The beast’s obsidian scales were so dark they seemed to swallow the morning sun, a void of matte black standing amidst the vibrant greenery.

  Its three jagged horns didn't just sit upon its head; they pulsed with a faint, rhythmic blue light that made the air hum.

  As it leaned closer to Lin, its massive nostrils flared, venting a hot mist that smelled of ozone and ancient earth.

  "Lin! Stand still, don't move!" Bi Kan’s voice was a jagged whisper, his knuckles white as he gripped the hilt of his new Ra family blade.

  His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. Every instinct told him to strike, yet a strange, lingering memory stayed his hand.

  He had seen this creature before during his countless treks into the deeper groves. It had never hunted him.

  "Relax, Lin..." He swallowed hard, his throat dry as parchment. "That creature... it’s not hostile. I’ve walked past it many times. Just... don't breathe too loud."

  But as Lin’s small, trembling hand reached out toward the creature’s snout, Bi Kan’s pragmatic caution snapped.

  Paranoia took the wheel. His feet exploded against the mossy ground, the sudden exertion forcing a plume of white steam from his overheated pores.

  The air turned static. Bzzt!

  The beast’s horns flared with blinding intensity. Bi Kan didn't think; he simply moved. He snatched Lin from the air just as the creature let out an excited, rumbling snort.

  He used the beast’s own armored head as a stepping stone, his boots skidding across the obsidian plates before he propelled himself toward the waterfall.

  CRACK-BOOM!

  A bolt of azure lightning arced from the horns, slamming into the very spot where they had stood a second before.

  The shockwave rippled the pond, and a high-grade spiritual herb—the very one Bi Kan had been eyeing—was reduced to a pile of glowing, grey ash in an instant.

  Bi Kan skidded to a halt near the mist of the waterfall, his chest heaving. He tucked Lin securely under one arm, his eyes wide.

  "Such power... if I were to get hit by that head-on.."

  Lin wiggled out of his grip, her small boots hitting the grass with a defiant thud. She didn't look terrified; she looked insulted.

  Her hand flew to the small axe at her waist, her eyes narrowing at the massive creature.

  "It almost killed me," she muttered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and hunter’s pride.

  "Even though I was being friendly. I’ll teach it a lesson for trying to harm me and big brother!"

  Bi Kan reached out to grab her shoulder, but his vision suddenly blurred, the world tilting as his consciousness was pulled inward.

  The Soul Sea was restless. The dark, endless waters rippled with erratic waves, reflecting Bi Kan’s internal exhaustion.

  The Celestial Wolf sat atop the water, its massive form unreachable despite Bi Kan’s forward steps.

  "Hmph," the Wolf’s voice echoed, cold and vibrating through Bi Kan’s very marrow.

  "That kid. She actually managed to convince that creature to like her."

  Bi Kan stopped, his spiritual form flickering. "Like her? Are you messing with me? That thing nearly turned us into charcoal, and you're telling me it took a liking to her?"

  The Wolf raised its head, its golden eyes radiating a terrifying calm.

  "I am trying to help you. You are in no danger. Calm your mind, boy. You're letting your steam run wild; you'll exhaust your vessel before the sun sets."

  Bi Kan stared at the entity, the distance between them feeling like an uncrossable void.

  "How can I believe you?"

  The Wolf didn't answer, its image fading as Bi Kan’s eyes snapped open back in the grotto.

  Lin had taken a step toward the beast. Bi Kan’s hand clamped onto her shoulder, arresting her movement. "Lin, wait."

  He watched the beast. It wasn't charging. It was shifting its weight from side to side, its tail swishing like a puppy’s, despite its mountain-like bulk.

  The wind picked up, tossing Bi Kan’s overgrown, messy hair across his face, but he didn't look away.

  "Maybe it didn't try to kill you," Bi Kan murmured, his voice softening as he processed the Wolf’s words.

  "It got excited. It couldn't control its power... it was happy to see you, somehow."

  Lin blinked, her grip on her axe loosening. "So that means... I’ve tamed it?"

  "No," Bi Kan said, shaking his head. "But it's fond of you. You excite it."

  Lin looked at the obsidian giant, then back at the scorched earth where the lightning had struck. "But... it’s too dangerous."

  The beast let out a low, mournful whimper. It stared at Lin for a moment longer, its glowing blue eyes softening.

  Bi Kan stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body, his Qi flaring in a desperate, protective burst.

  "Hah... hah..."

  His legs began to shake. The "Hell Training" of the past weeks, combined with the sudden adrenaline spike, was finally taking its toll.

