This was the second time I'd be repeating such an embarrassing moment. What was worse... I didn't even do it deliberately!
Everyone stared at me silently, each one ruminating over their own thoughts.
At that moment, I suddenly received a split-second telepathic explanation...
"Young Mistress."
I looked at both my tamed beasts, but noticed the voice in my head wasn't coming from them. I softly inquired who it was; the voice calmly explained; it was none other than the Mystical Beast of Illusions, whom I'll henceforth name MBI for short. MBI slowly explained to me:
"You're in an illusionary world. It's hard to tell if this world once existed, but one thing's for sure... that crimson-eyed tiger was a mystical beast. While inside your arerat symbol, I came to understand that you're gifted with the ability of absorbing mystical beasts.
"You normally should have been unable to absorb the crimson-eyed tiger because, unlike real mystical beasts, it was borne from illusion. However, due to the fact that you have absorbed into your arerat symbol, a mystical beast of illusions, you're also advantaged into being able to absorb any mystical beast that exists in any sort of illusions!"
I was baffled beyond words.
"But since this beast is dead, how can I still absorb this beast and make it mine?" I inquired.
"It wasn't totally dead when your symbol trapped it, therefore, even its life is trapped. You can easily manipulate your aura and make it identical to the crimson-eyed tiger, given others an impression that you're a fearsome crimson-eyed tiger yourself! Absorbing its spiritual energy within you can renourish your meridians and true essence."
"What's a true essence?"
"Huhn? You don't know?"
"Am I supposed to know?"
"When you punched that boy in the Martial Arts School, what did you direct into your fist?"
"Umm... my spiritual essence?"
"It's called a true essence... it's what makes a cultivator. It's the spiritual energy in the air that exists in every realm you step into other than realistic earth. Have you ever given into the difference between where you were before entering the portal, and where you are now?"
I raised my eyes to the sky, then closed it. I could feel the air was thick with an overpowering true essence that poured into my meridians greedily. It carried the same strength as in spirit stones. If not for the weird circumstance I was right now, I'd have sat down to devour it, immediately, thus, pushing for another breakthrough.
Due to how our communication went through telepathy, only a few split-seconds had passed, thus, not drawing in the suspicions of the beast trappers.
I raised my head up in mustered courage, before saying: "I am the great Stephanie from the Phantom Dynasty and I am currently on a mission here."
"Stephanie? Phantom Dynasty? I've never heard of any of these?" said the leader, sincerely and inquiringly.
"Huhn? What is this place called?"
"This is the great Ancient Reality continent! I and these four—" gesturing to the four who'd earlier approached me together with him, "are fellows under the Vinia Royal Guard, guards of the supreme Royal Spirit Empire of the country of Vinia! We have coordinated with the Beast Hunters to be able to hunt down that strange beast you... you just annihilated. Then we received news that the princess of Vinia, our royal highness, Princess Ava, has gone missing. Last traces of her were around this mountain range where that strange tiger-like beast resided..."
It was only up to this moment that the leader paused, noticing my awkward silence and pale face. He quickly asked, "Is something the matter?"
A bell had rung in my head.
"You said you're guards of what empire again?" I struggled to ask.
"Why, well it's the Royal Spirit Empire! Of course you've heard of it, it's the most popular empire in the Ancient Reality continent!"
I shook my head in disbelief.
I was not so shocked because of whatever he was saying in praise of his empire, but the reason I was shocked to the bones was because the name of the empire carried the same prename of my unique cultivation bloodline; Royal Spirit.
Could it be that the moment I dripped a droplet of my blood into the portal, it quickly recognised it and, thus, immediately direct me here for the test?
That should be it?
Just as I was about to speak, something else struck into my awareness. What did he say the continent was called?
Ancient Reality continent!
My unique constitution made it possible for me to enter the Channel of Ancient Reality just by wielding a book in my hand... could there, by any chance, be a link to these two places?
I turned to the leader and asked, "Have you ever heard of anyone possessing the Butterflies Royal Spirit Bloodline constitution?"
Immediately my question was posed, everyone raised their heads and stared at me in disbelief. Three of the shiny-armored Vinia guards stepped forward.
"You're not from here are you?"
"Could it be that you're a spy from the other continents?"
"Just who are you?"
I shook my head, and slowly replied to their queries, collectively, "I'm in fact just a student from a far away place. I happen to get here successfully, by chance. During my studies back at my academy, I learnt about some people possessing the aforementioned bloodline, and was extremely curious about this matter, because nothing basic was mentioned about it." I told a half truth.
After hearing this, they lowered their guards a little, examining me with unsure gazes. Of course I couldn't be bothered if they believed me or not, as long as they didn't harm me.
The leader then stepped forward and began speaking:
"Everyone knows that the Butterflies Royal Spirit Bloodline is a unique bloodline constitution only carried by the royal family of Royal Spirit Empire. Every child born under the royal family must surely carry this unique trait. In all of the Ancient Reality continent, they're the most revered and feared!"
He stopped there, probably unwilling to speak more than that to me. I nodded and took a mental note.
"May I know why they're the most revered and feared?" I asked, curiously.
The leader looked at the four with him. Feeling their indifference, he lowered his voice and explained, "It is said that the old ancestor of the Royal Spirit Empire is a transmogrification of an ancient and mystical, divine beast. Hence, no country dares to wage war against the empire, for fear of the wrath of this old ancestor.
"As you know, when we speak of 'ancient', 'mystical', and 'revered' beasts, the picture that normally props into our mental eyes are those of the ancient sea dragons, aerial dragons, inferno-dragons, glacier-dragons, the imperishable inferno-phoenixes and glacier-phoenixes!
"Legend has it that the old ancestor singlehandedly defeated five hundred of the Entwined Dynasty's warriors when the latter had planned an invasion against us. After defeating these, our old ancestor then went with about twenty of his brothers, and together, they wiped the Entwined Dynasty off their major powers. Right now as we speak, they have become a laughing stuck in history!"
My eyes sparkled with awe.
"They really are that powerful?"
The others nodded, then the leader added, "It was due to their expertise in the field of animal manipulations that they had establish the Beast Hall pavilions!"
"What?! You mean to say... that they're the ones who established the Beast Hall?!" I was completely stupefied. Just where was I?
They peered into my face, and one of the Beast Hunters asked, "You really don't know?"