Chapter 6: The Awakening of a Beast Tamer
Ling Huai packed her necessities with swift precision. Beneath the cover of night, she carefully stashed a variety of medicinal herbs, concealing them beneath layers of fabric in her satchel. She knew this mission was nothing but an excuse to send her away, but she wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. She would finally leave this hell hole forever hopefully, she sighed.
The next morning, she set out with the appointed guards—each one weak and incompetent, their armor worn and their expressions laced with laziness. It was clear her father had sent the lowest-ranked men on purpose. They looked at her with indifference, offering no respect as they led her into the dense, towering forest.
As they ventured deeper, the air grew thick with humidity, the scent of damp earth and wild flora surrounding them. The deeper they went, the more uneasy Ling Huai felt. Her sharp instincts screamed at her to be cautious.
Then it happened.
A deep, guttural growl echoed through the forest. The leaves rustled violently before several enormous beasts with razor-sharp fangs emerged from the shadows. Their eyes glowed with bloodlust. The guards barely had time to react before the beasts lunged at them, tearing through flesh and armor with merciless efficiency.
Ling Huai's breath hitched. The stench of blood filled the air, her feet rooted in place as she watched bodies drop one by one. The guards screamed, but within moments, their voices were silenced.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. This was a test. No, a lesson.
Her father had sent her to die.
Panic surged through her veins, but she forced herself to remain calm. If she faltered now, she would die, just like in her past life.
Then, a memory surfaced.
The cultivation scroll—Celestial Beast Sovereign's Scripture.
It granted the wielder unmatched martial strength and the rare ability to tame beasts. Could she use it now?
She had never tamed a beast before, but if she didn't try, she would die.
Summoning her willpower, she spread her arms, channeling her qi outward. Her mind reached for the savage beasts before her.
Nothing happened.
A beast roared and lunged at her. She barely dodged, rolling across the dirt as sharp claws slashed past her.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
A cold sweat dripped down her spine. Why wasn't it working?!
Another beast charged. She barely avoided its fangs, her breath ragged, her body trembling.
Her past life's memories flashed in her mind—her clan's demise, the betrayal, the agony of death.
Was she truly powerless? Would she be nothing more than prey?
"No," she gritted through clenched teeth. "I will not be weak. I will not die here!"
For the fourth time, she attempted the technique. This time, she reached deeper, not just with her qi but with her soul.
A sudden pressure exploded in her chest. Her body shook violently as an unfamiliar force surged through her meridians. The energy twisted and pulsed, connecting her to the beasts in a way she had never felt before.
The largest beast—an enormous wolf with silver streaks running through its dark fur—staggered. Its growl turned into a confused whimper as its aggressive stance weakened.
She felt its emotions. Anger. Instinct. Hunger. But beneath it all, a primal need for a leader.
A master.
Ling Huai's eyes glowed faintly as she pushed harder, asserting her will.
Submit.
The beast struggled. Its body convulsed before lowering its head slightly.
She gasped for breath, barely believing what had just happened.
She had done it.
The beast had acknowledged her.
Her body trembled, exhausted from the energy it had taken to subdue even one.
>>>>>>>>
Ling Huai's chest rose and fell rapidly as the last echoes of the battle faded into silence. The stench of blood clung to the air, mixing with the scent of damp earth. The guards were gone—ripped apart by the very beasts she was meant to retrieve a mere leaf from.
Her father had truly meant for her to die.
The silver-furred wolf—the largest and most dominant among them—kept its head lowered before her, its golden eyes locked onto her own. Though it had submitted, the other beasts remained wary, their bodies tense, waiting for a command.
Then, Ling Huai saw it.
The faint glow of her Qi.
She had never truly observed it before. Every cultivator she had encountered had Qi of a dull golden hue—powerful, yet ordinary. But hers…
It was silver.
Not the tarnished kind, but a brilliant, shining silver, pure as moonlight. The energy twisted and pulsed around her, faint traces of a soft pink undertone dancing within, like the blush of dawn creeping over a silver sky.
It was beautiful. Unnatural. Otherworldly.
She could see the beasts react to it. Their postures changed—not just from fear, but from something deeper.
They craved it.
Her Qi wasn't just strong. It called to them, offering something they instinctively sought—nourishment, power, comfort. No wonder they had attacked her so ruthlessly. They weren't just wild creatures acting on instinct.
They were starving for her Qi.
Ling Huai pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the slow pulsing of her energy as it extended toward the beasts.
Would this be her strength? The ability to tame, command, and strengthen these creatures?
She looked down at the silver wolf, still kneeling in submission. The tension in the clearing was suffocating—each beast watching with thinly veiled hunger, uncertainty flickering in their eyes.
They were waiting.
Her fingers twitched. This was her chance. If she wanted to **live, to grow stronger, to surpass them all—**she couldn't hesitate.
She took a step forward, standing tall.
"Swear your loyalty to me," she said, her voice firm despite the exhaustion weighing on her body.
The silver wolf's ears twitched, its eyes narrowing slightly, as if testing her conviction. For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Then—it lowered itself fully, pressing its head against the ground.
The first contract was formed.
A sharp pulse shot through her meridians, and she gasped. A bond had been created—a connection deeper than simple control. She could feel the wolf's presence in her soul, like a tether tying them together.
Then, a deep, unfamiliar voice echoed in her mind.
"You are… different."
Ling Huai stiffened. She looked at the wolf in shock.
"Did you just… speak?"
The beast lifted its head, golden eyes gleaming. "Our bond allows us to communicate through the mind link."
Mind link? She hadn't read about this in the scrolls. Did this mean she could speak to any beast she tamed?
The wolf's ears twitched. "You are… my master now. I do not know what you are, but you are unlike any human I have encountered. Your Qi… it is purer than the heavens. It calls to us."
Her fingers curled into a fist.
For the first time in both her lives, she wasn't prey.
She was the predator.
But unlike other beast tamers, she would not see them as mere tools.
She loved beasts.
She would cherish them, grow with them, and fight alongside them—not as master and servant, but as allies.
And this was only the beginning.
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