Chapter 9: The Ancient Beast

Chapter 9: The Ancient Beast

Ling Huai sat beneath an ancient tree, her legs crossed, cultivating in silence. Her silver qi, tinged with a faint pink hue, pulsed softly around her, casting a dreamlike shimmer over the damp earth. The energy twisted and coiled like living tendrils, filling the air with a quiet hum of power.

The silver-furred wolf lay beside her, his sharp eyes fixed on her movements. He was watching—studying.

"You cultivate faster than any beast tamer I've encountered," he finally said through their mind link. His voice was deep, thoughtful. "It is unnatural, yet… fitting."

Ling Huai slowly opened her eyes, exhaling a steady breath. "Because I don't have the luxury of being slow."

The wolf let out a low huff, neither approving nor disagreeing. He had already begun to understand her—Ling Huai did not fear hardship. No, she welcomed it, swallowed it whole, and shaped it into her strength.

But even strength had its limits.

"You will need more than just power, girl," the wolf said, standing up and stretching his massive limbs. "You must also have knowledge."

Ling Huai dusted off her robes and nodded. "Alright start teaching."

He let out an amused growl. "Impatient."

She said nothing.

With the silent understanding that she would listen, the wolf began.

"There is something you must understand first about the power share," he said, his glowing eyes locking onto hers. "It's a double edged sword, it will either destroy or aid you."

Ling Huai stiffened slightly, but she did not show surprise. It made sense. A world as vast as this would not allow only one strong power to exist.

"Alright, will you still teach me ?" she asked.

The wolf chuckled darkly. "Perhaps. That will depend on fate—and your choices."

Ling Huai absorbed his words, but before she could ask more, he continued.

"More importantly, you must learn the ways of the tamers who came before you. In ancient times, tamers understood that forming a contract with every beast they encountered was foolish."

She frowned. "Why?"

"A contract is a bond, but it is also a burden. The more contracts you form, the more of your qi is divided. A tamer who spreads their power too thin will find themselves weak when they need strength the most."

Ling Huai nodded. "Then what is the best approach?"

The wolf's gaze darkened. "Selective contracts. Choose only those beasts who will strengthen you. And above all… understand the power of Power Share."

She narrowed her eyes. "Power Share?"

"A rare ability among beast tamers," he said. "Instead of summoning a contracted beast to fight, you can summon a single beast's ability as your own. This allows you to wield their power as if it were part of your body."

Ling Huai's breath caught. The implications of such a technique were staggering.

"If you form a contract with a beast that breathes fire," the wolf continued, "you can summon their flames as your own. If you form a contract with a beast of great speed, you will inherit its swiftness. However—"

His eyes sharpened.

"—this ability is dangerous. It takes great control. If you try to summon too much power from a beast stronger than you, it will destroy your body from the inside out."

Ling Huai's fingers curled slightly. Strength, but with limits. A tool, but a double-edged blade.

She would master it.

"Nice doing business with you ," the wolf finally said.

Ling Huai raised a brow. "What do you want?"

The wolf stepped closer, his large form looming over her. " Extra two strands of your qi."

A small smirk tugged at her lips. "Only two? I expected more."

The wolf let out a low, rumbling laugh. "For now, two is enough. I do not wish for you to weaken yourself before retrieving the herb."

Ling Huai didn't hesitate. She lifted her hand, allowing two thin threads to flow into his head.

---

The night air was still, the only sound being the quiet rustling of leaves and the rhythmic rise and fall of Ling Huai's breath. She sat beneath the great tree, her hands resting on her knees, sinking into cultivation. The energy around her responded instantly, flowing toward her like rivers converging at the ocean.

Silver light pulsed from her core, illuminating her skin with a divine glow. Unlike the dull gold qi of most tamers, hers was unique—radiant, almost celestial, with a faint pink hue at its edges.

Time lost meaning.

The energy swirled, deepened, thickened.

Then—

A sudden pull.

A force ripped through her consciousness, dragging her into an unknown void.

Ling Huai gasped as the world around her shifted.

The forest vanished.

Darkness swallowed her whole.

Then, from the abyss, a pair of massive golden eyes snapped open.

The air trembled with ancient power.

A deep, guttural voice, one that had not spoken in thousands of years, rumbled through the void.

"At last… one has awakened."