  His vision drooped, his muscles screaming for him to just lie down in the dirt and sleep for a century.

  Behind him, Lin’s weight suddenly became heavy.

  She slumped against his back, her breathing becoming shallow as the sheer spiritual pressure of being near such a high-level beast finally overwhelmed her mortal heart.

  The obsidian beast let out a final, heavy exhale.

  It looked at the fainted girl, then at the trembling, defiant boy.

  With a low chuff, it turned and melted back into the shadows of the forest, its thunderous footsteps fading into silence.

  Bi Kan collapsed to one knee. He fumbled into his robes, pulling out a medicinal pill and pressing it into Lin’s mouth.

  He watched her closely until her breathing evened out, then let out a breath he felt he’d been holding for an hour.

  "Hah... I should bring Xia next time..." He paused, picturing the pink-haired maniac charging the beast with a war cry.

  "No. She’d attack it head-on. Make things more complicated."

  He popped a recovery pill into his own mouth, the bitter tang sparking a bit of life back into his nerves.

  He carefully hoisted Lin onto his back, her small head resting against his shoulder.

  As he began the long trek back, his eyes drifted to her hand, which was twitching rhythmically.

  A small, genuine smile broke through his mask of exhaustion.

  "You..." he whispered, his voice full of a rare, quiet warmth. "You’ll be so happy when you wake up, Lin."

  Hours bled into one another as Bi Kan navigated the dense undergrowth, his boots sinking into soft loam and his shoulders brushing against thick ferns.

  He meticulously avoided the worn public paths, opting for a winding, circuitous route that clung to the shadows of the deep forest.

  A bead of sweat traced a path down his forearm, and he wiped it away, the ingrained paranoia of a hundred ambushes whispering caution into his every step.

  "Just to be safe..." he murmured, his breath catching in his chest.

  Finally, a familiar, welcome scent cut through the damp air: woodsmoke. The smell of cooking fires and roasting meat lifted his spirits, a beacon of safety in the wilderness.

  "Great," he sighed, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "I'm here."

  He emerged from the treeline just as Dai, his muscular frame glistening with sweat, swung a heavy axe.

  The log split with a satisfying crack.

  Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Dai’s head snapped up, his eyes widening as he saw the two figures stumbling toward the village perimeter.

  "Hey! Bi Kan, what happene—"

  His warning was cut short by a furious snort. A blur of brown muscle and bristling fur erupted from the bushes, a wild boar with tusks like curved daggers charging straight for Bi Kan.

  "Watch out!" Dai roared, already winding up to hurl his axe.

  Bi Kan’s body screamed in protest, but he planted his feet, his exhaustion-numbed mind calculating angles and momentum.

  Do I still have the energy for this...

  He clenched his fist, every fiber of his being coiling for a desperate, final strike.

  KTCH!

  The sound was less a clean thwip and more a wet, percussive thud.

  The boar let out a piercing squeal, its charge breaking as it tumbled forward, crashing to a halt in a cloud of dust mere inches from Bi Kan's boots.

  A single, dark-fletched arrow was embedded deep in its hide, quivering from the force of the impact.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "That streak..." Bi Kan breathed, his eyes tracing the arrow's trajectory back to the canopy.

  "That was fast." He raised his voice, addressing the unseen figure in the trees.

  "You've got good eyes."

  A cascade of green leaves rustled, and a figure dropped from a high branch, landing as lightly as a falling leaf. She wore a simple green hunter's cloak, the hood pulled low.

  Slowly, she pushed it back, revealing a familiar face. Brown hair was tied back with a simple but elegant golden hairpin, and sharp, intelligent orange eyes stared directly into his.

  "You're that girl from yesterday," Bi Kan stated, his mind slowly connecting the dots through the fog of his fatigue.

  "At the party."

  A small, confident laugh escaped her lips as she nodded. "Yep, that's me. You've got a great memory as well."

  "Typically, people don't forget someone they've just met," Bi Kan replied, his voice flat and dry as he took a cautious step forward.

  Behind them, Dai’s thunderous footsteps shook the ground. "My dear Lin! What happened to her?!"

  He gently took the unconscious girl from Bi Kan’s arms, his face a mask of fatherly concern.

  "She passed out," Bi Kan explained simply. "We encountered a beast."

  Dai's eyes widened in alarm. "A bea—"

  The archer chimed in, stepping between them and peering at Bi Kan with undisguised curiosity. "Woah, a beast? Even the great Bi Kan is battered. It must've been a hard kill."

