The old man stood motionless outside the zoo.
His gray robe fluttered gently in the afternoon breeze, while his weathered hand rested atop a dark wooden cane polished smooth by countless years of travel.
His cloudy eyes were fixed on the faded sign.
LIN FAMILY WILDLIFE PARK
“…It disappeared.”
Moments ago, he had sensed an overwhelming demonic aura.
An aura so ancient that even his master—one of the last surviving Golden Core cultivators—had spoken of it only in whispers.
Yet now…
Nothing.
Not a trace remained.
“Was I mistaken?”
The old man frowned.
That was impossible.
A cultivator who reached the Foundation Establishment Realm did not mistake spiritual fluctuations.
Someone…
Or something…
Had concealed it.
Inside the zoo, Lin Tianyu knew none of this.
He was staring at Hei Bao.
“So…”
“You’ve been listening to me for years?”
The panda nodded while lazily chewing another apple.
“…Yes.”
“And you never thought to answer?”
Hei Bao blinked.
“…You never asked.”
“…”
“…That’s actually a good point.”
The panda’s intelligence felt oddly human.
No…
Older than human.
When Tianyu looked into Hei Bao’s golden eyes, he saw something impossible.
Patience.
As if the panda had watched countless generations come and go.
The System suddenly appeared.
New Main Mission
Increase the Primary Guardian’s Trust to 10%.
Current Trust:
5%
Mission Reward:
Spirit Sense Sanctuary Authority +1 Unlock Beast Encyclopedia
Failure Penalty:
None.
“No penalty?”
Trust cannot be forced.
“I like that.”
The strongest bonds are voluntary.
Tianyu smiled.
For the first time, the System sounded less like a machine and more like a philosophy.
His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the zoo’s front gate.
Ding!
“Visitor?”
He checked the time.
Almost closing.
“Coming!”
At the entrance stood an elderly man with silver hair tied neatly behind his head.
Despite his plain clothes, something about him felt…
Different.
His posture was perfectly straight.
His breathing was slow and steady.
Even the pigeons nearby avoided landing too close.
“Good afternoon.”
The old man smiled warmly.
“Are you the owner?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Lin Tianyu.”
“I apologize.
We’re about to close.”
The old man looked past him toward the zoo grounds.
“I won’t take much of your time.”
“I simply wish to look around.”
Tianyu hesitated.
Business had been terrible lately.
Turning away a customer didn’t feel right.
“Well…”
“It’s only one ticket.”
The old man chuckled.
“I’ll pay double.”
A few minutes later…
The old man slowly wandered through the nearly empty pathways.
Every few steps, he stopped.
Not to admire the scenery…
But to observe.
The monkey enclosure.
Nothing unusual.
The deer.
Ordinary.
The crocodiles.
Weak.
The peacocks.
Annoyingly loud.
Then…
He reached the panda habitat.
Hei Bao was lying on his back with an apple balanced on his belly.
Completely harmless.
The old man narrowed his eyes.
Impossible.
This was just…
A panda.
Yet the lingering spiritual residue in the air told another story.
It was faint.
Almost perfectly concealed.
“…Who sealed your aura?”
He whispered so quietly that no ordinary person could hear.
Across the enclosure…
Hei Bao opened one eye.
For a fraction of a second…
The old man’s heart nearly stopped.
The panda’s golden gaze met his.
Cold.
Ancient.
Sovereign.
The old man felt as though an entire mountain had landed on his shoulders.
His legs trembled.
His instincts screamed.
Kneel.
Before he could react…
Hei Bao lazily rolled over.
The pressure vanished.
The panda resumed chewing his apple.
“…”
Sweat soaked the old man’s back.
“I wasn’t mistaken…”
He lowered his head.
“…A Demon Emperor…”
At that moment, Tianyu arrived carrying a broom.
“Enjoying the pandas?”
The old man looked at the smiling young keeper.
Then at the panda.
Then back again.
“…Young man.”
“Yes?”
“How long have you worked here?”
“My whole life.”
“I inherited the zoo from my grandfather.”
The old man’s pupils contracted.
“Your grandfather…”
“What was his name?”
“Lin Guowei.”
Silence.
The old man’s expression changed completely.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Then…
Respect.
“So…”
“The Guardian truly chose a successor.”
“What?”
The old man quickly smiled.
“Oh, nothing.”
“Just talking to myself.”
Tianyu laughed.
“I’ve been doing that all day.”
“If you keep running a zoo, you’ll get used to it.”
The old man looked toward Hei Bao once more.
“No…”
“I believe I’m the one who needs to get used to it.”
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the old man left the zoo.
He walked nearly a kilometer before stopping beneath a lonely streetlamp.
Only then did he take a jade token from inside his robe.
He poured a thread of spiritual energy into it.
The token glowed.
A calm voice echoed from within.
“Report.”
The old man inhaled deeply.
His voice trembled with a mixture of fear and excitement.
“…Elder.”
“…I have located the Demon Sanctuary.”
A long silence followed.
Then the voice spoke again, no longer calm.
“…Are you certain?”
“I’m willing to stake my cultivation on it.”
Another pause.
Then came an order.
“Do not approach the Sanctuary again.”
“Do not provoke its keeper.”
“And above all…”
The voice became unusually grave.
“Pray that the one who awakened the Guardian remains a friend of humanity.”
The jade token dimmed.
The old man slowly looked back toward the distant zoo.
Meanwhile…
Inside the panda enclosure…
Hei Bao quietly watched the night sky.
“…They found us.”
His voice was barely a whisper.
Hidden deep beneath the zoo…
Far below the oldest enclosure…
Something enormous shifted in the darkness.
A single ancient eye…
Opened.
[End of Chapter 3]