Chapter 15 - Day 3. Hidden Danger for Open hearts.

  It's morning, and officially Day 3 of the Demon Beast Hunt.

  The busy bustling of a camp near Iron Root Forest can be heard. As proctors, servants, and instructors scramble like headless chickens.

  A luxurious tent in the spectator camp. A luxuriously dressed girl can be seen. Today she wore a flowing dress made of Ethereal steel and a flower pattern design across the torso.

  She had long, flowing black hair and was short in stature. This was none other than lady Chan-Chan…

  “Any activity since the signal from the talisman?” She said... while looking into a full-length mirror.

  Steward Gu shook his head

  Nothing out of the ordinary….except..

  Chan-Chan turned around, her big eyes glimmering with curiosity..

  Except what!??…

  “There has been an increase in demon beast related fatalities and injuries in the southern parts of the forest.“

  Steward Gu said after a moment's hesitation…

  “Has the instructor examined the area?” Chan-chan asked, disappointed by the boring update.

  Yes, this morning a report came in and by the south east part of the forest….

  More particularly in the eastern Ridge region, they found a valley filled with corpses of spirit beasts…

  Chan-chan's eyes widened. Her interest reignited. Do you think it was the sacred beast we were sent to capture?

  It’s possible.

  There were traces of what seemed like the Void attribute on the corpses.

  Chan-Chan's eyes shone. Why didn’t you say so sooner!..

  That’s the exact same attribute of the beast we were sent to find!

  I hope, "that" item is also within its possession.

  Chan-Chan immediately jumped with excitement.

  She already begun imagining herself making a triumphant return, completing her first mission.

  Steward Gu sighed..

  “but…”

  Chan-Chan turned with annoyance…” but what?”..

  Steward Gu cleared his throat..

  “According to the report, the marks on the bodies of the beast…reflect similar markings that a human will leave.. when battling a spirit beast.”

  He paused…

  “Meaning there's likely a Void attribute user in the forest other than the sacred beast.”

  Chan-chan sat down in shock…“That's…that’s impossible…there shouldn’t be any users capable of using such an attribute in the lower heavens..”

  Steward Gu nodded.

  “That is why I hesitated to tell you, I wanted to be sure of the situation before I reported everything”. Steward Gu sighed…

  it seems this mission has become complicated…

  _________

  Elsewhere..

  In the eastern region of Iron Root forest…..

  a silver-eyed youth and young woman can be seen in a cave hidden by a waterfall…

  “23…24…25…28…30! We secured 30 demon beast cores!…”

  19 of them were rank 1, and 11 were rank 2.

  That’s a total of 63 points! Xing Cai shouted in excitement!

  This is the first time she has raised her voice since meeting Kong Ming. Reflecting how excited she truly was…

  She shyly placed her hands behind her back as she gazed at the silver-eyed youth..

  Who was in the corner, focused on cooking the azure rabbit meat they plundered…

  “Brother Ming?” She said, her voice as quiet as a mosquito.

  ..th..thank you…

  Kong Ming nodded without glancing in the girl's direction..

  “It was a team effort, without your formations and support…we wouldn’t have defeated 30 azure rabbits without a single injury.”

  Her face flushed red. She wasn't used to this cold, unapproachable youth praising her.

  A moment of silence.

  Sounds of the waterfall roared in the background.

  Xing Cai fiddled with her hands.

  (Clakle) The sounds of demon beast cores in a leather pouch hit the ground in front of her feet…

  “This is your share.” Kong Ming said packing his things and storing the dried azure rabbit meat…

  The girl's heart quickened as she watched the youth pack his things…w..where…are…you we going?

  Kong Ming froze in his steps “we?”…

  "There is no more we."….

  "I helped you get enough demon cores to pass the exam."

  "Why should we remain together?"

  He replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

  The girl's eyes became teary at Kong Ming’s words…

  Drop!…. Tears fell from her cheeks, “ar..aren’t…we…friends. I thought since we worked well together and I was useful, we would become friends.”

  “Bwah..bwaaaaah!” Xing Cai stopped holding back; at that moment, she let her water dragons release freely from her eyes.

  Kong Ming was stunned and taken aback for a moment. He has 0 experience with situations like these and even more so with women. He spent his entire life interacting only with his brother and uncle.

  The few interactions he had outside were people mocking him for being a cripple or students randomly greeting him. Both didn’t offer him much experience to develop proper social skills.

  “Wau…why…are you crying??…. ”Kong Ming looked around awkwardly, not knowing what to do in this situation.

  He can plan his way through passing an exam with minimal effort, and debate with adult scholars, but when facing this girl… Kong Ming found himself ….for the first time in a while…without any plan of action…

  Di…did…you want a larger share of the demon beast cores….? He quickly opened his sack of 30 demon beast cores.

