Chapter 14: The Problem is...
The Beast Chamber
I heard of the Beast Chamber long before I ever saw it—one of the nine floating mountains, set apart from the rest because of the extraordinary and mythical beasts kept there. Only those worthy of reaching immortal grade and above were stored in its vaults. The rest of the clan could only dream of stepping inside.
Arriving at the Chamber with Mei, after Lei had safely landed, we were approached by a guard at the Immortal realm. His hands were calloused in the particular way of someone who had held a halberd for centuries, the skin thickened into something that looked more like stone than flesh.
"Welcome, Young Master Zaitian." He bowed respectfully. "Elder Long Yue has been expecting your arrival for a while."
I didn't show any expression. Mei nodded to him. He turned and led the way into the stable where my potential beast companions were kept.
After a lot of turning and array teleportation—the air growing cooler and carrying the faint, clean tang of ancient vibe from the formations—we arrived at the Chamber where my potential beast companions were kept. We saw Elder Long Yue talking with some servants.
The guard then stopped and bowed to me before turning and returning to his duty post.
"Good evening, Elder Yue," I bowed a little, while Mei gave a nod towards him which he responded with a nod too. I raised an eyebrow, though it wasn't obvious.
"Good evening, Young Master. I believe you are here for your beast companion. We have three specially chosen for you, but according to the Clan's rule, the heirs of the Clan can only choose one of the selected beasts."
"Just bring out the beasts. I have to see them first before giving my response," I said, flat and emotionless.
*Hmm, am now pretty good in controlling my emotions.*
"As you wish, Young Master. Follow me." He then led both of us to a vault, sealed with a complex array pattern—I don't know its grade, but I'm sure it's very high.
After chanting some mantras and forming complex symbols, he said, "Young Master, I need a drop of blood from you."
I was puzzled. "My blood, for what?" Not having any intention to heed the request yet.
"Young Master, I need your blood in order to open the vault. I can't do it without your blood, because this array can only open with your blood, and it must be given willingly." His voice carried a seriousness I hadn't heard from him before.
"Okay." I turned to Mei and she provided a short dagger for me. I looked at her suspiciously, which she just ignored.
I took it, then with a deep breath, made a small cut on my finger, then dropped the bit of blood onto the array plate. I turned to look at my wound, but it had already healed without a scar. It would be a waste to scar this body before I've even learned its limits.
With a click, the vault opened.
Within, the dark void was the size of a football pitch. All this space for a beast? Don't tell me they're planning to give me a beast already out of the egg—I'm not good at communicating with beasts. Hope they won't be violent.
As we stepped inside, the vault lit up with a fluorescent light, but what grabbed my attention was three beast eggs of various sizes and colors, none smaller than a carriage, some even bigger—the space between each egg fairly wide, as if they were competing for dominance.
"These are the eggs, Young Master, but remember that companionship isn't forced, because it would harm you both. Another thing—according to the appraisal of the Clan's experts, which didn't reveal much, we were able to determine that the potential of these beasts is high, and also rare, which is why the Clan chose them for you specifically, given your bloodline. It was arranged this way because none of them had accepted any of the Clan's heirs of this generation, despite countless years of rejection. So the Clan decided to give it one more try." He said it with a little respect, though mostly flat.
Mei then bowed, "Young Master, another thing—according to Clan rules, you're free to take whichever beast accepts you, regardless of its worth." I could see her secretly rooting for me.
"Okay," I said, approaching the one closest to me. I touched it.* System, can you give me an appraisal of this egg?*
**Analysis**
Name: Sun-Eater Wyrm
Details: This one has waited longer than any of the others—epochs, some say. It has never once reacted to a bloodline. Until now.
Records state that only the one deemed worthy can it accept, and that will be the day its shell breaks.
Grade: (???)
Color: Faint golden
Age: Egg age (6 epochs)
*Hmm, this sounds powerful and beautiful*. I could feel the warmth of the egg. "Elder Yue, is there any way to communicate with it, like some special ritual?"—because I couldn't feel anything.
"Young Master, just try to imprint your qi onto it."
"Okay." I searched through my memory, then followed the pattern. I felt the flow of qi gather in my finger, then gently touched it to the egg, which absorbed it.
"Is that it?"
"Wait a while, Young Master. If it accepts you, it will emit its own qi for you to absorb. But if it doesn't, then—"
Before he could finish, it emitted a weak aura.
"Young Master, try to feed it your blood essence—it may accept you." I could feel the anticipation in his voice, as if he were ready to witness something extraordinary.
"Elder Yue, I don't think I'll be able to. Elder Mo Xuan sealed my bloodline for training." A little downcast—this was the first time my emotions had slipped out.
"Oh—Mo Xuan sealed it." He brought out an artifact from his spatial ring, shaped like a ring. "Wear this. It will unseal your bloodline a little," he said, handing it to me.
I took it and put it on my finger. Like a rush, my bloodline aura burst out like a flood breaking a dam—uncontrollable, spreading throughout the vault.
The eggs shook violently. They trembled against the stone floor, their shells flickering with faint internal light as if something inside had stirred from a very long sleep. I removed the ring from my finger, because my bloodline was putting immense pressure on my physique, causing it to crack.
"Does this count as acceptable?" I asked, returning the ring to him after looking at it for a moment.
"Well, Young Master, it counts as acceptable—but there is a problem." He said it with a little pain in his expression.
He glanced at Mei, something unspoken passing between them, then looked at me. "The problem is that all..."