Legendary Beast Cultivator

The soothing warmth of the afternoon mountain breeze smeared gently across Lin Yuan’s face.

Many years ago... the inner courtyard of the Qing Clan residence in Green Hollow City was unusually peaceful. A young, seven-year-old Lin Yuan sat on a bench, under the branches of a golden gingko tree, his legs swinging back and forth while staring curiously at an old man carefully smearing a jade teacup.

The old man had long silver hair tied elegantly behind his back with a simple string. There are deep wrinkles covering his face, but his eyes remain lively, glinting with pure wisdom and strength. He was Qing Lin Cangyuan, the clan head of the Qing Clan, and Lin Yuan’s beloved grandfather.

"Hmph..." The old man darted his gaze sideways at the boy, and snorted slightly. "Why are you staring at me like you’ve never seen an old man before, brat?"

Young Lin Yuan scratched his cheek with his finger. "I’m thinking, grandfather."

"Oh?" Lin Cangyuan grunted, his brows twitching slightly. "What bothersome thought could a little brat like you possibly have?"

"Grandfather... I heard that cultivators can have many beasts?" Lin Yuan leaned forward, his dark eyes wide with genuine curiosity.

"Hahaha!" Lin Cangyuan immediately burst into loud, boisterous laughter, nodding his head. "So that’s what’s troubling your tiny head?"

"Come over here, my little Lin Yuan," Lin Cangyuan placed his precious teacup aside on the stone table before patting the empty space right beside him.

The little boy hurried over, walking toward his grandfather.

"Tell me first..." Lin Cangyuan gently stroked his long silver beard, a warm smile lingering on his lips. "If you had three hands, could you wield three heavy swords in a fight?"

"Hehe," Young Lin Yuan thought about it for a second, then immediately nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Three swords are better than one!"

The old man smirked, snapping the boy’s nose with a flick of his fingers. "Wrong..."

"Ehh..? Wrong?" Lin Yuan muttered, nodding his head in confusion.

"You’d probably stab your own feet before you even managed to swing at an enemy," the old man laughed loudly, his chest shaking. "Hahaha!"

Lin Yuan pouted, crossing his little arms. "Grandfather! I’m being serious!"

"So am I, my boy," Lin Cangyuan snickered, his voice softening into a gentle warmth. "Having more hands doesn’t automatically grant you the skill to control them well."

"The same thing applies to beasts," Lin Cangyuan continued, reaching down and picking up three small gray pebbles from the path under their feet. And he placed all three stones into Lin Yuan’s tiny palms. "Imagine these stones are wild beasts bound to your soul."

"Lift a pebble up!"

Lin Yuan easily raised one pebble between his thumb and forefinger.

"Now lift two stones."

With a bit of effort, the boy managed to hold two pebbles steadily.

"And now..." Lin Cangyuan grinned, "lift all three separately using only one hand, without letting any of them touch."

The little boy awkwardly groaned, his fingers straining. One pebble slipped from his grip, while another stumbled off from his palm and fell onto the ground.

Lin Cangyuan laughed again, rubbing the boy’s head. "See? It’s difficult, isn’t it?"

Lin Yuan crossed his arms, looking down at the stone. "But that’s only because they’re stones! They don’t listen to what I want!"

"Exactly!" The old man pointed at him with satisfaction, his eyes beaming. "Even beasts are loyal to you, for obeying your every command still requires your active mind and soul strength. They’re alive, they think, they feel, and they react to danger. When you refine multiple beasts with your aperture, you aren’t simply commanding one body, you are synchronizing multiple living consciousness with your own."

Young Lin Yuan quietly listened, the old man’s words going deep into his young mind.

"Some powerful cultivators possess three beasts," Lin Cangyuan continued, looking up toward the sky. "Some possess five, and some ancient legends speak of supreme beast emperors who commanded dozens of terrifying mythical creatures at a time."

"But..." The old man’s lingering expression slowly became serious, carrying a weight of warning. "They didn’t achieve such terrifying feats overnight. They refined, understood and mastered one beast first... Only after their soul and aperture were completely ready... they dared to accept another. Only the demonic natured people can refine multiple beasts with a brutal method. Great power comes only with two ways — the steady path of proper refinement along with time, or the frenzy path of demonic method. "

Lin Yuan nodded slowly, understanding the words. "So... what happens if someone tries to control many powerful beasts?"

Lin Cangyuan’s warm smile completely disappeared, replaced by solemn gravity. "The spiritual aperture suffers. The internal Beast Essence turns violently unstable. The spirits within begin competing against one another for dominance over your meridians."

"And eventually..." He gently tapped Lin Yuan’s forehead, right between his eyes. "...the cultivator loses concentration. The aperture hollows out, and the cultivation foundation collapses into ash. In a few cases... it results in immediate, agonizing death."

The little boy gulped, a shiver running down his spine. "So... I shouldn’t rush to gather beasts?"

"Exactly, my boy," Lin Cangyuan smiled warmly, his hand gently patting the boy’s small back. "Every single beast you refine is another profound responsibility upon your shoulders."

"The stronger and more legendary the beast..." Lin Cangyuan continued, smearing his hair, "the greater the soul burden it places upon its master. And besides... if you can’t even keep a single small beast from ignoring your daily commands... why on earth would a second, stronger one listen to you?"

"Hahaha!" Lin Yuan couldn’t help but burst into bright, happy laughter, his worry withering away. "I understand, Grandfather!"

