Legendary Beast Cultivator

The sky above Red Sun Peak slowly darkened, and the three figures stood before an entrance. Xiao Lanxue. Ying Yue. Yun He.

There was a circular black stone platform surrounded by seven towering pillars inside the ruin that seemed to swallow the light. At the center of the platform there was a pool filled with water.

Xiao Lanxue slowly took a step forward, her hand resting on her waist. "This... this should be the final altar’s location."

Ying Yue gulped, her heartbeat quickening as she looked around the silent courtyard. "The third altar...."

Yun He looked around the seven pillars frantically. "Didn’t the Headmaster mention back in the academy that this third altar was the most brutal and difficult of them all?"

"Yeah," Xiao Lanxue let out a solemn nod, her eyes locked onto the water pool. "He did."

She took another, deliberate step forward onto the platform. The moment her legs made contact with the smooth, black stone the entire area trembled with a loud boom.

All seven towering pillars simultaneously cast a faint light out. A deep voice echoed across the mountain top, reverberating straight into their spines:

"The Altar of Conviction –The final inheritance. This is the ultimate test of the soul."

The three disciples looked at each other with serious, tense glances, stepping closer together.

The voice continued, echoing with sheer authority:

"Brute strength or clever wisdom shall not open this gate. Only those who remain with great resolve to their chosen path shall receive the inheritance."

The water inside the central pool suddenly rippled rapidly, splashing against the boundaries of it.

Then, a suffocating wave of pure darkness burst out from the pool, completely swallowing the three young women.

****

Xiao Lanxue slowly opened her eyes, gasping for air vehemently. She was standing alone.

The stone ruins, the evening breeze and even the Red Sun Peak vanished into thin air instantly.

She found herself standing inside a large, elegant palace constructed of pure, shimmering blue ice.

"Where... where am I?" Xiao Lanxue whispered, her voice echoing against the frozen walls.

"Xiao Lanxue..." A gentle, familiar voice echoed faintly behind her.

Xiao Lanxue turned around, her breathing became hazy as her eyes widened in pure shock. A familiar, beloved figure stood there. It was her mother.

"You’ve suffered enough in that academy, my daughter. You’ve pushed yourself far too hard for taking revenge for your cousin Xiao Chen," The woman’s face carried a warm smile, her eyes filled with gentle affection.

Xiao Lanxue froze, petrified, her hand trembling. "Mother...?"

"You can return home now," the woman whispered, stretching her hands slightly.

The grandeur doors behind her mother slowly cranked open. Beyond the gate, there was her family’s magnificent estate. It was cozy, beautiful, and serene.

Her mother gestured to come, waving her hand toward Xiao Lanxue. "Come home, Lanxue. Take a rest."

Xiao Lanxue looked calmly at the extended hand. Her usually unbothered expression slowly began to soften, a profound linger of exhaustion crawling up from her soul.

****

And somewhere within the spatial place... Ying Yue found herself standing in the center of a vast golden hall.

There are countless mountain-like piles of priceless treasures covering the floor. There are rank four spirit artifacts, legendary rank five weapons, most rare hundred-year-old medicinal herbs, and ancient beast cultivation manuals scattered everywhere in the area. She looked at them with a grin on her face.

Everything she had ever dreamed of acquiring was resting right at her feet. A slight temptation caught her consciousness, and a voice whispered into her ears: "Take them, Ying Yue... All of it is yours. With these, you’ll never need to struggle, sweat, or bleed in combat ever again... This is the reward for winning this trial!!"

"A-All... all of these... for me?" Ying Yue stuttered, her voice cracking slightly, her eyes wide as they greedily lingering across the glittering piles of treasures.

"Yes!! Everything is yours! Just reach out to them with your hand..."

****

Meanwhile... Yun He found herself standing in the center of an enormous, roaring arena. Tens of thousands of people filled across the area, their loud cheers shaking the sky.

"Yun He! The genius!"

"The greatest beast cultivator of her generation!"

"Yun He! Yun He!"

Her name echoed gloriously throughout the arena. Her earth ape stood proudly beside her, roaring back at the crowd as gold colored papers rained down from above.

A sweet voice whispered in her mind: "You can finally become famous, Yun He... Everyone will look up to you with great admiration. You’ll never be ignored or looked down upon ever again..."

Yun He’s eyes glinted, a euphoric smile crawling across her face as she looked up at the cheering crowd.

