If one were to discuss who ranks first among the three major academies in the imperial capital, the debate could likely continue all night without a clear winner.
However, if one were to claim that the inner court of Cyber Academy is the top institution, probably no one in the Ethereal Grove would disagree.
This ancient academy, older than Genosha itself, has produced countless renowned top-tier Beast Masters. Ares, once hailed as the greatest war deity of Genosha for hundreds of years, was also a graduate of this prestigious school.
Should Charles proceed to Nova Academy with his recommendation letter, or should he follow the mysterious figure to the inner court of Cyber Academy? He was momentarily torn.
“The reason I am so eager for you to join the inner court of Cyber Academy, or rather, become my student, is because I see in you a trait very similar to my own,” Ezra said with a calm smile, moving slightly closer to Charles. His dull yellow eyes shimmered peculiarly under the light.
“A trait very similar to yours?” Charles asked, a hint of surprise on his face.
“Indeed, because like you, I can also manipulate different types of energy without causing annihilation,” Ezra explained, slowly extending his hand. A vortex of energy formed between his palms, emitting glows of black, red, and blue, “This might be related to our soul strength. Your soul strength is even greater than mine; you are truly capable of walking the path of an All-Element Beast Master.”
Hearing the term ‘All-Element Beast Master’ from Ezra, Charles’s heart raced uncontrollably.
According to historical records, when humanity was on the brink of extinction after a catastrophic defeat in battle against demonic creatures, it was an All-Element Beast Master named Rylan who, single-handedly, created the Ethereal Grove in space, securing a sanctuary for human survival.
An All-Element Beast Master, capable of harnessing all the elements that constitute the world, is also widely known by another title—
The Creator God!
Becoming an All-Element Beast Master meant that the rise and fall of the entire human race could potentially rest in his hands alone.
“Gulp—” Charles swallowed hard, his eyes wide with excitement as he stared at the mysterious cloaked figure in front of him. Trying to contain his exhilaration, he cautiously asked, “Senior, how can I become an All-Element Beast Master?”
“You will need to form contracts with ten divine beasts, each possessing a different attribute,” Ezra finally spoke after a long pause.
Hearing this, Charles nearly lost his balance, his expression turning somewhat despondent as he said dejectedly, “Divine beasts, and ten of different attributes at that? I don’t even have one yet… Must I really tame divine beasts to become an All-Element Beast Master?”
Ezra chuckled wryly, his face showing a hint of helplessness: “I only realized this after taming the nine-tailed flame tiger myself. The mystical beasts below the divine level, regardless of their class from Bronze Division to legendary, the attributes and energies they possess are invariably overshadowed by those of a divine beast.”
As he spoke, Ezra continued to channel attribute energy into the vortex in his palm. After emitting a brief burst of rainbow light, the vortex turned pitch black.
All other attribute energies—whether wind, thunder, light—vanished, leaving only the dark attribute.
Witnessing this scene, Charles checked the system screen’s[mystical beast]panel for Max and Mousie. Although he did not disdain them, it was clear they were not divine beasts.
“The two mystical beasts I’ve contracted aren’t divine beasts, does that mean I’ll never have a chance?”
Slowly retracting his right palm, the dark energy vortex dissipated into a mist. Gently stroking the nine-tailed flame tiger beside him, he spoke softly, “Remember what I told you about where divine beasts come from?”
Charles’s mind raced, and without much thought, he blurted out, “The 42 spots of refined energy still existing in the world?”
“Exactly! Whether or not a beast can become divine doesn’t depend on the mystical beast itself, but on the purity of its attribute energy!” Ezra said, his voice becoming hoarse with excitement, “If you can’t contract with a divine beast, you just need to find those 42 spots of refined energy scattered around the world.
Even the ordinary mystical beasts you’ve contracted can transform into divine beasts!”
Charles finally understood. The crux of the issue wasn’t the divine beasts themselves, but rather those 42 spots of unextinguished refined energy.
If he wanted to become an All-Element Beast Master, a transcendent being akin to a ‘Creator God’, he had to find and subdue 11 of these energy spots, and they had to be of different attributes!
Just thinking about it, Charles felt it was a bit insane!
“So, senior… since Cyber Academy has managed to deduce the existence of refined energy, they should also be able to pinpoint the locations of these 42 spots of refined energy, right?” Charles, inspired by the fervor of the excited Ezra before him, wondered if the originator of this theory was either a supreme genius or utterly mad!