  "Hey, young lady, has no one taught you manners?" Dai grumbled, his protective instincts flaring.

  "Calm down, you two." Bi Kan let out a long, weary sigh that seemed to drain the last of his strength. "And no, I didn't manage to kill it. It was far too strong."

  "Too strong?" The girl crossed her arms, a thoughtful glint in her orange eyes. "So you barely escaped, huh?" She bit her lip, a hunter's ambition lighting her face.

  "It must be worth a lot, then. I'll add it to my collection."

  Bi Kan's posture slumped. "You hailed me as someone great, yet you're planning to hunt a beast I couldn't even scratch."

  She turned, a smirk playing on her lips. "No offense. You are great," she said, a low chuckle rumbling in her chest. "But I'm better."

  "Right..." Bi Kan’s voice was laced with a weary suspicion he was too tired to pursue.

  The world began to tilt, the edges of his vision swimming in a grey haze.

  He let out a final exhale, and the last of his reserves gave out. His eyes rolled back, and he crashed to the forest floor like a felled tree.

  "Oi! Someone grab our Founder!" Dai yelled, already rushing Lin back toward the safety of his home.

  A moment later, the village children poured out, their play silenced by the commotion. Exasperated gasps filled the air. "Oh no! Big brother Bi Kan!"

  They swarmed around his unconscious form, trying to lift him. "Heavy...!" one of them grunted, staggering back.

  Another touched Bi Kan's forehead and flinched away as if burned.

  "He's burning up!" the child cried out, his voice filled with alarm. "It's as if he was cooked from the inside!"

  Within the endless, placid ocean of his mind, Bi Kan’s eyes fluttered open.

  The Celestial Wolf was a mountain of silver fur in the distance, its breathing so deep and slow it created no ripples on the dark water.

  It was asleep once more.

  "I passed out, huh?" he murmured to the void. He looked down at his spiritual hands, clenching them into fists as a familiar, cold weight settled in his gut.

  "I thought I wouldn't let anyone get hurt anymore."

  He pushed his feet against the surface of the Soul Sea, the water holding him as if it were solid ground.

  He stood and began to walk, his footsteps the only sound in the vast silence.

  "Lin... will she be safe here? Cultivating on her own..." The image of the obsidian beast, its horns crackling with azure lightning, was burned into his mind.

  "Maybe I can let her live with me. That way, I can keep an eye on her..." He shook his head, a bitter taste filling his mouth.

  "But I can't bring her everywhere. I'm not strong enough to protect anyone, not yet."

  Hours seemed to drift by as he paced aimlessly, a lone figure in the prison of his own mind.

  Suddenly, the sea began to rumble. A deep, guttural vibration shook his spiritual form. "Am I waking up?"

  He turned. A shadow on the horizon grew with impossible speed, resolving into a colossal tsunami, a wall of dark water that blotted out the imaginary sky. He let out a small, weary sigh.

  "What the hell is happening now?"

  The wave engulfed him. In the split second before he was consumed, he saw the Celestial Wolf's eye crack open.

  A faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched its muzzle before it, too, was swallowed by the churning sea.

  "It's weird not having him hunched over his furnace." Ying Xia noted, her arms stretching towards the ceiling with a series of satisfying pops.

  "He did say last night that he'd take Lin to that place." She shrugged it off and headed towards the bathroom.

  A few minutes later, she emerged, toweling her damp pink hair. "Maybe I should take his advice," she mused, catching her reflection in the small mirror.

  "I am getting bored of winning all the time." A bright, confident smile bloomed on her face. "There. As cute and formidable as ever!"

  After a final, satisfied glance, she exited their dorm and strode into the bustling Outer Disciple Courtyard.

  A disciple walking by spotted her and hurried over, a wide grin on his face.

  "Good morning, Sister Xia! Are you planning on wrecking someone again today?"

  Ying Xia shook her head, crossing her arms with a sigh. "Nope. Why'd you ask?"

  The disciple snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Damn it! I was hoping to bet my contribution points on you winning again! I haven't lost a single bet since you started!"

  A sweet, unrestrained laugh burst from Xia's throat. "Haha! You made the right choice then! I'll never lose!" A thought then crept into her mind, and she tapped her chin.

  "Hmm, speaking of duels... It's been a day or two. He usually challenges me every day..."

  The disciple tilted his head. "Oh, you mean Lu Pu? I heard he found a new master. Some wandering expert from the Slivering Clasp Sect, apparently.

  They say he's a true prodigy with the blade and is personally teaching all the Lu Family swordsmen now."

