Legendary Beast Cultivator

The afternoon sun sluggishly drifted westward, casting the towering peak in shades of light orange.

The Azure Mist Peak remained as beautiful as ever, but beneath its breathtaking scenery, every group slowly began understanding the true meaning of survival.

Without anything to rely upon, their progress depended on their sharp senses, physical endurance, and proper coordination with their beasts and fellow disciples in the group.

Every path in their journey is not identical, some have dense bushes, some have streams and some have jaggy rocks.

Somewhere in the path of Group Four

Gu Fang Xin walked confidently at the front of his group, pushing aside hanging vines vehemently to carve a path.

Chi Ruyan followed close behind Gu Fang Xin, his sharp eyes constantly skimming around the surrounding shadows and trees for any potential threats.

Lian Mei Lin remained at the rear, sometimes stopping and turning behind to carefully distort away their footprints using leafy, thick branches.

Gu Fang Xin turned around and noticed her strange behavior.

"What are you doing back there?" Gu Fang Xin snickered, raising his eyebrows.

"Removing our tracks," Lian Mei Lin replied with a soft voice, trenching their footsteps meticulously with a wooden branch.

"Haha..."Gu Fang Xin let out a light laugh, nodding his head. "We aren’t being hunted."

"We don’t know that," she pouted softly, her gaze remaining locked on the darkening path behind them.

"It’s true, Fang Xin," Chi Ruyan nodded in approval. "I agree with Mei Lin. The fewer traces we leave in an unknown mountain—"

"...the better we’ll be," Lian Mei Lin finished, shaking her head.

Gu Fang Xin sneered, cracking his shoulders letting out a pop sound. "I’d rather spend my energy finding rewards and medicinal herbs than sweeping dirt."

Almost as if responding to his words... A faint, mesmerizing shimmer appeared under a bunch of moss-covered rocks just beside the pathway.

"Huh?" Lian Mei Lin crouched immediately, her hand placed on her storage pouch. "Wait."

She meticulously moved aside the damp moss, revealing several crystal green plants shining from a jagged crack in the stone.

Their smooth, structured leaves totally resembled tiny serpent scales, gleaming under the rays of evening light.

Assistant Master He Muran, who was strolling lazily behind them while chewing on a wooden toothpick, finally spoke up boisterously.

"Green Scale Fern, a Rank Two medicinal herb," He Muran elucidated, taking a heavy breath. "It immensely strengthens physical recovery and soothes fatigues in the bodies after intense beast essence usage."

Gu Fang Xin grinned, his eyes shimmering with excitement. "Excellent!"

He immediately reached forward with his right hand.

"Don’t," Chi Ruyan jolted, grabbing his wrist hard.

"What the fuck??" Gu Fang Xin frowned, looking back at him. "What is wrong with you?"

"Look above your head," Chi Ruyan beamed, pointing upwards.

Everyone lifted their heads at the same time. Hidden among the thick above branches, a few vine roots hung vehemently over the shimmering green herbs, and tiny, hair-like curled thorns covered every single strand, dripping with a faint, transparent liquid.

"Hahaha!" He Muran smiled faintly from the back, crossing his arms. "The mountain protects its valuable resources. It never gives them away freely to careless hands."

"Humph, Ha..ha.." Gu Fang Xin scratched the back of his neck, letting out an embarrassed laugh. "Good catch."

Lian Mei Lin picked up a sturdy, fallen wooden branch. She gently and carefully held the hanging, thorny vines aside, while Chi Ruyan meticulously reached down to harvest the herbs from the rock crack.

Within a few moments, all six Green Scale Ferns had been safely harvested without disturbing a single vine.

’Nice!’ He Muran silently nodded in satisfaction, squinting his eyes slightly.

’A reckless leader... a cautious observer... and a patient strategist,’ He Muran thought, watching the three disciples divide the harvest. ’An interesting balance.’

Nearly an hour later, the Group Four reached a strange, misty narrow valley. And the few unusual, plump fruits hung from nearby medium height trees.

They were golden in color, round in shape, and emanated a pure, sweet fragrance that rapidly spread throughout the misty forest air.

"Hehehe!!" Gu Fang Xin grinned, his stomach growling, reacting to the sweet scent. "Finally! We found something edible!"

Fang Xin rushed forward toward the nearest branch.

Chi Ruyan immediately grabbed his sleeve once more, pulling him back. "Again?"

Gu Fang Xin sighed frantically, pushing Chi Ruyan’s hands vehemently aside. "You’ve become suspicious of literally everything on this mountain!"

"I intend to stay alive until the second peak," Chi Ruyan sneered, clicking his tongue.

"Haha! Wise caution, kid. The Golden Mist Fruit isn’t poisonous..." He Muran chuckled softly, leaning against a tree trunk. "...but eating too many at once causes severe dizziness and paralyzes your beast essence flow for hours."

