Legendary Beast Cultivator

The forest in front of Chen Ming’s group is becoming denser as they walk into it. The towering trees stretched high into the heavens, their azure leaves rustling against each other to form a vast canopy. The faint sunlight that managed to pierce through the gaps in the canopy, falling on the moist grass lingering sluggishly on the ground.

The mountain had become quieter gradually. There is only a rhythmic, quiet crunch of footsteps against dry leaves scattered the unsettling silence.

Chen Ming proudly walked at the front of the pathway, his chest puffed out like a proud king.

"As expected of your leader," Chen Ming announced, letting out a confident grin back at the two. "I’ve led us nearly three miles without getting lost even once."

Lian Nichang twitched his eyes, adjusting the strap of his backpack. "There’s literally only one path."

"Fuck with the logics!" Chen Ming sneered, waving his hand in disapproval. "A true leader doesn’t concern himself with mere logic."

Lin Yuan walked elegantly alongside them, a faint, amused smile lingering on his lips. "A true leader also doesn’t walk into trees."

"...Huh?"

Thud!

Chen Ming’s forehead slammed against a wide, low-hanging branch obscured under a cloud of wavering mountain mist.

"Arghh!" Chen Ming stumbled back, clutching his forehead with both hands.

Lian Nichang burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Hahaha! Great Leader! Truly a delightful display!"

Even Assistant Master Qin Yuze, who was walking quietly a few paces behind them, had the corners of his lips twitch so slightly before returning to his usual cold, expressionless face.

"Cough~ Cough~,"Chen Ming rubbed his bruised forehead, coughing once to save pride. "I saw it! I just... I wanted to test if the tree was sturdy enough for an ambush!"

Lin Yuan nodded with a serious grin on his face. "It passed the test."

The three couldn’t help but laugh together, the lighthearted grin easing the tense atmosphere slowly. Another hour passed as they walked deeper into the woods.

The path narrowed, filled by dense, thorny bushes on both sides. Sometimes, a few small uncommon birds with rainbow colored feathers darted overhead, chirping rhythmically before disappearing into the canopy.

Lin Yuan’s ears twitched, and suddenly raised his hand. "...Stop."

Chen Ming immediately halted mid-step. Lian Nichang instinctively lowered his posture, his eyes darted across the surroundings.

Rustle... Rustle...

The dense bush which was twenty meters ahead shook violently.

Qin Yuze stood quietly a few meters away against a tree trunk, his arms crossed over his chest. He said nothing, observing the young disciples with calculative eyes.

The bushes exploded apart with a booming sound into a gust of crushed leaves and debris.

A massive, gray-furred boar lunged wildly onto the narrow path. Its white, curved tusks glinted menacingly under the sunlight, while green Beast Essence flowed around its mighty body like a shimmering aura.

"Rank Two Iron-Tusk Boar," Qin Yuze calmly spoke from the shadows, his voice steady and calm. "Good and Rear. Hahaha! A suitable opponent."

Chen Ming instinctively called out his beast, ready to jump in.

"Wait," Lian Nichang extended an arm, stopping him. He looked toward the snorting beast. "Leave this beast to me."

Chen Ming blinked, looking at him in surprise. "You sure, Nichang?"

Lian Nichang nodded firmly with a confident grin. "I’ve been wanting to test my growth since we entered the mountain."

Lin Yuan quietly stepped back to give him room, his gaze analytical. "Go! It is yours!"

GROOOOAR!

The Iron-Tusk Boar lowered its head, its red eyes locking onto Lian Nichang before it rushed forward like a rolling boulder on a steep slope!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth trembled under its thunderous hooves, bursting up clouds of dust and shattered twigs.

Lian Nichang remained completely still, his breathing steady, watching the vehemently approaching beast.

At the final moment, just as the beast’s tusks were inches from his chest, he sidestepped smoothly.

The boar crashed past him, its momentum cutting against the ground to stop, and grinding its hooves into the dirt. With a furious grunt, its sharp tusks crept horizontally toward Lian Nichang’s waist.

"Come forth!" Lian Nichang shouted, concentrating on his beast essence.

A silver-gray Wolf Beast emerged beside him in a flash of light, letting out a low, menacing growl. The wolf didn’t rush head-on. Instead... it moved around the boar’s blind spot, and took a bite at its hind legs and snapping its jaws to draw the monster’s full attention away.

"Now!" Lian Nichang leaped forward, using a nearby mossy rock as a support, he launched himself high into the air cleanly over the boar’s piercing tusks. His beast essence infused hand flashed once in the sunlight like a falling meteor!

His hand struck the beast’s neck with a loud thud, and in the next moment the boar stumbled down and twitched once before collapsing.

