"LIN YUAN!! YOU BASTARD!! I AM COMING!!" Xiao Lingtian roared, plunging away into the distance within seconds.

Ying Yue mourned frantically on her knees, her eyes cold and lost their sanity.

Xiao Lingtian grinned, riding at great pace on his Panther beast. A shimmering fire crackled out from the panther eyes. It has a fire attribute.

"Lin Yuan... I will gouge your eyes ou—"

BAM!!

A crescent of compressed air tore, snapping the earth inches from the panther’s paws. The beast screeched to a violent halt, its muscles jerking due to sudden halt. Thrown forward by the sudden deceleration, Xiao Lingtian slipped from the saddle, his fingers clawing at the coarse fur until his grip locked, barely sparing him from slamming into the ground.

"What the fuck is that?" Xiao Lingtian cursed, climbing down the panther.

Thud!

A dark brown-haired, calm guy descended from the branch of the pine tree nearby. His eyes shimmering with pale-blue color. A young falcon clutched to his robe, lingering its head around.

"You dare to think you can escape after assaulting the academy disciples, and killing an innocent girl in a brutal way," The dark brown-haired guy ranted, taking heavy steps towards Xiao Lingtian. "I WILL NOT LET YOU ALIVE, YOU BASTARD!"

The dark brown-haired guy was Fen Lin, a Spirit Beast Realm - Lower Stage Cultivator, and Falcon beast holder. Fen Lin was the most loved student of Mo Qinghe.

"Hehe... You are a mere pawn working for the academy," Xiao Lingtian mocked, his hair lingering against the howling wind. "Get out of my wa—"

Whoosh!

Another crescent of air dashed towards Xiao Lingtain in violent speed. Xiao Lingtian instantly crouched, dodging the attack in the last second.

"Woh woh!! Halt!" Xiao Lingtian smirked, his face twisting in anger. "You are serious... Then I am!"

As soon as Xiao Lingtian words finished, the Panther lunged forward toward Fen Lin. Fen Lin unleashed two more crescent attacks towards the Panther, staggering backward. The Panther elegantly dodged the crescent wind slicers, jumping left and right simultaneously.

’Fuck! My beast essence is depleting,’ Fen Lin frowned, clicking his tongue. As he was Spirit Beast Realm - Lower Stage Cultivator, he has 16% beast essence normally. But now it was depleted to 4% in his aperture. But at the opposite end, Xiao Lingtian didn’t even flinch. He is Core Beast Realm - Lower Stage cultivator, same as Mo Qinghe.

Fen Lin darted his hand slightly sideways, aiming towards Xiao Lingtian. He launched another wind crescent, pouring every drop of his beast essence into the attack to maximize its speed. The razor-sharp gale sliced clean through Xiao Lingtian’s cheek and right ear, missing a lethal brain strike by a fraction of a second. At that exact moment, the Panther lunged. Its fangs gripped down on Fen Lin’s hand, severing it with a single crunch. Fen Lin fell down, screaming in a frenzy. Without pausing, the beast lunged at his face, brutally crushing his head with paws, until his eyes plopped out of their sockets. The eye balls splattered on the ground, a paw of the panther smashing them into pulp. It then raked its massive claws down his torso, bursting his chest wide open to tear out and eat his heart.

Fen Lin was laid, his chest ripped open, his ribs pointing to the sky. The Panther gulped, after eating Fen Lin’s heart. Its mouth is dripping with crimson-red, viscous blood.

Xiao Lingtian marched towards the pathetic corpse of Fen Lin.

"This pathetic bastard thought he could kill me with a mere wind slicer," Xiao Lingtian defamed, clicking his tongue. He slowly climbed onto the panther again, starting his ride towards the middle path of the Blackwood Ravine forest.

****

Lin Yuan’s group

"Wake up, Lin Yuan," Chen Ming called, shaking Lin Yuan gently. "You were asleep for 2 and half hours..."

