Sunset Warrior Chant - Chapter 55 - Magical Beast Garden (Part 10)

The Magical Beast Garden fell into a deathly silence. The magical beasts, both big and small, vanished without a trace. Not a single shout could be heard, and the shadows of wild rabbits and cats were nowhere to be seen, as if the magical beasts had simply disappeared into thin air.

Before they knew it, it was deep into the night. After a day of intense battles that left everyone trembling, the initial feeling of exhaustion turned into a desperate thirst and hunger by nightfall. The minutes and seconds became unbearable as they recalled the water-filled world of the day, yet not a drop had been consumed. At this point, any water would suffice, even if it meant trying poisonous streams or springs.

Fu Qiruo awoke with hunger at night and couldn’t fall back asleep. The deep silence of the night was terrifying, as thoughts of the silent golden snake and the monocular wolf with its red eyes filled him with dread. Yet by dawn, the Magical Beast Garden remained utterly still.

At first light, the garden buzzed-not with beasts, but with people.

“We passed the assessment!”

“We are finally students of Yan Mountain Academy!”

“Thank God, thank the Lord!”

“I’ve waited my whole life for this day!”

“I will honor my hometown with my achievements.”

The magical beasts in the garden had hidden away, and the candidates were filled with joy, gathering at the garden gate. As the sun rose higher, over a hundred people waited eagerly in front of the thick iron gate, anticipating a feast. However, they waited for a long time with no sign of it opening. Someone shouted towards the wall, “Isn’t the third round of exams over? Let us out already.” They shouted several times but received no response.

The candidates, though covered in wounds and consumed by hunger, had endured the hardest part of the test and were now more patient. Since the gate remained closed, they decided to wait, sitting casually by the gate in their tattered, colorful clothes, eyes closed, enjoying the warm sunshine.

Fu Qiruo and the other seven stood together, a deep bond formed during their two days of shared hardships. Now, all of them entering Yan Mountain Academy felt an indescribable sense of closeness. Xiao Gang, restless, alternated between standing and sitting, declaring, “The minute I get out, I’m going to eat an entire pig and drink a huge barrel of water, or else my belly will feel too wronged!”

Qi Nanshan responded, “If you can’t finish the pig, I’ll step up and eat the rest; if you can’t finish the water, I’ll drink the rest.”

Lu Xiner laughed and said, “If you can’t finish in three days and nights, drink and eat until the next leap year.”

Fu Qiruo, eyes closed, said, “Once I’m full, I just want to sleep.”

Xiao Gang grinned at Fu Qiruo and teased, “For a mage, you’re really not in shape. Look at me!”

He jumped up and began running circles around the group in a 50-meter radius, shouting, “Ox-headed man is coming… Run!… The giant octopus is here… Run!… Vampire’s coming… Run!” The candidates nervously stood up, exclaiming, “Where’s the vampire? Where’s the ox-headed man?” After two laps, they realized they’d been tricked and started teasing and scolding Xiao Gang, laughing all the while.

Xiao Gang continued running around the group, saying seriously, “A swordsman never falls!” With the assessment complete, the heavy shadow pressing on Qi Nanshan for years finally lifted slightly. Seeing how amusing Xiao Gang was, Qi Nanshan joined in and started running circles with him. Seeing the fun, those who still had some energy followed, forming a long trailing line behind Xiao Gang. Laughter echoed beneath the high walls of the Magical Beast Garden.

Fu Qiruo watched Xiao Gang run lap after lap but couldn’t find any enthusiasm himself. Casually glancing at the others, he suddenly noticed seven or eight people a few steps away. One person, shirtless, was shouting, with his clothes spread out on the ground, holding more than a dozen crystal coins.

The man clasped his hands together, constantly shaking them up and down, and yelled, “Four-five-six big, four-five-six big, triple six and I win all.”

Another person shouted, “One-two-three small, one-two-three small, triple ones and you lose badly.”

Fu Qiruo asked Yu An, “What are they doing?”

Yu An replied, “They’re throwing dice, gambling.”

Fu Qiruo said, “They really have the leisure for it.” He leaned back and lay down again.

A couple of hours passed. Inside the walls, it was lively, while outside, there was no movement. The sun was directly overhead, making everyone sweat, while the wet mud underfoot had solidified.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from atop the wall: “Due to the assessment being too easy the past two days, the school administration has decided to extend the examination by another day, lasting until dawn tomorrow. This third day will test everyone’s patience and perseverance. Please return to your positions, as the next wave of magical beasts has already been deployed in the Magical Beast Garden. Anyone who wishes to withdraw from the exam is still welcome to do so at any time.”

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, with a few fainting on the spot. What kind of reasoning was this? The candidates were angry, and some started shouting insults at the wall, but there was no response from above.

Fu Qiruo, having thrown up what he ate yesterday, already felt dispirited, and this news only added to his discouragement. He wasn’t the only one-Xiao Gang also stopped laughing.

Lu Xiner closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then said, “This is a test for us. Don’t lose hope. First, let’s find something to eat; we need a full stomach to do anything.”

Yu An rolled his eyes and said, “You were using purified water to rinse your mouth yesterday, and now we don’t even have anything to drink.”

