Chapter 23: The Nature of Terror

Over these past three years, Meng Fan had achieved a degree of mastery in the Art of Gathering Beasts and Commanding Birds, gaining a deeper understanding of its principles.

On the surface, this art might seem to share certain similarities with the Twin-Fisted Hand, but once he truly grasped it, he realized the differences were profound. The Twin-Fisted Hand, as the name implies, seeks the perfection of both nature and life, pushing humanity toward a form of ultimate evolution—that of an immortal.

The Art of Gathering Beasts is different. Its essence lies in splicing and alienation; in short, it moves ever further along a path that is neither human nor animal, with its foundation rooted in genetics. It is the modification of animal genes.

As everyone knows, an animal's appearance is determined by its genes. While some genetic segments may overlap between species, specific unique genes dictate their differences. The Art of Gathering Beasts involves selecting these genetic segments and grafting them into other animals to cultivate a "monster." Crucially, it must be done without triggering an immune rejection, and it requires a perfect alignment between soul and flesh. Only when the spirit and the body are in total harmony—when nature and life are unified—can an animal wield its new limbs as if they were its own. For instance, if a white tiger were gifted wings, but its nature and life were not in accord, its spirit would be unable to command the flesh, and those wings would be nothing more than useless ornaments, incapable of even a single flap.

The more Meng Fan studied this art over the last three years, the more unsettled he became. He could not help but wonder: if the genetic segments of all living things can be grafted, could the same be done to humans? In the legends of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, many strange beasts possess human faces. Could they have been "monsters" bred by ancient beings using these very methods?

Take the Kaiming Beast, for example. The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* describes it: "The divine beast Kaiming is endowed with the essence of metal; it has the body of a tiger, a human face, and nine heads, manifesting a formidable form; it glares at Kunlun Mountain, its majesty cowing all spirits." Liu Ji of the Ming Dynasty also wrote: "The Kaiming glares with eyes like lightning, and when it roars, the mountains split." There is also the Luwu, which shares the human face and tiger body, though it possesses nine tails instead of nine heads.

In ancient times, there were no moral constraints. Slaves were often treated as mere beasts of burden, especially by those "Extraordinary Beings" who possessed superior supernatural abilities. They called themselves divine and godlike, claiming to be immortals. To match their status, they naturally required exotic creatures—mounts worthy of their divinity.

Meng Fan held an even bolder hypothesis. Humans are the most spiritual of all living things; as certain occult texts suggest, humans possess the greatest spiritual essence in the world. Could the gods of old have been "monsters" created by using humans as a base and grafting in the genes of various animals? Such experiments were undoubtedly insane, yet they fit the era of antiquity, which lacked the shackles of modern morality. Back then, they might not have understood genetic segments, calling them "bloodlines" instead. As for cells, in the words of Mo Lishou, they were known as "Mysterious Subtleties," and the collective body of cells was called "The Myriad Worlds of Ganges Sands."

The text of the Art of Gathering Beasts records: "I once observed the body with a secret technique and realized it contains profound mysteries. All living things are composed of countless, immeasurable Mysterious Subtleties; within each one, it is as if there exists a vast world."

"To extract the subtle from the mysterious and distinguish their differences is the key to the Art of Gathering Beasts..."

***

Meng Fan was now in high school. After skipping grades at seven, he had jumped to the sixth grade, started middle school at eight, jumped again to the third year of middle school, and entered high school at nine. Now ten years old and in his second year of high school, he had chosen not to skip any more grades. However, he planned to take his graduation exams this year; time was pressing, and his current lack of academic credentials was limiting his development.

Whenever he studied biology, he found that self-study made it difficult to fully grasp the subject. After all, in his previous life, he was merely a fresh college graduate. Even with the heightened abilities of an "Extraordinary Being," he was not a superhuman genius. To better master the Art of Gathering Beasts and Commanding Birds, he intended to enter university as soon as possible, major in biology, and integrate modern science with his ancient art. Moreover, the art was written in such cryptic, profound language that without a master, he was essentially crossing the river by feeling for stones.

He needed to verify his theories, and that required support—specifically, the various instruments found in a laboratory. For his family, such conditions were impossible to provide. Furthermore, he had vaguely sensed the attitude of the "Who Is Who" organization toward him, which was why he had developed numerous "eyes and ears." He felt insecure.

University offered the perfect solution: it was crowded and anonymous, making constant surveillance by "Who Is Who" impossible; it provided access to the experimental equipment he needed; and it allowed him to expand his knowledge base, preparing him to successfully create his very first "Extraordinary Beast."

During these three years, Meng Fan had conducted several experiments. Using a swarm of bees, he tested the first method of Commanding Birds—arranging creatures like an army in formation. With his current cultivation of the spirit, he could command over 120 bees simultaneously without the queen; if he utilized the queen, that number increased tenfold.

Commanding bees was difficult; while they had a unique social structure, their intelligence was low compared to cats or dogs. He could command about 300 cats or dogs at once. It was a trade-off: insects were small and easy to hide, but lacked raw lethality; cats and dogs were larger and easier to spot, but their combat prowess under the influence of an Beast Master was significant.

The first application of the Gathering Art served as a military order for these animals, while the first application of the Commanding Art served as the mobilization for battle. The two methods were designed to complement each other, and Meng Fan was beginning to realize their true ingenuity.