The three disciples had been separated by the altar’s illusion. Each girl faced a temptation designed specifically for their hidden, greedy desires.

And none of them realized... that the Altar of Conviction wasn’t testing their power or their tactical intelligence. It was silently observing their core choices.

****

A few hours quietly passed...

Then faint footsteps echoed across the stone pathway to the ruins. Lin Yuan’s group finally appeared from the maple forest, arriving at the top of the Red Sun Peak.

"Look!!" Chen Ming pointed toward the ancient ruins ahead, his eyes squinting slightly. "There it is!"

Lian Nichang’s eyes widened in awe. "The third and final altar!"

But before they could take another step forward, another pair of footsteps echoed from the opposite pathway as another group appeared at the same moment. Teng Haoran, Huo Luo Ren, and Chen Yu Ming.

Both groups stopped simultaneously, looking at each other before looking toward the towering, ancient stone formation ahead in the ruins.

Then, a faint, shimmering golden barrier suddenly formed across the main entrance of the ruins, blocking the path forward.

"Someone is already inside and attempting the trial," Lin Yuan slowly narrowed his dark eyes, observing the barrier and clicking his tongue. "Tsk!!"

"Looks like we’re late," Teng Haoran let out a long, weary sigh, dropping his shoulders.

"Fuck! Damn it!" Chen Ming clicked his tongue in frustration, crossing his arms. "Seriously?! We walked up half a mountain just to arrive second?!"

Lian Nichang looked at the shining barrier curiously. "I wonder which group managed to get here first?"

Lin Yuan didn’t answer immediately. He quietly observed the subtle golden patterns flowing smoothly across the barrier.

"Well... then we will wait. We can’t force our way through an active altar barrier anyway." Teng Haoran walked over to a maple tree and sat down cross-legged on the grass, closing his eyes slowly.

Chen Ming also sat down beside him. "Waiting is torture!"

"Would you rather fight another Rank three beast instead?" Huo Luo Ren laughed, leaning against a stone.

"Obviously!" Chen Ming muttered, raising his eye brow.

"You’re insane," Huo Luo Ren snickered, waving his hand slightly.

Assistant master Qin Yuze stood a few meters away against a stone pillar, his eyes locked upon the ruin entrance and its barrier.

"The third altar is different from the previous two," Qin Yuze whispered, his voice slightly echoing across the area.

Lin Yuan turned his head toward him. "How so, assistant master?"

Qin Yuze shook his head slightly. "I don’t know the details of its internal trial. But the headmaster specifically warned us before we left... the third altar cannot be overcome through strength or mere cleverness."

"I already know." Lin Yuan let out a faint, confident smile.

Chen Ming stared at him, raising an eyebrow. "You know everything, genius bastard!"

"Haha," Lin Yuan smirked, ignoring Chen Ming’s words.

*****

Inside the illusion, Xiao Lanxue continued staring at the woman claiming to be her mother.

The woman’s hand remained extended toward her, warm and inviting. "Come, Lanxue. You’ve already done enough for your clan. Just take a rest for now."

Xiao Lanxue’s eyes trembled with calm emotion. For a few, quiet seconds, she took a slow step forward toward the warmth.

The palace grew warmer. Her mother’s smile widened with satisfaction. "You don’t need difficult cultivation anymore. You don’t need to prove your worth to anyone."

Xiao Lanxue slowly raised her hand, her fingers a few inches away from touching her mother’s palm. And suddenly, her fingers froze in the air.

"No... no.. no," Xiao Lanxue frantically muttered, nodding her head thrice.

Her mother’s warm smile vanished, replaced by an eerie stillness. "Why, Lanxue?"

"Because..." Xiao Lanxue slowly lowered her hand back to her side, her eyes regaining their usual clarity, "my mother died three years ago. And because this warm lie in front of me is not the path I chose for myself."

Crack!

A massive fracture burst out across the walls of the frozen palace. Her mother’s figure vanished into dust, and the illusion shattered like fragile glass.

Xiao Lanxue stood alone once more in the darkness. She had seen through a layer of emotional temptation, but the Altar of Conviction was far from finished.

Ying Yue was not as fortunate, driven by her hidden insecurity, she reached out her hand and grasped one of the shining, legendary rank four spirit artifacts in the pile.

The second her fingers made physical contact with it, the vast golden hall shattered. The piles of priceless treasures vanished into thin air.

