Legendary Beast Cultivator

The nine young disciples, their luggage, and the two enormous crimson caravans rolling steadily along the mountain roads.

For the first few hours, everyone was quiet. The excitement of leaving Green Hollow City had slowly settled into a lingering curiosity about what awaited them ahead.

"So..." Chen Ming leaned back against the wooden window, staring out. "Does anyone know what the entrance examination is going to be?"

"No," Xiao Yanrui answered calmly from the other caravan beside.

Chen Ming frowned. "Nobody at all?"

Lian Nichang shook his head. "The academy only informed us that we’d have to take it alongside the newly awakened blessed disciples from the other areas."

"Wonderful," Chen Ming muttered, throwing his hands up in defeat. "We’re walking straight into a major sect examination without knowing a damn thing about the test itself."

"That’s probably the point," Lin Yuan sat opposite him, calmly smearing a small wild fruit.

"How so?" Chen Ming stared at him.

"If they told you everything in advance, you would prepare for it rather than relying on your instincts," Lin Yuan replied, his eyes locked on to the fruit.

Chen Ming thought about it for a second before speaking. "I hate it when you’re right."

"Hahaha!" Lian Nichang burst into laughter. "You only hate it because he’s right almost every time."

"Shut up, Nichang."

The both caravans erupted into calm laughter, melting the lingering tension.

As the first day completed, the scenery outside slowly changed. Occasionally, strange flying beasts soared across the sky. Some carried high-ranking cultivators standing gracefully upon their backs, while others simply drifted wild and untamed between the mountains.

The disciples leaned against the carriage windows whenever a new creature appeared.

"Look there!" Huo Ren pointed excitedly toward the sky.

A massive bird of crimson colored tail descended low over the caravan.

"That’s a Crimson-Tailed Eagle!" Huo Ren yelled in excitement.

Chi Fenglian squinted and immediately corrected him. "That’s a Scarlet Eagle."

"How would you even know that?" Huo Ren frowned, pouting slightly.

"I read about it in books."

"You read beast encyclopedias?"

Chi Fenglian looked offended. "Of course I do."

Huo Ren shook his head with mock disgust. "Disgusting behavior."

"Says the guy who nearly got mauled by a rank three beast because he didn’t read its habitat area," Chi Fenglian sneered, letting out a small mockery smirk.

"That was one time!"

"It was three times."

The carriage burst into laughter once again. By nightfall, the two caravans pulled up beside a clear mountain stream. The disciples jumped down to stretch their hands after a day of travel.

Chen Ming leaped out first.

"Finally!" He stretched his arms, groaning loudly. "My legs were turning numb."

Lian Nichang dropped down right behind him. "Your brain is already numb."

"What did you say?"

"I said the mountain breeze feels very nice tonight."

"You definitely didn’t say that!"

Lin Yuan stepped down, taking a breath of the cool air. Stars were already lingering in the black sky above the peaks.

The group spent the evening sharing the food provided in the carriages, the conversation drifting back to their destination.

"What do you think Red Talon Hall looks like?" Lian Nichang asked, chewing a piece of dry bread.

"Probably large," Chi Ruyan replied. "I heard its main hall is built upon the highest peak in the country."

Huo Ren raised his hand eagerly. "I heard the sect has a beast pavilion that has thousands of rare beasts from across the continent!"

"Thousands?" Chen Ming’s eyes lit up in excitement.

"That’s what the travelers say."

Lin Yuan quietly listened to the banter, his dark eyes locked on the distant mountains. Red Talon Hall was one of the best sects in the region, a place where real power has authority.

’What kind of monsters will I meet there?’ Lin Yuan thought, smearing his chin. ’How strong are their core disciples? And what would be this entrance trial test?’

The second day passed much faster. The caravans moved into the mountain ranges. The disciples sluggishly grew quieter as the sheer heights of the landscape sank in.

Then, Chen Ming suddenly sat upright. "Wait."

Everyone turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"Is... is that it?" He pointed trembling fingers through the window.

The disciples immediately crowded around the two caravans’ windows.

Far beyond the jagged ridges there was a large mountain shimmering with a crimson glow. And the entrance has a stone face which was carved with the name: Red Talon Hall.

The massive palaces on the steep slopes, connected by bridges spanning across a few areas. There are roaring waterfalls between the breathtaking areas, and spirit trees filled in the courtyards. At the highest point there was a breathtaking crimson palace shaped like the spread wings of a phoenix, emanating a sovereign aura.

"So this is Red Talon Hall." Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, looking at the magnificent sight.

By the evening of the second day, the caravans reached the sect’s outer area, and the nine disciples stepped out onto the cobblestone pathway.

Chen Ming was walking beside Lin Yuan, talking with excitement. "I wonder if they will give us private quarters right away... Maybe a dedicated room with luxury, and then—"

Chen Ming walked into something invisible with a cracking thud.

"Owchhhh!" He bounced backward, falling flat on his back while smearing his reddened forehead.

Everyone froze immediately.

"What did you just hit?" Lian Nichang squinted, looking at the empty air.

"Nothing! There was nothing there!" Chen Ming looked around in bewilderment.

A faint, translucent ripple shimmered across the air before them, revealing a towering defense that sealed the way. Chen Ming had sprinted into the ward at full speed.

Huo Ren pointed and laughed harder. "Hahahaha! You are an idiot!"

Chi Fenglian covered his mouth, snickering. "How did you not notice the change in air?"

"It was invisible!" Chen Ming rubbed his forehead angrily, his face becoming red.

Lin Yuan walked to the edge of the barrier, tapping it with a knuckle. "It was also humming faintly five paces before you hit it."

