After retrieving the item in the books hidden compartment, Wei Yun carefully unfolded it. It was a map made of animal hide or to be precise, part of a map, as the upper-left corner was missing.

The missing section originally described the name of a location and part of the terrain, but with that piece gone, only the characters “Green Mountain” remained.

With just these two words, finding the exact location would undoubtedly be a daunting task. After all, even within the vicinity of Qinye City, there were multiple places with the name “Green Mountain,” not to mention the entire Tianhe Kingdom.

No one could guarantee the location was even in Tianhe Kingdom. If it was in another country, then relying on Wei Yun’s personal resources to locate the exact spot would be nearly impossible.

As Wei Yun gazed at the tattered map, it was hard not to be overcome with memories of the past. This map was a relic left behind by his parents.

Three years ago, on a rainy night, his father, who had been out on a family mission, returned to the Wei estate staggering under the weight of his deceased mother.

At the time, his father was drenched in blood, his body riddled with wounds, and already on the verge of death. He didn’t even have time to leave final words before he passed away, clutching Wei Yun’s hand.

Three years had passed since that night. Due to the strict rules of the family and the care of his second uncle, Wei Jianfeng, no one had attempted to steal his parents’ inheritance or openly bully him. His status within the family hadn’t diminished either.

This was a family filled with genuine warmth and care.

Among the items his parents left behind, most were mundane belongings or fixed assets. The most valuable items were this map and a Creation Fruit.

Judging from the map’s material, it wasn’t an ordinary map. It was likely a treasure map. However, with such a critical piece missing, finding the precise location was extraordinarily difficult.

The Creation Fruit, on the other hand, was a rare essence of heaven and earth with significant restrictions. It could only be consumed when someone was about to become a Beastmaster. Its effects, however, were remarkable. As long as one successfully became a Beastmaster, they would gain certain benefits, such as stronger and purer spiritual power, sharper perception, a wider range for projecting spiritual power, and even the possibility of acquiring a special ability, though the odds were very slim.

Wei Yun could be said to have been blessed by fortune. It was thanks to the Creation Fruit that he gained his rare ability he called Soul Sense.

“Father, Mother, I will definitely find your killers and avenge you!”

Wei Yun looked at the two ancestral tablets in the distance, his fists clenched tightly. His voice was firm, filled with unwavering determination.

With the effects of Soul Sense, as long as he was given enough time, he would undoubtedly grow stronger quickly.

After a moment of silent remembrance, Wei Yun carefully stowed the map away and opened the Spirit Beast Compendium, quickly finding the entry on the white gale tiger.

The white gale tiger wasn’t a rare spirit beast, though it wasn’t commonly seen either. They lived deep in the mountains and forests and reproduced slowly, which was the main reason for their low numbers.

White Gale Tiger

* Element: Wind

* Type: Large beast-type spirit beast, specializing in speed and physical attack.

* Attack Style: Primarily close combat. Resistant to physical damage and capable of learning wind-based skills like Wind Blade and Gust.

* Racial Trait: Intimidation – Instills fear in opponents, with a chance to cause them to flinch.

* Basic Skills: Bite, Swiping Claw, Tail Whip, Shadow Clone, Gust, Tailwind.

* Advanced Skills: Wind Blade, Crushing Claw, Shatter Bite, Wind Veil, Wind Barrier.

Racial traits were like natural talents, abilities that spirit beasts inherently mastered, often with incredible effects. Skills, on the other hand, were divided into basic and advanced. Usually, skills required training or combat experience to fully master.

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Advanced skills were often evolutions of basic skills. For example, to learn Crushing Claw, the prerequisite was perfecting Swiping Claw.

With a memory far superior to ordinary people, Wei Yun quickly memorized all the information about the tiger. He then turned to look at Mira, the small cub lying nearby, and said, “Mira, use your Intimidation on me!”

Although Aixi didn’t fully understand Wei Yun’s words, their mental connection allowed her to grasp his intention. Lazily, she stood up from the ground.

