Morning
Ugh. The smell of wet ash and stale fish hung heavily in the damp air. The rest
of the Royal Team woke up stiff, cold, and profoundly hungry, groaning as they
peeled themselves from the hard earth.
But Yu Tianheng woke up different.
He stood by the cold fire pit, stretching his arms toward the canopy. A faint sound of electricity buzzed around him, not wild, arcing, and uncontrollable like before, but dense. Heavy. Contained. His eyes were clear, the blue of his irises seemingly deeper, humming with a quiet, lethal energy.
'I did it,' Tianheng thought. 'I actually pushed through the barrier. The pain, the absolute hell of the last seven days... it was worth it.'
"Rank 40," Shi Mo whispered, rubbing his eyes and looking at his captain with
naked awe. "Whoa... he actually broke through in a week."
"It usually takes months to crack that bottleneck," Dugu Yan noted, wincing as
she fixed her messy bun.
"Ah, the pressure of the survival training... I guess it worked."
Thud.
Qin Ming dropped from his tree branch, landing silently on the mossy forest floor.
"Congratulations, Tianheng," Qin Ming said, a rare, genuine look of pride
softening his usually strict features.
"You are officially the youngest Soul Ancestor in the academy's history. Now, we just need to find you a ring."
Yu Tianheng clenched his fist, feeling the raw power waiting to be unleashed.
"I'm ready, Teacher. A 4,000-year beast. Maybe a Thunder Leopard, or a Storm
Falcon. I know I can handle the absorption."
"Pfft. Too small," a voice drawled from the tent entrance.
Arthev walked out. He looked annoyingly fresh, without a single bag under his
eyes. He was casually brushing his teeth with a frayed twig.
"Morning," Arthev mumbled, spitting out some mint-smelling foam into the dirt.
"Jeez, 5,000 years? That is a complete waste of my time."
The entire team froze.
"A waste?" Yu Tianheng frowned, his pride stinging.
"Arthev, listen," Qin Ming intervened, his tone warning.
"The standard limit for the fourth ring is 5,000 years. Anything higher risks soul shock and body explosion. My uncle absorbed a 6,000-year ring once, and he was bedridden coughing up blood for a month!"
"Yeah, well, your uncle didn't run ten miles a day wearing iron vests, did he?"
Arthev replied smoothly, tossing the twig into the dead fire pit.
"Your uncle didn't swim up a freezing river in weighted boots."
Arthev walked over to Yu Tianheng. He poked the captain's chest with a finger.
It didn't yield. It was hard as rock.
"Hmm. Your body density has increased by roughly 18% in the last two weeks due to the stress-heal cycles Lingling provided," Arthev evaluated, stepping back.
"Your meridians are thoroughly reinforced. You aren't made of glass anymore."
Arthev looked him dead in the eye.
"We are not looking for 5,000. We are looking for 8,000. Minimum."
"EIGHT THOUSAND?!" Osler shrieked, nearly tripping over a tree root.
"Are you insane?! Do you want him to pop like a bloody meat balloon?!"
"No, I want him to be a Monster," Arthev corrected. "Actually... if we find the right beast, maybe even 10,000."
Silence. Dead, suffocating silence.
Even Qin Ming looked deeply disturbed. He's gone too far this time, the teacher
thought, his heart racing. This isn't pushing limits, this is suicide.
"Arthev. 10,000 years is the limit for the Fifth Ring. A Spirit King! Asking a Soul Elder to absorb a Black Ring... that is unprecedented. Only you have done it, and you are... well, an anomaly."
"I am a scientist," Arthev said simply.
"And my hypothesis is that Yu Tianheng
is ready. The math checks out. So... do you trust me, Captain?"
Yu Tianheng looked at his hands again. He felt the heavy lightning. He remembered the utter humiliation of losing to Arthev. He remembered the suffocating feeling of just being "standard" in a world of true freaks.
'If I back down now, I'll always be behind him,' Tianheng realized. ' I'll always
just be the 'genius' who played it safe.'
"I trust you," Yu Tianheng said, his voice trembling slightly with a chaotic mix
of fear and excitement.
"Let's find a monster."
------
Deep Mixed Zone
They moved deeper into the forest. The trees grew larger, their trunks twisted into strange, agonizing shapes. The canopy was so thick the sunlight barely touched the damp ground.
"Shh... I hear something," Yu Feng whispered, landing lightly on a branch above
them.
"North. Heavy footsteps."
They crept forward, parting the giant ferns.
In a small clearing, a massive tiger paced. It was stark white with jagged purple stripes, surrounded by sparking, localized lightning.
"Ah! Thunderbolt Tiger," Qin Ming identified in a hushed tone.
"About 4,500 years old. Perfect match for a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. High burst damage, agility boost. It's an excellent choice, Tianheng."
Yu Tianheng looked at the tiger. It was strong. It was majestic. It was the
textbook, safe choice.
He looked at Arthev.
Arthev crossed his arms and shook his head. "Tch. It's a kitten. Look at its paws, barely any grounding. Walk away."
