The Vanished Companion

An Jing said nothing more; he lowered his head and bit into the piece of meat.

At first, the texture felt like biting into a piece of tough rubber, but with a little force, his teeth sliced through the slightly charred outer muscle fibers, and the succulent meat within burst open, overflowing with rich, savory juices and fats.

This refreshing, springy sensation was incredibly wondrous; with every swallow, he could quickly feel the meat being digested and broken down within his body, transforming into nourishment, while this satisfaction rapidly turned into a greedy craving that left him wanting more, compelling An Jing to take another bite involuntarily...

It felt like only an instant had passed before An Jing had finished all the meat before him, leaving behind only white, glistening bones that had been gnawed clean by his teeth.

"What... what kind of beast was this?"

Sitting on his chair, An Jing's face was already flushed crimson, and he could feel a scorching, fiery power surging from his chest and abdomen, rushing straight into his torso and limbs, as if intent on permeating every fiber of his being, reaching even the roots of his fingers and hair!

An impulse seized An Jing, making him want to stand up and roar at the top of his lungs to release this inexplicable heat—and in fact, others were already doing exactly that.

In an instant, the entire cafeteria transformed into a gathering ground for wild beasts, with all manner of roars and shrieks echoing, as if they were in the middle of a desolate mountain range.

"What kind of test is this?"

An Jing took a deep breath, suppressing the surging impulse within his body; he noticed that not everyone was being dominated by this strange urge.

Zhang Ying was currently letting out a long howl, his voice sounding like the cry of some wolf, long-drawn and carrying a chilling edge that made one tremble.

To one side, Gu Yeqi was curled up, clutching his stomach tightly, refusing to make a single sound.

Those who refused to make a sound and those who were venting their heat were roughly split half and half, perhaps with slightly more people venting, but not by much.

Are they just going to let them vent like this?

An Jing took a few more deep breaths, and by the last few, he was able to easily suppress the instinctive urge; he watched everything with curiosity, splitting half his attention to observe the instructors and the 'servants' of Xuanming Manor.

They were waiting to the side, and like An Jing, they were watching all of this with considerable concern.

About half a quarter of an hour later, as their strength was spent and both the children tired from howling and those enduring the heat had mostly returned to normal, the servants brought over bowls of thick medicinal broth.

This broth was exactly as Gu Yeqi had said; the main ingredients were the Tienan Core and the seeds of the Ice-Mang Flower, meant to calm the mind and stabilize the spirit.

Zhang Ying and Gu Yeqi were both right; they were both correct.

An Jing took the bowl and drank it in one gulp; the taste was purely bitter, yet strangely refreshing. The Ice-Mang Flower seeds expanded after being boiled and cooled, their texture soft and tender, and as he crushed and swallowed them, a cool sensation exploded in his mouth.

The scorching heat caused by the beast meat began to gradually fade; An Jing closed his eyes, and after a few breaths, he opened them, having completely calmed down.

But that heat, that power, was no illusion—that beast meat was definitely not simple; it was no ordinary wild beast!

Most of the other children also quieted down after drinking the medicinal broth, though they remained somewhat dazed, as if pondering what they had just been doing.

"Alright. Everyone was a bit excited today, so go back and get some good rest."

At this moment, Manor Master Yao stepped forward and said kindly, "You may rest tomorrow morning; there is no need for morning training, so everyone can sleep in a little longer."

"As long as you perform well, everyone will have meat to eat—the better you perform, the more meat you get."

With no evening training before bed, everyone returned to their respective dormitories and lay down early.

In the past, basically everyone would fall asleep the moment their heads hit the pillows, but that was impossible today; everyone tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

In the dormitory, they couldn't help but start chatting.

"I don't know why, but I just couldn't suppress it earlier..."

Zhang Ying complained; he was to An Jing's left, his voice muffled through the bamboo wall: "I felt like I had turned into a giant wolf, and I couldn't help but want to make noise... Even though that meat was delicious, it was also too strange. I've never eaten meat that made me feel, feel... feel like I had so much strength!"

"Yes. It was quite extraordinary."

Ye Xiuyuan was to An Jing's right; his family had been scholars for generations, and he spoke in a refined manner: "I have seen such meat before during my family's annual sacrifice; it must be the meat of some primeval fierce beast."

"A fierce beast?!" Zhang Ying's voice rose: "A beast comparable to an Inner Breath peak, or even an Inner Strength martial artist? How is that possible!"

His astonishment was not without reason, because even for the hunting teams of the Northern Frontier, it took a great deal of effort, and often casualties, to hunt a single fierce beast.

If they encountered multiple fierce beasts, the entire hunting team could be wiped out.

But its meat, skin, bones, and tendons were all treasures, materials for many precious medicines, potent tonics, and mystical artifacts. Whether in the private sector or the government, they were purchased for high prices. As long as one could hunt a single fierce beast, it was enough to keep a hunting team wealthy for an entire year.

Even Zhang Ying had never eaten the meat of a fierce beast, and Ye Xiuyuan added, puzzled: "That is also what confuses me. Even in my own family, during the four great sacrifices of the Ye clan, we only use a slightly larger piece of fierce beast meat alongside other cattle and sheep as offerings."