Roar!

A childish roar sounded, but it was soft and immature. Combined with Mira’s adorably clumsy posture, it completely lacked any intimidating effect.

“As expected, I can’t count on you for that. All right, show me all the skills you’ve mastered instead,” Wei Yun said, stroking Mira’s small head, not disappointed in the slightest.

In the blink of an eye, Mira’s figure grew blurry, and another Mira appeared beside her.

The two looked almost identical, as if carved from the same mold. However, due to her lack of mastery, one figure was noticeably more translucent and easier to distinguish as an illusion.

“Shadow Clone!” Wei Yun was a little surprised. After all, among basic skills, Shadow Clone was relatively difficult to learn.

However, Mira was an excellent-grade spirit beast. Even though she was still a cub, she was far superior to ordinary beasts.

As Wei Yun pondered, both Mira and her clone pounced on him, their mouths wide open to bite.

Even as a cub, Mira’s bites wouldn’t be pleasant to endure.

At the critical moment, Wei Yun activated his spiritual power, forming an invisible barrier around his body.

In the next moment, Mira and her clone collided with the barrier. The clone, being non-physical, disintegrated upon contact.

Meanwhile, Mira bit at the barrier, causing faint ripples to appear, but she couldn’t break through it.

Not giving up, Mira retracted her bite and extended her small claws, swiping in a crisscross pattern at the barrier in an attempt to tear it apart.

Unfortunately, like her bite, her Swiping Claw skill was ineffective.

After attempting three skills, Mira stopped and stared at Wei Yun with a puzzled expression.

“It seems you’ve only mastered three skills so far, but that’s still pretty good. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin training to quickly increase your strength!”

Satisfied with Mira, Wei Yun kept his spiritual barrier active and began planning her training regimen.

Unlike adult spirit beasts, cubs lacked immediate combat power. However, raising a spirit beast from a young age allowed Beastmasters to solidify their bond and develop the cub’s potential more thoroughly. This, combined with their relatively low destructive capabilities, was why many factions preferred to raise spirit beast cubs and gift them to their younger members after taming them.

Wei Yun’s family also raised a group of spirit beast cubs. However, in Wei Yun’s eyes, most of these cubs were mediocre in quality. Apart from a rare few reaching mid-grade, the majority were low-grade beasts. Considering the importance of his first spirit beast, they didn’t meet his standards, which was why he chose to take risks in the wild.

Compared to the cubs raised by his family, Mira’s potential far surpassed them. But potential alone wasn’t enough, strength was what mattered most now. Wei Yun needed to quickly improve Mira’s combat abilities.

There was a reason for Wei Yun’s urgency. His family had a tradition: every summer, they held a test for newly awakened Beastmasters who met the age requirements. Their performance in the test would determine their future prospects.

Due to the presence of spirit beast, the political structure of this world was unique. Nations and local factions vied for power in both overt and covert ways. In addition to the royal family, powerful Beastmaster academies, sects and families also wielded significant influence.

While the Wei family was considered a prominent clan in Qinye City, on a provincial or national level, it barely qualified as a third-rate power, with minimal influence.

This year, dozens of new Beastmasters met the family’s testing criteria. Those with outstanding results would have the chance to gain admission to a Beastmaster academy.

To strengthen the family, the Wei clan invested significant resources each year to purchase academy recommendation slots.

Although this came at great expense, it allowed the family to nurture many talented individuals, a key factor in their continued prosperity.

This year, the family had purchased eight academy recommendation slots. Of course, not all academies were equal. The best academies offered superior knowledge and abundant resources, providing a far better environment for a Beastmaster’s growth.

To grow faster and gain access to more knowledge and resources, Wei Yun needed to secure one of these recommendation slots and the higher the academy’s rank, the better.

With less than two months remaining until the academy entrance tests, Wei Yun was determined to increase his strength as quickly as possible.