“After 200 years of supercomputer calculations, we’ve precisely located two of them,” Ezra explained calmly. “One of them is where my nine-tailed flame tiger was found, and the other, a concentration of light attribute energy, is currently safeguarded within the inner court of Cyber Academy.”
“Cyber Academy spent over 200 years and only located two spots, and I need to find 10, each with a unique attribute?” Charles looked at Ezra with a mix of surprise and awe.
Ezra hesitated for a moment, then slowly added, “Correct. Given that, do you still plan to enter Cyber Academy?”
Charles paused, falling silent.
Of course, he was immensely drawn to the title of ‘All-Element Beast Master’ that Ezra mentioned. Perhaps, once he ascended to ‘Creator God’, there might come a day when he could return to Earth; even if he couldn’t, with the power he’d possess, he would be at the pinnacle of this world, a revered figure with everything he could desire.
However, the difficulty of becoming an All-Element Beast Master was beyond imagination.
Was it possible that if he couldn’t find these so-called ‘divine beasts,’ he would never contract with any mystical beast again? Would he then be stuck forever as a third-tier Beast Master? And even with Cyber Academy’s supercomputer taking 200 years to calculate just two locations, how could he possibly find 11 with completely distinct attributes?
With Charles’s natural talent for Beast Mastery, he could easily become a seventh-tier Beast Master, on par with Emma, without pursuing the path of an ‘All-Element Beast Master.’
A seventh-tier Beast Master, a rarity in all of Genosha, could have everything a man might desire—wealth, status, women… Why should he forsake a bright future for a nebulous one?
Charles clenched his fists, trembling slightly. He tried to convince himself, but he couldn’t find sufficient reason to proceed.
Seeing the turmoil in Charles’s expression, Ezra’s face also grew complex. After a long silence, he spoke softly, “The choice is yours, even though you might be the most likely candidate I’ve seen in a century to become an All-Element Beast Master. Still, I can’t help but caution you…
should the day come when you witness everything you cherish being destroyed, I hope you won’t regret today’s decision.”
Ezra’s words seemed meant as much for Charles as for himself. Charles could feel his pain; he looked like he wanted to cry, but as merely an energy form, tears were impossible. freёweɓnovel.com
Charles’s hands trembled slightly as he remembered the three years of bullying he endured at Lsengard Beast Mastery High School from Robert, his missing parents, and Aria, who despite bearing the sorrow of a fallen nation, still managed a strained smile before him…
Even imagining it filled Charles with despair.
If it ever came to that, he knew he would regret it. If there was even the slightest chance to alter the outcome, he would fight with everything he had to seize it!
Noticing Charles’s stirred emotions, Ezra lifted his head, speaking earnestly, “This world ultimately respects power. Didn’t Grace disdain you simply because she was the city lord’s daughter, with higher talent and status than yours?”
“You might think to live a quiet life in Genosha, but that’s naively optimistic. This world is much larger and more dangerous than you can imagine.”
“To the real powerhouses, we are as insignificant as ants. This Ethereal Grove is merely a space created by a previous All-Element Beast Master. Perhaps one day, the entire Ethereal Grove will cease to exist, and we will be powerless to prevent it?”
Charles shuddered, recalling the ten ‘suns’ he had seen in the abyss.
And the strange, stirring creatures within that abyss…
Reflecting on Ezra’s words about the potential non-existence of the entire Ethereal Grove, even such a formidable being as he had almost been utterly destroyed, reduced to an energy form. What chance would he have?
And what terrifying entities existed beyond the Ethereal Grove?
Slowly lifting his head, Charles looked at Ezra with a solemn expression and said, “Senior, I’m giving up my guaranteed spot at Nova Academy. I will follow you to Cyber Academy.”
“Oh?”
Hearing this, the cloaked elder flashed a cunning smile: “This is your own decision. When we get to Cyber Academy, don’t say I forced you!”
Charles couldn’t help but twitch, Ezra indeed hadn’t forced him, but were those words he had spoken any different from coercion?
Clack—
Hearing a faint sound behind him, Charles turned to see several cracks forming on the black cocoon that entirely enveloped Mousie.
At the same time, a few lines of notification flashed across Charles’s screen.
[Ding! Your mystical beast Mousie has successfully evolved into its current form: Dark Demigod Juvenile!]
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