Legendary Beast Cultivator

The academy hall fell into confusion followed by an eerie silence listening to the explanation of the defense. Not a single disciple dared to whisper after Gu Yanluo finished speaking. His sharp gaze slowly darted across every one in the room before twitching upon Lin Yuan for an agonizing moment.

’This brat... Lin Yuan... is always calm and unbothered,’ Gu Yanluo thought, his intense gaze fixed on Lin Yuan.

A faint, chilling surge of killing intent flickered somewhere deep within Gu Yanluo’s heart before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. The higher-ups of the Gu Clan had already warned with strict orders: Don’t do anything like taking revenge on Lin Yuan, just follow the schedule of the academy as usual with your defense trials and classes.

Gu Shiyan darted his eyes away from Lin Yuan, letting out a warm breath. Lin Yuan remained seated serenely, his expression calm and unbothered, as if he had never noticed the brief surge of hostility directed at him.

"Hmph..." Gu Yanluo clicked his tongue before turning his attention back toward the rest of the disciples in the room. "You have already learned how to attack, how to refine the things you need for survival, and also you have learned how to endure suffering. But..." He paused, his voice dropping into a whisper. "...none of that matters if your core beast dies before you do."

A single question swirled across the room: Why will the core beast die?

Every disciple’s face frowned in confusion because of Gu Yanluo’s words.

"A cultivator who survives by abandoning his beast is no true cultivator. A beast that abandons its master in the last moments of its owner’s death is unworthy of the path of cultivation." Gu Yanluo boasted, waving his sleeve pridefully, walking slowly in the room. He stopped calmly in the center of the hall, the air around him turning heavy. "The relationship between a cultivator and a beast should have trust... It shouldn’t be like slavery. It should be like protecting each other with the greatest bond ever."

His voice remained utterly calm, but devoid of any warmth. "When true danger manifests, your beast should move before your mind gives a command. And you should understand the intent of your beast before it even hums a sound."

The disciples listened attentively, holding their breath. Gu Yanluo folded his hands behind his back, his posture steady and calm.

"Many foolish cultivators believe that injecting Beast Essence into a creature creates true strength," Gu Yanluo sneered, rubbing his temples. "They are fucking wrong. Essence can be cultivated through resources. Techniques can be memorized through concentration. But trust... trust cannot be forced by shitty things."

"The stronger your bond, the less words become necessary. The greatest beast partners fight as a single entity. They no longer distinguish between ’master’ and ’beast.’ They simply move like a single person." Gu Yanluo continued, adjusting his dark robes with a weary sigh.

Lin Yuan lowered his eyes slightly, his expression unreadable. The turtle ring shimmered with faint light once before a chuckling sound lingered in Lin Yuan’s ears.

"He speaks the truth, boy." The turtle beast muttered, its voice booming in Lin Yuan’s brain. "Even the strongest beast becomes useless if it doubts its cultivator during a life and death struggle."

’Yes!’ Lin Yuan answered silently within his mind, ’Trust is earned through consistency, not demanded through contracts or deals with beasts’

"Hahaha!" The Turtle Beast boasted, laughing softly in agreement. "Exactly, Lin Yuan! You are truly magnificent... Hehehe! You will win this trial obviously!"

Gu Yanluo raised one hand, cutting through the silence. "Today’s lesson shall be the Guardian Instinct Trial."

Curiosity immediately rippled through the disciples’ expressions.

"What was the trial about, master?" Ying Yue asked in excitement, raising her hand.

"The trial does not test the depth of your strength or the complexity of your techniques. It tests something far more important," Gu Yanluo calmly answered, waving his hand once, and slowly pointed toward the academy’s training hall. "Head over to the training hall, disciples. We will discuss the trial details and how one will be assessed to win the trial there. Let’s go!"

The hall erupted into a cacophony of whispers immediately.

"What was this trial about?"

"How will the master assess the defense?"

"Argh... I was still tired from the previous trial and again another trial..."

Gu Yanluo raised a single finger. Instantly, the whispers died out, and the silence returned.