"Whose side are you even on?!" Chen Ming stared at him from the ground.

"The barrier’s."

The disciples erupted into laughter, while Chen Ming grunted under his breath, "I hate all of you."

A moment later, calm footsteps echoed from beyond the way.

An elderly man in simple gray robes walked out through the defense. He had a lean body and his cultivation aura is restrained. But the moment he approached, Lin Yuan’s senses caught the pressure. He was a Core Beast Realm — Peak Stage cultivator.

Behind the elder, the faint phantom of a massive boar beast flickered for a second before vanishing into his aperture.

The elder stopped before the nine disciples, his expression unbothered. "I assume you are the recommended batch from Green Hollow Academy."

"Greetings, Elder," The disciples immediately straightened their bodies, cupping their fists and bowing respectfully.

The old man nodded faintly. "I am Elder Luo Jianfeng."

His voice was soft and calm, but his eyes carried a peculiar intensity. While his cultivation was considered weakest among the sect elders, his reputation throughout Red Talon Hall was legendary; he was the master of cultivation theory and the architect behind the sect’s most bizarre examination trials. Among the inner sect disciples, he was known as the mad examiner.

Luo Jianfeng’s gaze darted across the nine youths. "You have traveled for two days straight. You are not required to do anything tonight."

He pointed toward a pack of wooden pavilions located along the outer ridge. "Those are the guest quarters. Settle your belongings and rest."

The disciples nodded at once.

"Tomorrow at dawn, the new disciple entrance examination commences," Luo Jianfeng continued.

"Elder, how many candidates are participating in this batch?" Chen Ming, still rubbing his bruised forehead asked.

"One hundred..." Luo Jianfeng looked at him, his lips curling into a faint smile.

Chen Ming’s face spasmed. "A hundred?"

"One hundred disciples chosen by the river itself or from across the areas," Luo Jianfeng elucidated, waving his sleeve. "And you nine disciples from green hollow will be mixed with them."

He turned back toward the main gates, his eyes glinting with a calm light. "Do your best. And remember... do not assume that being recommended by your academy gives you an advantage."

The elder paused, turning his head back slightly over his shoulder. "Oh, and one more piece of advice... Do not assume the examination will test your cultivation strength."

With that warning, the old man strolled back through the shimmering barrier and vanished into the mountain mist.

Chen Ming watched him leave, shivering slightly. "That sounded deeply threatening..."

"Probably because it was," Lin Yuan smiled faintly.

The disciples made their way to the outer pavilions, each receiving a peaceful, clean room. After setting down their bags and changing out of their clothes, the others rested inside.

Lin Yuan quietly walked out into the wild. There were towering pines across the rocky slopes, rustling gently in the cool evening wind. The crimson maple leaves lingered down onto the ponds that reflected the twilight sky.

"I am hungry..." Lin Yuan paused, resting a hand on his stomach.

Darting his gaze across the area, his gaze caught sight of a small wild hare lingering peacefully under a tree.

Lin Yuan’s eyes locked onto it, and his figure blurred. A fraction of a second later, he appeared beside the hare, catching the struggling hare by its long ears.

"Humph..." Lin Yuan stared at it calmly.

The hare kicked its legs furiously against his robes.

Lin Yuan sighed softly. "You’re still going to be my dinner, though."

Looking up, he noticed a few bunches of bluish berry-like cones hanging from the branches of the red cedar tree above.

Lin Yuan crouched low, and then he kicked off the ground with raw power. The combined enhancements of the moon rabbit’s agility and the white tigers’ predatory reflexes allowed him to leap across the tree effortlessly. He stomped a foot faintly against the trunk, and jumped gracefully into the air again, catching the highest branch.

He plucked half a dozen berry-like cones, tucked them into his robe, and dropped straight down, landing on the grass.

A few minutes later, Lin Yuan walked back into the courtyard carrying his food.

Chen Ming, who was sitting on the wooden steps, stared at him in disbelief. "Where the hell did you just get all that?"

"From the forest..."

Chen Ming looked at the hare, then at the fresh fruits, and back at Lin Yuan. "You’ve been here for twenty minutes and you’re already behaving like a mountain guide who’s lived in the wild for fifty years."

Lian Nichang chuckled, walking out with a kettle. "That’s just Lin Yuan being Lin Yuan."

Soon, a small campfire was crackling in the courtyard. The aroma of roasted meat and mountain fruits filled the night air.

"Not bad at all!" Chen Ming took a satisfied bite.

"Far better than the dry food we’ve been eating," Lian Nichang nodded in agreement.

"You caught all of this that fast?" Huo Ren leaned forward, looking at Lin Yuan.

"Yes," Lin Yuan’s voice mumbled as he chewed the meat.

"Can you do that every day for us?" Chen Ming asked with a hopeful grin.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I’m not your private hunter."

Chen Ming sighed dramatically. "Well, I had to ask."

"Tomorrow," Xiao Yanrui murmured suddenly, staring into the flickering embers, "the true trial begins."

The gathering fell silent. Chen Ming leaned back, letting out a breath. "I’m feeling a little nervous."

"Good," Lian Nichang smiled faintly.

"Why is that good?"

"Because you’re usually arrogant whenever you aren’t nervous," Lian Nichang immediately answered, nodding his head.

"I am never arrogant," Chen Ming frowned, and gave a pause before speaking again. "...Fine, occasionally."

Lin Yuan let out a quiet chuckle. The fire slowly died down as the moon climbed into the sky. One by one, the disciples stood up and retreated to their respective rooms to have a pleasant sleep.

Lin Yuan lay flat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, sensing the turtle, the moon rabbit, and the twin white tigers’ presence. And after a few moments he fell into a deep sleep.

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