"No weakest beast, only the weakest Beastmaster?" Yates froze at Evan's words.
In this era, where Beastmaster Talent was everything, that phrase hit Yates hard.
"Focus on building synergy between you and your beast. At the very least, a Beastmaster and their beast need to fully understand one another," Evan said, patting Yates on the shoulder before he turned and withdrew his Fire Hound.
High school training didn't involve much theory; it was almost all practical. On this first day, the only task was to choose a beast, and after that, students were free to spend time getting familiar with their new partners.
Evan didn't linger at school. He found an excuse to take leave and headed straight to his assigned dorm, a single room—Blue River's only high school was prestigious enough to provide individual housing.
Entering his room, Evan closed the door, carefully ensured he was alone, then sat cross-legged on the floor.
Calming his mind and breath, he took a deep inhale before silently chanting:
"Beast Space."
The Beast Space was a special area every Beastmaster acquired upon Awakening, meant to house their beasts. However, these spaces started out empty, able to hold only a few beasts.
The moment Evan completed the chant, his vision blurred; the scene spun, and when his view cleared, he found himself in what seemed like a hidden paradise.
There were mountains and rivers, even a small house, and his chosen Fire Hound was dozing outside.
"It worked," Evan murmured, a look of delight in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings. Meanwhile, the mark on his arm began to glow.
A wave of information poured into Evan's mind. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, he could hardly contain his excitement.
This was what he had risked his life to obtain in his last life—the legendary Beastmaster Artifact, which had merged with his Beast Space and the Time-Space Dragon during the explosion.
The mark on his arm was connected to his Beast Space. Just now, it had conveyed the full scope of this space's abilities to him.
Here, the energy was abundant, perfect for supporting beasts and their growth. Beasts could develop at optimal rates within this space. Moreover, there were mystical aspects to this dimension that would gradually unfold as his beasts became stronger.
The most critical aspect of the space, however, was that time flowed at a ratio of 30:1!
Thirty days inside equaled only one day in the outside world!
An item of such caliber was indeed a world-shaking treasure—a true Beastmaster Artifact!
"With a treasure like this, training beasts just got a lot easier." Evan gently patted the Fire Hound next to him, which nuzzled affectionately against his arm, its naturally high body temperature radiating warmth.
The Fire Hound wasn't useless at all!
Its bloodline contained traces of the Hellhound, an advanced beast species, though it was rare and hard to awaken.
Even if the Hellhound bloodline couldn't be activated, with the right nurturing, the Fire Hound would eventually control flames and unleash immense destructive power. Most importantly, because of its ancestral bloodline, it was not bound by the typical limitations of low-grade bloodlines!
As long as he persevered and found enough rare resources, he could nurture it to the Eternal rank—or even the Glory rank.
He had dared to choose the Fire Hound because he had a plan to unlock its potential, whether by using his knowledge of cultivation techniques or through rare materials from ancient ruins. Either way, he was certain that his Fire Hound would one day unleash frightening power.
Now that he fully understood the powers of this space, Evan felt even more confident in his choice.
For Evan, the space's unique abilities meant the Fire Hound's greatest limitations had been removed. In this unique Beast Space, filled with ideal energy for beasts, along with his training methods, he could accomplish a hundred days' work in just one!
"This overlooked Fire Hound will soon shock everyone."
Evan watched his Fire Hound, his eyes full of amusement. Then his gaze shifted to a plot of land beside the small house.
"If I can bring my beast here, I should be able to transplant rare herbs as well!"
As he thought of this, Evan's eyes gleamed with excitement. In his past life, he had come across many rare resources; however, each of them required years—sometimes centuries—to mature, and harvesting one often meant waiting a long time for the next.
But if he could transplant these rare herbs here, wouldn't that mean…
"The Beastmaster Artifact is indeed fearsome."
He marveled at its capabilities, patting the Fire Hound's head one last time before closing his eyes.
When he reopened them, Evan was back in his dorm. It was still early evening; only a short while had passed.
Estimating how long he'd been inside, he compared the two timelines and confirmed it: thirty to one.
Looking around at the quiet dorm room, Evan let out a long breath, his gaze growing sharp.
With this item, his strength would skyrocket, and the things he hadn't been able to obtain at this stage in his past life were now within reach.
For instance, the Freshman Secret Realm Trial, set to take place in three months.
The Freshman Secret Realm was nothing like the ancient secret realm he had last explored in his past life. It was the lowest tier of realms, entirely set up by the school, and there wasn't anything particularly valuable within.
But since he'd already experienced it once, Evan knew that this particular trial held one rare treasure.
"Three months will be enough to build my strength. That treasure—I won't miss it this time."
Taking a deep breath, Evan calmed himself, sitting cross-legged and gradually syncing his breathing.
The Breath Technique was a tool Beastmasters used to strengthen themselves. The higher the technique's level, the more beasts a Beastmaster could control.
Most people practiced the general Breath Technique distributed by the school. It was accessible to almost everyone, but it had a low ceiling, offering limited enhancements and beast slots.
For Evan, it was different. In his past life, he'd come across hundreds of advanced Breath Techniques, many of which offered extraordinary benefits.
For example, the one he was now using was the best among them—the Sanctified Breath, hailed as the most domineering Breath Technique in the world. It had four stages: Whale, Devour, Dragon's Breath, and Ant's Bite. Its ultimate form allowed one to transcend the mortal realm and reach sainthood.
"Breathe…"
As he practiced, Evan took a deep breath, akin to the inhalation of a whale, drawing in the surrounding air until it filled his lungs completely.
Thanks to the ample energy around him, with just a single breath, Evan's body began to glow.
First stage achieved! With his past life's experience, Evan had entered the technique's initial stage effortlessly.
"Breathe…"
Exhaling slowly, Evan opened his eyes, which now gleamed with energy.
"The Sanctified Breath is certainly powerful. In just the first stage, Whale, it converts any energy source—even air—into nourishment for the body."
"That one breath is worth at least dozens of days of ordinary techniques."
Stretching his arm, Evan stood up, his body almost brimming with energy after only completing the Whale stage. He needed to expend some of it before advancing to the next level, Devour.
"I feel like I could punch through a wall right now." Evan smirked, his eyes sparkling with confidence.
With this powerful Breath Technique and his one-of-a-kind Beast Space, his starting point this life was already maximized, bolstered by his knowledge from his previous life.
D-level? So what if it's D-level?