23 Pearl Eyes

The subject of Fu Liling's schemes held her breath as the ground shook between her feet. Her ears throbbed, a ringing in them from the deafening bellow. She crouched down, carefully maneuvering around fallen branches; making sure to minimize her presence as much as possible. Although the origin of the roar was from far away, her heartbeat echoed every second she needed to calm herself down.

With light steps and sharp eyes, Yun Da Xia ensured that the path she took was in the direction opposite to the commotion. Every so often, she placed a palm against a tree; forcing some of her qi into its center. It served as a marker of sorts. If she lost her way, then she would have an inedible trail to follow back.

Despite the height of the trees, warm light illuminated the ground. Branches were twisted in intricate patterns. Gusts of air came through the forest and caused leaves to whistle with the breeze. Although she had read about how blood often watered this wood, the place did not carry an air of death. Somehow, it evoked an element of wonder–a semblance of peace. Perhaps it was this illusion of serenity that lulled people into a lax state, ultimately signing their death warrant as their guard was lowered.

Yun Da Xia continued down what looked to be a well-worn trail; noting her path on the map in her hand. Really, it was odd. Although she was only circling the outer perimeter of the woods, from her research, she should have seen droves of spiritual beasts already. Besides the roar from earlier, there was no sign of their presence. At most, an insect buzzed by every so often.

Spiritual beasts were not like any regular animal; trained or otherwise. Their intelligence was akin to humans, with the capabilities to communicate between races and make independent decisions. Everyone held their own kind of pride.

The academy's initiation rite required students to attain a contract with a spiritual beast. For a freshman's first task, this already had to be an incredible feat. A cultivator could not initiate a bond with a spiritual beast, rather, the creatures were the ones to decide who to hail as their master. Beasts had their own comprehension of the spiritual world, and so it wasn't completely understood how they chose their masters. The most basic understanding cultivators had, was that they would choose the masters they deemed worthy to serve–and that was it.

Many freshmen had gone in groups to find the highest ranked spirit beasts that would accept them, and most came back with a Low ranked spirit beast. Those who were greedy attempted to go further into the forest where some Earth and High ranked spirit beasts were, but they usually did not return. Yun Da Xia had no plans of courting death and would be satisfied with anything that came her way.

She frowned, scanning the landscape. There was no way she would be able to complete the initiation rite if she could not even find a single spirit beast.

Strands of her midnight hair tickled her face as she continued her journey; looking high and low for any sight of the creatures. Sure, she was wary about the possibility of encountering a more aggressive spirit beast, but a deprived childish side of her was eager to see them.

There was no presence of spiritual beasts in her past world, and she was never able to take on an animal as a pet. She and master were often away. It would simply be too cruel on the animal to be left alone for extended periods of time. Her family now had come from her taking the identity of a girl who was long gone. At least if she did make a connection with a spirit beast, it would be a relationship that was truly hers.

As she ambled along, she noticed that the forest began to change. No longer was it lit in a warm manner; where despite the absence of animals, life still seemed to fill the calm woods. The entire place began to feel dark and damp; her skin prickling with a sudden chill. It hadn't felt this eerie before. Now, her hackles raised. It kind of felt like someone or something had its eyes trained on her. Watching. Waiting.

She inhaled sharply, slowly looking forward and back on the path. She clutched her master's ring that she had firmly secured around her neck. If something bad happened and she couldn't handle it, she had no qualms about fleeing into the ring's space. In her book, there was no such thing as a coward's route. There were only options for the best possible chances of survival.

Though faint, her ears caught the sounds of something quickly moving through the wood; leaves and branches cracking into pieces as it trampled over them. Yun Da Xia was already on high alert. Without question, she concentrated her qi and focused her energy on shifting to enter the ring's space. Feeling a little bit of resistance, the corners of her mouth pulled into a frown.

She closed her eyes, trying again. Drops of sweat trickled from her temple. She opened her eyes. She was still in the forest.

Panicking, she checked her cultivation. It was still there, she was sure of it. It churned deep within her. Nothing was wrong–nothing should be wrong. Raising her hand, she forced her flames to burst forth.

Nothing.

The pounding of footfalls against the earth grew thunderous as it neared. Her mind instantly sent the message to bolt or hide. Adrenaline spiked through her body, and she tensed her limbs; ready to latch onto a tree and climb.

But it was too late.

There was an idiom that she had heard often throughout her past life; from media and her master. In this life, her only time being reminded of it was at this moment.

Be careful what you wish for.

She had wanted to see spiritual beasts.

With her hands clasped tight against her mouth, Yun Da Xia stumbled a few steps back. Two glowing, silver pupils reflected in her peach blossom eyes. Her heart raced at an Olympic winning pace. Standing on all fours before her, was a dark towering mass with flashing canines. If three horses were stacked directly atop one another, she still wouldn't be certain if they would reach the height of the beast.

A branch snapped with a loud crack.

She hadn't moved at all.