July month — Summer Season

A mix of melancholic humming of birds and murmurs of the people created a cacophonous morning in the Green Hollow city. Lin Yuan and Chen Ming are dressed in heavy layered traditional robes, walking towards the eastern gate of Green Hollow city.

"Quite a summer morning," Chen Ming smiled, patting on the back of Lin Yuan.

"Yes... it is..." Lin Yuan agreed with Chen Ming.

"Chen Ming, Who are the masters in the cultivation academy?" Lin Yuan asked, adjusting his robe, meticulously. "Do you have any idea?"

"Yes, I know their names, Lin Yuan," Chen Ming acknowledged, his eyes darting towards Lin Yuan. "One of them will startle you!"

"Startle me?? First say the names..." Lin Yuan sneered, ignoring the words of Chen Ming.

"There are four masters and a head master for the Cultivation Academy," Chen Ming said, his voice calm as he gestured his hand towards the spire visible towards the Eastern Gate. He turned to Lin Yuan, a faint, knowing smirk playing on his lips. "The four masters are Mo Qinghe, Dan Zhenren, Teng Lianhua, Gu Yanluo and the head master of the cultivation academy is—"

HISS!! CRUNCH!!

A loud rumble from the bushes on the right side interrupted Chen Ming. Lin Yuan and Chen Ming jerked their heads right side simultaneously. The bushes, which are 15 paces away, are spasming rapidly with a crunchy sound. From the bushes, a blood python crawled out of it. The blood python’s thick, rust-coloured body rippled through the dry leaves as it emerged. Its head slowly cleared the foliage, lifting several inches off the ground in a muscular arc. It squared its snout towards Lin Yuan and Chen Ming, its slit-pupiled eyes locking on them. With its neck pulled back in the S curve, it let out a sharp, rattling hiss. It was a warning that reverberated through the air.

’What the heck?’ Lin Yuan thought, his face panicking, a bead of sweat crawling from his left temple.

"It was a Rank 4 Uncommon Beast - Blood Python," Chen Ming sighed, his face frowned in disbelief. "We cannot defeat a Rank 4 beast, it is too strong compared to us."

Lin Yuan was frightened, listening to the words of Chen Ming. He groaned, thinking of many possible ways to survive. Lin Yuan’s eyes frowned, his hands preparing to attack once the python lunges forward.

The blood python pulled its head back more like a spring, a rattling hiss echoed in the ears of Lin Yuan and Chen Ming. Sluggishly, python unhinged its jaw, unveiling twin fangs of white against a dark throat. In the next second, the python shot out a Bloodshot laser towards Lin Yuan.

Chen Ming pushed Lin Yuan away just in time. The laser missed Lin Yuan, but it pierced the right temple of a passing man; the force caused the black-haired man’s eyes to ooze and plop onto the ground.

THUD!

The black-haired man fell to the ground with a loud thud. Chen Ming screamed at the sight of mangled flesh and the splattered eyeballs lying beside him. Lin Yuan rushed towards Chen Ming, trying to straighten him up.

"Calm down, we need to run now, Chen Ming. Please!!" Lin Yuan frowned, struggling to lift Chen Ming up.

The blood python crawled, pacing up towards Lin Yuan and Chen Ming. Chen Ming lost his sanity, his face devoid of life. He was scared seeing the brutal death of the black-haired man. Lin Yuan struggled, slowly dragging Chen Ming backward. But the blood python jumped up to attack them with a ’Blood Fang’.

Just before the blood python was reaching to tear Lin Yuan with its Blood Fang, an obscuring flash of white light cut through the gloom. It looked like a judgement from the heavens. The white blade pierced the head of the blood python, pinning it into the stone floor. The sheer impact blasted outward, cracking the ground in a spiderweb design.

Lin Yuan saw the python laid dead. He slapped Chen Ming harshly, and Chen Ming was jerked into senses now.

Thud. Thud.

The loud footsteps are slowly reaching towards Lin Yuan. The man was a towering masculinity, his hair whipping sideways in the air. He wore simple, white wide-sleeved robes fluttering against the gust. Two gatekeepers are sprinting towards them beside the towering man.

"Head master Qing Lin Cangxuan," Chen Ming startled, rising up and bending into a traditional bow.

"Are you okay, brat?" Qing Lin Cangxuan asked, reaching out hand to Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan took the hand, and stood still. "I am fine, headmaster," Lin Yuan bowed.

"Humph... Gatekeepers, where the fuck is your vision?" Lin Cangxuan growled, darting his head towards the gatekeepers. "A Rank 4 Blood Python attacked these children, and killed a man brutally. If it gets repeated, I will ooze out your eyeballs from their sacks."

"Sorry, headmaster..." The apology was a dual sound of both gatekeepers.