  Grabbed her hand and placed 5 more in her palm.

  “There you have the larger share do feel better?”he asked awkwardly.

  The girl momentarily paused as she glanced at the demon beast core in her hands…

  Bwaaahhhh!

  She began crying even harder.

  “Shit!.”Kong Ming panicked as he checked his surroundings. At this rate, she’s going to attract demon beasts here.

  Kong Ming thought fast.

  That’s it! He remembered what Uncle Lao would sometimes do when he was really upset.

  Puchaa!…

  He did a light chop to the back of the girl's neck, knocking her unconscious…. She collapsed into his arms…

  He sighed in relief…

  “I’m sorry, but making too much noise is dangerous,” he apologized to the unconscious girl… as he gently laid her down in the cave.

  As he was about to leave…his heart suddenly felt a minor pang…this feeling was the feeling of guilt.

  He glanced back at the girl lying in the cave, unconscious, and sighed..

  He gathered her things, picked her up, and left the forest…

  “Haaa… haaa…”

  “Carrying 85 kilograms of gear… and she’s at least 50…”

  Sweating, aching, then:

  Badump. Pang. Boom!

  His burden lightened.

  His steps steadied.

  “I’ve broken through…

  Third Stage Body Tempering Realm!”

  ______

  Northern Iron Root Forest..

  The noises of demon beast cries and bird chirps can be heard through the thick, dense canopy. Through the thick foliage, you can see a small clearing.

  Two youths can be seen sitting on a log having a discussion. One youth had the rugged face of a man in his thirties, and the other was a handsome young man with an arrogant bearing. The matching blue robes bore the family crest of the Fang family.

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  “Brother Zhu, I'm sick of the others looking down on us. This test is the perfect chance to put that arrogant Chen bastard in his place.

  Fang Zhu nodded in agreement.

  Brother Hong, no need to worry, I already begun our plan to have the Fang family take the top spots on this exam.

  Fang Hong's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

  “What’s the plan? I really want to put that Chen bastard in his place.

  He acts like our Fang family doesn’t have a top genius, too.

  Fang Longwei wasn’t the least bit inferior to Chen Kai 3 years ago.”

  Hmph! Fang Zhu snorted.

  "That’s why we are going to remind the Chen family that we are still superior."

  "I divided this plan into 3 stages."

  "The 1st step was to gather Fang family members during the first day, and we already grouped up most of our members."

  "The 2nd step is to use our numbers to attack other participants and steal their demon cores. As long as we don’t kill them, we won’t be breaking the rules." Fang Zhu smiled sinisterly.

  "The 3rd step is to use our combined efforts to rob Chen Kai of his demon cores."

  Fang Hong gulped nervously.

  “Brother Zhu, are you sure it’s a wise idea to oppose Chen Kai so directly. What if this intensifies the feud between the two families. Also if Chen Kai seeks revenge afterwards I don’t dare think of the outcome.

  An image of Chen Kai's furious face appeared in his head. Causing him to sweat profusely.

  Fang Hong has always been a prideful young man but unlike Fang Zhu he was never blinded by pride or arrogance. Most importantly Fang Hong had a cautious nature, that nature prevented him from getting scolded by the elders growing up, compared to Fang Zhu who was always receiving disciplinary action.

  Don’t be a coward! Fang Zhu barked.

  How can you expect to achieve greatness in this world if a 12 year old is enough to trample your ambition. Are you ok with remaining in a lowly place in life?

  Fang Hong hesitated.

  “I want to rise, Brother Zhu. I truly do. But we can’t climb by stepping into a tiger’s jaws.”

  Zhu stood up, eyes glinting with ambition. “Then follow me, and see how a true Fang claims his place. Today we remind them that our clan hasn’t faded. That we still breed greatness.”

  He walked toward a larger group of Fang members already gathering.

  Fang Hong lingered, torn.

  But after a long breath, he stood. “I’ll follow. But I pray your fire doesn’t consume us both.”

  _____

  Northwestern region of Iron Root Forest.

  The sounds of animal growls and sword swipes can be heard in the distance. A woman in a white embroidered dress is running from the pursuit of several demon beasts. The Bai clan emblem can be seen on the back of her dress.

  Bai Yuyin, worn from the constant battles, eyes gleaming with determination.

  “He doesn’t think my name is worthy of remembering? Then I will obtain a strength that demands respect from everyone!!”

  Bai Yuyin clenched her sword as she ran up a wall into a back flip, causing the pursuing demon beasts to smash into the wall.

  “Sword Art silent lotus!”

  She brandished her blade at the moment of the demon beasts' collision, slaying all three simultaneously.

  Haaa….haaa….haaa.

  She gasped for breath.