"Xuanming Manor gave each of us a portion; the quantity is simply inconceivable..."

"Who cares about all that." Zhan Feng's voice was particularly loud, and as soon as he spoke, he was shushed by everyone, including An Jing, to avoid drawing the instructors over.

Even so, his tone remained indifferent as he lowered his voice: "At least it's much better than being a refugee; I've starved enough."

He was originally a beggar from Mingshan City. Because he grew too tall, no one would give him money, but he was too young to be hired for labor. The old beggar who had raised him froze to death during the Frost Calamity, and he had survived the journey simply by eating whatever he could find, lucky enough not to have eaten anything poisonous.

He had a very good impression of Xuanming Manor; he could eat his fill here, and he didn't care how tiring the training was. In fact, being able to eat his fill and then dying of exhaustion would be the greatest blessing for him.

These words drew agreement from many, as everyone had been selected from refugee camps; everyone had been hungry, and it had been a long, long time since they had eaten meat or rice. But at Xuanming Manor, they could eat their fill, eat until they were satisfied, and even eat until they were stuffed like today.

Regardless, in their eyes, other than the fact that the people at Xuanming Manor were so nice it made them fear there wouldn't be a next meal, there was nothing bad about it.

"I'm just afraid that these days won't last long."

Cang Linzu smacked his lips, still recalling the taste of the meat: "Aren't those reclusive sects all like this? Layer upon layer of screening and testing, and those who don't meet the criteria are thrown out."

"When that time comes, we won't be considered disciples of Xuanming Manor, but only servants, just like those uncles and aunts who serve us... These good days won't last long!"

Having spent so much time together, everyone knew that Cang Linzu had indeed been sent by his family to study at a martial arts academy with a large sum of money, but he was sent back after two years, supposedly because his 'innate talent was insufficient.'

But how could that be? Cang Linzu's innate talent was rated as superior by Xuanming Manor, second only to An Jing. This made Cang Linzu extremely indignant, and he would always grit his teeth and mutter that it was all the fault of that academy instructor who was greedy for silver, kicking him out when he didn't pay up.

His greatest dream was to master his skills at Xuanming Manor and return to his hometown—if it still existed—to give that mentor a sound thrashing for spouting nonsense about him lacking natural talent, which had caused the people back home to look down on him.

Cang Linzu was not particularly worried about failing to meet the requirements; he simply wanted to learn as many mental cultivation techniques and martial arts as possible at Xuanming Manor.

"Well said."

Ye Xiuyuan agreed with Cang Linzu, "I wonder how many people will actually remain in the end... Brother An Jing will definitely be one of them."

"Right, Brother Jing?" the other children chimed in, "We might get eliminated, but you'll definitely stay!"

"...Perhaps the test has already begun."

An Jing did not like participating in such discussions, but since he had been brought into it, he spoke up.

He rolled over on his bed and said bluntly, "The enthusiasm for training, the level of daily self-discipline, physical fitness, height and weight, how much food one can eat, what time one wakes up, whether the exercise routine is consistent... everything could be related to the 'assessment'."

"Get some sleep early tonight." He rolled over again, closing his eyes as he said calmly, "Since the Manor Master told us to rest for half a day tomorrow, there must be a reason for it."

"Rest early, sleep a bit more, and don't miss the afternoon drills."

"Got it." "Mm." "Yes, Big Brother!"

An Jing held great prestige; as soon as he spoke, the entire dormitory quieted down. Soon, the sounds of snoring, teeth grinding, and sleep-talking rose one after another.

An Jing felt a wave of fatigue and craving gradually surging from within his body... He had not lied to Vice Envoy Yao; when he saw that meat, his body's instincts told him that it was not enough, that he could not be satisfied.

In reality, his 'stomach' was full. The meat was heavy and substantial enough to satiate him. Yet, he remained unsatisfied; this beast meat could only temporarily quench his hunger, but it could not truly satisfy his body.

Carrying this feeling of being neither full nor hungry, An Jing drifted into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the dawn illuminated the mountains, painting them in shades of gold and red.

An Jing rubbed his eyes and threw off his blanket, realizing he had slept in by about an hour.

This was highly unusual for him. He had gone to bed earlier than usual yesterday, yet he still woke up late today. No wonder Vice Envoy Yao said there would be no morning drills; most of the children probably wouldn't be able to get up this morning.

If it was indeed beast meat, it might very well have that effect.

An Jing tidied his clothes, put on his training gear, and muttered to himself, "Eating too much and having too many nutrients makes one sleepy; perhaps that is the reason."

Scanning the dormitory of thirty people, An Jing noticed that everyone except himself was still fast asleep. This was likely because their digestive capabilities were inferior to his, or perhaps it was because An Jing hadn't truly eaten his fill.

But none of that mattered. With some time left before noon, An Jing planned to go for a morning workout to restore his physical stamina.

However, just as An Jing was fully prepared and ready to leave the dormitory, he suddenly noticed something.

Zhang Ying was gone.