This incident could be considered one of the greatest calamities in the century of peace following the World-Ending War, with an astonishing number of both ability users and ordinary soldiers lost. There are no secrets that can be kept forever; this super magical beast attracted attention from all sides. Power has always been humanity’s greatest desire, and a new wave of ability user cultivation began, especially with the secret research into this terrifying devouring ability never ceasing.

Although after this battle, the military and the guardian families tightened their blockade even further, every year many powerful ability users still secretly entered the Magical Beast Forest, hoping to find this so-called Soul Devourer beast for research, hoping to obtain that terrifying devouring power. Yet for more than a decade, there was no news. Except for a few secret organizations, everyone else gradually gave up—until the appearance of a mysterious figure more than ten years later once again threw the ability world into panic and triggered another wave of purges.

In the Guardian Tribe, a cute little boy was born. All the magical beasts in the forest shuddered for no reason. The queen’s stunning face showed a trace of sigh and unwillingness, but regardless, the fate of both humans and magical beasts would be changed by him. The wheel of destiny began to turn...

Chapter Three: Escape

In the year 149 of the New Era, after a counterattack against foreign enemies, rumors spread that someone in Rockford Seven Eagles Hall had mastered the devouring ability. For a time, whether it was the righteous path, the underworld, the government, or the military, all the major ability organizations sprang into action, hoping to get a share of the spoils. Even the elites sent out from the Magical Beast Forest moved quickly, rushing to track down the whereabouts of their great Beast King.

Unexpectedly, the northern underworld leader Eagle Alliance seized the territory of Seven Eagles Hall first. Six members of Seven Eagles of Rockford were killed on the spot, with only Old Five Ethan Eagle managing to escape under the desperate cover of his companions.

Under pressure, Eagle Alliance announced the results: the abilities of the six dead eagles had nothing to do with devouring. Thus, the focus of the joint manhunt shifted to Ethan Eagle. Only a few well-informed organizations knew that beneath Seven Eagles there was still a Little Eagle, and that this Little Eagle might be the true possessor of the devouring ability, so they secretly shifted their attention to this Little Eagle.

But Seven Eagles Hall had already been completely destroyed. Normally, Seven Eagles always wore eagle-shaped masks and never showed their true faces, so there was no concrete information at all. They could only rely on a few subtle clues to investigate. As for Ethan Eagle, whose name is Ethan, he was indeed a resourceful and clever person. Though beset on all sides, no one could discover their whereabouts. Because of this, many conflicts broke out among the major organizations, deepening old grudges.

After more than a year of fruitless searching, quite a few criminals and traitors acting alone were caught, which could be considered some compensation. The commotion gradually died down, and the search seemed to slacken considerably. Many people breathed a sigh of relief. From beginning to end, the ones who pursued the matter most relentlessly were those magical beast elites from the Magical Beast Forest.

But the apparent calm was just an illusion; the root problem had not been solved. For all those in the know, the devouring ability was either a disaster or a rare opportunity. As for Ethan Eagle, he completely hid away with Little Eagle, not daring to make any big moves, leaving no trace to be found.

Beneath the calm surface of the ability world, turbulent waves were surging, just waiting for the right moment to erupt. No one could predict how many people would be affected—perhaps it would be an all-out war.

The ancient city of Xinghai, located in the south of the East Asian continent, boasts a long history and a superior geographical location, nestled between mountains and sea with a pleasant climate. It is famous for the ancient Xinghai Academy. Later generations rebuilt a world-class university under the name of Xinghai Academy, with great success. Over the next decade or so, several other universities either relocated or merged, all moving to Xinghai, forming the world-renowned Xinghai University City, with Xinghai Academy being the most famous among them.

On an evening in the year 151 of the New Era, the sun was slowly setting, and the slanting rays of the setting sun bathed the entire city in golden light, as if it were the legendary City of Gold. A gentle evening breeze brought waves of mild fragrance, delivering the comfort of the night wind to the city. Taking a deep breath, one would feel refreshed and invigorated, the mood greatly improved—truly a wonderful place.

As the bell signaling the end of class rang out across half the city, students in groups of three or five strolled leisurely out of the school gates, releasing the fatigue of the day. Couples leaned on each other, seeking their own little corners of the world. The once somewhat empty streets suddenly became crowded with people, and laughter and cheerful voices filled the entire city. At the gate of Xinghai Academy, groups of students were also leaving campus, joining the surging crowd.

“Old Ben, wait for me, where are you going?”

A tall, thin boy called out loudly, his abrupt voice drawing the attention of others. But when he saw people glancing over, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. With his still rather handsome face, he cupped his hands in apology to everyone, then quickly caught up to the boy he had called out to.

“Nothing much, I’m going to hang out at Blaze's place for a bit. Want to come along, Bennett?”

The boy in front, not very tall, a bit chubby, and quite ordinary in both dress and looks, stopped. Seeing his friend catch up, he turned and replied.