Yisha was thrilled to finally be adventuring with Ling Xiao. She had a deep understanding of medicinal herbs and had noticed early on that the list of plants for this training mission included Stone Bamboo Grass, which Ling Xiao had once mentioned. Yisha didn’t ask him about it; some things were better left unsaid. ’I have to keep an eye out for these herbs,’ Yisha thought. ’It would be even better if I could find them with my own two hands!’

In the distance, a clamor of shouts could be heard, faintly punctuated by the roar of a beast. Some team must have run into a Magical Beast.

"Shouting that excitedly?" Luo Tian said with a smile. "The Magical Beast must be Tier One at most. Or maybe... it’s just a common animal."

Kaelin asked, confused, "Why?"

Long Xiang chimed in from the side with a scornful tone, "That group is weak. If they had really found a High-Tier Magical Beast, they’d be screaming for help, not cheering!"

Throughout the journey, Long Xiang had been pestering Shangguan Yutong. To show off his supposed worldliness, he even boasted that during a training mission when he was a student at the Imperial Academy, he had single-handedly hunted and killed a Tier Two Magical Beast.

Luo Tian curled his lip in disdain at the remark. He had also been at the Imperial Academy for years and had never heard of a single senior student capable of killing a Tier Two Magical Beast alone. Long Xiang might have had a reputation as a genius Martial Artist once, but who would pay his words any mind? Anyone can boast.

Ling Xiao had long since identified the roar as belonging to nothing more than a porcupine. The thought of porcupines made him glance involuntarily at Luo Tian, inwardly amused.

Growing impatient with Long Xiang’s pestering, Shangguan Yutong simply started walking with Yisha and Kaelin, occasionally murmuring tips about wilderness survival to them. The two girls, who had no outdoor experience, benefited greatly from her advice.

This left Long Xiang feeling rather awkward. The "wilderness survival experience" he had just been bragging about seemed utterly flimsy compared to Shangguan Yutong’s simple, practical methods. His advice was likely all just flashy, impractical nonsense he’d imagined.

Fortunately, Long Xiang was thick-skinned, and no one was paying him any attention. However, the gaze he fixed on Shangguan Yutong grew even more fervent.

’A capable, talented, gentle, and beautiful woman... she was the total package! Who wouldn’t want to marry a woman like that?’

A low, guttural roar suddenly echoed from not far ahead, immediately followed by the sounds of a panicked retreat. The noise was heading straight for them. A moment later, a male student with a deathly pale face burst into view. The instant he saw Shangguan Yutong, he yelled in a panic, "Teacher, run! There’s a High-Tier Magical Beast behind us!"

Shangguan Yutong frowned and snapped, "Where are your companions?"

The student lowered his head in shame. Just then, four or five more students appeared, all looking worse for wear. They shot furious glares at the boy who had run ahead.

"Alright, you all fall back!"

’Shangguan Yutong suddenly regretted bringing so many people along. Initially, she had just thought that more hands would mean finding the herbs faster. She’d forgotten that this gaggle of young noble masters and misses were hardly Adventurer material. It would be a blessing if they just managed not to be a burden.’

As the deep roars grew closer, Ling Xiao offered a warning, "Teacher Shangguan, be careful. This is a Magical Beast!"

"Like we needed you to tell us!" Long Xiang sneered at Ling Xiao. He then moved closer to Shangguan Yutong, drawing his sword to stand protectively by her side.

Luo Tian also shielded Kaelin behind him, and Ling Xiao had already directed Yisha to stand with her. Their small group arranged themselves in an orderly fashion.

This display made the students who had fled without a teacher blush with shame. Their team had girls, too—one was even the girlfriend of one of the boys. A moment ago, that girl had been trailing at the very back of their escape. It was safe to assume their relationship would be over by the end of this training mission...

Just then, a massive lion emerged from the trampled grass where the other students had fled. Its entire body was covered in long, fiery-red fur that lay smooth against its sleek, well-proportioned frame. Its powerful build radiated explosive strength, and its pair of pale blue eyes had a dazzling, almost eerie quality. It stood a dozen meters away, baring its fangs slightly as it let out a low growl. The students had clearly trespassed on its territory. It didn’t seem hungry, however, merely issuing a threatening roar to warn them away. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Ling Xiao said softly, "Teacher Shangguan, pull back your aura. It’s alright. It’s only making a threat; it doesn’t intend to attack."

Yisha whispered from the side, her voice soft, "Gods, that... that’s a Tier Four Magical Beast, a Blast Flame Lion! The Royal Family’s totem, the Blast Flame Lion King, is a mutated version of this very creature!"