Yu Tianheng sighed. "Goodbye, kitty."
They kept walking.
Two hours later.
"South!" Osler hissed from the brush. "Whoa, big snake!"
A thick, dark blue python was coiled around a massive ancient tree. It crackled
with static electricity, its scales shedding tiny sparks.
"Lightning Scale Python," Dugu Yan said, her eyes narrowing.
"6,000 years. That's already pushing the limit, Captain. We should take it."
Yu Tianheng hesitated. 6,000 was good. Very good. It would already make him a
legend back at the clan.
Arthev barely glanced at it. "No legs. You need explosive power in your limbs
for your dragonification. Snake rings give flexibility, not torque. Hard pass."
"Ugh, you are so picky!" Dugu Yan grumbled, rubbing her temples.
"It's a perfectly good snake!"
By mid-afternoon, they had rejected four "perfect" beasts. The team was getting
visibly tired, dragging their feet through the mud.
"Ow, my feet hurt," Dugu Yan complained, leaning against a tree.
"Arthev, are you sure we aren't just walking for fun? Maybe you just like hiking."
"I do like hiking," Arthev said, ignoring her glare as he scanned a patch of
scorched earth.
He crouched down, his fingers brushing against a massive claw mark pressed deep
into the mud. The mud wasn't just displaced, the edges were fused into smooth,
black glass.
Interesting, Arthev thought, running his thumb over the glassy edge.
"High heat," he murmured aloud. "Extremely high voltage."
He spread his hands to measure the claw span. It was huge.
"Three toes. Heavy heel strike. This isn't a mammal. It's a reptile. A big one."
'Shukaku,' Arthev projected inward. 'Scan range, 5 kilometers.'
'On it, Stunned Face,' the giant Tanuki replied in his mind.
'Oh... oh ho. You picked a winner this time, brat. Two klicks East. Sleeping in a cave. It feels angry. It feels like a storm in a damn
bottle.'
'Age estimate?'
'Feels dense. Maybe 9,000? Pushing 10,000? It's got that nasty black ring stink
all over it.'
Arthev stood up. A dangerous, thrilled smile crossed his face.
"Found it."
They followed the trail of absolute destruction. Giant trees were snapped in
half like twigs. Boulders were blackened and split down the middle.
They finally arrived at the base of a jagged, rocky cliff. A large cave entrance
yawned open like a black maw, reeking heavily of ozone and sulfur.
SNORT.
A thick puff of blue, crackling smoke drifted out of the cave's darkness.
"W-What is it?" Shi Mo whispered, instinctively hiding behind his summoned
shield.
"A Thunder-Scale Wyvern," Arthev identified, his eyes gleaming.
"A sub-species of the True Dragon. Unlike your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit which is purely energy-based, this thing is entirely physical. It has armor that can tank
a cannonball and claws that sheer through steel plating."
Qin Ming's expression turned incredibly grave. He stepped forward, putting his
arm out.
"Arthev, enough. A Wyvern is a top-tier predator. Even a 5,000-year Wyvern can
fight a 9,000-year Tiger to the death. If this one is close to 10,000..."
"It is," Arthev confirmed cheerfully.
"Just look at the horns."
From the heavy shadows of the cave, a head emerged.
It was terrifying.
It looked like a T-Rex mixed with a nightmare dragon. It walked on two massive, grotesquely muscular legs. Its arms were relatively short but ended in razor-sharp claws the size of swords. Its entire body was covered in thick, violet scales that pulsed with blinding internal light. Two twisted, jagged horns jutted from its skull, crackling violently with untamed arcs of
electricity.
It stood six meters tall.
Its eyes snapped open, vertical slits of burning, hateful gold.
And the aura... the sheer, crushing pressure coming off it made Osler's knees
literally buckle.
"That..." Yu Tianheng swallowed dryly, his throat clicking.
"That is not a soul beast. That is a calamity."
"That is your ring," Arthev said, pointing at the beast.
"It has the Dragon attribute. It has the Lightning attribute. And it has pure, unadulterated Strength. If you absorb this, Tianheng, your Dragonification won't just be
energy armor anymore. It will be real, physical scales."
"If I absorb this," Yu Tianheng whispered, taking a step back,
"I might actually explode."
"If," Arthev agreed with a nod.
"But if you win... you become the absolute
strongest Soul Ancestor on this continent."
-------
High Above
Spark's mechanical rat was clinging for dear life to a vibrating pine tree, its mechanical eyes zoomed in all the way.
"Whisper," Spark said into his comms, his real voice shaking slightly back in
the hideout.
"You... you won't believe this."
"What?" Whisper asked, sounding bored from the library.
"Did he buy more useless herbs? Did he make them run another marathon?"
"No. He just led the team to a Thunder-Scale Wyvern. A big one. It looks like it eats tanks for breakfast."
"A Wyvern?" Whisper paused, the sound of flipping pages coming to a dead halt.
