Like a beehive at dawn, the courtyard of the Beast Tamer Academy was busy. Hundreds of new students came together, their beasts restless and their eyes sharp with fear and ambition.
Dean Yue Lian stood on the steps, her blue robes embroidered with phoenix feathers that sparkled like real fire. She looked over the crowd, judging and weighing.
"You came yesterday with hope," she said in a calm tone. "You will enter the Trial Beast Grounds today." Only people who come back with proof of their win will be allowed to stay. You have to leave the academy if you fail. Remember that this isn't a gift. This is the furnace that heats Dragon Country.
She raised her hand. Behind her, the academy gates creaked open, revealing a huge, shiny wall. There were old forests, rivers that glowed with spirit energy, and mountains that rose like spears beyond it. Inside, birds of fire and scaled beasts screamed, and the sound rolled like thunder.
Students talked to each other in whispers.
"That isn't a training field..."
"It's a huge pocket world!"
"Those beasts are already rank 2!"
Dean Yue Lian's lips curled up a little. "Come in." Keep living. Bring back the beast core of any rank 1 or higher before the sun goes down. There you have it. People who don't get it right don't have to apply again.
The barrier pulsed once and then opened like a breath.
"Go."
Getting on the Grounds
Chen Ho moved his pack and stepped forward. The Phoenix was on his shoulder, and its feathers glowed like hot coals in the morning. The crowd still thought it looked like a "mutation fire-bird." But for Chen Ho, the warmth on his neck was steady, real, and undeniable.
Fatty Lin, who had somehow gotten in again, put a bun in his hand. "To get energy!" And luck too! Can I also keep your bird if you die?
Chen Ho raised an eyebrow. "Only if you can touch it."
The Phoenix made a sound, and a tiny spark hit Lin's sleeve. Lin yelled, and everyone else laughed.
Zhao Yunxian grinned as his red lizard-beast hissed from the other side. "Don't worry, Chen Ho. I'll make sure your girl doesn't have to wait too long.
Chen Ho didn't pay attention to him and walked through the bright barrier.
The Wild
The world changed. The trees were as tall as pillars, and the leaves were as wide as sails. The rivers had a faint silver glow. In the dark, horned deer, armored boars, and red apes moved around.
The Phoenix spread its wings and its eyes shone. Chen Ho felt its pulse, and it was stronger than ever.
"Steady," he said in a soft voice. "We listen first."
They walked along the river, picking herbs, setting small traps, and staying low. Chen Ho looked for signs of life: claw marks deep in the stone and feathers that had turned to ash. Signs of predators.
He bent down next to the Phoenix. "Not yet." We need to fight in the right way.
First Fight
The bushes shook. A Steelhide Boar came out of hiding. Its tusks shone, and its rank-1 beast muscle was as hard as stone. It roared, dug its claws into the ground, and ran.
Chen Ho's eyes got sharper. "Now."
The Phoenix leaped. Flames shot out of its wings and hit the boar in the face. The animal yelled and fell into the riverbank, where it couldn't see.
Chen Ho rolled to the side and kicked the pig in the ribs. His traps, which were a line of sharp sticks, caught the animal's side. Blood splattered.
"Get it done."
The Phoenix hit the boar's eye again, this time with Flame Peck. The beast fell down, steam coming out of its body and its tusks digging into the ground.
The group of students who were watching from a distance gasped.
"Did he kill a Steelhide Boar?" "By yourself?"
"That bird... It's too strong." "That's just a chick!"
Chen Ho knelt down and carved the beast core out with steady hands. He also took the tusks and skin. Loot meant cash, and cash meant freedom.
He gave the Phoenix some meat to eat. Flames moved around its feathers.
"Lv. 22," Chen Ho said in a low voice.
Suspense
There was a roar coming from deeper in the woods. It wasn't a boar; it was something older and more powerful. The trees shook and the ground shook a little.
The Phoenix stiffened, its golden eyes staring straight ahead.
Chen Ho took a breath. "I know."
Somewhere in the Trial Grounds, another old bloodline was coming to life.