A few hours later...
[You have killed a Late Stage Novice Beast! +50 Evolution Points!]
"Ugh… so damn tiring," An Xuan muttered, stretching his sore arms. His joints cracked as he let out a tired sigh, glancing at the blood-stained ground around him.
The forest was strangely quiet now, the corpses of beasts lying scattered like fallen leaves.
By now, he had killed over one hundred beasts and had gathered enough points for Mei'er to evolve, but he decided not to.
Perched on his shoulder, the tiny glowing figure of Mei'er stared at him with wide, curious eyes.
She let out a soft hum, almost as if urging him to let her evolve.
"Not now," he said gently, patting her small head.
"We'll wait until we're back at the cave. It's too risky here. I won't let some wild beast interrupt your transformation."
Mei'er nodded obediently, her form shimmering faintly before curling up on his shoulder.
But before he could take another step, a loud roar split the air.
ROAAARRRRR!
The deep roar echoed across the forest, making the trees tremble.
The ground beneath An Xuan's feet vibrated slightly, and distant sounds of fighting reached his ears—clashing steel, the screeches of beasts, and shouts of cultivators.
An Xuan's expression sharpened as his head turned toward the source of the sound.
"Mei'er return to the system," he ordered immediately.
Without hesitation, Mei'er's form vanished into light, retreating safely to the system.
An Xuan wasted no time, darting toward the commotion.
The closer he got, the louder the sounds became.
The sharp cries of beasts and the cold clang of swords rang in his ears, setting his heart pounding.
When he arrived, the sight before him stopped him in his tracks.
A massive creature loomed ahead—a monstrous lion-like beast with twin horns curving elegantly from its head.
Its skin shimmered a striking icy blue, and sharp icicles hovered ominously around its muscular body, radiating frost.
Three figures were locked in battle with the beast, all dressed in the familiar robes of his sect.
The first had a creature that resembled an Archeopteryx, its vibrant feathers glowing faintly in the dim light.
The second controlled a sleek, panther-like beast, its obsidian-black fur marked with glowing red streaks, and its claws extended into deadly, oversized scythes.
The third figure, however, stood without a beast. She was a beautiful young woman with long brown hair cascading down her back and sharp, commanding brown eyes.
Back on An Xuan's planet, she could easily be a top-tier model.
"Wei Ting, Fu Xing, are you two planning to drag this out forever?" she asked coldly, crossing her arms as she glared at them.
"Hehe, Lady Xin, this frost lion is quite the tricky one," Wei Ting chuckled nervously, wiping sweat from his brow.
His eyes flicked toward the giant beast with a hint of unease.
"Yeah, but it's extremely rare," Fu Xing added, ordering his panther-like beast to attack the frost lion once again.
"Once it's down, it'll be a perfect first beast bond for you, Lady Xin."
"Hmpf!"
Wei Ting quickly commanded his own beast to attack the frost lion along with Fu Xing's.
The frost lion in front of them was at the Peak Stage of the Intermediate Beast Realm! It was a very strong beast!
ROAARRR!
The creature let out a growl of defiance and shot out a barrage of ice shards toward them, sharp as daggers.
The panther and the bird, both agility-based beasts, easily dodged the attack.
Taking advantage of the opening, the black panther lunged and swung its red claws at the lion beast.
Splat!
The frost lion roared in pain, unable to evade the attack.
Before it could recover, the bird swooped down from behind, its talons digging into the lion's back.
ROAAAARRR!
The lion stumbled, roaring louder, but it couldn't keep up with the two beasts attacking from all sides.
"It's time!" Fu Xing shouted, pulling a small silver ball from his spatial ring. He threw it at the lion, and as it got close, the ball burst open.
A glowing net of Qi expanded from it, wrapping around the lion's body.
The net tightened, glowing brighter, holding the lion in place.
No matter how much it roared or struggled, it couldn't break free.
Roarrrr!
"Finally," Lady Xin said, flipping her hair back.
"Fu Xing, finish this quickly. I'm tired of waiting."
"Lady Xin, bonding with such a rare beast takes time," Fu Xing replied, smirking. "This lion will help you become one of the strongest in the sect!"
"Wei Ting, stop standing around like an idiot," Lady Xin snapped.
"Help him."
Wei Ting shrugged, looking bored. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get so worked up."
As they bickered, Fu Xing's head snapped toward the bushes nearby. The leaves rustled softly.
Rustle, rustle.
