Legendary Beast Cultivator

Two days have passed in a blink of an eye. The disciples slowly adapted to life within the wilderness. The terrifying fear they had felt on the first day slowly changed into precise, unwavering vigilance. Every sunrise told another harsh lesson in survival; every sunset became another victory earned through blood and sweat.

Group One continued their steady march northward. Under Qin Yuze’s silent observation, Chen Ming sluggishly learned to restrain his nature. He no longer rushed blindly toward every strange, shimmering fruit he came across.

Lian Nichang became proficient at identifying and harvesting medicinal herbs. Using his wooden knife, he meticulously dug around the roots, leaving the younger plants untouched. Their storage pouches slowly grew with Azure Dew Blossoms, Green Scale Ferns, Seven stars grass, and several other Rank One, Rank Two herbs and rich medicinal Rank three herbs.

Lin Yuan maintained his sharp attention toward every direction in the place.

He analysed every stream they crossed, every sheer cliff face, every unusual beast tracks, and every strange moment of silence. At nights, after Chen Ming and Lian Nichang slept, Lin Yuan refined his cultivation slowly, meticulously. He wanted to refine the beast essence of his Peak stage aperture soon.

The other groups experienced similar, fast progress.

Xiao Yanrui’s group successfully hunted a few Rank One uncommon beasts for meat, working in great formation while carefully avoiding any unnecessary confrontations with higher ranked beasts. Even Chi Fenglian had learned to thoroughly analyse the tree branches for venomous insect nests before climbing them, though Huo Ren still proudly insisted to anyone who would listen that his greatest achievement was successfully convincing Chi Fenglian not to eat shimmering, unknown mushrooms.

Xiao Lanxue’s group strolled into narrow, jagged ravines and misty streams. Their coordination had evolved into something which can be called instinctive. The words were rarely spoken loud. A single gaze, a nod, and a hand gesture alone was enough to change their formation in an instant. But the deeper they walked into the northern slopes, the fewer beasts they encountered. The eerie silence consumed the dark forests in the Azure Mist Peak.

Gu Fang Xin’s group gathered an incredible amount of rare herbs. Although the three disciples still argued over almost every minor decision, their individual strengths sluggishly complemented one another perfectly.

Lian Mei Lin handled long-term strategy and safety, Chi Ruyan meticulously observed every minute clue on the ground, and Gu Fang Xin possessed a good instinct for stumbling into hidden resources.

Even Assistant Master He Muran had to giggle and admit they were improving at a great pace.

Meanwhile, Teng Haoran’s group relied upon patience and natural instincts. Instead of searching recklessly through the forest, they allowed the forest to guide their steps. By following clear water sources and observing the flying patterns of mountain birds, they discovered a good amount of pristine herb plants that had been overlooked by others.

Assistant Master Shen Ruoxi watched them with a warm gaze. Sometimes, the slowest, and most deliberate path reached the destination first.

By the end of the third day... every group had unknowingly crossed far beyond the regions by commonly exploring, fighting, and collecting the resources required.

The skewering trees rustled against the wind, their thick trunks looked similar to a mini house. The swirling mountain mist became thick, moving across the mountain vehemently. Even the shiny sunlight struggled to pierce the leafy, intertwined canopy up above.

****

Somewhere near the group one’s path...

Chen Ming stretched his arms lazily, letting out a sigh as he stepped over a mossy plant. "I swear these trees are getting bigger every single hour."

"They’re the same trees, Chen Ming," Lian Nichang muttered with a slight smile, adjusting his storage pouch. "They only look bigger to you because your legs are getting tired."

"I’m not tired!" Chen Ming immediately jolted his head back, immediately letting out a loud yawn.

"You are so mean, Lian Nichang," Chen Ming muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Lin Yuan suddenly stopped mid-step, his dark eyes widened toward a large cave hidden under a curtain of greenish vines and leaves.

"Look there," Lin Yuan warned, pointing his finger toward the cave.

The other two immediately stopped, following his focused gaze. Behind the thick curtain of green vines, a massive, abyssal opening is visibly deep within the rocky mountainside.

It wasn’t like the ordinary mountain caves; faint, swirling waves of pure beast essence drifted outward from the pitch-black opening, lingering lazily before vanishing into the surrounding grey mist.

"Holy shit..." Chen Ming frowned, a disgusting gaze escaping from his lips. "That’s creepy... the air feels freezing cold right here."

Lian Nichang opened the map, looking for the beast territory marking. "It wasn’t marked on the academy map given by the headmaster."

Qin Yuze, standing quietly on a nearby boulder, finally started speaking, his voice filled with contempt. "This area shouldn’t have any known caves. The scouts never reported any anomalies like this, brats."

Lin Yuan stepped closer to the rocky entrance, crouching down. The fresh, jagged claw marks which are deep enough to slice through strong stone like soft clay, covered across the area.