"Urghh... Umm... Yeah just a few more minutes, Chen Ming," Lin Yuan snorted, tilting his body to the left side.

"Liar...! You are saying a few more minutes from 1 hour, Lin Yuan," Chen Ming sneered, shaking Lin Yuan again.

Lin Yuan blinked heavily against the harsh afternoon light filtering through the branches of the tree. His muscles ached, and his head throbbed from the sudden, aggressive awakening, while Chen Ming shook him yet again, determined to break his stubborn grip on sleep.

"Get up, right now," Chen Ming hissed, giving him one final, rough shove that sent Lin Yuan sprawling sideways. Lin Yuan slowly stood up, stretching his hands upwards to crack his bones in a relaxed manner.

"Okay! Okay! You stubborn idiot," Lin Yuan smirked, mocking Chen Ming.

They slowly started walking into the forest again. Lin Yuan’s group only needed two more Rank 2 beast cores to win this trial.

SCREECHHHH!!

A sudden sharp screech sound echoed across the forest. Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed, listening to the screech. Instantly, he staggered backward without hesitation. His instincts screamed about the danger.

Whoosh!!

A gash of eerie blue light tore through the air from the right side. It hit the ground in front of Lin Yuan violently, scattering dirt and debris in all directions.

"W-What was that?!" Chen Ming stumbled backward in shock.

Lin Yuan slowly raised his head. High above the sky, a massive beast swirled around the clouds. Its wings were enormous, nearly spanning several meters wide. Silver feathers mixed with storm-blue patterns covered its body, and faint arcs of lightning rattled across the edges of its wings. Its sharp golden eyes shimmering from above like a predator observing prey. The surrounding wind had become heavier.

"N-No w- way.. It is a..."

"Yeah, your thoughts are correct, Chen Ming. It is a Stormcrest Hawk..." Lin Yuan whispered, his face turning pale.

SKREE!

The beast let out another screech. And then it flicked its claws violently, lightning flickering around its claws vigorously. The Stormcrest Hawk folded its wings and descended rapidly from the sky like a thunderbolt. The pressure alone caused nearby branches to snap apart vehemently.

BOOM!

The beast landed several meters away from them. Dust and leaves exploded outward. Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes carefully. The beast is a giant hawk, while standing on the ground its height skewers more than half the height of trees around. Its silver-blue wings were folded at its sides, yet they still stretched several meters long, casting a massive shadow across the forest floor. The Stormcrest Hawk slowly lifted its head sluggishly, silver-blue feathers swaying under the howling wind while tiny lightning sparks crawled across its body. Long curved claws dug into the earth deeply, leaving visible cracks beneath its feet. Its gaze locked onto Lin Yuan.

The gaze was not normal like the beasts Lin Yuan had seen. It was cold, predatory, and totally different from the beasts he encountered.

"W-why??" Chen Ming muttered, his eyes squinting against the sparks of lightning. "It’s a Rank 4 beast..."

Lin Yuan didn’t say a word, his eyes remained fixed on the approaching Stormcrest Hawk while the turtle ring on his hand shimmering faintly with pale-green.

"Chen Ming... Don’t let your guard down," Lin Yuan instructed, sliding his left foot backward. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The beast jolted its head, and instantly flapped its wings vehemently, releasing compressed wind blades. The wind blades slashed forward in all directions, cutting trees and rocks.

"Fuck!!" Lin Yuan reacted instantly, reaching his hand straight, summoning the Shell Guard.

But the attack was from a Rank 4 beast. The Shell Guard couldn’t hold the blades. First blade hit — Shell restrained. Second blade hit — Shell cracked. And then third—

Boom!

The sheer impact of the Wind Blades destroying the Shell Guard hurled Lin Yuan and Chen Ming back. Lin Yuan slammed onto a giant, half-sliced rock, spitting a mouthful of blood, while Chen Ming crashed into an oak tree and groaned in pain.

’Tsk...! We are dead meat now!’ Lin Yuan thought, clutching his chest painfully, trying to stand back again.