"Who's there?!" Fu Xing barked, his hand gripping his sword tightly. His eyes narrowed as he pointed the blade toward the bushes.
"Come out, or I'll cut you down!"
An Xuan stood slowly from his hiding spot, his eyes calm but guarded. He stepped forward, hands empty, showing he meant no harm.
"It's me," An Xuan said with a calm tone. "I heard the commotion."
Wei Ting grinned. "Oh, it's just you, the only worthless talent of our sect. Thought it might be some beast."
Fu Xing didn't lower his sword. "What are you doing here, Junior Brother Xuan?"
An Xuan's gaze flicked to the frost lion, still trapped in the net. "I was passing through. Thought I'd see what all the noise was about."
"Yeah... but what exactly were you doing in this forest?" Fu Xing's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I was completing some easy sect missions, hoping to get more contribution points." An Xuan replied innocently.
Lady Xin raised an eyebrow but said nothing, her attention still on the lion.
After a tense moment, Fu Xing huffed but still kept his sword steady.
"Stay right where you are. Don't move an inch."
An Xuan smiled faintly but said nothing.
A while later, the bonding ritual began.
Lady Xin approached the frost lion, chanting softly as the Qi net glowed brighter. The lion roared, its icy aura pushing against the binding, but it was weakening.
As all attention was on the lion, An Xuan's lips curled up into a smile.
'It's time to kill them...'
In reality, An Xuan was no saint.
Despite being his first time trying to kill someone, he had no hesitation whatsoever.
After all, Geniuses could easily adapt to any situation, and if this was a world where only the strong prevailed...
He would become strong, no matter the method he ended up using.
'Phantom Tentacles...'
Black shadows flickered at his feet, spreading like smoke. In the blink of an eye, shadowy tentacles shot out, twisting through the air.
SHLICK!
Wei Ting barely had time to gasp before a tentacle wielding An Xuan's sword sliced clean through his neck.
Blood sprayed like a crimson fountain, and his body crumpled to the ground.
THUD!
"WHAT?!" Fu Xing shouted, spinning around.
His eyes went wide with fury as he saw Wei Ting's lifeless body.
"You bastard!" Fu Xing roared, lunging at An Xuan with his sword.
But, he underestimated An Xuan.
His tentacles whipped out, blocking the blade with a loud CLANG!
He sidestepped Fu Xing's attack and dashed forward, taking advantage of Fu Xian's beast being far away from him.
He swung his sword directly at Fu Xing's chest in a crescent arc.
Crack!
Trying to block An Xuan's strike, Fu Xing's eyes widened as his sword broke with a single swing of An Xuan's sword.
The difference in quality was too great!
Splat!
An Xuan's sword caused a big injury to Fu Xing's chest, drawing out blood, and An Xuan didn't stop as he used the tentacles to keep Fu Xing's legs trapped.
Then...
SPLURT!
An Xuan's sword directly pierced Fu Xing's chest. From the other side, the approaching black panther suddenly dropped, its eyes convulsing as it also died.
The beast bond formed a soul connection between the beast master and the beast, so if the master died the beast also died.
So, he didn't have to deal with Fu Xing's beast.
"Ah..." An Xuan let out a cold breath.
He slowly approached Lady Xin who was still focused on making a contract with the frost lion that didn't even notice what happened.
"Ah, done!" Lady Xin smiled happily, brushing the fur of the injured lion.
But suddenly, the lion groaned slightly, as a faint murderous intent came out of its eyes.
"What happened...?" Lady Xin followed the trail of the frost lion's eyes.
Then, Lady Xin froze, her hands trembling as she realized what had happened.
Her eyes widened in horror as An Xuan stepped towards her, his face emotionless, his sword dripping with blood.
"N-nooo... p-please d-don't kill me!" she begged him, getting into a knee position with her forehead hitting the ground, fully showing her slender back.
An Xuan stepped closer, the tentacles still writhing around him.
His cold eyes bore into hers.
"Why should I spare you?"
"P-please…" Lady Xin cried. "Spare me! I'll do anything! I'll serve you—I swear!"
"Enough," he spoke in a cold tone.
"Get rid of those bodies first, then we'll talk."
"R-right away!"
Lady Xin quickly got up, and despite her huge disgust, she still went and threw the bodies of both Fu Xing and Wei Ting in the river.
"I-I'm done...!"
She knelt before him, her hands resting on her tights as she awaited his words...
"Mhm... what should I do with you?"
An Xuan muttered.