Legendary Beast Cultivator

The golden light remained shimmering before the three disciples. None of them moved. The ancient voice echoed once again against the darkness. "Claim the inheritance by stepping into the light."

But, the three disciples remained individual, facing three golden lights.

****

Chen Ming stared hard at the golden radiance before him.

"Claim the inheritance?" he muttered, scratching the back of his neck, and his eyes squinting suspiciously. "We won?"

The golden light remained still, humming with warmth. Chen Ming took a step forward. "Could this whole thing be another damn illusion?"

His expression turned suspicious. The previous illusion had been realistic; his clan, his father’s praise, the divine wind-falcon, the fame. The temptation had nearly hooked him.

What if this was simply another layer of the trial? What if the Altar of Conviction was testing whether he would abandon all caution and obey a voice just because it offered reward?

"Maybe..."Chen Ming gulped, nodding slightly. He looked at the golden light again, feeling the immense energy throbbing within it, "maybe it’s real."

His wind-falcon suddenly appeared upon his shoulder. The small beast stared intensely at the golden light.

Chen Ming frowned, looking at his companion. "What’s wrong with you, buddy?"

The wind-falcon’s neck feathers suddenly raised outward.

"Do you trust this light?" Chen Ming murmured, patting on his beast’s head.

The Wind-Falcon slowly turned its head and looked straight at him.

Chen Ming stared at the golden pillar for a moment. Then, he clenched his fists tight.

"Fine. If you’re saying it’s real..." He took another deliberate step forward toward the light. Then another. His wind-falcon refused to leave the shadow, chirping frantically.

Chen Ming stopped suddenly. A realization struck his mind like a thunderbolt. The altar was never asking him to merely reach out and take a prize. It was testing whether he would discard his beast’s instincts in exchange for greedy rewards.

"If my bird doesn’t trust you..." Chen Ming slowly stepped backward away from the golden light, a small smirk returning to his lips, "then neither do I."

****

Lian Nichang stood in silence before his golden light. He had already taken three steps toward it, his hand slowly extending outward.

The ancient voice echoed softly."Claim the inheritance, child. It is yours."

Lian Nichang’s fingertips hovered barely away from the shimmering light.

His silver wolf beast let out a sudden growl from behind. Lian Nichang froze instantly, and looked down. The silver wolf is groaning angrily against the light.

"You don’t like the light?" Lian Nichang whispered.

The wolf beast growled again, taking a defensive step back.

Lian Nichang lowered his hand, a bead of cold sweat crawling from his forehead.

"So..." Lian Nichang muttered, a smile crawling on his lips, "we never won the trial at all, did we?"

The golden light remained motionless, offering no answer.

Lian Nichang let out a soft, nervous chuckle, shaking his head. "Hahaha... Almost got me there. That was damn close."

He took two deliberate steps backward, standing side-by-bye with his wolf. "I’ll wait until the real exit opens."

****

Lin Yuan stared at the towering pillar of golden light standing before him, his expression was different from the other two.

There was only annoyance. Lin Yuan slowly raised his hand, rubbing his temples. Then, he looked straight up into the sky above.

"Hey!" Lin Yuan called out, but the ancient voice did not reply.

Lin Yuan clicked his tongue in irritation.

"You pitiful ancient remnant..." Lin Yuan sneered, his voice echoing through the darkness. "First, you throw some laughably fucking illusions of fame and power at me."

"You also separated us into individual areas to weaken our mutual trust," Lin Yuan continued, folding his hands. "And now, you came like a roadside merchant, telling me to step into your light to claim an ’inheritance’?"

Lin Yuan crossed his arms over his chest. "I don’t even know who the fuck you are."

The radiant golden light flickered, its hum faltering for a second.

"Do you really think I am naive enough to believe a shitty voice in an illusion?" Lin Yuan continued, his voice filled with confidence.

"You said we passed the trial? Then stop playing these cheap ass tricks!" He pointed a finger at the light. "And, reunite my group. Send us back to the ruins on Red Sun Peak. And reward your inheritance there in the open world."

"Otherwise..." Lin Yuan tilted his head up, his lips curling into a ruthless sneer. "FUCK OFF!!"

For a few long moments... not a single sound echoed.

The ancient consciousness that had overseen this mountain for centuries finally shook in sheer disbelief.

What... what the fuck? A bewildered thought rippled through the ancient mind.

In its hundreds of years of existence, many proud geniuses and great cultivators sects had stood before this test at their young age. Almost all of them had either fallen to the greed of the false light or debated with their desires.

But this boy; a fifteen-year-old child from a normal city had seen through the trap in seconds, and cursed the ancient voice and told it to fuck off.

The invisible voice silently observed Lin Yuan for a moment. Those pitch-black, mature eyes, and sheer will.

Perhaps... I was mistaken, the ancient consciousness excited, a glint of profound fascination appearing in its voice. He is not merely a talented brat.

A faint sense of amusement rippled through the area. Interesting... Truly interesting.

Chen Ming watched as the golden light before him suddenly flickered and dimmed. His wind-falcon’s aggressive posture slowly relaxed.

"Yeah... I knew something felt off about you. Nice try, old altars!" Chen Ming smiled, placing his hands on his hips.

Lian Nichang watched the glowing light vanish into thin air. His wolf beast sat down, letting out a satisfied huff.

Lian Nichang laughed softly, patting its head. "You really are smarter than me sometimes, buddy. Let’s wait for the end now."