The Realm of the Forgotten

Ling Huai's body felt weightless, her soul floating in an endless expanse of darkness. The only thing visible was the pair of golden eyes, glowing like molten suns.

Then—it moved.

A shape began to form.

A colossal beast emerged from the shadows.

Its body was unlike anything Ling Huai had ever seen—a blend of a dragon and a wolf, with obsidian-black scales edged in silver, its mane a cascade of shifting stars. Its wings, dark as the abyss, stretched infinitely, swallowing the horizon.

An Ancient Beast.

A relic of a time long forgotten.

Ling Huai's heart pounded, but she held her ground.

The beast observed her, its gaze piercing through her very soul.

"You are not like the others," it rumbled, the sheer force of its voice making the air tremble. "Your qi… it is not of this era."

Ling Huai clenched her fists. "Who are you?"

The beast did not answer immediately. Instead, it lowered its great head, bringing its golden eyes level with hers.

"A fragment of what was lost."

Silence stretched between them before it spoke again.

"I have slumbered for ages, waiting for a soul that could reach me. And now you stand before me, bearing the mark of a forgotten lineage."

Ling Huai's breath hitched. Forgotten lineage?

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

The beast chuckled—a deep, ancient sound, filled with both amusement and sorrow.

"You will learn in time. But first, you must listen."

The beast lifted its head, eyes darkening.

"Before this world was ruled by men, before the rise of sects and the fall of empires, there was a time when tamers and beasts stood as one."

Ling Huai listened intently as the beast continued.

"The strongest of them bore the same qi as you—silver, pure, untarnished. They were called the Sovereign Tamers—beings who did not force contracts, but shared power freely with beasts. In return, the beasts swore loyalty willingly, creating a bond that could never be broken."

Ling Huai's breath caught. Sovereign Tamers.

A power above the beast tamers of today.

"But what happened to them?" she asked.

The beast's expression darkened.

"They were hunted. Betrayed. Annihilated."

A low growl rumbled through the abyss, shaking Ling Huai's very soul.

"By the hands of men. By the hands of those who feared their power."

The air grew heavy.

Ling Huai clenched her jaw. "The Three Hunters?"

The beast nodded.

"They were once ordinary cultivators, but they turned themselves into something else. Something unnatural. They wield a force that is neither beast nor human… and their only purpose is to exterminate those like you."

A chill ran down Ling Huai's spine.

This was bigger than she had thought.

The Three Hunters weren't just a threat—they were the reason Sovereign Tamers had disappeared.

The beast's gaze bore into her.

"If they learn of you, they will come. And they will not stop until you are dead."

Ling Huai exhaled slowly.

She had faced death before. She had fought for her survival. This would be no different.

"I will not die so easily," she said.

The beast let out a low, rumbling laugh.

"We shall see."

The air around them shifted.

The beast lifted one of its claws, and suddenly, a small, glowing orb appeared in front of Ling Huai. It shimmered with a strange, ethereal light.

"There is an object you must retrieve," the beast said. "A relic of the past. The Sovereign Orb."

Ling Huai reached out, but the orb flickered and vanished.

"You mean that wasn't real?" she asked.

"No. But it exists. And you must find it. Only then will you understand what you truly are."

Ling Huai nodded, determination burning in her eyes. "Where is it?"

The beast's expression turned unreadable.

"Seek the ruins of the Fallen Temple, deep within the Beast Domain. But be warned…"

Its voice dropped into something darker.

"You will not be the only one looking for it."

Ling Huai straightened. That meant enemies. That meant danger.

Good.

She thrived in danger.

Just as she prepared to ask another question, the beast suddenly stiffened.

Its golden eyes flickered.

The abyss around them trembled.

Then, in the distance, a pair of glowing purple eyes appeared.

Ling Huai's breath caught.

A small, black kitten padded forward from the darkness, its sleek fur absorbing all light, its violet eyes gleaming like amethysts.

The air shifted, tense and unpredictable.

The ancient beast's voice was sharper than before.

"Do not trust it."

Ling Huai frowned. "The cat?"

The beast growled lowly.

"It is an omen. It walks between fate and chaos. It can be your greatest ally or your undoing."

Ling Huai watched as the kitten sat down, curling its tail around its body. It blinked once, then smirked.

The vision began to fade.

The last thing she heard was the beast's final warning.

"Choose wisely, Sovereign Tamer. The path ahead is riddled with shadows."

Then—

Darkness.

End of Chapter

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