The chamber was quiet despite housing so many beasts. Perhaps level one and level two creatures were not hostile enough to feel threatened by one another.
Only minimal soul fluctuations drifted through the air. Some wandering beasts did not even bother to look at Tianlei, let alone consider him a threat.
He walked forward, boots crunching softly against moss-covered stone.
Useless.
Tianlei scoffed inwardly.
All those rules. All those restrictions. Just to lock him inside a cage filled with creatures that wouldn't survive a week outside this place.
He hated it.
The instructor had clearly told him not to go deeper into the chambers, but he didn't care about what people told him to do. He was tired of being ordered around in this hell of an academy. He needed to operate by his own rules.
So he walked toward the rugged terrain. It was lively and full of spiritual energy that stretched in all directions. It would have been perfect for practice if he were a spirit master, but as a Deviator, he mainly relied on gene evolution for strength.
He stepped into a small lake, letting the cold water brush against his skin. It was perfect rich with spiritual energy. He felt his body's strength inch even closer to four-star Soldier-class, enough that he began playing in the water.
"Human, how disrespectful."
Tianlei stared in bewilderment as a gigantic serpentine creature emerged from the lake. Its scales were comparable to the size of his head, and the four horns along its body made him stiffen slightly.
"Hmph. Just a three-star Soldier-class. For a moment, I thought a worthy beast master had finally come."
Just looking at it, Tianlei could tell how terrifying it was.
A level six beast.
"Hell no ... an actual level six," Tianlei cursed under his breath.
He bowed his head.
"I didn't mean any harm."
"Of course not. How could someone as weak as you even harm me?"
"Can I go, please?" Tianlei asked, forcing his voice to stay calm.
"I don't think I'm holding your legs."
The moment Tianlei heard that, he turned and moved as quickly as possible. The beast dove back into the water.
Tianlei exhaled once he was out.
That was an actual level six beast yet he clearly remembered the woman telling him that only level one and two beasts lived here.
He moved deeper.
The terrain shifted.
He found himself stepping into a field of white flowers, dazzling golden petals surrounding a crystal-veined tree. The tree radiated a gentle healing aura that soothed the soul, forcing the monstrous genes within Tianlei to retreat, as if caged once more.
A flash of blue caught Tianlei's eye—a single rose, glowing faintly in the dappled sunlight. Its petals shimmered like sapphire.
He stopped. His chest tightened, and memories rushed back unbidden.
He remembered the first time he had held this flower. She had been there, standing in the sunlight, but he could barely see her features. The brightness blurred everything, yet her presence was unmistakable.
"I… I brought you something," he said, holding the rose out with a trembling hand.
"It's… beautiful."
Her small, soft hands reached for it, brushing against his. She tilted her head slightly, a gentle smile in her voice.
"Beautiful?"
"Yes," Tianlei whispered. "Its petals… they're like the sky after a storm. Blue, deep and endless. The edges curl like tiny waves. If you touched it, you'd feel a cool softness, like the first drop of rain on your skin. And… it smells faintly sweet, like sunlight itself."
A pause. Then she laughed softly, a sound that made his heart lurch.
"I can't see it, you know."
"I know," he admitted, voice barely above a whisper.
"That's why I'm telling you. So you can feel it in your mind… imagine it the way I do. Imagine the color, the texture, the scent. Imagine everything I see and love about it."
Her fingers lingered on the petals.
"I can feel it. And… it's perfect. Not because of how it looks, but because of how you describe it."
Tianlei's throat tightened.
"Then it's yours," he said, placing it gently in her hands. "Even if you can't see it, I wanted you to have it. To hold a piece of this world, even if it feels far away."
She smiled, her voice was soft
"Thank you… for letting me see."
The memory faded, leaving a warmth in Tianlei's chest even as the chamber returned to its present tension.
There, beneath the twisted roots of the tree, lay a small creature curled into itself.
It looked… fragile.
About the size of a fox cub, its body was covered in short white fur threaded with faint green patterns that pulsed slowly, like breathing veins. Two long ears drooped weakly against its head, and a thin tail lay motionless in the moss. Its chest rose and fell unevenly.
A healing beast.
Tianlei's brows drew together.
Healing-type beasts were rare, but still weak. Normally, it took nearly a hundred years for one to mature, yet most never reached that stage. They were captured early, their cores harvested by alchemists and refined into healing pills.
The beast stirred.
Its eyes opened slowly.
They were large, glassy and filled with something Tianlei hadn't expected.
Fear.
The moment their gazes met, the little beast didn't scramble away. Instead, it moved forward. Normally, healing beasts fled at the first sign of danger but this one simply stared at him, as if daring him to do his worst.
Tianlei froze.
"…Tch."
He crouched slowly and deliberately, making sure every movement was visible. No killing intent. No pressure.
He reached out, then stopped.
Rules echoed in his mind.
"A Heavenly Destiny Star healing beast isn't afraid of me, huh… interesting."