"That is a Tier 1 beast. Is he actually hunting it?"
"He's telling the Captain to eat it," Spark said, bewildered.
"He's completely crazy. That kid, Yu Tianheng? He's shaking! He looks like he's about to wet himself!"
"Interesting..." Whisper mused, her tone shifting to intense calculation.
"Arthev is pushing them right to the brink. If the Captain dies, the Academy's reputation collapses entirely. But if he succeeds... Arthev creates a fiercely loyal monster."
"I kinda hope the Wyvern wins," Spark muttered. "It looks cool."
-----
Back on the ground
Qin Ming stepped forward, summoning his own rings. Yellow, Yellow, Purple,
Purple, Black, Black.
"This is too dangerous," the teacher said firmly, taking command.
"I am stepping in. We leave. Now."
Qin Ming reached out and grabbed Tianheng's shoulder, intending to pull him away.
For a brief moment, Yu Tianheng felt overwhelming relief.
'He is right.'
A small voice in the back of his mind whispered.
'This is suicide. You are going to die. Let the teacher handle it. Go back.'
It would be easy. All he had to do was turn around and absorb the 6,000 year python they had encountered earlier. He would still be praised. He would still be the Blue Lightning Clan's golden son.
He could live a long, comfortable life.
Then he met Arthev's eyes.
Arthev said nothing. He did not argue with Qin Ming or try to stop him. He simply stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching Tianheng with an unreadable expression.
Waiting.
As if he were judging him.
As if he wanted to see whether the so-called Captain was truly a monster... or just another sheltered genius.
'Damn it...'
Tianheng clenched his fists so hard that his nails bit into his palms.
'No.'
A fierce sense of shame rose inside him.
'If I turn away now, I will never catch up to him.'
'No.'
'I will spend the rest of my life chasing his shadow.'
"Wait."
Tianheng shrugged off Qin Ming's hand.
"Tianheng?!" Qin Ming stared at him in shock.
The lightning crackling around Tianheng intensified. The chaotic sparks born from fear gradually steadied, becoming sharp and resolute.
He stepped forward, placing himself between his teacher and the roaring Wyvern.
"Teacher Qin," Yu Tianheng said quietly.
There was no fear left in his voice.
Qin Ming frowned.
"Tianheng, do not be foolish! Look at that thing. It is nearly 10,000 years old! It will tear you apart, and even if it does not, the spirit ring will!"
"Strength means nothing if you throw your life away."
"Maybe," Tianheng replied.
"But running away now would kill something else."
He raised his head.
"My spirit."
"I have been the 'genius' of the Blue Lightning Clan my whole life," Yu Tianheng said.
"I thought I stood at the peak among my peers."
He let out a quit, bitter laugh.
"Then I met Arthev and realized I was just a big fish in a very small pond."
Blue lightning burst around his clenched fists.
"I do not want to be a genius anymore. I want to be strong."
He looked at Arthev.
"What's the plan?"
Arthev smiled.
"Simple. We annoy it. We trap it. Tianheng kills it."
He turned toward the visibly nervous team.
"Listen up. Graphite Brothers, you are the bait. You have the highest defense, so you stand in front and look delicious."
"Hey! We hate being delicious!" Shi Mo protested, though he immediately raised his Black Tortoise shield.
"Complain later," Arthev said.
"Dugu Yan, flood the area with poison. You are not trying to kill it. Your venom will not penetrate those scales. I want its vision impaired. Wyverns rely heavily on heat and movement."
Dugu Yan nodded, green light flickering in her eyes.
"Understood."
"Yu Feng, stay in the air. Keep that oversized head looking upward."
Yu Feng flashed a confident grin. "Leave it to me."
"Osler, stay hidden. If it focuses on the front line, go for the tendons."
Osler merely nodded and vanished into the surrounding brush.
"Lingling, the Graphite Brothers do not fall. Keep them alive no matter what."
Ye Lingling tightened her grip on her Nine Heart Begonia and gave a firm nod.
"And me?" Yu Tianheng asked, arcs of lightning crackling around his body.
"You charge your soul power," Arthev said, stepping back.
"Wait for an opening. When I say 'Strike,' you unleash everything you have."
His eyes narrowed.
"One attack. No hesitation. No holding back."
Tianheng grinned. "Got it."
Ye Lingling looked at Arthev. "What about you?"
Arthev casually pulled a pair of reinforced black gloves from his pocket and slipped them on.
He flexed his fingers.
"I am the safety net."
He looked toward the roaring Wyvern.
"If the plan fails..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I punch the lizard."
Several members of the team stared at him.
"...That is your backup plan?" Dugu Yan asked.
"It is a very good backup plan," Arthev said seriously.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
The Wyvern finally noticed them.
Its deafening roar shook the entire clearing. Tall grass flattened under the pressure, and flocks of birds burst from the distant forest. Violent violet lightning gathered deep within its throat.
"Positions!" Arthev shouted.
"Do not die."
The Royal Team scattered at once.
The hunt had begun.
To he continued.....