?"
"If anyone else asked, I wouldn't say a word," Bei Bei replied. "But since it's you, Boss, I'll give you a hint: think about the words 'God-devouring.'"
After dropping that hint, Bei Bei fell silent.
"God-devouring?" Lin Lei was puzzled. Could it mean devouring god-level powerhouses? Surely it couldn't be that simple.
"By the way, Boss, Grandpa Belut and Harry and his brothers will be coming over soon. I just couldn't wait and rushed ahead," Bei Bei added. Lin Lei was surprised. "Lord Belut and Harry's trio are coming too?"
Sure enough, that evening, Belut arrived at Dragonblood Castle with his three sons.
In the study.
"Bei Bei, you and Harry and the others can step outside first," Belut said with a faint smile. Bei Bei and Harry's trio obeyed and left, leaving only Belut and Lin Lei alone. Lin Lei looked at Belut, a hint of unease in his mind. "Belut wants to speak with me alone. What's this about?"
Despite his doubts, Lin Lei maintained a respectful demeanor.
"Have a seat," Belut said, sitting down and gesturing to a chair nearby. Lin Lei took his seat as instructed.
Belut stroked his beard and chuckled with emotion. "Bei Bei has finally reached the god-level, so I can breathe a sigh of relief. Lin Lei, Bei Bei is very attached to you. I asked him to stay with me, but he refused. In the future, I hope you'll take good care of him."
"Of course," Lin Lei nodded.
Even without Belut's request, Lin Lei would do his utmost to look after Bei Bei. He would never forget how, in the Misty Valley, Bei Bei had shielded him from the dying blow of the Thornback Iron Armored Dragon. Bei Bei had saved his life more than once. Lin Lei would never forget these things.
"Lin Lei, you've entered the divine realm, but you must have many questions about the world of gods," Belut said with a smile. "How many god-level experts have even O'Brien or Catherine actually fought?"
Lin Lei felt a surge of joy.
He knew far too little about the divine world. Even in combat and cultivation, he felt somewhat lost—like a blind man without guidance, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"I know you're cultivating the Wind Elemental Law and the Earth Elemental Law," Belut continued calmly. "So let me introduce things from the perspective of your cultivation. First, you should know that each elemental law contains many different profound mysteries."
This was common knowledge, and Lin Lei naturally understood.
"But the various profound mysteries within an elemental law vary in power," Belut remarked with a sigh. "Within these elemental laws, there are low-level profound mysteries, medium-level profound mysteries, and also high-level profound mysteries! And it's these profound mysteries of different levels that can all allow one to become a god!"
Lin Lei nodded.
"Lin Lei, in the Earth Elemental Law, you're cultivating the profound mystery related to 'Earth Pulse,' aren't you?" Belut looked at Lin Lei.
"That's right," Lin Lei said, not at all surprised. It would be strange if Belut didn't know this.
Belut smiled. "Under normal circumstances, higher-level profound mysteries are generally comprehended only upon reaching the Mid-tier God level, or even the High-tier God level. Many Mid-tier Gods in the Earth System haven't even comprehended 'Earth Pulse.' Yet here you are, a Low-tier God, already comprehending it."
Lin Lei's brow furrowed deeply.
Belut chuckled. "Let me put it this way: suppose the Earth Elemental Law contains nine different profound mysteries. Of course, that's just a hypothetical number, since I haven't cultivated the Earth Elemental Law myself."