Lu Xiner replied, “That was then; this is now. Didn’t the water and food we had left get washed away? Maybe we should go get some more?”

The group didn’t object and returned to the spot under the wall where they had bought water last time. Yu An called up to the wall, “Master on the wall, how about another trade today?”

“You rascal, pay up for yesterday first,” came a voice from the wall, though not as loud as before.

“You go get it first; do you really think we won’t pay once you bring it? Once it’s here, we’ll pay together.”

“You throw it up first, and then I’ll go get it.”

“Fine, catch!” Yu An took out a precious item from his bag and tossed it up to the wall. A shadow of a rope flickered, collecting the treasure.

Yu An urged, “Master, hurry up! We can manage without food, but it’s tough without water.”

Suddenly, the tone from the wall changed, “Young man, don’t wait up; times have changed. For this remaining day, the outside is strictly monitored with guards every three steps and sentries every five. Getting out to buy anything now is harder than reaching the heavens.”

Realizing he’d been tricked, Yu An cursed, “You swindler! How can Yan Mountain Academy have con artists like you!”

The person on the wall retorted, “Takes one to know one. If you pass and become a student of Yan Mountain Academy, you must have some skill. If you make it big, who knows, I might stick with you.”

Yu An was speechless. Xiao Gang consoled, “You lack experience in the world; it’s not your fault.”

Lu Xiner suggested, “We should see if we can catch a magical beast. We might have to borrow some blood from them to drink.”

“You’re finally willing to eat magical beast meat!” Yu An remarked.

The group of eight ventured deeper into the Magical Beast Garden.

As they moved through the dense forest, the wind howling around them, they spent three to four hours searching but couldn’t find any trace of magical beasts. They couldn’t understand why the school had extended the exam by a day yet left the garden devoid of magical beasts. Was there an even more terrifying creature planned? The past two days had been thrilling enough.

“What is this third day testing our patience and perseverance?” Fu Qiruo had a vague feeling that the upcoming day wouldn’t hold any danger.

As they wandered around, frequently bumping into other groups, no one found a single magical beast. In the Magical Beast Garden, everyone felt a mix of disappointment and relief-disappointment from the lack of food and water, and relief from the absence of magical beasts, as no beasts meant no danger.

It was another silent night. Though no magical beasts appeared, no one dared to be careless, staying on high alert throughout. By the end, everyone was utterly exhausted.

On the morning of the fourth day, a series of melodious chimes drifted into the Magical Beast Garden. The garden seemed to awaken, as if brimming with new life, waking not only the drowsy people but also the magical beasts.

Many beasts emerged from nowhere, standing respectfully at a distance and observing the people, no longer exuding a terrifying presence. The ox-headed men on the ground and the Tituo Yi in the trees all appeared respectfully poised, as if ready to courteously send everyone off from the Magical Beast Garden.

Several small green-spotted deer ran up in front of the people, shaking their heads and tails and bleating as they gestured towards the garden gate, walking slowly as if to guide the way. The group followed the deer, nervously making their way past the gathering beasts, all heading slowly towards the gate of the Magical Beast Garden.

Fu Qiruo and his group of eight followed a deer, passing by a massive tree that blocked out the sky. Suddenly, they noticed something move quietly near the tree roots. Upon closer inspection, a cover made of twigs and leaves slid aside, revealing a tree hollow and two small heads. It was two girls, and one of them looked familiar-it was Yun Huixin, whom they had encountered in the second round of exams.

Yun Huixin was holding a beast leg, chewing it slowly, her clothes covered in dirt but free from the red and green stains of beast blood, showing no signs of having battled magical beasts. Somehow, she had hidden in the tree hollow without being noticed by them.

The origin of the tree hollow was unclear, whether natural or dug out by them, but hiding inside was indeed a clever strategy. Yu An remarked behind him, “Why didn’t I think of this?” His tone filled with regret.

Qi Nanshan questioned, “Hiding in a tree hollow, weren’t they afraid the beasts would smell them?”

To which Yu An retorted, “Couldn’t they have scattered some pungent herbs?”

Qi Nanshan continued, “But what about monocular wolves? A bit of herbs probably wouldn’t work; they would be like sitting ducks, caught easily.”

Yu An replied, “Couldn’t they have dug a tunnel from the tree hollow? The soil outdoors is soft, and for an earth mage, digging 20 or 30 meters wouldn’t take more than an hour. With one person keeping watch and another digging, they could easily dig dozens of meters overnight.”

Qi Nanshan, still not satisfied, questioned further, “What if there was a flood? When the waters rise, no matter where they hide, there’s no way to escape.”

Yu An responded, “They could dig upward from the tree hollow. A tree this large could easily have a big space inside, and the water wouldn’t fill up all the space… Besides, a giant octopus isn’t likely to fit into a small tree hollow, and Tituo Yi probably can’t swim.”

Qi Nanshan became more intrigued and asked, “What about if the black rats get in? With earth magic, they could temporarily block the hole… But if an ox-headed man stepped on it by accident, wouldn’t that collapse both the tree and ground tunnels; what then?”

Yu An concluded, “That I wouldn’t know… Ah, I’m exhausted from explaining all this to you!”