"The rules are simple," Gu Yanluo announced, nodding his head slightly. "Each disciple will enter the training arena accompanied only by their Core Beast. No neighboring beasts are allowed or no weapons are allowed. And the mechanical guardians will attack the disciples and their beasts continuously for ten minutes. You need to defend the attacks with your beast to get out with minimal injuries after ten minutes."

"And the important rule is..." Gu Yanluo continued, a cunning smile curling on his lips. "In this trial, the disciples will cover their eyes."

The disciples’ frowned, their faces filled with contempt hearing the trial’s important rule.

"Blindfolded?" Chen Ming yelled out, his brows furrowing. "What the fuck?"

"Huh?" Gu Yanluo grunted, his voice rising immediately. "You will see nothing of the world. You must rely upon the senses of your beast, and your beast must rely upon yours."

"Once the formation activates, the mechanical guardians hidden throughout the arena in the training hall will attack continuously from every direction. They possess no emotion or hesitation. They will not stop, and they will never tire. They will attack for exactly ten minutes." Gu Yanluo continued, his words pressuring the disciples. "The beast will protect you until the end, and guide you to dodge; if your bond is great... you will get out of the arena with minimal injuries."

The room became silent, the air turning suffocatingly tense.

"Haha... I explained the details here itself, brats," Gu Yanluo’s voice echoed across the hall. "And another thing, your objective is not to destroy them. It is simply to survive together."

Gu Yanluo paused, letting out a weary sigh.

"The guardians will strike both you and your beast. If your beast suffers unnecessary injuries, you will be disqualified. If you protect yourself while ignoring the protection of your companion, you will be disqualified. Trust is most important, brats."

The disciples slowly began to grasp the profound nature of the lesson. Defense was not an individual act of survival. It was mutual understanding.

"After ten minutes have passed for every disciple, I will personally inspect everyone. The disciple who receives the least damage while keeping their beast equally unharmed will achieve the highest evaluation score." Gu Yanluo nodded faintly, satisfied with the disciples’ understanding.

He slowly looked across the room one last time. "Remember this: a frightened beast becomes slower, hampered by its master’s panic. A trusted beast becomes your second pair of eyes. A perfectly bonded beast becomes your instinct itself."

Those words lingered inside every disciple’s mind. Even Lin Yuan quietly looked down toward the ring and the moon rabbit. The small rabbit swimmed gracefully, its ears twitching, before it lightly rubbed its head against its hands in happiness and ease. A faint smile appeared on Lin Yuan’s face.

And, Gu Yanluo noticed it.

’This brat always laughs... I need to know what the fuck is running in his mind, but I can’t’ Gu Yanluo thought, clicking his tongue inwardly. "Okay then, follow me, my dear disciples."

Gu Yanluo turned toward the exit, his robes fluttering against the wind. The disciples immediately stood up, the legs of the wooden chairs scraping sharply against the floor as everyone hurried after master Gu Yanluo.

They crossed the sprawling academy courtyard before reaching the training hall situated behind the medicinal gardens. The rattling wind swirled around the training hall, the disciples walked toward the hall one by one sluggishly following Gu Yanluo.

At the end of the path there was an enormous gate. Gu Yanluo placed his bare palm upon the center of the gate. A high pitched rumble echoed as the gate opened vehemently.

Every disciple entered the hall one by one, and walked toward the center of the training hall. There was a circular arena, stained with the dust and trenched with countless marks. The arena witnessed many battles and trials from decades since the academy was established. And the circular arena encircled with nearly ten mechanical guardians. They stood over six feet tall, their body made from dark black steel mixed with refined ore.

Instead of human faces, every guardian possessed a bronze mask engraved with a single crimson eye at its center. The eye remained dim, but faint red light occasionally shimmered like they were watching the disciples.

"They only know a single command... it is just to attack," Gu Yanluo smirked, his voice booming across the training hall. "Who is gonna be the first to enter the arena?"

The confused murmurs lingered among the disciples for a few minutes.

"Well, I will reduce your strain, my dear disciples," Gu Yanluo bellowed, clapping his hands to grasp the disciples’ attention immediately. "Gu Fang Xin... You enter first! Let’s see the bond between you and your beast."