She found herself standing alone in a dark abyss.

The ancient voice echoed softly... "You sought effortless power without earning it. Now, face the wild without your beast."

A large rank four beast appeared out of the darkness, roaring vehemently as it lunged at her.

Ying Yue stumbled backward in sheer terror, her breathing becoming frantic as tears crawled from her eyes. "My... my wolf! Where is my wolf?! Why wasn’t it reacting to me??"

The terrifying beast lunged, and Ying Yue screamed in horror, covering her face in despair.

Yun He faced a similar trial. The cheering crowd surrounding her arena suddenly changed. Every face in the crowd changed into someone she knew personally — her childhood friends, her academy masters, her family members.

They all looked down at her with sweet admiration.

"Stay here, Yun He..."

"You’ve achieved enough glory..."

"You don’t need to suffer out there in the dangerous world anymore..."

Yun He’s earth ape stood beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked at her beast, then looked back at the smiling crowd. Her eyes filled with hesitation and contentment.

****

Outside the ruins, the evening sky turned into a dark night.

"How damn long does this trial take?!" Chen Ming stretched his legs, groaning.

"Nobody knows," Teng Haoran looked toward the golden barrier. "An altar trial takes as long as the candidates need."

Lian Nichang frowned, leaning against a rock. "What if they’ve already solved it and received the inheritance?"

"No," Lin Yuan suddenly spoke up, his voice calm and sturdy.

Everyone turned their heads to look at him.

"Why are you so sure, Lin Yuan?" Teng Haoran asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Because the barrier’s energy is becoming chaotic," Lin Yuan let out a faint smile, pointing toward the entrance.

Qin Yuze stared at Lin Yuan in surprise. "Good observation..."

Lin Yuan observed the barrier, his expression remaining calm and composed.

****

Inside the trial... Xiao Lanxue had shattered her first three layers of illusions. But the Altar of Conviction presented another... and another.

It showed her supreme martial power, family reunion, continent-wide recognition, safety, and bitter revenge; everything her heart desired or feared.

The same brutal process happened to Ying Yue and Yun He. The more their human hearts wavered, the stronger and more suffocating the illusions became.

Slowly, Ying Yue collapsed onto her knees in the abyss, weeping. "I... I don’t want to fight anymore... I’m tired..."

The voice echoed softly: "Then remain here forever."

Ying Yue lowered her head in surrender, and her connection to the trial severed. A sharp crack echoed across the altar’s barrier.

Yun He also gave in to the sweet praise of her illusionary crowd, taking a step toward the fake reality. The trial formation trembled instantly.

Xiao Lanxue, standing in her fifth illusion, suddenly realized the truth of the trial.

"This trial..." Xiao Lanxue whispered, her voice trembling, "isn’t testing what we want in life."

"It’s testing... what we are truly willing to sacrifice to obtain what we want," She continued, her voice quivering slightly.

She clenched her fists tight, but the overwhelming pressure of the illusion pressed down on her soul.

Her fake mother’s voice echoed one final time: "Then what are you willing to sacrifice, Lanxue?"

Xiao Lanxue’s heart wavered for a single moment. That’s it! The formation abruptly dimmed.

Outside the ruins, the golden barrier suddenly trembled, sending shockwaves across the area. Everyone stood up instantly, dropping into a combat stance.

"What the hell just happened?!" Chen Ming gasped, staring at the gate.

Teng Haoran’s expression turned tense as the barrier’s golden light rapidly faded and cracked.

Lin Yuan quietly watched the energy vanishing. A confident smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Why on earth are you smiling right now, Lin Yuan?!" Chen Ming asked, noticing it immediately.

Lin Yuan didn’t answer immediately. His dark eyes remained locked upon the stone platform.

Then, he murmured. "They failed."

Lian Nichang stared at him in utter shock. "How could you know that?!"

"I can feel it! That’s it!" Lin Yuan’s smile widened slightly.

The ancient ruin let out a final, thunderous roar that shook the mountain peak. The golden barrier light vanished into ash.

Inside the central area, Xiao Lanxue, Ying Yue, and Yun He stumbled out onto the black platform, gasping for air, pale and exhausted.

Hovering above the dark pool... the jade crystal of the third inheritance remained still.

Lin Yuan slowly took a deliberate step forward, his dark eyes gleaming with anticipation as his robe fluttered against the mountain wind.