Gu Fang Xin snickered frenziedly, staring up at the fruit tree. "This mountain really doesn’t want people eating anything, does it?"

"Hahaha..." Lian Mei Lin laughed softly at his comedic reaction. "No, it just punishes greed."

Working together, the group harvested only three fruits, and shared them equally. No arguments or complaints. They consumed just enough to satisfy their hunger and restore their energy before continuing onward up the ravine.

Far to the south at the Group Five path.

The forest environment grew unusually misty and colder. The towering, strange trees surrounded the straight, muddy trail while tiny crystal streams crisscrossed the land like a sprawling web.

"Humph," Teng Haoran opened the academy map given by the headmaster, studying the steep markings carefully. "We stay close to the water sources. It’ll make finding food and tracking beasts much easier."

"Yeah," Chen Yu Ming smirked, tapping her storage pouch. "And our Water Wolf can help us detect clean, and pleasant streams."

"Ummm... then..." Huo Luo Ren nodded enthusiastically, adjusting his robe strap. "I’ll gather dry firewood whenever we stop to set up camp."

Assistant Master Shen Ruoxi quietly observed them from behind, her Moonwater Deer walking gracefully at her side.

But these disciples are not like many other groups, these three discussed every single decision together. Nobody interrupted, nobody argued for dominance, and every action was planned calmly and meticulously.

A few minutes later... Chen Yu Ming’s Water Wolf suddenly stopped mid-step. Its ears twitched vehemently, sniffing the damp air before strolling toward a large oak tree.

Chen Yu Ming knelt beside her beast, patting its head. "What is it, buddy?"

The wolf gently nudged a bunch of damp, fallen leaves with its nose. And hidden under them, a few pale-blue mushrooms shimmered with an elegant, soothing light.

"Hehehe!" Shen Ruoxi walked forward and smiled warmly. "Spirit Dew Mushrooms. Excellent find."

"They’re edible," Shen Ruoxi continued, nodding her head. "And they rapidly restore physical stamina."

Huo Luo Ren’s eyes gleamed with joy. "So we can actually eat these without getting poisoned?"

"Yes," Shen Ruoxi shook her head in approval. "But only after boiling them thoroughly over a fire."

Teng Haoran carefully pulled out a charcoal, marking the location of the mushroom patch on his academy map.

Chen Yu Ming looked confused, tilting her head. "Why are you marking it? We already collected them."

"Yeah, but," Teng Haoran looked up and let out a bright, warm smile. "If another academy group passes through here later or if future disciples come on an expedition... they’ll know where to search for food."

’Great thinking,’ Shen Ruoxi’s eyes glinting with genuine pride.

’Thinking beyond yourself in the middle of a trial...’ She thought, waving her sleeve. ’An admirable habit for a true cultivator.’

The group’s peaceful journey continued along the rushing stream, until they heard a faint hum of rustle.

A few thick bushes beside the stream shook violently. Everyone immediately dropped into low stances, gathering their Beast Essence instantly.

Whoosh!

A family of small, wild mountain deer suddenly walked out frantically across the path, ignoring the disciples as they crashed through the pathway in frenzy and terror.

"They..." Huo Luo Ren blinked, his jaw dropping slightly. "...They looked so terrified."

Chen Yu Ming frowned, watching the bushes fall. "They didn’t even notice us standing right here."

Shen Ruoxi quietly stepped forward, her eyes widening as she stared in the direction the deer had fled from.

"Interesting," she murmured softly, her gentle voice filled with subtle tension.

As evening rapidly approached... Group Four and Group Five unknowingly reached opposite sides of the same deep mountain valley. Neither group could see the other side through the dense, heavy bushes and trees in front of them.

But, both groups simultaneously discovered the same sight along their paths, a fresh, massive footprints.

They stomped their feet into the damp, soft earth, curling up roots and crushing thick rocks under their sheer weight.

They were far larger than any Rank Two or even Rank Three beast should ever leave behind.

And Group Four examined the massive tracks in the silence, Gu Fang Xin’s playful demeanor vanishing.

A mile away, Group Five found similar, oversized tracks beside the riverbank.

But no assistant master offered any explanation to their disciples.

Instead... He Muran simply stared silently at the footprint on the ground for three long seconds before walking onward.

Shen Ruoxi did the same in her path, her gentle expression disappearing, but neither of them uttered a single word.

But for the first time since entering Azure Mist Peak, their relaxed, calm expressions had vanished slowly, replaced by a heavy, solemn alertness.

High above the steep mountain, the few, massive flocks of spirit birds suddenly abandoned their high treetop nests, flying frantically away from the dark, unknown northern paths of the peak.

The mountain wind grew slowly colder, carrying a faint, suffocating pressure. The forest had become deeply restless once again.