  Ever since that day, she eavesdropped on the conversation between Kong Tian and Fang Zhu.

  Her desire to stand at the same level as him welled up inside Bai Yuyin's heart…

  “Vwanng!”

  Bai Yuyin felt a surge of power coursing through her body.

  “8th level body tempering!”

  “I’m now one step closer to Chen Kai and Kong Tian.

  The stronger I get, the harder it will be for the Bai clan to restrict me.

  I need to leave this small town and find out what happened to my mother…

  She tied her hair back, clearing the view of her face.

  My father has always tried to prevent me from seeking her out, but I never gave up on this ambition.”

  “This 8 lotus sword art is the only clue my mother left for me before she disappeared.”

  Her fist clenched. ”I can’t believe I got complacent over empty praises from the elders and disciples.

  This is far from the peak I need to climb to see the truth behind my mother’s disappearance.”

  “This breakthrough is thanks to that black haired youth for reigniting my fire. An image of Kong Tian appeared in her mind.”

  For now I need to focus on entering the Cloud Seeking sect. That will be my launching point to explore the greater martial world.

  She clenched her sword, a rare look of excitement appeared in her eyes..

  ____

  Hidden cave, deeper in Iron Root Forest.

  Orange and black robes rustled as Chen Kai moved silently through his camp, surveying a ring of roasted meat strategically placed near the cave’s mouth.

  “I’ve defeated sixteen rank 9s, thirty-two rank 8s, fifteen rank 7s…” he muttered. “Unless Kong Tian ascended into the Spirit Apprentice Realm, no one should be ahead of me.”

  He flexed his fingers, raw, bruised, and freshly bandaged. Despite the pain, there was a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

  “Junior Brother Ming’s advice… focus on speed… It refined both my style and battle efficiency.”

  Suddenly, hissssss…

  The bushes rustled violently. Out slithered a massive blade-tailed water snake, over three meters long, its black scales glistening with venom.

  Chen Kai didn’t flinch.

  “Only one?” he muttered. “You’ll do.”

  The snake reared up, tail vibrating like a blade ready to sever air itself. With a sudden screech, it spat a torrent of paralyzing venom straight at him.

  But Chen Kai had already moved.

  Thud! He slammed his leg into the ground, kicking up a wall of sand and loose rock, forming a makeshift barrier. The venom splattered, steaming against the dirt.

  Behind the veil of dust, the snake twisted, trying to lock on to its prey.

  Chen Kai’s silhouette blurred and vanished.

  Whump!

  From a high arc, a boulder crashed down, slamming the snake’s head flat into the earth before it could react.

  Blood splattered across the trees. The snake’s tail thrashed once… then went still.

  Chen Kai emerged from the mist, wiping a smear of blood from his cheek.

  “That makes seventeen.”

  He rolled his shoulder, looking at the crushed corpse.

  “I used your own assumptions against you.”

  As the snake launched its venom, he had hurled the boulder skyward, timing its descent with precision, then baited the snake’s focus long enough for it to die from above.

  He knelt and extracted the demon core with a gloved hand etched with formation lines.

  His lips curved into a smile.

  “A rank 9 mortal beast felled in seconds… My battle intuition has never been sharper.”

  He looked up toward the forest canopy, eyes narrowing.

  “Kong Tian… how far have you come?”

  _____

  At the spectator camp.

  A heavy and tense aura permeated the air. Inside a large, luxurious tent, a group of elders can be seen.

  “Lord Chen Wei, the plan you set up seemed to have gone off without any suspicions.”

  “As expected of the young miss, she was able to handle such a task with precision.”

  The elders all chuckled in a celebratory manner.

  Suddenly, a Chen family scout came rushing in.

  “Urgent news, lord Chen, he got on one knee as he handed a scroll to the patriarch.”

  Chen Wei raised his palm, gesturing for him to stop.

  ”No need for me to see the report, just explain the situation out loud, all elders present are aware of the operation.”

  The scout nodded.

  “Reporting! The ambush in the forest set for the target has been successfully placed. That knight, Lady Chen Yue, successfully lured the target to the ambush point. Our scouts observed the situation, and our trained wolves were overwhelming the target.”

  Excellent! Chen Wei clapped

  "That brat was a spirit apprentice, 1st stage at the most."

  "There’s no way he could handle our trained spirit wolf unit."

  The scout nervously interrupted. “S-sir, there’s something you must know…”

  Chen Wei's eyes narrowed at the scout. “What is it?”

  A dark spiritual energy appeared suddenly, and it blocked our sight of the battle. When the energy dissipated, all that remained were the body parts of our spirit wolf unit…and the target's body was ... lost….and condition…unknown.

  Chen Wei's eyes burst in rage. “You what!?”… Lost the target?!… Condition unknown?!”