Luo Tian nodded beside her. As a member of the Royal Family, he was naturally very familiar with the Magical Beast that served as their totem. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little impressed by Yisha, this shy girl who didn’t seem particularly strong. It wasn’t hard to identify it as a Blast Flame Lion—it was the royal totem, after all, and any noble would recognize it. But stating its tier with such certainty was another matter entirely.

Blast Flame Lions could range from Tier Three to Tier Eight. Of course, a Tier Eight was already a Blast Flame Lion King.

Kaelin nervously watched the massive, gracefully built lion, which was over three meters long. She whispered to Yisha, "How did you know it was a Tier Four Magical Beast?"

Before Yisha could answer, Long Xiang let out a great roar. His longsword was already drawn, a hazy grey Sword Qi extending over a foot from its tip. He pointed it straight at the Blast Flame Lion and said urgently, "Teacher Shangguan, you go on ahead! I’ll hold the rear!"

Shangguan Yutong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in exasperation. When Ling Xiao had told her to retract her aura, she’d clearly seen the ferocity in the Blast Flame Lion’s eyes diminish. Now, thanks to Long Xiang’s meddling, the beast suddenly felt gravely threatened. The ruff of dark red fur around its neck bristled, resembling a blooming red sunflower—if a sunflower had a terrifyingly huge lion’s head in the center.

Luo Tian muttered under his breath, "Idiot!" Then he turned to Kaelin. "Take the others and meet up with the other teams immediately. Stay safe. This thing is not going to be easy to deal with!"

Yisha gave Ling Xiao a long look. "Be careful!"

The Blast Flame Lion was already pouncing on the challenger, Long Xiang. A foul stench filled the air as it opened its cavernous maw, revealing sharp fangs to the open air. Even the few drops of viscous saliva dangling from the corners of its mouth were clearly visible.

Shangguan Yutong couldn’t bring herself to abandon a companion. She drew her sword, slashing a wave of Sword Qi at the Blast Flame Lion.

But the Blast Flame Lion was incredibly agile. It twisted in mid-air, dodging Shangguan Yutong’s Sword Qi, and continued its charge toward Long Xiang without pause. Terror filled Long Xiang’s eyes. Sure, he had been on training missions before. He’d even helped a large group mob a Tier Two Magical Beast. But he had never witnessed the power of a Tier Four Magical Beast firsthand. Just moments ago, he’d naively believed he could fight it, since Shangguan Yutong, a Demon Swordsman, was right there beside him.

’They say it’s romantic for the hero to save the beauty, but a beauty saving the hero would be pretty great, too!’

Long Xiang could practically smell the foul stench from the Blast Flame Lion’s mouth. His mind went blank. ’Am I, the handsome and dashing Long Xiang, really going to die in the jaws of this beast?’ he thought.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful force slam into his waist. At the critical moment, Shangguan Yutong had kicked him, sending him flying into the nearby tall grass.

Luo Tian and Ling Xiao both drew their weapons, not sparing a single glance in the direction Long Xiang had been kicked. There was no sound from that patch of grass. Both of them sneered inwardly. ’If a Great Sword Master could be injured by a kick like that, he might as well be dead.’

"Coward!" Luo Tian roared, drawing his longsword to psych himself up. In truth, he was also terrified of this monstrous High-Tier Magical Beast, but he would never give up the will to survive.

’Besides,’ he thought, ’Shangguan Yutong is here!’

Ling Xiao, holding his Fine Willow Sword, and Luo Tian flanked Shangguan Yutong, forming a triangle.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yutong was locked in combat with the Blast Flame Lion. A Tier Two Demon Swordsman stood little chance against a Tier Four Blast Flame Lion. Fortunately, her Seven-Color Sword Qi was incredibly powerful, and the beast seemed wary of it, nimbly dodging left and right. The lion periodically spat fist-sized Fireballs from its mouth, each one packing immense power that forced Shangguan Yutong to evade. Though it was summer, there was still plenty of dry grass on the Mesopotamia Grassland, which the Fireballs instantly set ablaze upon landing.

Kaelin and Yisha hadn’t gone far. They had let the other students go on ahead, as neither of them could leave, worried about the fight. When they saw the flames erupt, they exchanged a look and immediately got to work. Moving quickly along the perimeter, they each used their sword techniques to carve out a firebreak. This way, even if the dry grass burned, it wouldn’t spread into a massive blaze. After all, many other people were still in the area; if the fire got out of control, someone could get hurt.

Meanwhile, the other teams in the distance saw the rising black smoke and began heading in their direction.

When the flames reached Long Xiang’s hiding spot, he leaped out, his face black with soot, and bellowed, "Teacher Shangguan, don’t be afraid! I am here!"