There are massive, trenchy footprints upon the moisty earth.

"They’re recent," Lin Yuan nodded slightly, touching the fresh footprints. "Something is inside."

Without waiting for a moment, the three disciples and the assistant master carefully stepped past the hanging vines and entered the dark abyss.

The cave extended far deeper and wider than any of the disciples’ imagination. The mossy stone walls shimmered softly under tiny luminous crystals tugged within the rock roof. The deeper they walked into the dark tunnel, the colder and suffocating the air became.

Slowly, the narrow cave opened up, widening into a large underground chamber.

The three disciples stopped simultaneously, their legs freezing, petrified in place.

At the center of the vast surroundings, there is a massive, snow-white tiger paced back and forth across a raised, small cave. Its fur shimmered like silver under the crystal light, and marked by thick, black stripes that crawled across its massive, muscular body.

Every single step it took emanated a suffocating, overwhelming pressure that made the surrounding air shiver with tension.

The waves of dense, violet beast essence slithered around its body in rippling motion.

It was a Rank Four White Tiger beast. Behind the tiger beast there was a small stone cave, which the terrifying beast was guarding. It never strayed more than a few paces from that small cave. Instead, it constantly paced before it sideways to left and right continuously, acting as a lethal, living wall to protect whatever lay hidden beyond.

"T-that’s a..." Chen Ming whispered, his voice quivering under the pressure of witnessing white tiger.

"A White Tiger," Lian Nichang completed the words, his voice low as whisper, and his heart hammering against his ribs.

Even Qin Yuze’s unbothered, stoic expression was shattered. For the first time since entering Azure Mist Peak, the terrific shock appeared across his face.

"A Rank Four White Tiger..." Qin Yuze whispered, his eyes rapidly darting across the vast cavern, noticing the crushed bones and torn, pulpy flesh at some places.

’So... this is the beast responsible for driving the surrounding creatures from their territory. No wonder Rank Three beasts fled in terror. No wonder entire herds of animals and birds abandoned their old hunting grounds. Everything makes sense now.’ Qin Yuze thought, nodding his head once.

Qin Yuze quietly stepped forward, his expression instantly changing.

"If anything goes wrong for even a split second..." Qin Yuze warned in a low, dangerous tone, "I will step in to help you, brats. I hope Lin Yuan can defeat this beast as he was a peak stage cultivator like me."

"Haha, master Qin Yuze," Lin Yuan’s calm, gritty voice echoed through the quiet cave. "We’ll handle it..."

"Peak stage?" Chen Ming grunted, his eyes twitching as they darted toward Lin Yuan. "We will?!"

Lin Yuan nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off the White Tiger. "I’ve already broken through to the Spirit Beast Realm Peak Stage a few days before. Chen Ming was also a Spirit Beast Realm cultivator. Lian Nichang’s foundation is good, only slightly behind us."

He slowly exhaled a breath of cold air, concentrating into his inner consciousness.

"We didn’t come into this mountain merely to hide behind our teachers when real danger of death appears," Lin Yuan beamed, his voice carrying an unwavering authority. "If we cannot face this difficult situation, how can we step out of Green Hollow City and hail in the sects?"

Qin Yuze analysed the three young disciples for a moment. He saw the slight shiver in Chen Ming’s hands changing into a sturdy grip; he saw Lian Nichang’s body lock into a steady combat stance; and he saw the terrifying gaze in Lin Yuan’s eyes.

"Well, Lin Yuan," Qin Yuze moved back, his voice carrying a rare tone of fierce pride. "I will intervene only if your lives are truly at risk."

Almost at that same moment, the White Tiger stopped strolling. Its ears twitched and stood up sharply, and its shimmering, golden eyes slowly rotated toward the cave entrance.

The rank four beast had sensed their presence.

ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

A loud, thunderous roar burst out from the tiger. The massive stone walls trembled, and clouds of dust and crystal fragments fell down from the roof.

The White Tiger lowered its massive front body to the floor. Its thick muscles twitched like springs under its white fur, and murderous golden gaze locked onto the three intruders.

Chen Ming gulped, forcing his trembling legs to hold their ground. "I definitely liked the breakfast more than this situation."

BOOM!

The White Tiger rushed forward. The solid stone under its paws shattered into fine debris upon its first step.

"Now!" Lin Yuan roared, waving his hand once.

Lin Yuan’s turtle beast’s essence burst out from his ring in an obscuring flash of light, wrapping his body in an impenetrable shield as he and Lian Nichang split in opposite directions with an immense speed.

Chen Ming darted toward the right flank, summoning his Wind-Falcon Beast to swirl rapidly above the tiger’s blind spot, unleashing the gusts of wind to divert the tiger’s focus.

The enormous white tiger let out another ear-shattering roar as it closed the fifty-meter distance in the mere blink of an eye, its massive claws stretched to tear them into pieces.