"Identify the dead guy!" Lin Cangxuan waved his hand, walking towards Lin Yuan and Chen Ming. "Are you scared, brats? Don’t be scared. I am the Strongest. "

I am the Strongest — these words by the headmaster are not a lie. Lin Yuan can feel the sheer aura of the Lin Cangxuan. But his mind was unraveling with a single name: Qing Lin Cangxuan.

"Are you from the Qing clan, headmaster?" Lin Yuan whispered, his voice low as whisper.

"Hahaha... yes but they abandoned me. Lin Yuan, you don’t know about me. But I know about you, my grandson," Lin Cangxuan laughed, patting the back of Lin Yuan. "I am the elder brother of Qing Lin Cangyuan, your grandfather."

"Ehh???" Lin Yuan jerked back in confusion. "You are the brother of my grandfather. But they never mentioned your name."

"I was the same as you, Lin Yuan, rejected by the ’River of Origin’," Lin Cangxuan frowned, explaining to the two young men. "So the clan rejected me, but my brother is not like me... He is a prodigy. Nevermind, I just started the cultivation academy, so that no one like me will be alone."

"May I see your core beast, headmaster," Chen Ming asked, his voice held back with hesitation.

"Yes, why not!" Lin Cangxuan smiled, lifting his hand and snapped his fingers.

SWIRLL!!

A massive whirlpool of air swirled behind Lin Cangxuan. The massive beast with white-golden fun unraveled — it was Seven-Tailed Fox. The towering beast rumbled, swirling around Lin Cangxuan before coming to a halt behind him. Seven-Tailed Fox sat down, bending its head down. Lin Cangxuan soothed, rubbing the fox’ head with his hand. Then snapped again. It vanished instantly.

"Magnificient," Lin Yuan murmured.

"What did you say, Lin Yuan?" Lin Cangxuan asked politely, stepping forward.

"Nothing. We both are also rejected by the river... So... We wanted to join your cultivation academy, grandfather," Lin Yuan explained, bowing his head in a traditional way.

"Hahahahaha...." Lin Cangxuan laughed in a high-pitched sound. "Yes, you can join the academy, brats."

"Ok, I have to attend city hall. I need to go! Go to Cultivation Academy." Lin Cangxuan muttered, tossing a mystic token with a Pinyin letter ’望 – Hope’ to Lin Yuan. "Show it at the academy gates, they will directly take you both as students."

Lin Cangxuan walked into the city, turned a corner and disappeared. Lin Yuan and Chen Ming locked their eyes on each for a second, and darted their eyes onto the token in Lin Yuan’s hand. After a few seconds, they started walking towards the academy. But the walk was silent.

Lin Yuan was stunned, seeing the power of Lin Cangxuan. Lin Yuan can sense the aura of Lin Cangxuan’s aperture.

’I can sense his aura — same as sensing mana waves, and one can say how powerful he is’ Lin Yuan thought, staring at Lin Cangxuan. ’He was in True Beast Realm - Peak Stage.’

Lin Cangxuan was near to the Divine Beast Realm, despite that he was kind. After a few minutes of walking, Lin Yuan and Chen Ming reached the academy. They slowly walked near the gates.

"Stop!" The gatekeepers of the academy commanded in a dual-resonance, crossing their halberds in a ’X’ shape.

"We are acknowledged by the headmaster." Lin Yuan ignored the order of gatekeepers, showing them the token which was given by Lin Cangxuan.

"We apologise!" The left gatekeeper muttered, bowing his head. "You can go inside."

Lin Yuan walked into the academy.

"Thank you!" Chen Ming bowed back, sprinting towards Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan and Chen Ming stood in silent awe, their breaths hitching at the sight of the academy. This was the sanctuary of the unconventional — a prestigious, secluded academy for those scorned by the River of Origin. Here, young talents who are branded as talentless gathered to defy fate, forging their own paths of cultivation, alongside their beasts.

The architecture of the academy was a testament of elegance. Magnificent, traditional palaces rose from the ground, shaped from spirit wood and polished white jade. Every grey-tiled stair gleamed under the rising sun, reflecting the morning light like a blade’s edge, as if the stones of the academy pulsed with the quiet, hidden power.

"Halt there, brats," Mo Qinghe ordered, climbing down the stairs of the main palace of the academy. "Who allowed you inside?"

"The headmaster approved us, master," Lin Yuan retorted, showing the token given by the headmaster.

Mo Qinghe stepped in and checked the token. He lifted his head, darting his eyes into Lin Yuan’s eyes.

"Lucky brats approved by the headmaster," Mo Qinghe laughed. "I am Mo Qinghe, I am the master and teaches the newbies about foundation and control."

Lin Yuan and Chen Ming bowed to Mo Qinghe.