"Ahhh!!" Lian Nichang groaned, rubbing his hand. As the boar was a common beast in River originated beasts and a Rank two beast, it was tougher than other beasts he faced. The eerie silence returned to the clearing.

Lian Nichang landed on his feet, leaning slightly on his knee as he breathed vehemently, wiping sweat from his brow. "...That was tougher than I expected."

Chen Ming let out a loud laugh, walking over with a big grin. "Not bad at all, Nichang! That jump was epic!"

Lin Yuan walked over, kneeling to examine the fallen creature. "A clean victory, hehe your timing with your Wolf Beast was perfect."

Qin Yuze stepped out from the trees and nodded once in approval. "You remained calm under pressure. You let your beast create an opening instead of relying on brute force. Good judgment."

Lian Nichang smiled slowly, scratching his hair. "Thank you, Master."

Following Qin Yuze’s quiet instructions, Lian Nichang carefully drew a small hunting knife and retrieved the beast core from the boar’s chest. Nestled deep within the monster, a fist-sized, crystal orb appeared, shimmering with an elegant green color.

"A Rank Two Beast Core," Chen Ming muttered, his eyes widening as he leaned close. "Our first hunt in the final trial."

Lian Nichang admired the shining crystal briefly before carefully wrapping it in a clean cloth and placing it meticulously inside his storage pouch.

"Our first beast core," Lian Nichang said happily.

****

Meanwhile... A few paces away... at Group Three

Xiao Lanxue, Ying Yue, and Yun He were carefully crossing a shallow stream, their legs splashing softly through the cold water.

Ying Yue suddenly stopped mid-step, her eyes frowning lightly. "Something’s coming."

Hush! Hush! Hush!

Before anyone could react, dozens of obscured, white shadows burst from the surrounding bushes!

And soon, seven angry, white-furred rabbits surrounded the three girls in a circle. Their crimson eyes shimmered with violent vigilance and nervous aggression. The thick, green Beast Essence rippled faintly around each of their small bodies.

"Rank Two uncommon rabbits," Yun He gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "So many of them together?"

Xiao Lanxue’s face turned icy cold as she slowly called her serpent beast out from her aperture. "Look at their posture. They aren’t hunting us."

"They’re frightened," Xiao Lanxue continued, nodding her head slightly.

Without warning, two of the rabbits let out high-pitched squeals and lunged forward like white lightning.

"There it comes!" Xiao Lanxue shouted, waving her sleeve.

Yun He instantly commanded her Earth Ape, who slammed its ape fists into the ground!

A small wall of jagged earth rose from the stream bank with a loud boom, forcefully disrupting the rabbits’ rapid attack.

At the exact same moment, Ying Yue’s Lightning Wolf darted around the left flank, crackling with sparks of yellow lightning as it forced the rabbit pack to split apart instead of overwhelming them with numbers.

The battle instantly divided into a chaotic display of speed and movement.

The rabbits were surprisingly fast, leaping off rocks and tree trunks. They attacked together, retreated together, and protected one another instinctively like sworn brothers.

A few tense, exhausting minutes later, after three of their mates had fallen, the remaining rabbit beasts let out terrified squeaks and attacked wildly toward the group of girls.

This is their major disadvantage of the rabbit group, the three girls killed all the rabbits in a few attacks and took out their beast cores.

Yun He slumped down onto a nearby flat rock, breathing heavily. "I... I never thought rabbits could be this terrifying..."

Ying Yue nodded, her chest heaving as she re-called her serpent beast. "They didn’t fight like wild beasts. They fought like desperate, trained soldiers."

Even Assistant Master Shen Li Xiaoran, standing on a nearby high branch, looked down with a thoughtful expression.

Xiao Lanxue crouched beside the muddy stream, inspecting a cluster of many animal tracks leading into the path. "...Strange."

"They had us surrounded, but they never tried to claim this place," Xiao Lanxue analyzed, her voice dropping low. "They only wanted to break through us and escape."

Ying Yue slowly turned her gaze toward the deeper, misty northern forest, her eyes narrowing. "...Master."

Shen Li Xiaoran looked over with a warm smile. "What is it, Ying Yue?"

Ying Yue pointed her finger toward the distant, mist-shrouded peak. "Their tracks... all of them came from the north."

She remained silent for a long moment, feeling the strange, cold breeze brushing against her face.

"It didn’t feel like they were attacking us out of hunger," Ying Yue said, her expression becoming slowly serious. "It felt like... they were desperately escaping from something."

The forest fell unpleasantly silent once again.

Even the mountain breeze passing through the vast trees seemed colder and heavier than before.

Far beyond the canopy, deep within the northern caverns of Azure Mist Peak, a low, muffled roar echoed across the surrounding slowly.

No one in Group Three spoke, but the disciples and Assistant Master realized the same unsettling truth. Something terrifying within the heart of the mountain... was driving the beasts out of their places.