Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Xiao Yin suddenly dove down before beating her wings with enough force to disperse the dust. Hei Yue followed, leaping forward and grabbing onto the horse's black horn. The horse began to thrash around, trying to toss Hei Yue off but the fox clung tightly and clawing at the horse when the opputunity presented itself.

Seeing that the pincer attack did not work, the monkey launched itself with the staff. Quickly, it flew through the air and tried to reach the its comrade but Xiao Yin interrupted his return. The Star Owl grabbed onto the red monkey's staff and spun around. After a few turns, Xiao Yin let go, throwing the staff along with the monkey off to the side. While it was still dazed, Xiao Yin charged, scratching the monkey in multiple places. Without the staff, the monkey could only suffer the attacks.

Spreading her wings, she suppressed her opponent as best she could.

Despite their current advantage, the monkey and the horse were not defeated just yet. Xiao Yin and Hei Yue were not very powerful beasts, they were unable to put down their opponent and soon enough, the two found themselves encircled by the monkey and horse.

Hei Yue could not hold onto the horse and was thrown off by the violent thrashing

The monkey was much stronger than Xiao Yin and under the assault, it grabbed Xiao Yin's wing and threw owl off.

Pushed into each other's backs by their opponents but Hei Yue and Xiao Yin did not seem distressed at all. Despite the situation, it seemed that they had a plan to take down their adversaries.

The two swapped opponents with Xiao Yin against the horse and Hei Yue against the monkey. It seemed that their strategy has begun.

They moved, approaching their adversaries with swift speed. What they lacked in power, they made up for in speed and maneuverability. As nimble as the monkey was, it was difficult to keep up with Hei Yue.

In its frustration, the staff brightened as the monkey fueled it with power. Suddenly the staff glowed bright red as fire enveloped the ends. Spinning the staff around, rings of fire lit up the field, singeing the grass.

Battling it out, Hei Yue dodged the flames and suddenly became a shadowy blur. Black fog emerged from Hei Yue's body as it covered the two. It was thick, so much so that the monkey could not see anything. Waving the fiery staff around, the little beast tried to scatter the fog and widen its view.

It was no ordinary fog but a technique from Hei Yue. Under its influence, the monkey was like fish out of water, unable to do anything.

Outside of the fog, Xiao Yin was directly clashing against the auburn horse. The horse's black horn shined as crimson-streaked obsidian conjured from it and became armor. Covering its joints and hooves, the horse suddenly leaped up, strengthened by the obsidian armor. It soared through the air, the horn aiming for Xiao Yin.

Her small body seemed even smaller compared to the hulking size of the horse.

The silvery eyes of Xiao Yin's glowed as power seemed to well up within her body. The Star Owl beat her wings together and shot off a shining white blade of energy. An ethereal sight and a powerful strike that cut into the horse's armor. The impact alone had slowed the horse's flight, sending it back to the ground.

No one could see what was happening and Ming Yue was surprised. She had never seen these two do something like this. Was that what Bai Ying had taught them?

"Every beast have powers unique to their species. The Black Horn Stallion can armor itself with an obsidian-like stone, formed from its own energy. The Flame Fist Monkey can control flames, often using those flames to empower a weapon of their liking. The Star Owl can harness the energy of the stars sending off blasts of energy. The Mistral Fox is quick and illusive, often relying on its speed to fight or flee. However, your variant has the ability to create thick fog, perfect for escape or for battle."

Bai Ying's voice surprised her as he appeared out of nowhere, sitting next to her.

"Those abilities you see them make were always there however, those two did not know how to properly use them. Usually, a parent teaches them but I suppose such a thing did not happen for them."

Ming Yue didn't really have a response. She found Xiao Yin as an egg and Hei Yue had lost his mother when he was little. She had never seen them use anything other than their physical abilities so she had assumed that this was all they had.

She continued watching the match and found her little companions victorious.

Xiao Yin had shredded the obsidian armor to nothing and the Black Horn Stallion had conceded, kneeling on its knees. The Flame Fist Monkey had lost its staff and was pinned down by Hei Yue.

"Alright that's enough! The winner is the Mistral Fox and the Star Owl!"

Elder Zhou stood up, taking the beasts off to the side as the next group began their match.

Ming Yue approached them to which, Hei Yue's head perked up and looked towards her. Walking up, she began petting the two and cuddling a little.

"So this was what both of you have been up to", she playfully talked to them.

She turned and thanked the Bestial Elder for taking care of them.

"Oh don't worry", he said, "The others are always happy to have more friends to play with."

Pointing at the other beasts, he looked back at her with an friendly face.

"Are you planning to go off somewhere?" he asked.

Ming Yue nodded, saying that she was heading east.

"Mmm, don't forget to say farewell to the other elders."

She gave a simple bow before leaving with Xiao Yin and Hei Yue.

With the day ending, she rested and prepared for the journey. Elder Xiang merely gave her a nod and a few teasing words. On her way out, he muttered few words.

"Good luck, girl."

Elder Hua looked relieved, it was good to know that Ming Yue was not headed for the Merciless Storm Peak. Even still, the elder had prepared something for her. A small bag containing a life saving pill.

"This should be enough to save you from a fatal strike", she said, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Elder Shen gave her a paper talisman that brought good luck.

"Something traditional from the Dark Water Kingdom, that talisman should be enough to vouch for your identity", he said, "Be safe."

After accepting the gift, Ming Yue left Heaven's Gate with her little companions. She had looked around for Anqing and Xukun but both had entered into closed door cultivation. The former was prefecting her poison body and the later began training on his sword arts.

Ming Yue looked back at Heaven's Gate, the gleaming white walls and the great spires that stood at the north of the city.

With the map Elder Hua had given her, she gazed at the route. There were one or two kingdoms along the way, though she would not be passing through them directly. Ahead of her was the Four Season Forest. Past that were the Blackpeak Mountains, followed by the Ying Long Sea that flowed into the Ocean of Easterly Winds.

The Dark Water Kingdom was located near edge of the continent, sitting by the southern border of the Ying Long Sea. It was much larger than the Ying Long Sea and spanned the entire southern border.

Within the entirety of the Human Continent, its size was second to the Raging Sun Kingdom which lied in the west and was a third larger.

Mapping her route, she headed into the Four Season Forest.. It was a little over a month before she would reach there and she had seven months before the tournament.