  Ying Xia nodded, a competitive fire igniting in her eyes. "Hmm-hmm! I see! So he thinks a new teacher is all it takes to beat me!"

  The disciple chuckled. "They say Lu Pu has already become one of the master's 'top three stars'. I'm sure he's improved a lot."

  "Well, thanks for the information!" Xia grinned. "At least I won't be caught off guard when his moves are a little less clumsy!"

  They both bid farewell. Xia walked a few steps away, then stopped dead and smacked herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand.

  "Damn it! I forgot to ask him where the Mission Hall was!"

  It didn't help that whenever she tagged along with Bi Kan, their destinations were always the same: the Jaded Knowledge Library or the herb shops.

  A slow-burning anger began to build in her chest. "He dares call me lazy when I haven't even seen him set foot in the Mission Hall once!" she fumed.

  "Sure, he went on that bandit mission... but he told me himself he only did it to make sure Mei was safe!"

  She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white as she threw her head back and roared at the sky.

  "THAT TRANSACTIONAL-FACED BASTARD!!!"

  The disciples milling about the courtyard froze, a collective gulp echoing in the sudden silence.

  They all instinctively took a step back, thinking Xia was about to erupt and humiliate another young master.

  "I think she'll have more enemies than friends by the time she becomes an Inner Disciple," one whispered.

  "I heard she's participating in the trials at the end of the month," another added, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

  "Condolences to whoever gets grouped with her. They're bound to lose."

  A small group of disciples huddled together, their heads bowed in what looked suspiciously like a prayer circle.

  "What the hell are they doing..." Ying Xia muttered, her tantrum already forgotten. She shook her head, deciding to just find the place herself.

  "Whatever. I'm sure there's a massive sign somewhere that says 'MISSION HALL'!"

  Her confident stride had devolved into an impatient stomp, her boots scuffing against the stone pathways of the Outer Sect.

  Her fingers raked through her pink pigtails, a low growl of frustration rumbling in her throat. "Damn it, where is that stupid place?!"

  Lost in her own irritation, she rounded a corner without looking and slammed shoulder-first into a solid wall of muscle. Or rather, two walls.

  "Wo—! Hey, watch where you're going, you bastar—"

  Her insult died on her lips as she overheard their hushed, urgent conversation.

  "Should we take on that Mission?" one of them asked. "I've heard there's a rogue cultivator hacking disciples into half lately."

  "No way, man, that's too dangerous," the other replied. "Do you really think we can win against that? Let's just take an easy extermination quest."

  Ying Xia blinked, taking in the scene.

  The two disciples were identical down to the last detail: the same severe topknot, the same dark green robes with a blue shirt underneath, the same perpetual scowl etched onto their faces.

  Even their voices were perfect mirror images of each other.

  "Woah, that's eerie," the words escaped from Xia's mouth before she could stop them.

  Both heads snapped toward her in perfect unison. "Eerie?" they said, their voices overlapping into a single, disconcerting sound.

  A snicker bubbled up in Xia’s chest. She clapped her hands together, her eyes alight with mischief. "Woah, you really do sound the same! Perhaps one of you is a Mimic!"

  A hearty laugh erupted from her throat as she stomped her foot. "No, wait! The other one is a demon that has taken your form! Who's the real one?!"

  The twins' faces darkened. Both clenched their fists, and a powerful, oppressive wave of Qi rolled off them in stereo.

  A Stage 9 pressure, doubled.

  "Woah." Ying Xia’s grin didn't falter.

  She tilted her head, her own untamed Stage 8 Qi flaring to life like a wildfire, pushing back against their disciplined aura.

  "You really want to have a go?"

  "Stage 8 and you still have the gall to act brave," one said, taking an aggressive step forward.

  A hand shot out, clamping onto his brother's shoulder. "Which might mean she has something up her sleeve," the other one noted, his eyes narrowing in calculation.

  "Something she's confident will let her win against us."

  "That's... possible." They both eyed her with a newfound, cautious hostility.

  "Hehe. It's my first time seeing twins," she said, licking her lips with predatory curiosity. "Does that mean you two are in sync?"

  "So you do know about twins," the more aggressive one growled, leaning down to stare into her eyes. "You were just mocking us."

  The cautious one scoffed. "Why would we reveal that? Who knows, it might come in handy one day, when we're in a death match."

  The tension was a physical thing, thick and heavy in the air. A single leaf drifted down from a nearby maple tree, spiraling in the sudden, charged silence.

  "Guess there's always one watching," the cautious twin noted, his gaze flicking toward the rooftops. "It isn't worth wasting time here any longer."

