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“You didn’t say what?” Tai growled as he crossed his arms. The younger girl with Yan Huiyin took an opportunity to run away, and he spared her only a passing glance. Who was this woman and why was she throwing things at him? A friend of Lu Xue’s, maybe? Planted in the crowd? Or was she just one of the hangers-on who thought he was hot stuff? What girls saw in a fool like that, Tai could only guess.

Yan Huiyin didn’t answer his question.

 "Shixiong should take Elder's advice," she said, as she moved up in the line to receive her spirit medicine from the shopkeeper. The person who had been behind her started to move up, but Tai glared at them. When she passed by him again, she added, "Will you not be going to the forest?"

“I’ll go when I’m damn well ready, don’t you worry.” He turned away from her. “If you’re asking for a match, then don’t feel like you gotta wait. Bring it on anytime!” 

Whatever. He had better things to do, and the girl seemed to think herself above answering his demand. What matter to him was it if she had some stupid crush on stupid Lu Xue? The pretty boy wouldn’t be so pretty after Tai caught up to him…

Tai turned on his heel, and left Yan Huiyin to her own preparations. Those students who wanted to leave nothing to chance would likely absorb their Foundation Establishing Pills as soon as possible, then gather their supplies and make for the Spiritual Beast Forest. But the quicker one could do this, the better–after all, they only had one week, and the Spiritual Heart Fruits weren’t known to last too long after they ripened.

As he reached the boys’ dormitory hall, Tai nodded to himself. He would save absorbing his pill for later–after all, with only Breath Cultivation, adding a year’s worth of Qi or less didn’t seem like it would be enough to break through into the Fifth Rank. He felt he’d be much better served by gathering what he needed, and leaving around nightfall. The students who absorbed their medicine quickly would likely spend the evening preparing, and then getting a good night’s sleep before heading for the forest at dawn. Tai could get a head start on them by skipping the first step of that process–by the time they got there, he’d already be searching for a fruit. Yeah, that was the ticket! He slammed one fist into his palm as he set his resolve.
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[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flj7VSf1Az4]Deep within the Spiritual Beast Forest[/url], birdsong erupted into a stampede of wings. The treetops writhed as hundreds of feathery shapes, silhouetted in black against the sky, spilled out of their boughs. Down below, on the damp forest floor, an enormous weight settled on a clawed foot.

Whiffling sniffs from an unbelievably large creature sounded like the rapid notes of an enormous horn, played in reverse. It picked its head up from the densely covered ground, and gazed out through the lush, thick greenery. An almost human intelligence glittered behind two slitted, golden eyes. 

A bush to its right rustled. A dark shadow–smaller, weaker–bolted between the trees. Within an instant, the beast slammed its feet against the ground in chase. Its form blurred as it raced past trunks and threw clods of soil in its wake. A shrill scream–the crunch of enormous teeth. Tearing, and gulping. A roar of triumph.

Again, the trees shook. Birds continued to flock in fear. The sound echoed through the deep mists, a challenge to all who dared enter the great beast’s territory…