He extended his hand, palm open, stopping just short of contact.
The beast's breathing slowed.
Something warm brushed against his senses.
The Destiny Star leaned forward and pressed its forehead lightly against his glove.
A violent healing wave surged through his arm.
Electricity exploded through his body—uncontrolled, powerful enough to send him stumbling backward.
Tianlei inhaled sharply. The pulse shook him violently but didn't injure him. His genes reacted instantly, twisting and reforming as if forced into a new alignment.
His body stretched on its own. He began shivering uncontrollably, like a fish thrown onto dry land. Every sense sharpened at once, he could hear nearly every growl in the chamber, even the bored yawn of the female instructor waiting far away.
He tried to cover his ears, but the vibrations echoed from within.
His eyes bulged as if they might burst, exposed to an imagined blazing sun.
Was this a counterforce? A hidden killing move?
In that moment, he remembered how deception often wore beauty.
Oh, how he wished he had followed the saying never judge a book by its cover or his grandfather's favorite words: not all that glitters is gold.
Like a dying fish running out of air, his movements slowed. Calm returned, yet his genes continued shifting violently within him. For the first time in years, he felt unbearably hyperactive.
"What the heck…" Tianlei cursed, staring up at the sky.
The Destiny Star's forehead blocked his view.
His breath caught.
Every muscle in his body relaxed so suddenly that even his bladder loosened. He refused to think about that consequence.
The beast opened Its mouth.
A thick mouthful of saliva poured out, drenching Tianlei's face.
He jumped back instantly, realization hitting him all at once.
The substance was sticky. No matter how hard he wiped, it clung stubbornly to his skin.
"Yuck."
He glared down at the beast, anger surging.
For a moment, he genuinely considered strangling it. He had no weapon, no blade sharp enough to tear flesh but his hands alone felt sufficient.
He stomped his foot.
A shockwave burst outward, distorting the air around him.
Releasing killing intent beyond ten percent was prohibited, but he had no choice. He needed to scare the beast away.
As expected, the Destiny Star retreated a step.
Fear finally surfaced in its large eyes.
Tianlei couldn't help but smile.
After all, how could a level one beast possibly kill him?
"Not so terrifying now, huh? Still, I'll admit—that was a clever ambush tactic."
He took another step.
The beast let out a low growl, as if protesting.
Another step.
Slowly, the Destiny Star squeezed itself back into the crystal veins of the tree, retreating toward its resting place.
A strong gust of wind swept through the field.
Someone descended from the sky.
She landed softly, rocket-like wings folding and compressing neatly against her back.
"Are you okay?" she asked as she approached Tianlei.
"Yes."
"Then why did you release killing intent if you weren't in grave danger?"
That caught Tianlei off guard. He hadn't expected concern , if she truly cared, she would have helped him choose a beast instead of watching from afar.
"It was a counter-defense against that Destiny Star beast," he said, pointing shakily.
Even now, his body trembled as if struck by lingering lightning. He wished it would stop after all he didn't want to look like a frightened coward in front of her.
The instructor glanced at the creature and forcibly locked eyes with it. Only a powerful beast master could do that.
The beast trembled, trying to burrow deeper, but failed.
"Mid-stage level one," she said flatly.
"It attacked me. Did some kind of electrifying thing."
"Hmph. Fool," she snorted. "That wasn't electrification. The beast initiated a gene-fusion bond with you. If you killed it, you would die with it. If you died, it would die too."
Tianlei's eyes widened.
The Destiny Star seemed to have more brains than muscle—a desperate, cunning tactic to avoid being taken lightly.
"So what now?" Tianlei demanded. "Am I cursed for life? Depending on this thing? Impossible. There has to be a way out."
The Instructor sighed, clearly exhausted.
"Gene fusion is irreversible. If it dies while you are strong enough, the backlash will be minor. But right now, anything fatal will kill you both."
Tianlei clenched his fist.
Another obstacle.
The Destiny Star might offer healing abilities someday, but for now, he gained almost nothing. A normal beast would boost speed, strength, agility, or grant special traits like weapons or even mutations.
He had received none of that.
Perhaps only heightened hearing.
Useless.
"Please," Tianlei said quietly. "Can I bond with another beast?"
The instructor's expression softened with pity. She shook her head. "Impossible. You're too weak to handle more than one."
His jaw tightened.
Even as a Deviator, weakness followed him like a curse.
"We should return," the instructor said. "There are no spatial rings for beasts yet. Make sure it feels safe around you."
Tianlei clicked his tongue and finally placed his hand on the Destiny Star's head.
It lifted its head slowly, eyes clearer now, and released a soft sound somewhere between a hum and a sigh. Awkwardly, it nudged his chest.
Tianlei stared at it.
"…Where will I take a weak healing beast," he said flatly.
He stood.
The Destiny Star wobbled, steadied itself and followed close to his leg.
He knew he would become a laughingstock.
But no matter how much anger churned inside him, he couldn't bring himself to unleash it on the beast.