  Do you understand the stakes if that child is alive and can trace this incident back to us!!

  The scout kowtowed immediately, sweat covering his back. “Lord Chen, please have mercy. Our scout unit has already begun a full-scale search through the forest to find the target.”

  Chen Wei looked like he could die from anger.

  You must hurry before martial school instructors discover the truth behind that Spirit Beast incident!

  ____

  Later that day, as the sun began to set.

  A silver-eyed youth carrying a young girl slowly returned from the Eastern gate. Multiple martial school instructors immediately noticed their presence.

  “We have a participant returning early!” An instructor shouted!

  “Eastern Gate!” Shouted another voice.

  Due to the shouts, many members atop the cliff at the spectator camp glanced down towards the eastern entrance.

  Crowds gasped.

  “Isn’t that one of the Kong brothers?”

  “Not only can he walk, but he is even carrying someone!”

  “Did he return early because he was scared by the demon beast? Honestly, I’m impressed he lasted this long given his condition. That kid’s determination is admirable.”

  Fang Duan and an instructor immediately jumped down, landing in front of Kong Ming.

  “Are you quitting, boy?” He said in a tone hinting at a slight disappointment.

  Kong Ming’s brow furrowed.

  “I’m not quitting, I’ve completed the test and so has my partner.”

  Kong Ming handed Fang Duan the spatial pouches of him and Xing Cai.

  Fang Duan scanned the pouches with his divine sense.

  “63 points in total.”

  “That is enough to pass, and since you didn’t use your rescue talisman, it is considered an honorable completion.”

  Fang Duans showed a slight glint of approval.

  Well done, you little brat, I always knew you had the eyes of someone not willing to give up. I honestly didn’t expect you to change so much in 3 months since joining the martial school, but it’s a testament to all the hard work you put in.

  Fang Duan's words struck Kong Ming deeply.

  Over the last 3 months, Kong Ming spent endless nights by the stream training to the point of tears, risking his life hunting for rare herbs, and reading books on demon beasts. All to make passing this exam possible.

  Kong Ming felt as if his suffering was truly acknowledged.

  Kong Ming knocked on the head of Xing Cai, who was still lying on his back.

  “How long are you going to pretend to be sleeping?”

  Xing Cai jumped off Kong Ming, embarrassed, face flushed red.

  Y-You knew I was awake?!?

  Kong Ming nodded.

  “When someone is truly in an unconscious state, their breathing and heartbeat are different compared to when they're in an awakened state.”

  Gu Bi came stumbling past the instructors.

  Big brother Ming! You made it back!

  Gu Bi jumped into Kong Ming's arms, giving him a hug.

  The instructors smiled and walked away.

  Xing Cai's face turned dark.

  Hey you! How dare you hug him like that! Not just anyone can hug brother Ming!

  She stared at Gu Bi with eyes radiating killing intent.

  Brother Ming, who is this crazy lady?! Gu Bi shouted.

  Kong Ming sighed.

  Xing Cai…please don’t bully my brother.

  She glanced at Kong Ming and suddenly realized how brazenly she had been acting, immediately apologizing.

  “I-I’m sorry. I honestly don’t know what came over me, seeing you hug brother Ming made my mind go blank..

  She blushed as she played with her fingers.

  Kong Ming shook his head.

  Gu Bi, she’s a disciple I partnered with during the exam, and honestly, if it wasn’t for Xing Cai’s help, I’m not sure I would have been able to pass without sustaining any injuries.

  Xing Cai shyly bowed to Gu Bi, I’m sorry about earlier, my name is Xing Cai, I’m a disciple at the Iron root martial school.

  Gu Bi cautiously hid behind Kong Ming.

  “He said in a proud voice, I’m Gu Bi. I’m the number one and most loyal follower of the Kong brothers.”

  “Follower?”Xing Cai muttered.

  Anyway, little Gu, I brought some azure rabbit meat to share with you. Kong Ming said, changing the subject.

  He reached into his bag, pulling out several cooked rabbits on a stick. These cooked rabbits were a major reason Kong Ming had so much weight on him when he returned to the eastern entrance.

  Gu Bi’s lit up, Rabbit! He shouted.

  “Brother Ming always understands this Bi’s heart.”

  “So how did you obtain so much rabbit meat?”

  Just when Kong Ming was about to answer….

  "Emergency!” A girl's voice can be heard.

  Instructors rushed to the South Gate. A bloodied girl limped forward.

  “Please… help… My friend is still in the cave… There’s something out there…”

  Her voice trembled.

  “It’s not a normal beast… its aura was… terrifying.”

  Everyone froze.

  Even Kong Ming’s expression darkened.

  Something had awakened in the forest.

  If that beast is loose in the forest, all the students will die!