Chapter Twenty-Six: The Roar of the Fierce Tiger

"Groups of four, come forward to take your swords in the order your names are called. After one minute, the door of the cage will open and the people inside may come out," the young man in charge announced, his tone devoid of any emotion.

In truth, Ye Qianling was not particularly afraid. Even with others present, if she were uninjured and armed with a sword, her chances of victory would be above ninety percent; even now, wounded as she was, her odds stood at sixty or seventy percent. The presence or absence of other people was of little consequence to her.

"First group: Sui Yin, Qian Keyang, Chen Ziyu, Meng Xiang. Second group, prepare yourselves."

The spotlight fell instantly on the first group as their names were called. The youth closest to the cage looked up in terror when he heard his name, shuddering at the sight of the drooling tiger, paralyzed by fear and unable to step forward. Of the four whose names were called, not one moved to take a sword from the side table.

"What are you doing? Hurry up, don't waste everyone's time," someone nearby complained impatiently.

"Exactly, since you're the first ones chosen, set a good example for everyone and get moving."

"Stop dawdling, just go!"

These words, drifting into Ye Qianling's ears, filled her with a sudden disgust. How vile human nature is, she thought. If any of them had been chosen first, would their behavior be any better? They knew the tiger was at its hungriest and that entering now was extremely dangerous. Were they gloating at others’ misfortune, or just eager to lessen their own risk?

Si Yan, hearing the jeers, frowned and turned to see Ye Qianling's face twisted in scorn, her cheeks red with suppressed anger, as if she were on the verge of lashing out. Ye Qianling let out a cold laugh but lowered her head, saying nothing.

"First group, step forward," the man continued.

"This will get people killed! Do you have any conscience at all? Are you even human? How could we possibly defeat such a crazed beast? We're here to become shadow guards, not to add to the body count!" One of the four, voice trembling, shouted at the man, still unable to process the horror of the situation.

"What is your name?" the man asked.

"Sui Yin," the young man replied.

"Candidate Sui Yin, it’s good to speak your mind, but out here in the Southern Garden of the Western Suburbs, you do not have that right," the man said. Without another word, he drew a sword from a nearby person’s waist and hurled it, straight as an arrow, at Sui Yin’s heart.

A sharp, resounding thud rang out. The crowd was thrown into chaos as Sui Yin collapsed on the spot, dead before he could make a sound, his head slumping to one side.

Silence reigned for nearly half a minute. Ke Li, witnessing the scene, said nothing, tacitly condoning the man’s action as if human life were worthless, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Does anyone else have objections?" The man’s voice was ghostly, sending a chill through everyone’s hearts.

Sui Yin’s body was dragged away, as if he had never existed. Yet, because of this, no one dared voice another complaint. The remaining three, as if by silent agreement, stepped forward, each taking up a sword, and moved to the front of the cage.

Several girls, too terrified to watch, turned their faces away, wishing they could block their ears to shut out the horror. Some braver boys straightened their stiff bodies, emptying their minds in an effort to numb themselves.

"Open the cage," the man ordered. Two people came forward and, without hesitation, unlatched the door. The moment the cage opened, the starved tiger lunged for the entrance, moving too fast for the eye to follow. The two who opened the door dodged instinctively, clearly accustomed to such scenes. Among the candidates, a few fainted outright at the sight of the tiger.

The three men hesitated, neither daring to enter nor to protest. Sui Yin's fate had sounded a grim warning in their minds: resistance meant only death. Who would dare defy that? Who is not afraid to die?

"Get in. Everyone is waiting for you," the man said tonelessly, a monster in human skin.

Those who had passed the first two rounds could never have imagined that the third would be so brutal. As the three men hesitated, they were shoved into the cage.

With a roar, the tiger closed in before they could react, its massive jaws clamping onto one of them, tearing his body apart in an instant.

Blood splattered everywhere, the force so great that those closest to the cage were sprayed in the face. The sight was unbearable. The other two pressed themselves desperately against the bars, unable to go forward, unable to retreat, voiceless in their terror. No one could stomach the scene; several found their clothes soaked through, others vomited violently, as if trying to cough up their lungs.

Si Yan, unaccustomed to showing emotion, could not hide his discomfort. He quickly stepped back to avoid the splattering blood, glancing at Ye Qianling, who watched the carnage without the slightest reaction.

Within fifteen seconds, the two survivors in the cage began cursing, calling themselves fools for coming, damning the Southern Garden as a den of monsters, wishing fire and flood upon it. Childish words, but bitterly poignant. They cowered, hands trembling on their swords, dreading that the tiger would soon turn on them.

Si Yan was astonished by Ye Qianling’s indifference. What had she experienced to be so cold-blooded, so unafraid of death? Outwardly she seemed untouched by the world, but the apathy she displayed was chilling.

In less than twenty seconds, the tiger had devoured every scrap of flesh, scattering gray bones across the cage. Even the strongest could not bear such horror—people vomited, fainted, lost control of their bladders. Fear and revulsion made fools of them all; few could even speak.

As expected, the tiger, having finished with Sui Yin, lunged at the two remaining men as if it had barely had a snack. The smaller boy, in a panic, shoved the larger one in front of him as a shield.

Those few who could still watch were disgusted by such cowardice. Ye Qianling stared unblinking at the events in the cage, her expression unchanged. Yet at this display, she forcibly restrained a movement of her hand.

Sixty seconds passed. All three were dead, not a scrap of flesh remaining. This tiger, specially trained, could devour twenty adults in one sitting. After eating three, its bloodlust only grew, its gaping maw like a bottomless pit. Yet even this brutality could not halt the assessment.

Ke Li watched the crowd, silently searching for those suitable to become shadow guards. Soldiers were not bred to be cowards, but to serve when needed. Those unfit would never belong here. Fewer than forty could still bear to look; fewer than ten still maintained their composure. Ke Li’s gaze swept the crowd, seeking Ye Qianling. There she stood, watching as if none of this mattered to her.

Ke Li had known Ye Qianling since childhood. Though not her martial arts teacher, he knew her character well. No matter what, she would never so completely lack human feeling. Looking closer, he noticed a tremor in her hand—a detail his keen senses did not miss. He thought a moment but did not act.

The slaughter of three men terrified the rest so completely that no one dared step forward. Group after group was forced into the cage, not a single soul emerging alive. Those who fainted were roused and shoved in as soon as consciousness returned. This was no longer mere cruelty—no human being would devise such a trial.

Nearly twenty had died when, finally, even the usually unflappable Ye Qianling could bear it no longer. Just as the tiger was about to pounce on the next victim, a blur shot into the cage at lightning speed, severing the tiger’s neck in a single stroke.

Absolute Domain.

Ye Qianling’s signature technique—Absolute Domain.

She had trained this move for ten years. Since the age of five, she had studied martial arts under Master Jikong of the Shaolin Temple, adapting his hidden weapon techniques to forge her own: small, solid iron discs, three centimeters across, easy to conceal and deadly. Ye Qianling had used this weapon only twice before—once just now, and once before on the battlefield, grievously wounded and fighting for her life.

Most had no idea what had happened; only a handful of the more skilled candidates and a few shadow guards noticed the source of the attack. All eyes turned to Ye Qianling, who stood quietly, blood streaming from the tiger’s neck at her feet.

"What do you think you’re doing?" the man in charge demanded, shock breaking through his impassive face. No one had ever dared flout the rules so openly in the Southern Garden—where everyone was taught to mind their own business. To kill an adult tiger in a single move proved her a worthy shadow guard; she had no need to fear failing the trial. Yet, by saving others, she had endangered herself.