  "Heh, don't mind me," Ying Xia smirked, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall with feigned nonchalance.

  "We're just headed in the same direction."

  Aren't I a genius? They'll lead me right to the hall! Haha! I am brilliant!

  The twins let out a perfectly synchronized, exasperated sigh. The sound, a stereo hiss of pure annoyance, sent an involuntary shiver down Xia’s spine. "Bleh, creepy."

  Both of their faces flushed a deep, furious red, as if they might spontaneously combust.

  "Calm down, brother," the cautious one murmured, his voice a low threat. "We'll get her soon enough."

  Following the twins from a safe distance, Ying Xia finally found her destination.

  The Mission Hall was a massive, open-air pavilion, its wide archways revealing a scene of organized chaos.

  The air thrummed with a nervous energy, thick with the tang of dried blood and medicinal herbs.

  Disciples, a mix of grim-faced veterans and wide-eyed newcomers, crowded around massive wooden boards plastered with mission scrolls.

  Others, nursing bandaged limbs and grimacing in pain, lined up to present beast cores and proof of their kills to stoic sect officials.

  Receptionists sat behind long wooden counters, their brushes flying across ledgers as they assigned tasks and logged reports.

  Everything ran with the cold, efficient rhythm of a well-oiled machine.

  "Woah," was the only word that escaped Xia's lips.

  Her moment of awe was shattered by two booming voices that cut through the hall's murmur like a thunderclap.

  The crowd of disciples parted like a river around a pair of jagged, unmovable stones.

  Two elders, their robes indicating their high status, stood face to face, radiating an aura of barely contained hostility.

  "You're truly thinking of supporting her?" one elder sneered, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

  "Of course!" the other declared, his voice ringing with unshakable conviction.

  "She is young, and her talent is undeniable. Her potential rivals that of the previous Sect Master in his youth!"

  The first elder let out a harsh, barking laugh. "You've finally gone senile, old friend. Has handling the logistics of the sect's Mission Halls finally addled your brain?"

  More Mission Halls? The thought lit up Ying Xia's face.

  She grinned and nodded to herself, a simple, happy reaction that stood in stark contrast to the terrified silence of the other disciples.

  "What's her deal?" an Inner Disciple whispered to a nearby Outer Disciple, gesturing with his chin at the grinning girl.

  "She's the courtyard's battle maniac," the Outer Disciple whispered back, his voice full of a strange mix of fear and respect.

  "Ohh..." A soft breath of understanding escaped the Inner Disciple's lips.

  "Senile?" The second elder’s voice dropped to a dangerous growl.

  The air in the hall instantly grew heavy, thick, and difficult to breathe as both of their auras spiked. An immense, crushing pressure slammed down on every disciple present.

  "W-What the—!" A pained gasp was torn from Ying Xia’s throat.

  Her lungs felt like they were being squeezed by an invisible giant, and the taste of iron bloomed on her tongue as blood threatened to burst from her every pore.

  Yet, even as her knees buckled, a wild, manic grin stretched across her face.

  "Exciting..." she whispered, the word a feral hiss.

  Just as the pressure reached a breaking point, several figures shimmered into existence between the two elders.

  "Elders, please calm yourselves! There are disciples nearby!" the Junior Elders pleaded, their own Qi flaring as they desperately tried to form a protective barrier.

  Their pleas were ignored, lost in the escalating storm of spiritual power.

  And then, a single, deliberate footstep echoed through the hall. It landed with the weight of a mountain, and the warring pressures simply… vanished.

  They were not dispelled; they were overwritten by an aura so profound, so ancient, that it felt less like power and more like a fundamental law of the Sect

  "It's—!" the two elders gasped in perfect, awestruck unison.

  Ying Xia turned, her eyes widening. The pressure was still there, but it wasn't crushing.

  It was grand. It was like standing at the foot of a celestial throne, an overwhelming sense of authority that demanded not fear, but reverence.

  Bi Kan's eyes slowly peeled open.

  The world was a smear of black and grey. A dull, rhythmic throb pulsed behind his eyes, and every muscle in his body screamed with a deep, bone-weary ache. He was lying on something soft, the scratch of rough-spun linen against his cheek.

  "Where... am I?" he rasped, his throat raw.

  His vision swam, refusing to focus. A few indistinct figures, tall shadows in the gloom, shifted at the edge of his perception.

  "Who... are you?"

  The effort was too much. The world dissolved back into blackness, and his head rolled limply to the side as unconsciousness reclaimed him.