The ancient ruin of the third altar burst out with shiny light. Compared to altar one and two, this altar let out a large, hundred-meter golden light straight into the heavens, pushing away the dark night clouds above Red Sun Peak.

Standing near the edge of the area, assistant master Qin Yuze’s eyes widened in shock. "What on earth happened inside?!"

The other assistant masters immediately stepped onto the ruins, staring at the pillar of light piercing the sky.

Then, three silhouettes appeared smoothly within the light, landing upon the black stone platform of the altar. Lin Yuan, Chen Ming, and Lian Nichang.

Chen Ming immediately looked down at his legs, stomping the floor. "We’re back!"

Lian Nichang let out a calm breath, wiping sweat from his neck. "For a second... I thought we were going to be trapped inside that void forever."

Lin Yuan calmly dusted off his blue robes, his expression still calm and unfazed.

Qin Yuze walked forward, his gaze darting between the three disciples.

Chen Ming’s forehead was soaked with cold sweat, his chest still heaving. Lian Nichang’s breathing was slightly hurried, his fingers trembling with tension.

But Lin Yuan was standing there with a faint, relaxed smile, looking as if nothing happened.

’Why isn’t this brat even reacting? Did he predict everything about the illusion from the start?’ Qin Yuze thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. ’No... could he truly have possessed the great mental stability to dismiss the final trial as child’s play?’

Qin Yuze felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The fifteen-year-old boy standing before him was becoming dangerously difficult to see through.

Suddenly, the ancient voice echoed across the Red Sun Peak.

"Lin Yuan..." The mountain fell into immediate silence. Every assistant master and disciple froze. "You are truly magnificent."

Lin Yuan stood still, his arms crossed. The ancient voice continued, echoing through the crimson valley. "Your companions, Chen Ming and Lian Nichang, possess admirable hearts as well. They have proven their worth to the heavens."

Chen Ming blinked, pointing a finger at his chest. "Wait... us? We got praised?!"

"Haha! Yes," Lian Nichang scratched his head.

"But you..." The ancient voice ignored their banter, its voice focusing upon Lin Yuan. "You never once considered accepting the temptation."

"You did not attempt to bargain with fate." Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You did not attempt to greedily take the false reward. You simply and ruthlessly rejected the falsehood."

"Your will..." The ancient voice paused for a heartbeat, filled with profound reverence. "...is truly magnificent."

The surrounding disciples from the other groups looked at each other in utter bewilderment.

Qin Yuze looked around the area, his face frowning deeply. "Why is the ’ancient will’ specifically addressing only Lin Yuan like this?"

Lin Yuan’s expression slowly became twitched.

Suddenly, a few words echoed inside Lin Yuan’s aperture.

"These words shall not be known by any other living soul on this area,"

Lin Yuan’s eyes squinted once, but his expression remained still. The ancient consciousness spoke calmly. "I personally award you the most ancient, forbidden inheritance of this mountain. It is a legacy that has remained unclaimed for over forty years."

Lin Yuan’s thoughts paused for a fraction of a second.

"The Ancient Multi-Beast Cultivation Manual!" the ancient voice announced.

A tiny object appeared inside Lin Yuan’s palm. It looked like an ordinary, dark jade bracelet, but the instant Lin Yuan’s skin made contact with it, an overwhelming lingering of ancient knowledge, forbidden beast-refining arts and many more including demonic techniques flashed once through his sea of consciousness.

Lin Yuan groaned slightly. The ancient voice continued its private talk. "Use it efficiently, boy. This manual will mask itself in the form of this ordinary bracelet. Never lose it, or never allow the wrong eyes in the orthodox sects to discover its existence."

Lin Yuan silently clenched his fingers around the jade bracelet.

Then, the ancient voice became heavier with a solemn warning. "And Lin Yuan... I only hope that you will not fall into the demonic path after learning its forbidden methods."

"Demonic?" Lin Yuan’s calm posture cracked, his eyes rising once. His mind immediately began storming at lightning speed. "Multi-beast cultivation... Demonic methods... If this ancient manual contains techniques powerful enough to allow a cultivator to refine and command multiple beasts, even legendary and divine, without blowing their aperture apart... why was it branded as demonic? Were the orthodox sects simply terrified of power they could not control? Or did these secret arts require a level of ruthlessness that the self-righteous cultivation world marks as unacceptable? If the hypocritical world labels power as demonic... does that truly make it evil?’

’No.’ Lin Yuan’s fingers tightened more around the jade bracelet. ’Raw power is never righteous or evil. The intent of the person wielding it is the only thing that explains reality.’

A faint smirk slowly crept onto Lin Yuan’s face.

"Demonic?" Lin Yuan chuckled, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. "Hahaha... I won’t fall for anything."

He looked down at the bracelet in his palm, his thoughts turning as cold as ice.

"I choose the path I want to walk. I decide where I stand under heaven," Lin Yuan spoke with the ancient voice in his mind. "If becoming a ruthless demon is what it takes to break through every hurdle and achieve my goals... then I will gladly become one. I won’t waste my time this time."

The ancient consciousness within his mind suddenly fell silent. "...’This time’?"

Lin Yuan froze instantly. For the first time since stepping into Azure Mist Peak, a flicker of panic appeared across his eyes.

The ancient voice waited in profound curiosity, sensing the secret within the boy’s mind. Lin Yuan slowly turned his gaze away toward the maple forest. "...It was nothing."

An eerie silence followed within his mind. Then, the ancient consciousness seemed to let out a chuckle that faded into the dark. "Interesting... Truly fascinating, boy."

Lin Yuan’s eyes twitched, slightly.

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