"Good," Lin Cangyuan stood up from the bench, patting his grandson’s small shoulder again. "When your day finally comes to step out into the vast world... Always remember this! Refining a powerful beast is never the difficult part, but controlling your own goal and staying composed is the difficult part of cultivation."

The old man slowly walked away toward the hall under the orange, fading sunset. His final, echoing words lingering softly beneath the rustling, falling gingko leaves...

"Be careful, Lin Yuan... Never command more beasts than your heart and soul can bear."

****

"...Lin Yuan." A distant, muffled voice echoed through the fading memory. "Lin Yuan...!"

Snap!

Lin Yuan’s eyes slowly fluttered open. The memory of the Qing Clan courtyard vanished like mist under the sun. He rubbed his tired eyes before slowly sitting straight on the soft grass, wincing slightly as a faint ache lingered in his shoulders.

"What happened?" Lin Yuan asked, his voice raspy.

Chen Ming immediately let out a sigh of relief, dropping to his knees beside him. "Finally! You’re awake! You scared us, man!"

Lian Nichang nodded beside him, wiping sweat from his forehead. "You suddenly collapsed right after your white tiger defeated that cheetah!"

Lin Yuan turned his head, looking toward Qin Yuze, who was standing nearby with his arms folded.

"When you summoned both of those legendary white tigers simultaneously to defeat that beast..." Qin Yuze calmly explained the situation. "They consumed almost ninety percent of your beast essence."

Lin Yuan growled, lowering his gaze to his hands. "Ninety percent...??"

Qin Yuze nodded. "Legendary beasts demand a good amount of beast essence to manifest and also they are not naturally gifted by the River of Origin. You’ve only recently broken through into the Core Beast Realm. Your aperture hasn’t adapted to hosting two beasts of that power."

He pointed toward a few crushed, green medicinal herbs lying on a broad leaf beside Lin Yuan’s lap.

"The Rank Two recovery herbs we gathered during our journey through Azure Mist Peak helped to replenish your beast essence," Qin Yuze muttered, his eyes carrying a warmth. "You’ve been unconscious for an entire hour."

Lin Yuan quietly let out a long breath. "So that’s why..."

The Turtle Beast suddenly let out a loud, mockery laugh that echoed in his mind. "Hahaha! I told you long ago, brat! Legendary beasts aren’t easy to summon! You nearly drained your pool dry for a single attack!"

Lin Yuan smiled inwardly, responding to the turtle. ’I know. I got a bit too eager to test their strength.’

Within his spiritual aperture, the moon rabbit hopped around nearby, sparkling with energy.

’I’m alright. Thank you for your strength,’ Lin Yuan thanked the concerned white tigers which are inside the tattoos.

The turtle beast snorted, its ring shimmering slightly. "Hmph... Glad you’re still breathing, kid."

Outside, Lin Yuan stood up to his feet, dusting off his robes and flexing his fingers to feel his returning strength.

"My sincere apologies, everyone," Lin Yuan said with a small, apologetic bow to his group. "I worried you unnecessarily."

Chen Ming folded his arms, snickering. "You owe us a great feast back at the academy for this heart attack!"

Lian Nichang laughed softly, adjusting his storage pouch. "And please, try not to faint out of nowhere again."

Lin Yuan smirked, and didn’t reply.

Qin Yuze nodded, stepping forward. "We’ve already lost an hour of daylight. Let’s continue our trek up to the peak."

The group resumed their steady trek along the path under the maple trees.

****

Meanwhile... somewhere on the mountain slopes... at group three.

Ying Yue suddenly raised her hand, halting her group mid-step. "Something is there..."

Yun He immediately crouched beside her. There are two furry creatures behind the mossy trunk of a fallen maple tree. They were raccoons with dark gray fur and ringed tails. The dense beast essence rippled around their bodies. It was a Rank Two Shadow-Raccoons.

"They’re moving together," Xiao Lanxue analyzed calmly from the rear. "A mated pair."

The two raccoons hissed, their claws extending as they lunged forward together.

"Separate them!" Xiao Lanxue ordered, her voice cracking under movement.

Immediately, Xiao Lanxue’s ice serpent slithered forward like a streak of frost, creating a wall of icy mist between the two wild beasts. Ying Yue’s lightning wolf darted in with crackling yellow sparks, intercepting the male raccoon.

Meanwhile, Yun He’s earth ape slammed both fists into the ground, causing a small ridge to rise and force the female raccoon to lose its balance.

The battle lasted only a few intense exchanges. Their teamwork remained calm and smooth, every disciple played their role without a single command. A few moments later... both wild raccoons collapsed, defeated.

Ying Yue carefully took the two green beast cores using her knife, wrapping them securely inside a clean cloth. "Our collection keeps growing!"

"Yeah!" Yun He smiled, wiping a bead of sweat on her forehead.

Xiao Lanxue simply gave a nod before speaking. "Let’s continue moving upward."

****

Somewhere along the western ridge, at group two...

The bright afternoon sunlight pierced through swaying maple branches, casting golden spots across the ground.

Xiao Yanrui crouched carefully beside a bunch of rare, crimson flowers growing between two mossy granite boulders.

"Rank three crimson blossoms," Xiao Yanrui identified, his eyes gleaming with rare excitement.

Huo Ren stepped in to pluck them.

"Don’t touch them carelessly," Xiao Yanrui bellowed, carefully digging around the delicate roots.

Chi Fenglian stood nearby, his eyes darting across the quiet forest surrounding them. On the surface, the mountain remained silent, serene, and peaceful.