🌀 Federation Beast Arena – Preliminaries Begin
———-
The announcer's voice echoed again through the arena's vast speakers, crisp and commanding:
———-
🎙️ "Prepare your beasts. All categories allowed—Soul beasts, Magical beasts, and Mythical beasts. Two rounds: First, Master-Beast Combat. Second, Command-Only Beast Duels. Multiple-beast students will be matched accordingly. Students with Sky-Class Aerial Beasts, report immediately to Sky Stadium."
———-
I grinned, watching Mystic's lightning crackle above, golden thunder threading across the clouds like a living pulse.
"Looks like it's time to let the kiddos shine," I said, reaching for Lufei and Maxius' soul beads.
Jin Minhe just pointed skyward.
"You might want to give her a warm-up snack. Or three. …Maybe seven, actually."
He turned around, squatting on the floor drawing circles and mumbling about Jin-Minhe-minded things. Food.
But—he wasn't wrong.
Fan Yumei crossed her arms and studied the bracket chart as students began checking their match numbers. Mystic floated behind her, already alert despite not being called yet. Lufei and Maxius stood at her flanks like silent sentries.
Jin Minhe strolled up beside her, arms loose at his sides, but his eyes weren't lazy—they were tracking faces in the crowd.
"You're scanning the competition," he noted.
Fan Yumei gave a barely-there nod.
"We won't get much on them. The S and SS-Class student footage is locked behind faculty-level clearance."
He frowned. "Of course it is."
"But I know a few names," she added, tone even, gaze fixed ahead. "Pay attention when they show up."
She pointed subtly toward the far left group gathered in loose formation—students with cleaner uniforms, polished insignias, and quiet, unsettling confidence.
"The girl in the white-silver light nano armor? That's Qin Yuyan. She's from the Northern Glacier Sect. Ice affinity. Dual-elemental core. Her beast is rumored to be a Frost Serpent hybrid—modified bloodline."
Fan Yumei's eyes tracked the figure. Qin Yuyan was calmly brushing a hand along a long silver ribbon tied at her waist. Her eyes were shut, but the way the other students gave her space was telling.
"Her qi has a muting field," she went on. "She can suppress sound and presence around her. Works like a stealth cloak for the opening of battle."
"Noted," Jin Minhe murmured. "What else?"
Fan Yumei turned slightly, pointing at a tall boy with bronze cuffs on each wrist.
"That's Han Zeduo in Division 8. He's from Elemental Caller and the Combatant: Military Departments of the Academy. High-density earth qi and combat qi core. Not flashy, but nearly immovable once he anchors himself. His beast is some kind of Armored Stone Lion."
Maxius ruffled a wing. Lufei sniffed the air and snorted faintly.
She shifted her gaze again.
"Over there—red cloak, three braids down the back. That's Tian Rou, SS-Class also Division 8. One of the few born with a natural elemental channeling physique. She doesn't use a beast much. Her qi output alone makes her a one-person artillery team."
Fan Yumei tracked her easily. Tian Rou's posture was bored, but even her stillness crackled faintly with heat.
"She has a control flaw, though," Fan Yumei said, just above a whisper. "The longer she fights, the more unstable her qi flare becomes. It warps the battlefield—sometimes even hurts allies. They usually only send her in for eliminations or draws."
Jin raised a brow. "You've memorized their weaknesses? How exhausting. I feel hungry just thinking about it."
Fan Yumei shrugged one shoulder.
"Only ones who study their potential enemies or rivals always stay a couple steps ahead of others."
His Glutton Panda burped softly behind him and rolled closer.
"There's one more to look out for," Fan Yumei added, voice quiet now.
"Su Cheng, SS-Class. Doesn't wear the uniform. Doesn't need to. You'll know it's him when you see the jade flute. No one's seen his beast. No public records, no registry data. He's listed as a 'Battle Tamer and Silent-type Support,' but that's all rumor."
She frowned.
"No records though."
Jin nodded. "None. No footage. No registry. Just rumors—Silent-type Battle Tamer. Supposed to be support-type, but no one's sure."
"Then how do you know him?" she asked.
He glanced at me.
"I met him. Three years ago. Provincial trial I shouldn't have been at. He silenced ten students before anyone realized he'd entered."
I was quiet.
"If you draw him," he added, "don't engage directly. Force him to show his cards."
Fan Yumei gave a slow nod, filing every name and detail into memory.
"So that's what we're up against."
"No," Jin corrected.
"That's just what we can see."
Yumei exhaled and tightened her gloves.
"Perfect," she muttered. "I was worried today might be boring."
She was still memorizing Su Cheng's name when a soft crackle of golden lightning sparked beside her.
Mystic, who had been floating lazily above in her usual resting form, suddenly pulsed with translucent light. The air flexed around her for a single breath—
Pop.
In the next instant, Mystic had shrunk down to the size of a large boulder, fins folding tight to her sides, her cloudlike body drifting gently down onto the arena tiles like a giant pillow. A compact, floating mythical beast. Still elegant. Still smug.
Yumei's jaw tensed.
"She… actually did it."
Maxius tilted his head. Lufei let out a soft pwhff of surprise through her nostrils and cautiously trotted over to nudge Mystic with her antlers. Mystic responded with a pleased trill, tail twitching lightly with gold sparks.
Jin Minhe stood frozen.
"Wait—she absorbed that chip last night."
Yumei nodded, eyes still locked on her mythical beast.
"Yeah."
"And she already figured out how to use it on command?"
Mystic floated a few inches higher, spun once in the air, and puffed herself slightly smaller for flair—just to show she could. Lightning danced between her fins like a crown.
Jin Minhe turned slowly toward his Glutton Panda, who was sitting beside him chewing another sweet bun with zero sense of urgency.
"You lazy little—do you realize it took you three months to learn that same skill?"
The panda blinked up at him, unbothered, then offered him half the bun.
Mystic gave a soft prrph of amusement.
Jin dragged a hand down his face.
"Three. Months. I memorized the chip instructions, demonstrated the posture twenty times, even hand-fed him meals during training. And you—"
He pointed at Mystic.
"—just decided to casually reinvent body physics in a single night?"
Yumei crouched down next to Mystic, inspecting her cloudlike body as it hummed with condensed qi.
"I thought she might take a few weeks, maybe longer… mythical beasts usually struggle with artificial skills. But I guess size modulation isn't so unnatural to her."
Maxius huffed lightly, phantom wing flickering. Lufei sat beside them with ears flicked forward, clearly impressed.
Jin glared at his panda again.
"You. Played. Me. I thought we were building a foundation of trust, and instead you were running a long-con for extra snack rations."
The Glutton Panda rolled onto its back, absolutely unapologetic.
Yumei stood and crossed her arms.
"I'm starting to think Mystic's more than just a fast learner. She's efficient. Calculated. Probably planning our grocery list next."
Mystic sparkled once in agreement, golden lightning dancing smugly over her fins.
Jin exhaled slowly.
"You win. Your beast wins. I've been outclassed and outcheated."
Yumei raised an eyebrow.
"Want to borrow one of my discipline scrolls?"
"No," he said flatly.
"I want to borrow her attitude."